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“Let me think about it.”
“What’s to think about? You even said business has picked up since we moved here,” her friend noted as she walked over and placed a pink box in front of me.
Shiloh’s head flew back as she shot her girl a menacing look. “Damn, girl, can you mind your business?”
Her girl shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
“Think about it. I’ll have your truck ready in the morning,” I told her.
I walked off hoping that Shiloh would do more than consider my offer to stay in my business’s parking lot once her truck was fixed. I wasn’t lying about how much the customers and my staff loved having her there. If I were being honest, I would have asked her, whether they liked it or not. I loved having her there. I knew it was crazy to ask Shiloh to give up her routine just so I could be close to her, but I didn’t care.
Since I was going to work late to make sure her truck got finished, I needed Warren to pick Victor up from school. After I finished breakfast, I ordered a half dozen of those cinnamon rolls he loved and drove them over to him at his job.
I knew it wouldn’t take much to get him to watch Vick for a couple of hours, but I liked to ask for a favor with something in my hands. As I jogged out of his building, back out to my truck, I saw a familiar figure in the parking lot of the gas station across the street.
My chest seized up as I fired up my truck. It would be so easy for me to act like I didn’t see her, but I made a promise to my son. Sometimes I hated being a man of my word. I pulled up to the gas pump beside the little black car and got out of my truck.
Trisha was bent over in the driver’s side window, talking to someone, but stood up when she noticed me. She had put on a little weight since I’d last seen her, but I could tell she was still up to her old tricks. I had likely interrupted her from setting up one of them.
“Damn, baby daddy. I don’t never know when you gon’ pull up.”
“I wasn’t planning to. I just saw you over here. Victor has been asking for you.”
“Where he at?” she asked, looking over in the car.
“It’s the middle of a school day. I want you to come see him though.”
“Oh, so I’m welcome at your house now? You ain’t worried about me stealing nothing?”
“Trish, I never said you weren’t welcome at my house. I’m not leaving you alone with Vick until you get your shit together, but that don’t mean I don’t want you to see him.”
“You always talking about a bitch getting her shit together. You don’t know what’s going on with my shit,” she argued.
“You’re right. What I do know is you haven’t even tried to see your son in months. I want him to see you at your best. You should want the same.”
“I do! Why the fuck you think I don’t come around?” she shouted.
“Let me get you some help?”
“How you gon’ help me, Quint? You gon’ give me some money? I know damn well I can’t stay with you.” She fussed.
“I can find you a treatment center.”
She rolled her eyes. “You always talking about a damn treatment center.”
“You’re right. I want you to get better for Vick. No matter how much you prove that you don’t give a damn about anybody but yourself, that little boy still loves you.”
“Whatever. I’m sure you got a different bitch playing mommy every week. He don’t need me.”
“What the hell do you mean he doesn’t need you, Trish? That’s your fucking son. Of course he needs you.”
“Well, I need forty dollars. You got that?”
“I’m not giving you any damn money. We’re talking about you coming to see your son.”
“If I gotta take time out of my busy schedule to come see somebody then I need something for my trouble. You driving this fancy ass truck. You running that mechanic shop over there fixing cars all day, but you wanna get loud when a bitch ask you for a few dollars.”
“I can see if you were trying to get something to eat or put gas in your car. You just trying to get high. I know damn well you ain’t suggesting I give you money just to get you to come see your own damn son. I know damn well that’s not what you on, Trish.”
