Page 94 of I Don't Want You Back

“Y’all two should be ashamed of yourselves. Your mother is grieving and y’all couldn’t even offer a kind word,” Ella fussed when she walked into the kitchen.

“I said good riddance. That’s as kind as it will get,” Makena replied.

“I know she was an awful mother to y’all, but this is not the time to dwell on that,” Ella noted.

“Grandma, I love you, but I have to keep it real. It’s not fair for you to tell us how to feel or what we should do. You took us in and raised us after our own mama didn’t want to anymore. She put the same man that she’s mourning before her own kids and I’m not about to pretend to feel sorry for her. We watched from your front porch how she bonded with Leroy’s grandkids like we weren’t shit. She formed a relationship with them and lost her connection to us. I forgave her a long time ago, but I’ll go to my grave remembering what she did,” Landon said.

“I’m sorry baby. I know that what Robin did hurt y’all and I would never try to downplay that. As much as I want turn to my back on her for how she treated y’all, I just can’t do it. She’s still my child,” Ella replied.

“We would never want you to do that grandma. The way that me and Landon feel have nothing to do with you. She’s still your child and she’s still our mother. The difference in the two is that she continued to be your daughter. She just decided that she didn’t want to be our mother anymore. She made the choice, not us,” Makena pointed out.

“I understand, and I won’t say nothing else about it,” Ella replied.

“Say nothing about what?” Aiden said when he walked into the kitchen.

“Nothing, but I’m happy that I have both of y’all here at the same time. Y’all know that I’m cooking a big dinner in two weeks for when my sister comes in town and everybody will be here,” Ella said.

“We know ma. You do the same thing every time your sister comes in town. What’s the point?” Aiden asked as he looked in the fridge.

“Bitch, shut up and listen. Ava and Kane will be here and I don’t want no mess in my house. Y’all understand me?” Ella asked while looking at them both.

“We already had this talk when you called that family meeting. I’m good on that grandma. I don’t have nothing to tell that dude,” Landon assured her.

“I’m not making no promises,” Aiden said as he popped open a beer.

“Don’t fuck with me, Aiden. I haven’t seen my sister in three years and you better not act a fool in front of her. I’ll lose my religion in here on your ass,” Ella threatened.

“Man, you ain’t been to church in years. You lost your religion a long time ago,” Aiden said, making everybody laugh.

Landon and Faryn stayed by Ella’s house for a while longer before going back to their own. Faryn didn’t want to be anywhere near the man that she now knew as Kane, so she made up her mind to skip the family gathering. She had made plans to hang out with her sister and Harley for the day, while Landon and the kids went over there. Landon was cool with it and he promised her that he wouldn’t be there long either.

***

Landon enjoyed seeing his grandmother smiling and happy all throughout the day. Her sister had arrived from New York and a lot of other family members were there to see her as well. Ella’s house was the biggest, so it made sense for everyone to go there. Just like always, she’d prepared a huge Thanksgiving like feast to welcome her guests. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and that’s what Ella wanted. Landon was standing outside with Aiden and Raheem watching his sons play football and listening to what Aiden was saying.

“Man, that shit is crazy. I probably would have been dead if I was in there. It had to be that nigga that you had to knock out that one time,” Aiden said, referring to Jo-Jo.

He had been using Faryn’s apartment to entertain his female companions since the lease was already paid up. He tried to bring somebody there about two that morning, only to discover that the door had been kicked in. There was nothing for anyone to take, but that wasn’t the point. Somebody obviously thought that Faryn was still living there. Needless to say, that was his last time going there.

“That’s the only person that I can think of too. That nigga stupid as fuck if he thought I was leaving my girl in there with him knowing where she lived,” Landon replied.

“Exactly, but I need to see who he is. He seems like he might be a problem one day,” Aiden said.

“Man, fuck that dude,” Landon said, waving him off.

“I’m just saying nephew. You put him to sleep temporarily. I’m trying to give him some permanent rest. You can’t put nothing pass these niggas no more,” Aiden replied.

“I don’t put nothing pass nobody, but that nigga don’t scare me,” Landon said, right as Kane and Ava pulled up.

“Look at this lil bitch. Nigga wife got a bigger dick than he do.” Aiden frowned when he saw Kane opening the car door for Ava to get out.

“Chill out bruh. I don’t need to hear grandma’s mouth,” Raheem said.

Ava’s daughter got out of the car and ran to the other kids who were outside playing, while her parents headed inside the house.

“Hey y’all,” Ava spoke.

“What’s up Raheem?” Kane said, sounding like a lil hoe.

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