“Ma, Pops, this is Naryah. I’m not sure if she’s my lady yet because she’s still playing hard to get.”
“Seriously, Graham?”
“Am I lying?”
“Whatever. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Diggs. This is my son, Keelan. My mother and sister already had plans for today, so they couldn’t make it.”
“Hello,” Keelan greeted.
“It’s nice to meet you both. Please call us Mama and Papa Diggs. We’ll just have to plan another dinner when your mom and sister are available,” my mother said.
“It’s good to meet you. Graham speaks very highly of you both,” Pops said.
“Thank you. He’s told me a lot of great things about you two as well.”
After exchanging greetings, we headed to the backyard. My parents had a huge deck and an enclosed patio where they loved to entertain guests.
“This is beautiful,” Naryah complimented.
“Thank you. We spend most of our time out here,” Ma responded.
“I don’t blame you.”
“Y’all don’t lock doors around here anymore?” DJ said as he and his family entered the backyard.
“Keelan!” Trey shouted, running in our direction.
“Hey, Uncle G. Hey, Ms. Naryah.”
“Wassup, Nephew.”
“Hi, Trey. Thanks for hanging out with Keelan on his birthday.”
“We had fun. Hey, Keelan. What happened to your face?”
Keelan looked at his mother, and she smiled uncomfortably before saying, “Tell him as much or as little as you want.”
He nodded. “Let’s go over there, Trey, and I’ll tell you what happened.”
The boys went to the back corner of the yard to talk. I’d already hipped my parents, DJ, and Kindra to the sensitive situation, but it seemed none of us remembered to talk to Trey. We let Keelan know that he didn’t have to share what happened with anyone who asked unless he felt comfortable doing so.
My mother whisked Naryah and Kindra away to help her in the kitchen, while my father, brother, and I remained outside. We gathered in the enclosed tent, and my father poured us a drink.
“She has a pleasant aura about her, and she’s very pretty. I can see why you're so taken by her,” Pops said.
“Do I need to watch you around my woman?”
“A few minutes ago, you weren’t sure if she was your lady. Did something change?” he teased.
“I did that to mess with her. She’s definitely mine.”
“Everything is still so fresh. Are they okay?” DJ asked.
“They’ve been okay. She’s still pissed, of course, but Keelan, . . . he’s resilient. He wanted to tell her mother and sister what happened when they visited yesterday, and he didn’t get angry or upset while talking about it. When I asked how he could talk about the incident without getting upset, he said, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong. My dad did. He’s the one who should be upset.’”
“That’s a pretty mature thought process from someone his age,” Pops said.
“It sure is.” DJ agreed.
