Erys scoffed. “He’s not taking shit. This nigga is my crazy ass pops. What the fuck are you even doing here?”
“He’s with me. How many ways do I need to tell your dumb ass that?” the lady in red popped off again before registering the fullness of his sentence. “Pops? Ernie, this is your...”
Erys and Ernie were having a stare down that answered Remedy’s question. The similarities between men were like a copy and paste with decades between them.
“Rem, what you doin’ talking to patrons like that?” the man grumbled back, trying to keep up with the chaos spinning around him.
“He was snatching up my friend like shit is sweet. He’s lucky all I did was slap him, Lem,” Rem admitted. “You know I keep a blade tucked.”
“Your friend, pimp, or whatever he’s calling himself these days is my fuckin’ father. Whatever you two had going on is dead. He’s coming with me,” Erys retorted. Tone was now in the mix.
“Damn Ernie, you still got it. Got her red thong matching your fit, fire shit,” Tone said, making Ernie grin.
“Let’s not get nothing fucked up, he’s not my pimp,” the woman defended, making Erys scoff and kiss his teeth.
“Ay, look, how about all y’all get this bullshit out my club. Don’t come back tomorrow, Rem. This is that bullshit I warned you about. All four of y’all get the fuck out,” MackLem finalized before stomping away.
“Baby girl, go get your shit, I’ll meet you at the car,” Ernie grumbled.
“Nah, you ain’t driving nowhere,” Erys spoke up.
“He doesn’t drive,” the woman fired back before looking at Ernie who was becoming agitated. “He gets confused at night.”
“Then how the fuck he get here?” Tone questioned.
“I drove him. I’ll get his keys,” she stated, before turning around and walking off.
“And don’t bring your ass back, all this bullshit in my club,” MackLem grumbled, throwing his hands up.
“Fuck you, MackLem. Two name having ass nigga,” the woman fired back, still stomping off toward the locker room. When completely out of view, Erys looked at his father who sat back down.
“I leave when she leaves. We came together, we leave together. That simple,” Ernie muttered. It was fear. He hadn’t been amongst people in a long time and with the mystery woman, he was safe.
“Tone, tell your nephew I’ll get up with him later,” Erys huffed, taking a seat on the far end of the booth.
Tone shot Erys a humored expression. “To be real, that nigga in the studio. I just wanted you to come out and have some fun.”
Erys shot him an annoyed look. “Nigga, get-”
“I’m going to enjoy the VIP room, I’ll get up with you.”
“Do that,” Erys stated, eyes trained toward the dark hall the woman stomped off toward.
The environment wasn’t conducive to having a conversation with either party. Ernie and Erys sat mere feet from each other with over three decades of questions between them in complete silence. Almost twenty minutes later the woman returned with her duffle bag slung over her shoulder and a sweat suit covering her body. Her hair was pulled into a floppy bun and her eyes avoided Erys.
“Ernie, you ready to go?” she asked, standing with her hand out to help him up. “Did you get enough to eat?”
“I’m good,” Ernie replied. “You didn’t eat.”
“I’m good. Gonna get you home and I’ll have a sandwich or something,” she replied, keeping the main thing the main thing. “You had an exciting day.”
“I had the best day,” he responded, standing and following her lead.
Erys watched as he walked behind the pair out the back door of the club and to the parking lot where the car was parked.
“I’ll take the keys,” Erys spoke, earning him a shot of her eyes over her shoulder.
“Nigga, I don’t know you. I drove him here, I’m driving him home. You look strong, you can walk ten miles back to the west side,” she replied, helping his father into the car.
