Page 60 of Big Booty

He sucks his teeth, shakin’ his head. “See, Ma. Here you go.” He stands up, talkin’ one last pull from the blunt, then passing it to me. “I wish you’d try to get along with her.”

I finish off the blunt, then stub it out in the ashtray, standin’ up. “Shenille’s a sneaky bitch, okay? You know how I feel bout sneaky bitches. And I’m not gonna be phony about it. But as long as she treats you right and she makes sure my grandbaby comes to spend time with me, then I won’t have to fuck her up.”

He smiles. “Yo, Ma. I don’t know what I’ma do with you; you a real piece of work.” He hugs me, kissing me on the cheek. “But I wouldn’t trade you in for the world. I love you.”

“I love you, too, niggah. And you know I’ll go to jail behind a bitch fuckin’ you over.” He laughs, shakin’ his head. I watch as he walks out, closin’ the door behind him. I roll another blunt, then smoke half of it before goin’ out to check on these kids. I quietly open the door and creep up on Elijah and Joshua fiddlin’ with their cell phones instead of doing homework. I go off. “Elijah! You supposed to be doing ya goddamn homework, not fuckin’ around on that phone. What I tell you about being on that phone when you have homework.” I snatch his phone outta his hand, then throw it across the room. It smashes into the wall.

“Maaaaaaaaaaaa!” he shouts. “Why you do that? I am doin’ my homework. I’m almost done.”

“I told you no phone unless all of ya school work is done, and that’s what I mean. And, Joshua, you ain’t no goddamn better. Give me ya damn phone, too.”

“Awww, c’mon, Ma,” Joshua groans. “I’m helpin’ him. Isaiah, haven’t I been helpin’ you?”

“Nope,” he lies, foldin’ his arms across his chest.

I pop him upside the head. “Elijah, stop lyin’ on ya brother. And hurry up and get that damn work done. I can’t even unwind in peace around here.” I hold my hand out. “Give me ya phone, Joshua.”

He sucks his teeth. “C’mon, Ma. I was only readin’ Day’Asia and Tina’s status updates on Facebook.”

I frown. “What updates?”

He smirks. “Clitina posted that she and Asia are on their way over to buildin’ four to chill with some dudes.”

“What? All this time I thought her ass was in her room. Did she come home from school?”

“I ain’t snitchin’,” he says, laughin’.

“Boy, I don’t see shit funny.”

Fuquan looks up from his Xbox game. “No, she ain’t come home. That ho needs to get her life together, too.”

I am too through with his grown-ass, fresh-mouthed self. “What I tell you about callin’ your sister names?”

He shrugs. “Well, she is.”

I roll my eyes and tell Josh to call Day’Asia’s phone, then give it to me. “Yeah, what is it? Why is you sweatin’ me, niggah?”

“Day’Asia, if I—”

“Who’s this?”

“What the fuck you mean, ‘who’s this?’ It’s your mother.”

“Oh,” she says nonchalantly. “I thought you were locked up.”

“Oh. And so thought that gave you the green light to just do whatever the fuck you want, hunh? You out tryna get your ho on tonight?” Fuquan falls out laughin’. I ignore his ass.

She sucks her teeth. “No.”

“Mmmnph. Then why the fuck you ain’t home?”

“I caught the bus over to Tina’s so Miss Lina could do my hair.”

I take a deep breath before I go off. “Day’Asia, if I gotta leave up outta this house to drive over to buildin’ four to get ya black ass, I’ma beat the shit outta you. So you better get the fuck home, now! You have fifteen minutes.” I disconnect the phone, stuffin’ it in my bra. Josh looks at me. “You’ll get it back when Elijah’s homework is finished.” He opens his mouth to say somethin’ else, but I stop him. “Say somethin’ else and I’ma smash this shit up against the wall next.” I tilt my head, darin’ him. “Just what I thought.”

These damn kids know how to fuck up a damn high!

Nineteen

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