Yawning, I stretched and grimaced when my shoulder screamed in pain.
“I’m good, Ma.” My shoulder needed some therapy from the bullet ripping through, otherwise, I was fine. The pain was intolerable at times, but I chiefed a blunt to help and to relax me. I wanted to be out looking for Teddy.
“Me and your dad will be over there this afternoon.”
“Ma, that’s not necessary.” I loved my parents to life, but they were getting on my nerves acting like I was mortally wounded.
“It is,” she dragged. “We can go back to spending the night if you’d like.”
“Nah, Ma, chill.” I sighed and scrubbed my hand down my face. “I’ll let Pen know y’all are comin’, so she can make some lunch.”
“Better yet, tell her dinner. That girl knows she can cook!”
Yeah, my baby had shocked me. I’d been home from the hospital for three days now, and each day, Pen made sure I ate three times a day. She prepared each of those meals, and I devoured them like I’d never eaten in my life. This was something I didn’t know about her. Now that the season was over, Pen and I could be a normal couple.
“What the fuck made you do that?” Pen’s voice carried all the way to the parking lot.
Hooked up to machines and all, I tried to reach for her, but she dodged my fingers.
“I keep tryna explain myself, but you’re in here screamin’ at me like I’m hard of hearing, shawty.”
“Don’t fuckin’ play with me right now, Zeus Smith!”
“I’m not. I wasn’t gon’ stand there and let my cousin get shot. The fuck I look like?” The bullet that pierced my shoulder hurt like a bitch, but I’d take another one for my blood. Brooklyn and I argued all the time, however, he was my heart just like the rest of my family. I couldn’t take it if anything happened to anyone pumping the same blood as me.
“Zeus,” she groaned. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t have intervened. I’m saying… You act like this is something you do all the time. Like losing your life wasn’t a thought.”
“It wasn’t,” I truthfully answered.
Pen’s eyes widened and watered. “That’s good to know.”
What I said triggered Pen into giving me the silent treatment. Yes, she was on her wifely shit, catering to me. But as far as talking to me, she wasn’t doing it. Instead, I had handwritten notes all over the damn place. At first, I was cool with it, because she was in her feelings. Now, she was going too far.
“Did you fall back asleep, Son?”
“Nah. I’ll see y’all later.”
“We love you.”
“Love y’all, too, Ma.”
I hung up the phone and placed it on the nightstand among the notes. Sitting up, I took inventory of the room and realized I’d slept longer than I thought. The clock read a little past ten. Climbing out of the bed, I went into the bathroom and showered, being careful not to mess up my wound or move in any way that would further damage my shoulder.
Once done showering, it took me an eternity to moisturize myself. Pen was sweet enough to have everything nicely poured into a bowl for me, so all I had to do was dip my fingers into the lotion. I washed my face and brushed my teeth, hoping lil’ baby was in a better mood today.
Last night, she’d slept next to me with her ass right against my dick. My shit stayed hard the whole night, but Pen wasn’t bitingno matter how stiff I was. I swear that girl was more stubborn than me.
I made it into the living room where Pen was perched on the sofa, watching television and folding clothes.
Her eyes took inventory of me before she uttered, “I thought I told you to stay in bed.”
“I should be petty and write yo’ ass a note. Yeen tell me to do shit. You wrote me a fuckin’ note. I could make a whole book from all the damn papers all over the room.”
She rolled her eyes and continued folding.
“How long you plan on walkin’ ‘round here with that stank-ass attitude? ‘Cause, honestly, I’m over it.”
The shirt she was folding hit me dead in my face.
