Page 172 of Save Room for Us

“A woman is here claiming to be your mother. I told her she needed to make an appointment, and she got pretty rude. I know Mrs. St. Thomas is your mother, so I didn’t know what to say.” Diamond exhaled like she couldn’t keep up.

“Go ahead and send her in. Thanks.”

Diamond gave me a curt nod and slipped out, closing the door.

“You sure were all smiley when her ass walked in,” Anastazia commented, putting Sophie’s things into the baby bag.

“Just some shit my brother told me. But where you going?” I asked, smirking since she was staring up at me with a slightly hiked eyebrow.

“I will be back.” She took the book from Sophie and closed it.

“I’ll clean all that shit up.” I halted her from picking up the pages Sophie had torn from the floor. “I don’t want you to go though,” I said as the door opened, letting me know Diamond was bringing Nori.

“I will be back, baby.” Anastazia giggled, leaning up on her toes to kiss me before I pecked Sophie’s forehead. “Gonna run some errands, and then when I come back, we can have lunch.”

“Dessert too?”

“Later.” Anastazia focused behind me, and I knew it was on Nori. “How are you, Nori?” She started toward her.

“Just fine.” Nori’s eyes took my girl in jealously before looking at Sophie.

“Hi!” Sophie waved. “Bye!” she threw out as her mother started for the door.

“Well, nice seeing you again, Nori.” Anastazia left out, so I gestured for Nori to sit down, even though I really didn’t want her to.

I was hoping her house was the last time I saw her ass, but I knew deep down she would seek a nigga out again. She was too hungry for that bread to let me go with no parting words.

“I don’t really like her.” Nori scrunched her nose. “She reminds me of Lisara, ready to steal any man and force him to be a step daddy.”

“And what would make you think I give a fuck what you think about anybody or anything?” I chuckled at the thought, lettingmy eyes slowly drift away from the scenery outside of my office and toward hers.

“I know, but I don’t want that life for you, having to take care of another man’s child or children. How many does she have?” She frowned.

“You ain’t seen me since I was nine years old, and all of a sudden, you got input on what you want for me out of life?” I couldn’t help but to snicker a bit at her ass. She was delusional for real. “I’m a grown ass man. Anything could’ve happened to a nigga, and you just now coming around to see me yet claim to care about how my life will turn out.”

“I was put away for a long part of that, and you can blame your father for it because?—”

Waving her off in irritation, I said, “Man, I don’t wanna discuss, rehash, and talk about all this other shit. Fuck you come here to say? I don’t got long.” I sat down on the couch, leaving a seat in between us.

She cleared her throat and nodded like she understood, smoothing down her dress some.

“Firstly, I wanted to say that I apologize for the way Brian came at you. The stepfather comment and asking you for a loan at a family dinner was uncouth.”

Sitting up, resting my arms on my legs, I said, “Look, you came around me because you saw I inherited this position at the bank and thought it’d be an easy fucking lick. You ain’t count on me being the type of nigga I am though. You ain’t been around me in so long you was still picturing a nine-year-old boy who would nod and say okay to whatever the fuck you told him. This shit you doing is all about money, and I’m telling you right now, you not getting shit.” I turned my head to look her ass in the eyes again.

“Asif—”

“I was actually hoping, a very small minuscule ass part of me, that you would be different. That you had grown and was maybe a bit remorseful for being such a horrible ass mother to me, but I realize you just not a good person.” I shook my head at her, holding onto her gaze. “Some people do bad shit, but they still good people. You not like that. Everything you do is with malice ’cause you a bad person at the end of the day. Yo’ intentions ain’t ever good because it’s not in you. You rotten from the inside, and ain’t no changing that shit.”

“That is not true! I love you and always have, but I just didn’t know how to show it!”

“It don’t take that much to love somebody you naturally love, Nori.” I shrugged. “Or maybe it does for some people, bad people like you. I’ve always been a means to an end for you, something to help you achieve something else. When I was a kid, I was there for you to keep my father around, keep ya claws in him. Now, I’m a way for you to live the way you used to when you was fucking with him.” I scoffed, running my hand down my face.

Though I had a great mother back at home, this shit right here was hard. Seeing Lisara love her sons so easily used to have me wondering what the fuck was wrong with me. I didn’t get it. Now, I see it was never me; it was Nori.

She wasn’t built to be a mother, a parent period, which was a hard ass job I was seeing. Putting a person before yourself at all times and loving them unconditionally wasn’t something every person could do. It took a strong muthafucka to be a parent, and Nori was too weak and selfish to perform the job.

“I don’t care what you say or what they’vemadeyou believe, Asif, but I love you.”

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