Page 107 of Finessed By A Hood White Boy

“Oh, um, okay. I was only asking because I didn’t know if you heard about his mother.”

“No, I haven’t heard anything. Is she okay?” I closed my laptop.

“Um, she passed away yesterday morning. Duke told me his mother woke up to check on her, and she was already gone.”

That news hit me like a ton of bricks. Although Ms. Katharine wasn’t capable of communicating, Ethan was close to her. In a short period of time, I had grown close to her even with me just sitting in her presence. My feelings were truly hurt hearing that news. Julia went on to tell me about the arrangements that were being made. Ethan opted to have a private burial for family only. I had no words. I told Julia that I would call to check on him. I had to find the right words to say first. I wasn’t good at consoling people; hell, I couldn’t even console myself when needed.

After we ended our conversation, I dialed Ethan’s number, but he didn’t answer. I wasn’t tripping, though. Maybe he didn’t want to be bothered by anyone. I understood that people grieved differently, and not being bothered may have been part of his process. I wasn’t going to blow his phone up with calls, so I opted to send a text message and wait for him to reach back out to me. If he wanted to, that is.

Ethan: Hey! I tried calling you. I heard about your mother, and I wanted to give my condolences. I know how much she meant to you. I’m so sorry you’re going through this right now, and I’m always here if you need me. I love you.

I sat and stared at the message that I had typed for a good two minutes before I decided to send it. A part of me wanted to just hop in my car and drive straight to his house. Instead, I called my brother.

“Yo.”

“Hey, why didn’t you tell me Ethan’s mom passed away?” I asked.

“Shit, I thought Julia might’ve told you.”

“She did, but damn I’m sure you knew before she did.” I rolled my eyes.

“My bad.” He smacked his lips.

“How is he?”

“Not himself, which is expected. Let me hit you back though.” He said, then ended the call.

I sat contemplating going over to Big Mommas.

“Hey, someone just dropped this off for you.”

She passed me an envelope with my name on it. I took my time to open it, then pulled the three sheets of paper out that were stapled together. As my eyes scanned the document, my heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Rob was actually filing for full custody of our daughter. The same daughter he’d never taken the time to get to know on a personal level. He’d barely shown her any type of affection. Savannah hardly knew him, regardless of living under the same roof since she was born. They had no type of bond, but he wanted to take my daughter from me. I couldn’t hold the tears. My world damn near came to a stop as I tried to make sense of this shit.

Maybe he wanted me to lose control and get out of character again. I wasn’t about to do that. I wasn’t going to let him see me sweat. My heart ached thinking about losing this battle. I couldn’t breathe. Aja was talking to me, but I couldn’t hear a word that came from her mouth. I felt her take the papers from my hands, and my body shook as my anger began to rise. Why was all of this happening to me? Why was I being hit with blow after blow? All I wanted was peace.

“Don’t let this shit get to you, Ava. He’ll never gain full custody of Savannah.” Aja hugged me.

In my sister’s arms, I broke down. All my frustrations, anger, and hurt came out in the form of a loud cry.

“Let it all out.” She rubbed my back. “You have a whole team behind you, sissy. That nigga trying to start a game he’s not going to win. I promise you he ain’t.”

We held onto each other for a good five minutes before I finally pulled away.

“Why is he doing this to me?” I cried. “What am I going to do? I don’t have money for a fuckin’ lawyer.” I sniffed.

“Don’t stress. We’ll figure it out, but right now, you’re going to hit this blunt and breathe.”

Together, we went to the living room and sat side by side on the couch. I snuggled up under my sister as we silently passed a blunt back and forth. My mind raced in so many directions that I couldn’t keep up until the weed kicked in. It slightly calmed me, but it didn’t help the pain in my heart. I felt like I was going to lose my fuckin mind.

“Your phone is ringing.” Aja snapped me from my thoughts.

There was an unknown number flashing on the screen. I had no time for bullshit, and I damn sure didn’t feel like talking to anyone. I turned my attention back to the ceiling, ignoring the caller.

“I think I’m going to disappear for a few days,” I mumbled. “I need… I need to get away for a little while, or I’m going to snap.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Aja agreed.

“Can you call Momma and tell her to bring Savannah? I need my baby close to me.”