Page 81 of All The Smoke
“How you even know about the baby?”
“Brianna told me and she also told your father and me how you’ve been neglecting your responsibilities with SJ since getting with this woman.”
“Do that even sound right?” He chuckled. “Like does me not handling business with my son even sound like some legitimate shit?”
“I-I don’t know,” she stammered. “She told me…”
“Ma, when you start speaking to Bri like that?” he quizzed. “You don’t even fuck with her like that but you listening to some bullshit she saying?”
“We talk.”
He chuckled sarcastically. “Okay, go get my son so we can go.”
“G-get him? I thought he was staying the night.”
“No you didn’t because I told you I was coming through to get him later, but that don’t matter. Even if he was gon’ kick it here, that shit dead now. You don’t get to choose between my kids. This ain’t me and Noah.”
“Solomon, I?—”
“Go get my fuckin’ son.,” he growled.
“Babe.” I tugged his arm.
Glancing down at me, he smiled and kissed my forehead. “I’m chillin’, love.”
“Son, please, just hear me out…”
“Solomon?” Bishop Tate approached from the direction his mother had come from not too long ago. “What’s going on, son? Who’s this?”
Solomon didn’t bother replying to him, so I stepped up and introduced myself. “Hi, I’m Kaori.”
His brows dipped as he accepted my hand and glared at me. It wasn’t in a menacing way or anything, but it looked like he was trying to recall if he knew me from somewhere.
“My grandmother attends your church, Gladis Jacobs.”
“Ah!” He beamed. “Sister Jacobs.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Aight, now that the introductions are done, go get my son,” Solomon spat because his mother still stood there.
“Why?” his father asked. “I thought he was staying over.”
“Because I said so bruh, what you mean?” Solomon frowned. “Why is this conversation ongoing and shit?”
“Solomon, let’s talk about this…” his mother pleaded but Solomon wasn’t trying to hear it.
“I ain’t got shit to talk about with you.” He pointed to his mom then his dad. “Or you. I’m done letting y’all mothafuckas shit on me and my fucking brother, man. Y’all so gotdamn conniving, the shit ain’t even funny.” He chuckled. “I’m trying not to make a scene in here because I peeped the lil reporter vans outside, so please go get my child before shit go left.”
“What did we do?” the bishop asked. “I haven’t even been able to get you on the phone since the very first announcement of my mayoral campaign.”
“And you need to be thanking God for that because after I met with Noah’s last attorney I wanted to push up and crack yo’ fuckin’ face for playing with us like that. But as usual Noah has a soft spot for y’all disloyal asses so I fell back, but ya wife pushing up on my girl, trying to pay her to have an abortion, is the last mothafuckin’ straw. Fuck all that.”
“You did what?” his father asked incredulously.
“I-I-”
“Man, just go get Solo.”
