Page 25 of Regancy & Savior
“Mommy, when are you coming to get me? I miss you.” She acted as if she hadn’t seen me that morning.
“I thought you were enjoying your time with your grandmother,” I asked.
“She’s with her friends, and they’re playing really loud music. Can you come get me?”
I had never told my child no, and I wasn’t about to start. “I’ll be there in a few. Make sure your things are packed.
“Okay.” She smiled into the camera and hung the phone up.
I glanced over at Vee. He was just getting in the car and not privy to the conversation I’d had with Kale. “We may have to push dinner.”
“Why, what’s wrong, baby?” he questioned.
“Kale doesn’t want to stay with my mother, so I told her I’d be on my way to get her in a few.”
“Okay, what’s the address? Put it in the GPS because you know your sense of direction is fucked up.” He laughed.
“Not true. I just know landmarks and shit. I see no point in knowing street names.” I laughed and started keying my mother’s address into the system.
“See what I mean?” He waited until I keyed the address on before he started driving. The entire drive, he rested his hand on my thigh. Vee was attentive and thoughtful, and I couldn’t understand why it didn’t feel real or why the hell it felt like I didn’t belong. True enough, I was giving us a fresh start, but it didn’t feel like it should’ve. The entire drive to my mama’s house, I got tripped up in my thoughts, and all I could do was question if the fact that I was damaged was why it didn’t feel like this was for me. Maybe one day it would feel like me, huh? I convinced myself to let those thoughts go as we pulled on my mother’s block, and sure as hell, she was sitting on her porch with a face I didn’t recognize.
I went to reach for the door handle when I heard his voice behind me.
“Do you want me to get out with you?”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling before responding sweetly. “If you want to, that’s fine.” Of course he wanted to. He wanted it to be real, so he felt that he needed to meet my mama. We walked up toward the yard as my mama squinted her eyes with a smile on her face. I’d shown her a photo of Vee a while back, so she’d finally get to see him as well. The funny thing was I should’ve been ready for them to meet since Vee and I had history, but I damn sure wasn’t.
“Mama, this is Vee and Vee, this is my mama.” I introduced them before walking toward the door and yelling Kale’s name so she’d come on.
I turned around, and Vee looked comfortable talking to my mama, so I continued into the house to get my baby. I spotted my brother watching TV on the sofa as Kale came running toward me.
“Damn, you leaving ya uncle, lil’ bit?” he asked Kale.
She smiled. “Y’all boring, Uncle Mill. Mommy is a little more fun, and I get to go home to my puppy.” She wasn’t fooling anybody. She just wanted to get home to that damn dog. I was so grateful that our neighbor had a dog damn near the same breed as Kale’s, so while I was out, she would babysit for me.
“Damn, Kale. Over a dog?” He laughed at her.
She nodded her head. “Oh, wait, Mama. I forgot my iPad.” She took off toward the back of the house.
My brother peeked out of the window before back at me. “Who is that nigga on the porch?” he asked.
“My friend. Why?”
“That nigga looks like he sells Bibles.” Amil shrugged his shoulders.
“No, he doesn’t. He’s nice.” I giggled at what he said.
“Yeah, alright. Call me when y’all get in.”
Once we picked Kale up, the night went kind of fast. We ended up going to dinner before he took Kale and I home. He walked us up to my door, and of course I invited him in. The problem with Vee and I was the fact that there was no spontaneity. Everything was damn near textbook, and I knew him like the back of my hand. Just like I thought we would, we sat on the sofa and talked. It was nice, but it was missing something.
I was listening to him when I felt my phone vibrate in my lap. I glanced down, and it was the same number that I purposely neglected to save.
Unknown: Either you send that nigga about his night, or I’ma send him up to meet Allah.
I stared at the message for a while wondering if I wanted to reply or not, but before I could, another message came through.
Unknown: It’s him or both of y’all. You got all of five minutes to tell that nigga bye. Or on my mama, it’s up.
