Page 3 of The Road to You
“Man, this bitch I’m fuckin’ with claims she’s pregnant. I don’t have time for the bullshit. I told her that I wanted to go with her to her doctor to do a prenatal paternity test, but her ass is acting stupid.” He just shook his head.
My ear dropped to my shoulder. “Dad, please don’t tell me that you’re out here, at your big age, accidentally getting bitches pregnant. How the hell is that going to look? Your fifty-plus ass on the playground with a toddler.”
“Euri, please don’t make me get out of my seat to drop kick you in your big ass head. I know for a fact that bitch ain’tpregnant by this nut. I had a vasectomy when I was in my damn forties,” he informed me. “That bitch is lying like fuck, but I’m gonna let her hang herself.”
All I could do was laugh. That shit couldn’t be life. “When the hell are you going to settle your ass down, Dad? You got to be tired of this revolving door of hos.”
“Tell ya mama to give me some damn act right, and I wouldn’t be dealing with these hos. While her ass is out here holding on to shit from over three decades ago that I’ve apologized for a million times, I’m out here suffering.” His face tightened. “Aye, don’t tell your mama about this shit either. Don’t give her another reason to act like she don’t want to fuck with a nigga.”
I burst out laughing. It was a weekly thing with that man. He had it bad as hell for my mama and didn’t care who knew that shit. It had always been like that too. It became so bad that four years ago, he bought a house on the same street as my mother. Yes, they lived six houses down from each other. “Act like, Dad? Did you really say act like? Man, my mama is not fuckin’ with your rolling stone ass on no levels. You have a better chance of getting back with Derrick, Aaron, or Karla’s moms.” I continued to laugh at the thought of my parents together. It was something I just couldn’t see happening.
When my father put his beer down and rubbed his hand down his bald head like he had waves to smooth out, I knew he was about to be on one. I was convinced that what attracted my parents to each other was their sharp ass tongues. They didn’t give a damn what came out of their mouths.
“First, I was never with them females. I don’t regret my kids, but them hos caught my young ass up. Second, yes, I said act like. You can believe whatever your mama tells you, but I know better. She can act like I didn’t break her back less than three weeks ago if she?—”
I jumped up from my seat. “Nope! I don’t want to hear that shit. I’m about to go talk to my mama.”
He laughed at my back as I started my trek toward the door. “Tell my baby mama I said hey. Ask her what my code to her front door is since she acting for you, Son.”
“Yo, you childish as hell, old man. Just childish as fuck.” I walked out of his house, hating that I laughed at his antics. That was Orion, and I knew that shit.
I walkedinto my mother’s house and immediately smelled cinnamon and sweet potatoes. “Ma, I know you’re not making Karla a sweet potato pie. That girl can make her own pies.”
Sure enough, she was at the island in her kitchen with her mixer going. Someone would’ve really thought that Karla was her blood daughter, the way she spoiled her. “Euri, get out of my business and stay in yours. Yes, my baby called and said she wanted a pie, so I’m making her a pie.”
When I was twelve, I started bringing a five-year-old Karla to my house. Her mother was trifling as fuck and only had her with the hopes that it would keep our dad. When it didn’t, she moved on to the next nigga and neglected my sister. Our father got custody of her when she was six years old. My mother stepped in to help our dad because, according to her, he didn’t know anything about raising a little girl. Karla’s mother still came around, but it wasn’t a consistent thing.
“Alright, Ma. You wonder why her ass is spoiled. Since you’re making them, please make me one if you don’t mind.” I sat at the seat on the other side of the island.
Her head popped up at me with her eyes tight. “I know you see six shells behind me on the other counter. Don’t play with me, Euri.”
I didn’t initially see the shells. When I did, I had questions. I had three siblings, so that accounted for three of the shells and another for myself. I assumed one was for my mama, so who was the sixth for? “Ma, who is that last pie for?”
Her ass stopped adding stuff to the mixer. Marsha was gorgeous for her age. She and my dad had the elixir to the fountain of youth. That shit was a double-edged sword when it came to my mama though. Her ass liked to be outside, and these young niggas had suga mama fetishes that I didn’t mind shooting out of their asses.
“I see you’re still in business that doesn’t concern you.” She shook her head with a soft giggle. “If your nosy ass must know, it’s for your father.”
A shirt could’ve hung off my brow. “Oh, we makin’ Dad pies now? What he do to deserve a pie?”
“Lil’ boy, why are you here? I know it’s not to ask me about damn pies and your daddy.” She was clearly tired of my inquisition. “What the hell do you want, so you can get out of my damn house? I got pies to make.”
All I could do was laugh at her ass. “I came over here to tell you that we won the bid for the townhouse development. All the contracts were finalized today.”
Her scowl disappeared, and a beautiful smile replaced it. “Oh my God! Look at Him continuing to bless you.” She rushed around the island to wrap her arms around me. “Didn’t I tell you if you left those streets alone, what was meant for you would come?”
“Yeah, Ma, you did. Karla banged those numbers out to make the partnership beneficial to us and the developer. This is going to change the game for us,” I confirmed.
When I started my company, I offered my mother a percentage of it, but she refused it. We went back and forth about it. Eventually, my father and I came to the agreement that I would give him a slightly bigger share, which he would give to her under the guise of that baby daddy always looking out for his baby mama shit. With that, my father purchased her the house five years ago. In hindsight, that was a setup for him to buy a house nearby.
“I’m so proud of you, Euri.” She kissed my cheek. “Where your big-headed brothers at? The better not be out there causing a ruckus.”
My brothers were also close to my mother. Derrick’s mother, Kisa, was a cool chick. She wasn’t always, but with time and maturity, an understanding was gained. Aaron’s mother, Gia, died when he was twenty. She had been sickly all her life, so she welcomed my mother’s presence in their lives.
I sucked my teeth. “Now, you know it wouldn’t be them if they weren’t somewhere causing a little bit of hell.” I lifted my arm to check my watch. “I’m supposed to be meeting them in a few hours to eat at Gloria’s Kitchen.”
“Lord, I still am amazed that she has not expanded that restaurant to more than the one. I used to eat there before your ass was born. It was one of my and your father’s favorite places to go and a hangout spot,” she told me. The dreamy glaze in her eyes told me she was reminiscing about something or someone.
Let me fuck with her.“Aw, you thinking about your sneaky link Orion?” I held in my laughter.
