“I know, right,” Mattie, his sister, cosigned. “He been in rare form, lately. I aint seen nothing like it.”
“Aww, y’all leave my brother alone. He’s just in love.” Dani spoke up.
My mama smiled. “You love my daughter, Christian?” “Yes, ma’am,” he immediately responded. “I do.”
“And aint no woman gone come out the woodworks, fighting her, huh?”
“Aw, nawl,” he denied. “And if somebody did come for her, then I’m swinging for her. We aint accepting no interruptions.”
My mama nodded. “Heard that.”
“Face say that it aint no woman-to-woman shit happening this way,” Ms. Lulu snickered. “Cause these lil’ hoes be trying it.Just like I used to back in the day,” she howled with laughter, causing
everybody else to laugh with her. “Look, look, y’all,” she cleared her throat. “Let me tell y’all ‘bout this one time, and how I learned my lesson.”
Everybody’s ears perked.
“Mattie, you especially need to listen, before Face can’t get there in time, and somebody fucks you up.”
Mattie sucked her teeth. “These bitches could never.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved her daughter o". “As I was saying…I fucking learned my lesson the hard way. I was dealing with this nigga from the hood. He was a little older and was doing the type of tricking that I’d never experienced before. I’m talking buying my kids three four pairs of shoes at once. Put new furniture in my apartment. Put some jewelry on my wrist. I thought that I was hot shit, and nobody could tell me nothing. At the time, ole boy was the man, and I decided that I wanted him to bemyman. But he already had a gal. Honestly, I felt like the nigga was just alright when it came to looks, while I was young and fine. So, I told myself that I could easily take him from whoever. After I asked around, everybody swore up and down that ole boy wouldneverleave his gal. That gave me a point to prove. So, I started applying pressure to ole boy, and he completely backed o". And now, I’m panicking, because I still need that extra help.” She animatedly $ailed her arms, demonstrating, causing the room to roar with laughter. “I needed that monyun, ya hear me? So, I finds out where they live and pulls up. His gal comes to the door. And the minute I laid eyes on her, I knew that I wasnevergetting that man. There I was thinking that I was his first bad bitch, and was lowkey the lowest on the totem pole.” Once again, we all laughed uncontrollably. “His fucking gal was beautiful. I’m talking pretty face. Long hair. And immaculate shape. I honestly felt like the bitch could do better than him. But that’sbesides the point.” She waved, having us in stitches with her honesty. “I was on a mission, cause them
people had just turned of my fucking lights. So, I’m like fuck it. I’m finna say and do whatever to cause confusion. Then maybe she’ll put his ass out, and he’ll come layup with me. So, I was talking big shit. Told her about all the ways that I’d had her man. She calmly told me that he was mine if I could get him to leave her, and then she beat my ass up and down that sidewalk,” she shamelessly admitted. “I ain’t never had a ass-whipping like that. The hoe chipped my tooth and had me limping for weeks. And I never spoke to ole boy again. I’d see him coming, and run the other way. Too scared that his gal would be somewhere, waiting to get ahold of me again.”
Myshouldersshook,asIlaughedheartily.
My mama sat, fluttering her lashes. “Now, wait a minute. Did ole boy and his gal have a house out in Cypress?”
Ms. Lulu paused, before nodding. “Yep. They sure did. How you know?”
“Cause. That was me,” my mama bubbled over with laughter. Ms. Lulu’s jaw dropped. “I knew you looked fucking familiar.” “Yes. I dragged so many girls over Quincy that faces all just
melted together in my head. At one point, I cared, and then I didn’t. I actually wanted somebody, anybody to take him. And when I fought, it wasn’t even about him. I was fighting for my respect. Damn anything else.”
Me and Face turned to look at each, probably both wondering where this was about to go.
“Oh, my God,” Ms. Lulu slurred. “I am so sorry.”
“Girl, you good.” My mama took her into her arms, as they were sitting next to each other. “We was young and dumb.”
They eventually released one another, after that tight hug. “I was out of control, honestly,” Ms. Lulu claimed.
“AndIwasinhell,livingwithQuincy,”mymamatalked aboutmydaddy,whoIkeptatadistancebecausehewasstill
overly obsessed with her, til this day. “He was so damn jealous, insecure, and fucking controlling. Wanted to fight too. Always running me down about this nigga or that nigga.”
“Damn,” Ms. Lulu stressed, while we were all fully tuned in. “Now, that’s fucked up. He was doing all that, while he was tricking in the streets. Just insecure and making shit up in his head.”
“Nawl. He wasn’t making shit up. I was definitely sliding off with a couple of niggas. I just didn’t wanna fight about it.” My mama wagged her tongue, before Ms. Lulu high-fived her.
I arched a brow, as this was news to me.
QT shook his head. “And you had me defending you, lady. My old man be swearing up and down that you was cheating first and created the toxicity in y’all relationship.”
“Matters who started what. Tell him that’s irrelevant.” I gasped. “Mama. So, you was really cheating first?”
“Idon’tknow.”Sheshrugged.“Igotcaughtfirst.Yes.”
