Page 31 of Treason's Temptation
“Unlike plantations or jails, the walls are soundproof. You can stop all that damn hollerin’.”
She shrieked again, sounding like a herd of elephants trampling to the guest room, and slammed the door. If this is what raising a teenager felt like, I owed my mother. It seemed like the hardest job in the world with no pay, which is why Ididn’t want any of my own. Navie was proving to be a handful all by herself, and with any luck, our genes would create a mutant worse than us.
Like a teenager, Navie remained locked in her room for the night, so I retreated to my office. I had work to catch up on, and she definitely needed space to adjust.
“Wassup, Fallon?” I answered.
“Jaleb is losing his shit. Call him back.”
“Not tonight.”
“Yes, tonight. If he pulls out, then what, Tre?”
“Jaleb isn’t pulling out. Relax.”
“This love at first sight bullshit isn’t like you. What is it about this woman?”
It wasn’t love at first sight, but curiosity at first glance. I needed to know more about Navie. They say attention is the beginning of devotion, and right now, she had mine.
“I can only take one woman at a time giving me shit. Navie’s already taken today.”
“How did you think she’d respond to being locked out of her home and wrongfully arrested. This isn’t a cute romantic story. It could put you in a hole too deep to climb out of. Are you really okay with that?”
“Did you confirm my attendance for the Urban Growth & Opportunity Forum?” I asked, focusing on shit we could actually change.
“Yes. Do you want me to pull looks for Navie to match what we picked for you, or start from scratch?”
“Nah, it should be fine. Mom’s on the other line. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Clicking over, I leaned back in the chair, “Hey, Mama.”
“You sound stressed,” Inez assessed.
“You got all that from two words?” I smiled, leaning back in the chair.
“That’s all I need. You are my son, you know.”
“You won’t let me forget it, but I’m not stressed. Just tired. It’s been a long day.”
“I saw. It’s insane, I had to find out my only child is in a relationship, watching the evening news.”
“I wanted to keep things private longer, but twelve left me no choice,” I lied.
If she knew the truth of how Navie got arrested in the first place, Inez would kick my ass. That was one fight I’d always run from.
“They’re always messing with innocent folks. Is Navie okay?”
“Yeah, she’s straight.”
“You make sure of it. You hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I nodded as if she could see me.
“So, how did you meet?”
“You’ll have to wait until brunch to get those details,” I stalled.
“So she’s joining us?”
“I didn’t say all that. I don’t know if we’re at the meeting parents stage.”
