“Naw, I want a little bit of everything. Why are you cooking so much food?” Granny Nessa loved to cook for the neighborhood, but there were large foil containers on the table filled with food.
“Gloria, Clara, and I are selling dinners today. We’ve been doing it for the last few weekends. You would know if you came by more often.”
Guilt settled in because I had been slipping when it came to spending time with her. Growing up, she spent a lot of time in the church, but after her pastor was recently exposed for impregnating multiple members of the church, she and many other members left. She found a new church to attend, but she had been home much more often.
“Naw, don’t give me that sad ass face. I’m not tryna make you feel a way. I miss you, that’s all. You’re grown now, but you’ll always be my Essie.”
Recently, I had gotten my own spot, and it lit a fire under me to hustle even harder. I wasn’t going to be content until I was bringing in six figures in my sleep, so until then, the streets were my second home.
“I’m sorry, Granny. My mind has been so focused on chasin’ the bag, I haven’t had time for much else. How about I take you and a couple of your friends to the casino next week? My treat.”
“Hell yeah. You know I ain’t turning down shit but my collar. I’ll let my crew know and tell them to put on their good wigs ’cause we gon’ win some big money. I can feel it,” she cheered, dancing around the kitchen.
It may have been something simple, but I loved being able to put a smile on her face. I didn’t have a lot of people in my life I could count on, but she was the most important to me.
As soon as she set the plate in front of me, my mouth watered. There were smothered turkey wings over rice, mac and cheese, greens, potato salad, and cornbread. I wasted no time digging in, as it had been a few weeks since I had a home-cooked meal.
Someone knocked on the door, and I wondered who it was until I heard the sound of my aunt Pam’s voice. I smirked when she stepped into the kitchen with her jheri curl and red and black tracksuit with the matching Nike dunks. I always joked, telling her she reminded me of an old school pimp.
“What’s good, Nephew! One of your hoes must have kicked you out for you to be over here in the daytime.”
“Naw, never that. What’s up with you, Auntie? I haven’t seen you since you got your ass beat by Jojo,” I teased her. Jojo was her long-time girlfriend, and the two of them fought like cats and dogs. It didn’t matter what the occasion was; they would find a reason to argue.
“Man, fuck you. She didn’t beat me up. I had some dirt in my eye, and I couldn’t fight back like I wanted to. I let her win.” She lied through her teeth, knowing damn well she lost that fight.
“Pam, stop with the foolishness. Johanna put hands and feet on yo’ big ass. I almost wanted to jump in because I couldn’t let my bloodline go out like that, but then I remembered you owe me a pack of cigarettes,” Granny spat.
I hollered as Granny shook her head in disappointment. She never held her tongue for anyone.
“Ma, I can’t believe you. All you had to do was hit her with that stiff wig you keep putting on yo’ head, and I could have gotten the advantage,” Aunt Pam shot back.
“Tuh, you’ve got a lot of nerve talking about somebody’s wig when you had to use black hair spray to cover up those bald spots Jojo put in ya head. Walking around with ya jheri curl in a swoop ’cause you couldn’t keep ya strap in ya bookbag.”
“Yo, y’all gotta chill.” I laughed so hard, I almost choked on my food.
“Ma, you’re cold-blooded for that. Besides, it wasn’t my fault. I keep telling Jojo to leave my phone alone, but she won’t listen. As long as I take care of home, she shouldn’t have an issue with what I do outside,” Aunt Pam reasoned.
She and Jojo had been together since I was in middle school, and their relationship had been toxic from the start. Aunt Pam had never been faithful, and it seemed like things would never change. For whatever reason, Jojo refused to leave, so they were constantly at odds with one another.
“Yeah, whatever. I keep telling you to get your shit in order. You gon’ mess around one day, and Jojo will be letting another gentlewoman lick on her cooter cat,” Granny fussed.
“She knows better. Can’t nobody put it down like me,” Aunt Pam boasted arrogantly.
“You sound like a damn fool. They didn’t stop making rubber dicks when they made yours.” Granny Nessa huffed, then turned her attention to the food in the oven.
“Whatever, Ma. I came over here because I wanted to see what time you were gonna start selling dinners. I have a list of people who want to put an order in.”
“Clara is on her way with the desserts, and Gloria has the plates and stuff to pack the orders. Once they get here, we’re gonna get started,” she informed her.
“How much are you selling the plates for, Granny?” I asked, sending a picture of my plate to Logic, knowing his ass would want some. Then my mind shifted to Lyric, and I sent her the picture as well. She had been distant the last few months, but I wasn’t sure why.
Logic and I checked on her from time to time to make sure she wasn’t going without anything. With my schedule, I hadn’t physically laid eyes on her in a while, and I needed to change that. Logic mentioned she seemed off the last time he saw her, but she claimed nothing was wrong. I planned to see for myself when I had some free time.
Lola Bunny: Did you mean to send this to me?
I was taken aback by her response because it seemed off.
Me: Granny Nessa is selling plates, and I was tryna see if you wanted one. I’m sure Trina ain’t cooking like this.
