“I’m workin’ on that. I haven’t been with Celeste long, but I promise you I can already see myself marrying her fine ass. She’s a go-getter and I feel complete whenever we’re together. She’s in a fucked-up situation right now, but I know we’ll be good. She wanted to come with me to see you today,” I chuckled.
“Oh really? I’d love to meet her. If I’m not out of here within the next six months, you can bring her here. Give me a chance to meet her the right way.”
“I got you.”
“And son…don’t mention this to your mother. Nothing is set in stone yet and I don’t want to get her hopes up just to be disappointed again. If we can make this happen, that’ll be a blessing. But if we can’t, I don’t want her depressed.”
For the next half hour, we talked about everything he would do if he got out. I had a good feeling about this new lawyer he was looking into. With Giovanni recommending one of his people, I knew we had a chance. When our visit was over, the realization of leaving without my dad set in. Leaving was the part I always dreaded.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, son. I’m about to go back here and call my wife. Get home safe and tell Celeste I said hello.”
“I got you, old man. I love you, Pops.”
“I love you more, man.”
After watching the guard put the shackles on my dad’s wrists, I stood to leave. I took one last look before leaving the visiting area and found my dad’s eyes already on me.
“Soon,” was the last word he said before being pulled behind the heavy door.
Once I made it to my car, I looked at my phone to see I had a few missed calls from my mother. I wasn’t sure what my dad wanted to see me for, so I didn’t tell her I was coming tosee him. Aside from that, I knew she’d feel some type of way. It was business but my mother wouldn’t care about any of that. Starting the engine, I followed the signs to exit the lot as I waited on my mom to pick up.
“Shane…I’ve been trying to get in touch with you. I’m not sure what the hell is wrong with Mia, but I can see her on my camera app ringing my doorbell like a madwoman. She called me a few times, but I’m out shopping with Deb. You know her daughter’s wedding is coming up next month. If Mia has an emergency, I’m not sure why she’d show up to my house out of all people,” my mother vented.
“It’s cool, Momma. She’s only over there because I saw her out last night with Deontay.”
“What?”
“Yeah. I took Celeste on a date to the Otellos’ restaurant and Deontay happened to be there. I didn’t know he was with Mia until I saw her standing across the room. I don’t know what they have going on but I’m not pressed to find out either.”
I meant every word I spoke. Mia had already betrayed me to the highest degree, so her being seen with Deontay was nothing. I wouldn’t lie and say I wasn’t curious about what they had going on, but I didn’t care enough to ask. Mia knew exactly how I felt about Deontay. Hell, she’d been around for years and witnessed the two of us go toe to toe. If she was running around with Deontay, that was her damn business. I had a feeling she’d be trying to reach out in some way to try to plead her case. The whole situation slipped my mind when I got Celeste back to my home and into my bedroom to end our night.
“Oh, wow. I don’t even wanna ask what you and Deontay have going on for things to get this far. Whatever it is, I hope it can come to a peaceful end. It’s sad to see y’all go from being best friends to enemies. You know how I feel about family sticking together.”
“I know, momma. I’m gon’ let you know now, me and him will never be as close as we once were. He crossed me too many times for us to even be cordial. But go ahead and enjoy your shopping trip. I’m on my way to pick up Celeste. She’s taking me to meet her mom today,” I stated, changing the topic.
“Look at y’all. I’m glad the two of you are getting somewhere. Celeste is a strong woman. Make sure you tell her I said hey.”
“What you need me to tell her for? You talk to her more than you talk to me these days,” I joked as I merged onto the interstate.
“Boy, please. But let me get off this phone and back to helping Deb. I’ll call you when I make it home. I made greens and turkey wings last night. You and Celeste can come get a plate when you’re finished.”
After promising to call her when I left the nursing home, we ended the call. I called Celeste to inform her I was on my way back to Gwendal before driving the rest of the way with nothing but my music to get me through. I wasn’t nervous about meeting Celeste’s mother, but there was always a possibility she wouldn’t fuck with me just because.
Two hours later, I pulled up to Celeste’s townhouse, letting the truck run idle while I got her. Now, we were pulling into the parking lot of the facility. It was a nice building with fresh cut grass and well-kempt flowers leading toward the entrance. When we made it inside, a heavy scent of Pine-Sol invaded my nostrils and everything looked clean. Walking through the halls and seeing how hard the staff word, I understood why Celeste had been hesitant to take her mom out of here. There weren’t many nursing facilities that took pride in cleanliness and genuinely taking care of the patients. This place was a gem.
“Knock, knock,” Celeste said as she knocked on the door and opened it slowly.
“Hey, ladybug. How are you today?”
“I’m good, Ma. How you feeling?”
“I’m okay today. Jade called me earlier and told me she’d see me soon. That brightened my day,” her mother said with a smile.
“She told me she’d be calling to check on you. You know how Jade is. She never wants to be a bother, but I told her she could call or come see you whenever she wants.”
“I told her the same thing. Now, who is this handsome young man?” she asked with her eyes pinned on me.
“Momma, this is Shane. Shane, this is my mother, Cora.”
