Page 69 of The Prodigy

I shrugged and bit into a hunk of meat. “What you want me to say? We’re…friends, I guess. We ain’t strangers no more.”

“Baby, don’t talk with your mouth full.”

We both knew she didn’t mean it. Mama loved to see us grubbing on her food.

“I’m not against y’all being familiar. I was just wondering.”

I frowned at her word use there. It ain’t too many ways you can be against a grown man’s decisions, especially if that man is running shit.

I let it pass. “I need your brain,” I told her.

Mama slid into the seat next to me. “It ain’t none of my sons. Not in a million years.”

“Yeah, I agree with that.” I took another bite. “What about Prez?”

She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Not his own nephew.” She paused. “Have you ever considered Joe?”

I frowned. “Joe probably has the least to gain out of everybody.”

“Not Ced, either. Definitely not Randall.”

“Well, hell, that’s everybody.”

“No, there’s one more…” she trailed off.

“Jaz?” I burst out laughing. “You’re playing, right?”

Mama shrugged.

“Jaz don’t want no parts of none of this,” I defended. “She wants to look pretty and get attention. She don’t wanna be no kingpin. Come on.”

“I was half serious.” Mama chuckled. “Although it would be quite entertaining if her ditzy thing was an act. Some kinda elaborate plan to take over.”

I laughed with her. “Yeah, that would be crazy.”

We sat in silence while I finished my food. Nay came through to grab some red velvet cake, throwing up the peace sign on his way out.

“So how you doin’, Mama? You look tired.”

She sighed. “I’m living.”

“You seem like you’re…I don’t know. Like you’re holding it together.”

“Is that how it looks?”

I reached over and grabbed her hand. “If you ever feel like you’re not all that together about anything, you can talk to me.”

“I know that, Kari.”

“I’m serious, Mama. It’s okay to grieve.”

“I did that a long time ago.”

I let out a sigh and pulled my hand away.

“By the way, don’t ever tell a woman she looks tired.”

“Why not?”

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