“You’re welcome, Son.”
I hoped his excitement didn’t disappear when he realized I wouldn’t be dropping him off and leaving. I didn’t play about my son and needed time to get a read on Kindra and the people she surrounded herself with.
We arrived home fifteen minutes later, and Keelan ate a snack while I straightened my office. When he was finished, we took Que for a walk.
“Oh, Mom. Guess what?”
“What?”
“Trey goes toBlack Elm Academy, so I’ll have a friend already when we start.”
I was already aware of this, but I acted surprised anyway.
“That’s great, Son. Does he like the school?”
He shrugged. “He didn’t say bad things about it, so I think so. It’s just school, Mom. It doesn’t matter if we like it because we still have to go.”
“All right, smarty pants.”
“Sorry. I was only being honest.”
“I know, Son, and I always want you to be honest with me. Hopefully, Trey can introduce you to other kids, and you’ll make a few more friends.”
“Ehh.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s nothing, Mom. I just don’t need that many friends. One or two is fine.”
I nodded in understanding, and we walked in silence for a while. Que was on high alert because there were so many people out walking, some with their dogs, some without.
“Let’s hurry up and get him inside before he drags me down the street,” I told Keelan, and we picked up the pace.
As we neared our house, Que began to bark aggressively as he tried to pull away from me. I looked ahead and noticed we had a visitor who Que was not very fond of. I stopped walking to get him under control.
“Heel, boy, heel!” I shouted over his barking.
He calmed down and returned to my side but continued to growl.
“What’s he doing here?” Keelan asked.
“I don’t know. Let me get Que inside, and we’ll find out.”
By the time we made it in front of our house, Que was riled up again. I didn’t bother trying to calm him because anytime Victor was around, Que was ready to attack. I took him inside and closed the front door because he could very well bust through the screen. He was still barking when I made it to the sidewalk.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Victor.
His car was parked in front of my house, and he was leaning against the front.
“Did you forget we have a son together?”
The muthafucka hadn’t seen our son in over two months and had the nerve to ask me if I’d forgotten. There was so much I wanted to say, but I took a deep breath and ignored his response.
“So, you’re here to see Keelan?”
