Page 120 of The Prodigy

“Nay and E don’t have the whole world resting on their shoulders.”

“It’s what daddy wanted.”

She sighed. “Your daddy.” She was quiet for a while, staring out at the trees on the other side of the yard. “Do you ever think about it?”

“Try not to. I dream about it, though.”

“In your dreams…you save him, right? Make him back whole again?”

“Nah. I always wake up before…” I trailed off. “I think I need more liquor to continue this conversation.”

She poured me more. “We’ve never talked about it.”

“Nope.”

“I always wondered what happened after you left the house that night.”

My jaw clenched. “I did what y’all asked me to do.”

“And you did it well.”

“Mama—”

“You didn’t ask questions. Didn’t buck. Just…took care of business.”

“It wasn’t business, though. That shit was personal.”

My mama’s screams echoed in my mind. Her sobs. Her words…they haunted me. I could still hear them echoing between my ears.

“I should shoot your fucking dick off, you piece of shit! How dare you? How dare you? I fucking hate you! I love you but I fucking hate you! How could you do this to me?”

I closed my eyes and took another pull. My high was getting low real fast remembering this shit.

“You never asked about…her.”

I opened my eyes. “Wasn’t my business.”

“So you weren’t curious? You didn’t wonder who she was?”

“All I knew was that she wasn’t you, so therefore, I didn’t care.”

Mama sighed. “Where’d you put her?”

“Four feet under.” I took my Henny to the head. “Woulda been six, but my arms got tired.”

Mama laughed. Shelaughed. She didn’t feel bad about it at all. I’m not sure why I would expect her to, though.

“Didyouknow who she was?”

Mama smiled sadly. “Not until recently.”

I frowned. “What do you mean? You went looking for her?”

She stared at the pool. I could see the water reflecting in her eyes.

“He loved her.” She shook her head. “I always knew there were other bitches. Men like your daddy, they always got another bitch waiting in the wings. Look at Nay. Following in your daddy’s footsteps. But at least your daddy was smart enough to wrap it up.”

“What did you mean when you said—”

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