Page 70 of A Scoring Chance

“Ma.”

“Auntie Na.”

Alise and I both talk at the same time as we move quickly around her, blocking her path out of the door.

“What? I know I’m old, but I can do as I damn well please. I want to leave since Ramona doesn’t want to come to her senses.” She stands there, eyeing us skeptically.

I try to think of a good reason for her to turn around and head back into the living room. When I take too long to say something, she moves closer, and I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

“Ma, you can’t even drive. How are you going to get anywhere?”

“You’ve stepped in it now, Ramona,” Auntie Peggy adds her two cents into the conversation, but I know she’s right.

It’s not really the point that Ma can’t drive. It’s more that she shouldn’t. The only reason for Naomi King to get behind the wheel of a car is to pick Darius up from school on the rare occasion Alise or I can’t do it. Even that’s been cut down recently. Ma can’t see as well as she used to—getting old does that shit to you—but she can get around and find familiar places during the day. The key part of that sentence isduring the day. It’s almost seven o’clock, and sunset was about twenty minutes ago. By the time she gets to the car, gets situated, and gets around all the cars to make it out of the driveway, it will be pitch black outside.

“Alise will drive me. Won’t you, sweetheart?” she answers triumphantly, a smug look on her face that immediately drops when Alise opens her mouth.

“Sorry, Auntie. No can do.” Ma swings toward her, ready to give her what for, but Alise raises her hands in surrender. “Ah, don’t yell at me! I have an excellent reason for telling you no.”

“I’m listening.”

“You can’t leave because Auntie Mel is on her way here. We’re having a girls’ night while Darius rests in his room.”

“Oh, how wonderful.” She smiles brightly, taking her time to turn around and head back into the house. “I haven’t seenMelanie in a few weeks. We have some catching up to do since our babies have found each other.”

One crisis averted, but another one immediately crops up the moment my brain registers what Ma said. “What?”

“Did I stutter, Ramona?”

I take a deep breath, reminding myself that this is my ma speaking to me like I’m stupid. I can’t do shit but stand here and grin and bear it. No matter how much I don’t want to.

“No, Ma, you didn’t. But you know Ms. Melanie?”

“Yes.”

Deep breath in. “And you didn’t think to tell me this when you and Alise cooked up the plan to force us together on my birthday?”

“No. I didn’t. Why would I? You aren’t entitled to know all of my friends.”

“How did you two even meet?”

“Melanie is one of my best friends. Did you honestly think they’d never run into each other before?” My focus shifts to Auntie Peggy sitting in the living room, but she only raises her eyebrow. I’m losing my patience with these three, and it’s written all over my face.

I’ve been in and out of Alise’s house more times than I can count. I’ve dropped Ma off there to hang out and do whatever old ladies do when they’re alone, but not once have I seen Melanie Hendrix there at the same time. Ms. Melanie and I have seen each other in passing. A quick hello as we go in and out of Alise’s house, but that’s it. And now they’re trying to tell me they’ve been one big happy family this entire time.

“Playing devil’s advocate here, but you never met Cooper before the other night, and we practically grew up together.” Alise giggles, trying to defuse this situation.

“I’ll deal with you in a minute, traitor.” I reach up and grab my ears, rubbing circles around the lobes, hoping it will calmme. “You’re such a hypocrite. You hate when people lie to you, but you’re doing the same thing to me right now.”

“I’m not a traitor or a liar, Mona. However, Momma and Auntie Na scare me way more than you. Not to mention the fact that she’s right.”

I open my mouth to lay into her when the front door swings open, bumping me in the back, and I stumble forward.

“I’m so sorry, Beauty. I didn’t know you were standing there.” Cooper steps into the house, Darius’s arm draped over his shoulder as they shuffle inside.

“Did you know anything about this?”

Cooper’s eyes widen in surprise as he kicks the door shut, taking in his surroundings.

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