“Yes ma’am, like the boxer. It’s nice to meet you.” He reached to shake my mother’s hand, but she shook her head.
A brief silence unfolded, sending nervous energy through my entire soul.
“We don’t shake hands in this family, son, especially not with the way my daughter is looking at you. We give hugs.” She opened her arms for him and I exhaled.
When she finally freed herself from the foyer and led the way to the living room where my grandmother sat with my niece who was laid out asleep, my breathing was shallow again. When my mother said we, I should have known she was talking about her and my grandmother. Afterall, they were a package deal.
“Well, no wonder she was out of touch. You know what, I don’t blame you. If your grandfather looked like that, he’d probably still be alive.” My grandmother’s voice made me look at Indiri. Of course he was smirking. How could he not? In lessthan five minutes my grandmother and mother had damn near hit on him.
“Granny.” My hands went to my mouth at her statement.
“Don’t Granny me. If the boy is fine, the boy is fine. Don’t expect me to act blind.” She was up on her feet by now, putting most of her weight on her cane and coming toward us. She and my mother were just alike, hugging this man and making his head even bigger.
Then entered the worst of them all. When I said the worst, I meant it because she was tongue tied.
“You’re Indiri Jones, standing in my living room.” Siyah clasped her hands together and looked from me to him like her mind was about to explode.
“Yes.”
“Um, you’re fighting Kno?—”
“Yes, he knows and I just found out,” I responded before she could finish her statement.
“You just found out?” Confusion swept her features. “But then again, you do live under a rock.”
I shrugged and Indiri laughed.
Good sign.
“Anyways, It’s nice to finally meet you, Indiri. I’m her sister Siyah, and this is my husband Owen.” She pointed toward the doorway where my brother-in-law stood. He too was speechless.
Owen nodded. Of everyone in the family, he was probably the most calm and easygoing. Funny enough, he had never been a fan of Nathanial. He’d never said it himself, but Siyah let it slip one day. I started to see the signs soon after. Then again, who was I kidding, nobody in my family liked Nathanial. I loved him though, so they’d tolerated him for me.
After the extremely awkward moment was over, Owen offered Indiri a drink in the mancave at the back of the houseand I was left with my mother and sister. Granny had long since retreated to the living room.
“No warning, just bam, here is my new man who's also scheduled to beat the shit out of my old man in a matter of a month,” Siyah said, standing in front of the stove. “Sorry for the cursing, Mama.” She apologized right after.
My mother threw her hands up. “Nope, you just said what I was thinking.”
I shook my head at both of them.
“Don’t shake your head. Explain, girl.”
I cackled. “I promise you I didn’t know, not until today. As soon as I saw Nathanial’s name and face on that poster at the press conference, I wanted to pass out. Do you really think I would’ve purposely started dating hi?—”
“Well, shit, he’s fine. I would’ve dated him, even with that knowledge,” my mama responded. The funny thing about my mother was that she acted more like our friend or third sister in most situations.
“Exactly,” Siyah responded. “So did that pale nigga see you there?”
“He did. I’m shocked you haven’t seen it in the media. He had them at my house less than two hours later.”
“Had who at your house?” my mother asked, her hand on her hip.
“Any and everybody with a freaking camera.”
“At your house?” Siyah asked with a scowl.
“Yep. I’m surprised you didn’t see it.”
