Chapter 23 #2
“What the hell is going on?” Tre asks as soon as she’s out of the living room.
“And who the hell is ringing the damn doorbell at nine on a Sunday night?” Shiro adds.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what Shuga’s got going on,” Ace adds while shaking his head. What’s going on becomes painfully clear when she walks in with Asali a few steps behind her. “I know like hell,” Ace groans.
“What the fuck!” Quintus and Shiro say at the same damn time.
“I know you not taking this bitch ass nigga back,” Tre grits.
“I’m not going to take too much of this,” Asali barks.
Wrong move!
I swear Quintus and his brothers stand up at the same damn time, ready to pounce on Asali, but Shuga quickly positions her small frame in front of Asali and holds her hands out as if she can stop her homegrown linemen from attacking their father.
“Boys! You promised!” she yells. Then in the sternest Black mother voice I’ve ever heard, she quickly adds, “Now!”
Reluctantly and begrudgingly, one by one they slowly sit as if each is trying to be the last man standing. Quintus is last though and he only sits when I tug at his shirt. Asali snakes an arm around Shuga, and hell, this time I want to stand in protest.
I know she didn’t take him back.
Not the Shuga I know.
Not Nina Wright.
“This is my wife and my house. Remember that shit,” Asali proclaims and Shuga quickly snatches out of his arms. “Not anymore it isn’t!” she screams and I damn near jump up.
I know that’s right.
“What?” Asali asks, clearly confused and surprised at the words. “That’s why you called.”
“No, it isn’t. I called because just like you revealed your truth, I need to reveal mine to you and them,” she says and I feel Quintus’s entire body stiffen. He looks at me then back at his parents. My hand returns to his thigh for comfort.
“What are you talking about?” Asali scoffs.
“This is my house. I—” she begins but Asali fires off a question before she can finish.
“And how you gon’ pay for the mortgage without me? The bills? All that shit. You need me, Shuga.”
“I’ll pay the fucking mortgage. Hell, you can’t owe much on it. I’ll just pay that shit off,” Quintus barks, clearly holding in his anger. Hell, all the brothers and even the nephews are fuming but seated out of the love and respect they have for Shuga.
“Asali, I don’t need shit from you. That’s your damn problem.
You thought I was here with you, being your wife and raising our children because I had to.
Because I needed you to take care of me.
I was here because I loved you, I loved our life together, and I love and cherish our boys.
The problem is… you didn’t love me back enough. ”
“I told you that shit was a mistake,” he grits.
“Over twenty years of mistakes? Ugh!” she yells.
“Stop it. Just stop it. You’re leaving here and this will be your last time here.
My house is paid off. My bills will be taken care of and I will be fine.
Because while you were out making a different family, I was making my art and a lot of damn money.
While I was laying next to a stranger, you were laying next to Nina Wright,” she reveals.
I swear all the brothers question her at the same time. “What?” they sing.
“Nina Wright,” Quintus utters. “Shit.”
“What you mean?” Asali asks.
“I wasn’t buying those paintings. They are my paintings. I never gave up on my dream. I was discovered but I changed my art name so I can be the woman you wanted.”
“Shuga, them expensive ass paintings,” Shiro begins. “Like the three in here. Those are yours? You are that artist?”
“Yes, son. I’m her,” she says.
“Shit! Shuga got bank,” Hassan, one of the twins, says.
“Hell yeah,” his brother agrees and they dap.
“Shuga, you need me, love,” Asali has the nerve to say, clearly not reading the damn room or his wife and I feel Quintus’s knee shake. He’s fuming and so are his brothers and nephews. The tension in this room is thick as hell, almost overtaking the air.
At his dumb ass words, Shuga’s neck swivels back to him.
“You don’t get it, do you? Asali, I wasn’t with you because I needed you.
I was with you because I wanted and loved you.
I loved the life we built. I loved taking care of you and our boys, and then our grandkids.
I loved everything about our life and worked hard and sold my paintings so we could have a nest egg.
” She shakes her head slowly then continues.
“All the things I did though, you just didn’t return it.
You were so hooked on me needing you that you forgot to love me back, respect me, and be faithful.
You ruined us and now it’s over.” She shrugs then waves her hands.
“You know what, good luck. I wish you a life exactly like the last four weeks of mine. You deserve it.”
Her last words were definitely finite and the consensus in the room is Asali has to leave. So Quintus stands first, followed by the rest of his brothers. I reach for Quintus and he turns back to me and assures me with his eyes that he’s good. Then he returns his gaze to Asali.
“It’s time for you to go,” Quintus demands.
“Yeah, nigga. She said good luck,” Shiro co-signs.
“That’s goodbye. I suggest you leave before we make yo’ ass leave,” Tre says.
All the love and respect I witnessed between Asali and his sons at the first Sunday dinner has vaporized and the only things left are anger and disappointment. Their love for Shuga and their promise to her are literally saving Asali from being knocked out.
Luckily, Shuga reads the room and her boys. She steps closer to Asali, places her hands on his chest, then says, “It’s best if you leave on your own.”
Unfortunately, Asali isn’t reading the room at all.
Stupidly, he leans in and tries to kiss Shuga.
When she steps back, her sons rush toward him.
Ace’s wife Sade and I both hop up so damn fast. I try to grab my husband and she rushes to hers.
The twins, TJ, and Travon try to contain their dads and uncles.
Our attempts are futile but Asali regains his senses and rushes out of the door before the brothers get totally free.
“Get off me,” Deuce barks and the twins raise their hands in surrender.
Tre glares at his son and he raises his hands too.
Quintus is enraged, but after staring into my eyes for a few minutes, he slowly calms, then pulls me in for a hug. Silence falls in the room and everyone is deep in thought. How can they not be? That was heavy as hell.
I coax Quintus back onto the sectional and Shuga retakes her place on the ottoman. Ace and Sade finally sit too, everyone does except Tre. He’s pacing behind the sectional shaking his head.
“Come give me a hug, Tre,” Shuga says and he does. Her small frame disappears under his massive one and the hug works. He reclaims his spot on the sectional and the silence returns. It breaks when we hear a soft voice from the stairs.
“Nana, can I have some masa?” Niya asks, breaking the silence and tension and putting a smile on Shuga’s face.
“Of course, princess. Come on,” Shuga says, then smiles.
As Niya descends the steps, Shuga turns back to us.
“My identity as Nina Wright is priceless. That fact never leaves this room. Once it does, the mystery and allure around Nina disappears and my rare pieces will be less valuable. Don’t mess up our money,” she says sternly.
“I can’t believe this shit,” Ace mutters and Quintus shakes his head.
“Shit me either. All this time and we didn’t know,” Quintus says.
“I ain’t mad at you, Nana. All this time, I could have been hitting you up for major dough. Man,” Hassan says and we all laugh.
“This lil nigga,” Tre scoffs.
“A secret,” Shuga repeats before meeting Niya at the stairs.