“Can’t threaten me and not follow up on it,” Remedy replied. Erys reached for her plate and tapped her hip, signaling her to accept the forkful. After she was fed, face cleaned and the remainder of the food put away, Remedy was chest to chest with Erys. “You sure this is what you want?”
“Wanted you since you slapped the shit out of me. I’ll show you. Aight?”
“Okay,” she conceded, snuggling into his arms. “If Ernie gets up, wake me up.”
“I got him. You sleep.”
17
Erys leaned on the counter and watched his father relieve himself.
“Are you going to shake it for me too?” Ernie tiredly grumbled.
“Man, you woke me up.”
“’Cause you wasn’t playing in nothing gushy, figured you could help me out,” Ernie replied, looking at his son. “Nigga you look just like me. Don’t even see your momma in you.”
Erys chuckled. “You my pops, ain’t you? Why wouldn’t I look like you? I had this face all my damn life. Ma used to hate it when she was upset with you. ‘Get out my face lookin’ like your fuckin’ daddy’,” Erys mocked his late-mother.
Ernie’s smile spread over his face. “Your momma loved my dirty drawls. Mm mm mm, my Cherie Amor. You know, Remedy reminds me of her. Mean as hell on the outside once you get inside, soft as baby ass. Your momma was running from shit too. She never told me what it was in detail. I didn’t care either. What I knew was that I had someone who looked at my fucked up ass like a king and I was going to give her everything. Those type of women you can’t let down. Especially when they see you so big. The minute you get small in their eyes, there’s nothing you can do to get it back. Nothing.”
“That’s what happened with you and mom?” Erys pressed.
Ernie groaned as he bumped his hip on the way to the sink to wash his hands. He stood there water off, hands under the faucet looking at Erys.
“What you looking at me for?” Erys asked with pinned brows.
“Wash my hands, nigga. What you in here for if you not going to be of service? Remedy wipes my face and rubs my back ‘til I go to sleep. Go get her. Clearly she ain’t busy rubbin’ on you,” Ernie quipped.
“I’m not washing your hands, old man. Wash them old ass bitch slappers and get your ass back in the bed,” Erys stated with laughter on his chords.
“I see how you skipped over getting rubbed on. Fuck is up with this slow burn shit?” Ernie asked. “The minute she would’ve slapped me, I would’ve tagged it, bagged it and moved her in. Her ass would be pregnant right now,” Ernie commented, hands still under the waterless faucet.
“Don’t worry about that. Wash your hands and get your ass back in bed before all this clownin’ you doing wakes her up,” Erys huffed, reaching to turn the faucet.
“Yeah ‘cause you know the minute she comes in here with me, I’m gon’ get my back rubbed, head rubbed, a forehead kiss. All the shit you ain’t getting,” Ernie shot back, washing his hands, drying them, and moving back into the bedroom. Put on some Foxxy Girl for me. Titties gon’ relax me.”
“You in here just ordering shit,” Erys replied, picking up the remote.
“Yeah, you good for it, Snipe,” Ernie called Erys’ military nickname. “You plan on telling her?”
“I’m going to get there. Get in the bed and don’t be in here fuckin’ up the sheets with your old ass sperm.”
“Fuck around and give you a sister or something. You lucky Remedy is too mean for my ass,” Ernie groaned, tucking himself back in. “Woulda been your step momma walking around my shit in heels with her ass out.”
“In your dreams, old man. Go to sleep,” Erys spoke, gently tapping his father’s foot and walking out of the room.
It was almost four in the morning and he was up. Not wholly because Ernie was up, his body was still in Fort Wraith mode. Longing for the day that he could sleep in without laying in the bed staring at the ceiling listening to the sounds of the house. Or attempt to out run the lifeless faces and souls he’d snatched frombodies. Ironically, his body was positioned around Remedy’s until Ernie’s fumbling out of the bed to the bathroom.
His trek back to the room was interrupted by Remedy trying to tip toe out the room.
“So you think that you going back in that room is going to stop me from getting to you?” Erys’ rumble stopped her from the early morning getaway. “I thought we had an agreement.”
Remedy bit her lip and looked up at him. “More like I fell apart and just went along with it. But I’m good now.”
She attempted to wiggle past him but was caught back in his hold, picked up and tossed over his shoulder. “Erys. Ernie might need me.”
“Ernie is watching titties and bushes. I need you.”
