Page 18 of A Kingpin's Weakness
“Any kids?”
“Umm, no. Not yet. Just the ones I teach,” I said with a small laugh.
“Nothing wrong with that. Even though I only birthed one, I used to look at all the daycare kids like they were mine.”
“I know. And I thank you for everything you did for me and Noah while we were growing up.”
“Of course, sweetheart.” She smiled, then tilted her head. “How’s Jo?”
“Jo will always be Jo,” I said, shrugging. “I’ll be shocked if she ever changes.”
Serena’s eyes softened. “After finding out her story, I understood her a little more.”
“Her story? What story?”
“About her childhood.”
I froze for a second. “What happened in her childhood?”
She looked instantly regretful. “Maybe I’ve said too much. I just assumed you’d know now that you’re grown and Sweetie is gone.”
“No, I don’t know.” I looked at her firmly. “But I’d love for you to tell me.”
“I’m sorry, baby. That’s something Jo has to tell you.”
Seth spoke up, sounding a little annoyed. “So why bring it up, Mom?”
“It’s fine,” I said quickly, forcing a small smile. “Jo will tell me when she’s ready, I guess. We’ve never had that kind of relationship where we talk and get deep.”
“How was school, S3?” Seth asked, shifting the conversation.
I was grateful for the subject change, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still curious about Jo’s story. What story? I thought I knew Jo. My mother and I were nothing alike. I remember taking care of Jo since I was about four years old. That was the first time I found her passed out on the bathroom floor with a needle hanging out of her arm. After that, she taught me how to carefully take it out and put it up.
There were times I had to splash her with cold water to wake her up, drag her to bed, cover her up, and act like everything was normal. Eventually, she started getting high in her room instead, and it became my job to clean up the evidence before I went to bed.
She used to say, “If my baby don’t do nothing else, she gon’ take care of her mama.” And I did. Until I hit my preteens. That’s when the praise stopped. Suddenly, I couldn’t do anything right, and I was just like my daddy.
I kept count.176.That was the number of nights I went to bed hungry in one year.74was how many times me and Noah split a sandwich for dinner. It wasn’t always bad, though. I remember three times when I actually got to feel like a kid. When we moved in with Sweetie. When Jo first started dating Noah’s dad. And when she got with that big-time hustler who had money to blow.
But in true Jo fashion, she fucked it up every time. Her drug problem never stayed buried long. Jo was beautiful, though. When she cleaned up, you’d never guess she was addicted to a needle. That’s probably why men kept giving her chances. But once she started stealing or slipping again, they dropped her just as quick.
And for some reason, she and Sweetie never got along. I never understood why. Sweetie was my everything. I would’ve stayed with her forever if Jo let me, but she didn’t. And I couldn’t leave Noah alone with her.
And that’s why he’s lying in a hospital bed now. I left him alone with Jo for too long. All our daily talks about goals, school, life… they weren’t enough. Because while I was trying to keep him focused, Jo was right there in his ear pushing him to get into the drug game. Like it was the only way to survive.
We all sat around the table, stuffing our mouths with the delicious food Ms. Serena had cooked, while S3 chatted away about school and all his action figures. I actually enjoyed his excitement and his stories. It reminded me of Noah at that age: happy, full of energy, not a care in the world.
S3 switched to the seat next to me scooted closer to me, holding up his Hulk action figure and showing me everything it could do.
“S3, give her some space, baby,” Ms. Serena gently warned.
“He’s fine,” I said, smiling, still caught up in his little world.
After dinner, we all helped clean up. Plates and dishes were brought to the kitchen, and we wiped down the dining table and chairs. Seth took over dish duty, Ms. Serena packed the leftovers into glass containers, and S3 and I sat at the island snacking on hot chips like we hadn’t just eaten a full meal plus pound cake.
“Okay, S3, go wash up for bed,” Ms. Serena said. “It’s getting late, and you know how you get in the morning.”
“But GMA!”
