All the aunties and uncles had dipped out so the crowd got smaller, and the whole energy shifted into a night vibe. The lights glowed across the backyard and the music bumped, and everybody who stayed felt like the people who really understood me and Toni. Pluto and Sha’Nelle was glued to Toni ever since she broke down earlier. They kept fussin’ around her like she was gon’ fall apart if they moved too far away.
Me, Pressure and Renza had been sittin’ at one of the long tables with dominos out, bottles lined up, cigars and blunts everywhere, and I felt loose as hell.
My body felt warm, my heart felt full and my whole life felt good.
Renza slapped a domino down and started talkin’ shit like he always did. Pressure sat across from me blowin’ smoke into the air and lookin’ satisfied with how the day went. I kept rubbin’ my hands together and laughin’ ‘cause the whole day felt unreal. It all hit me at once that in a few months I was gon’ be holdin’ a lil’ girl with Toni’s smile, Toni’s skin and Toni’s whole spirit.
I poured myself another drink and leaned back in my chair with a long sigh right when my phone buzzed on the table. The alert popped across the screen and the smile dropped off my face.
I frowned and grabbed it.
“Hold up, who the hell at my gate?” I muttered.
Pressure lifted one eyebrow. “Nigga what gate?”
“My front one.”
Renza looked up from the dominos and blinked. “Ain’t nobody supposed to be comin’.”
“I know that.” I hit the screen and pulled up the camera view. Somebody had buzzed in and hit the request-to-enter button. I hit the speaker.
“Who this?” I asked, already half ready to cuss.
A woman’s voice came through, loud enough for all of us to hear.
“Um, hi, my name Reni. I’m lookin’ for Renza. Can you tell him to answer his damn phone?”
Pressure sat up straight. “Who the fuck is Reni?”
My head turned slow toward Renza, and I swear his eyes got big as full moons. He looked stunned, like his spirit left his body for a second and had to come back to confirm the bullshit he just heard.
Me and Pressure stared dead at him.
“You know somebody named Reni?” I asked.
Renza swallowed and shook his head like he was tryna reset his brain. Before he could say shit, her voice came through again, even louder.
“Can you please tell Renza to get his stupid ass outside? I would gladly appreciate it.”
Pressure slapped the table so hard the dominos jumped. “Nigga what?”
I leaned back in my chair and just stared at Renza. “Say. You got a woman checkin’ in at the damn gate?”
Renza started stutterin’. “Man…hold on. I’ll be right back.”
He dropped his dominos like they burned him, grabbed his cup, took a big ass sip, then pushed his chair back and tried to walk away with dignity even though it was clear as hell he was shakin’ inside.
Pressure lifted his finger to say, “Aye boy you bet not die out there.”
I couldn’t stop laughin’. “Nigga today was my reveal party, not yours.”
Renza ignored both of us and tossed a middle finger over his shoulder before disappearin’ toward the house. My messy ass immediately opened my camera app and pulled up the gate view.
Pressure leaned over my shoulder. “Turn it up. I wanna hear all this.”
We watched Renza’s goofy ass jog up to the gate on the screen. He braced his hands in his pockets, clearly confused about how this woman found him. My thumb hovered over the button, and I unlocked the gate ‘cause I already knew this was gon’ be good.
Ol’ girl stepped up to him fast as hell. Her body was thick as hell. She had super curvy hips and that attitude hittin’ before she even opened her mouth.
