“Naw, don’t stop her. I want to hear this because you got your ass on the stand and tried to blame your own children for provoking your pathetic ass husband. Did you let him touch your child and then try to cover it up?”
Her eyes widened, and I recognized the guilt on her face.
“Answer me, bitch!”
At some point, I blacked out and ended up choking her. I heard East and Logic calling my name, but I couldn’t seem to break out of the trance. The idea of my mother turning her back on me was one thing, but I couldn’t even wrap my mind around her allowing someone to hurt her child and doing nothing.
“Come on, bro. She isn’t worth it! Let her go,” Logic and East yelled as they attempted to separate us. I noticed her eyes began to roll to the back of her head, but I still couldn’t let go. If I had known she played a role in what happened, I would have killed her ass that night, too. Her job was to protect and provide for her child, and she failed to do either. She deserved the same fate as her sick-ass man.
“Stop it! I’m gonna call the police if you don’t let her go.” Aunt Trina cried. Naiari and my kids’ faces flashed before me, and I knew I needed to rethink things. They needed me, and I refused to let them down again. Reluctantly, I released mydonor, watching her body drop to the ground. I squatted down to her level to make sure she saw my face while she gasped for air.
“If you come near my sister again, I’m gonna forget you gave birth to us and reunite you with Tone.”
“If you—” She started coughing as she attempted to catch her breath.
“Give me some money, and you’ll never have to see me again,” she breathed out. I shouldn’t have been surprised by her audacity, but she never ceased to amaze me. I stopped caring about her being a parent to me, but it stunned me how little she seemed to care about her daughter.
“Why would I give you my money?” I genuinely asked.
“I won’t press charges on you if you give me some money. All I need is like ten bands, and I’ll leave you alone. I’ve been calling your sister so she could put me in touch with you, but she kept giving me the runaround. I mean, you killed my man, and I’ve had to provide for myself since he’s been gone. I’m your momma, and it’s not right for you to be living well, and I’m out here struggling.”
I leaned a little closer to her and noticed how jittery she appeared. After slanging drugs for so long, I could spot a fiend from a mile away.
“You are a sad, pathetic piece of shit. I’m not giving you a fucking dime of my money. I earned it while I was rotting behind a jail cell because of you and your man. You can call whoever you want, but you won’t live long enough to testify against me again. I’ll have your body somewhere stankin,’ and the police won’t even give you a second look because you’re nothing more than a junkie.”
I got up and turned toward my Aunt Trina, who was pushing her hair behind her ears as if it were long.
“Get your powder head sister in the car and move the fuck around. Y’all must have been smoking the purest dope for youto think this would go in your favor. You'd better tell Nathan to take his L and move on because my bullets never miss. Ask your sister.”
“You won’t get away with this! You and your lying ass sister will pay for the hell you have inflicted on our family. Your father was a blue-eyed demon, and I told my sister he left his curse inside his children. Ou se yon demon (You are a demon)! Do you hear me! Mwen degaje tout move lespri (I cast out all evil spirits).”
“Bondye beni ou (God bless you),” I taunted with a wink. I watched as she grabbed my mother and the two of them raced to her car. Trina sped down the road as her brakes squealed loudly.
“Can you believe them? I swear I don’t fight bitches, but I wanted to knock them both out. Nathan’s ass couldn’t wait to play the victim, but he just signed his death certificate.” East huffed.
“You gotta let it die down first. If we move too quickly, we’ll be the prime and only suspects. Let that nigga think shit is sweet for a while longer. We're gonna catch his ass when he least expects it,” I advised.
“Yeah, you’re right. It pissed me off to watch them try to defend his sick ass. I used to think my family was fucked up, but this takes the cake. I told Lyric she needed to cut your momma completely off, but I’m making the decision for her. She doesn’t give a fuck about y’all being her children, and a mothafucka like her is dangerous. I gotta do whatever I can to protect what’s mine,” he declared.
I nodded in agreement. All I could do was pray my donor would heed my warning, but I wouldn’t give her another chance to hurt anyone I cared about.
Three Months Later
“Where are you taking me, Cocoa Puffs? I told you I wanted to stay home for my birthday. You and the kids are the only people I care about spending time with.” Keynauri fussed in the passenger seat.
He still hated surprises, and I still didn’t give a damn. We had been planning this for a while, and I decided since his birthday was coming up, we would do everything all at once. I lied and told him we were going to dinner with a few folks, and he was not happy.
Keynauri was the only celebrity I knew who preferred to be in the house. If he wasn’t performing or working, he was at home, right under the kids and me. There were no complaints on myend, but I never wanted him to feel like he couldn’t go out and enjoy himself. He claimed it wasn’t something he wanted to do, so I never pushed the issue. I loved living in his skin as much as he loved living in mine.
“Why can’t you sit back and relax? Be a good passenger princess and let big mama handle everything.” I tittered, reaching out for his hand.
“Stop playin’ with me. I ain’t no damn passenger princess. Now, where the hell are we going? You’ve passed all of the restaurants we normally go to, so what’s going on?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Fix your face and stop pouting. You’re over there looking like your bratty ass kids.”
“Man, say. Don’t even try me. You know I don’t like surprises. The only reason I agreed to get in the car was that you’re the one who planned it. Plus, I checked Logic and East’s locations, and those niggas are in the same place,” he admitted. I gave the fellas strict orders not to tell him anything because he would try to spoil it.
“You sound a little stalkerish if you ask me. How do you know they aren’t hanging out somewhere together that doesn’t have anything to do with you?”
