Chapter 20 #2
I laughed for her. “Chill. Shirley was my first puppy love girlfriend in eighth grade. She probably would have been my wife if she didn’t move away.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Jela teased.
“I remember her. Thick, cornbread-fed, shawty,” Jules said with a smirk.
“Yup. I used to have a crush on her so bad,” Rhys added, laughing.
“You crush on any-damn-body, boy. Anyway, Jela… it’s tradition to share our family history with whoever any of us bring around the family. It’s been a while since Truce had someone special in his life. Since he brought you, I figured you must be special to him.”
I placed my hand on Jela’s knee as she smiled. Chuckling, I turned to my aunts. “I don’t know why y’all insist on embarrassing me but go on. Embarrass away.”
Aunt Sarah laughed and walked over as Rihanna stood, Allowing her to sit next to Jela and the journey began.
I sipped my beer and tuned them out while talking to my Uncle Vince about his classic cars.
The pictures and laughs continued for about thirty more minutes, then the home videos began.
I shook my head and laughed. When my pops came on the video, the room literally went silent.
It was crazy because no matter how many times we watched these videos, they still gave us a nostalgic feeling.
I missed the hell out of him, and I knew my family did too.
“Tru! Come here, son!” he yelled across the courts for me. Jules and I were outside playing one-on-one basketball.
“Look at Jules' big head ass,” I said, watching him try to steal the ball from me. We all laughed and watched as I dropped the ball and went running toward my pops.
“Aww, how cute,” Jela said. “How old were you?”
“I think I was about eight.”
We tuned back into the video, watching my pops grab my head and kiss my forehead. “Say hi to the camera.”
“You look just like your dad,” Jela asserted.
“He sure does,” Grams agreed.
“What up!” I said, throwing up fake gang signs.
Pops chuckled. “Boy, you swear you so hood. I may need to stop letting you go back to Michigan, huh?”
“You know Mom's gon’ have a fit. I don’t think you want those problems, old head.” I chuckled.
“She ain’t got no damn power. Anyway, I want to show you something.”
“Okay.”
“Jules! Bring ya bad ass on!” Pops yelled.
Jules came running his bobble head over to us as Pops led us through the house and out front.
I remembered this day. It was the day he surprised us with the mopeds.
“Why is it three?” I asked him.
“One is for your brother when he comes to visit.”
“He’s gonna be basing! Thanks, Pops!”
“You’re welcome, son.”
“Can we ride them now, Uncle Iman?”
“Yeah, just around the compound. Don’t go outside the gate.”
“Bet! Come on, Tru!” We ran off in excitement as Pops chuckled.
“Bad-ass kids,” he said, then the video ended.
“I miss him,” Grams noted.
“We all do, Mama. But he’s still with us in spirit,” Aunt Nora said.
“Anyhoo. Now that we’re done reminiscing, who wants dessert?” Uncle Nell asked. “Sarah’s ass trying to make niggas cry in here and shit.”
Everyone laughed, and my cousins and uncles began to head toward the dining room for dessert.
“You want some dessert, J?” I asked.
“No thanks. I’m pretty full.”
“A’ight.”
I kissed her cheek, and she smiled. I removed a curl from her face, then trailed my finger down her cheek until I reached her lips and kissed them. When I finally peeled my eyes away, Aunt Nora was watching with a grin on her face.
“Where did you two meet?” she asked.
Shit.
I wasn’t expecting anyone to ask us that.
I could feel Jela’s body tense, and I rubbed her thigh to calm her.
My family knew nothing about Jela. Dame stopped coming around after my pops passed because I had moved in with our moms full-time.
Even when I’d visit them for the holidays and spring break, he never wanted to come.
I chalked it up to him grieving my pops too—not wanting to come around anymore because my pops was gone.
They didn’t know that Jela used to be his girl; they just knew he had a baby since I had mentioned Chunks to them a few times.
“I met this bad lil’ shorty coming out of the store one day. She was looking like she needed a friend, and y’all know I like making friends.”
My aunts laughed, and I could feel Jela loosening up.
“He’s been a great friend since,” Jela spoke, her eyes thanking me for the fabrication.
Grams beamed. “He has a great heart; gets it from his daddy.”
“I can tell…”
“What do you do for a living?” Aunt Sarah asked.
“Um, I’m a stay-at-home mom for now. My baby just turned one, so I don’t want to work just yet. But I do plan to start back dancing soon.”
“Strippin’?” Aunt Sarah asked.
“Sarah!” Grams scolded.
I chuckled. “Damn, Auntie.”
“What? I’m just asking.”
“Oh, God, no…” Jela chuckled nervously. “I do choreography. But I do teach pole dancing classes virtually for the time being.”
She fibbed that last part, but I didn’t think that was a bad idea.
“Oooo, yes! Maybe you could teach me a thing or two!”
Aunt Nora shook her head as Rihanna and everyone came back into the living room. “And on that note, Rihanna, turn that music up. Come on, y’all! It’s almost Christmas! Let’s have one last dance before we go to bed. You too, Tru and Jela.”
“Let It Snow” by Boyz II Men queued, and everyone either started singing, dancing, or both.
“You know I don’t dance,” I told her.
“We do the gangsta bop ’round hea, ya heard!” Jules exclaimed and slapped my palm while we laughed.
“Boy, get up and dance with your lady. Your Grandpa used to always dance with me as a form of intimacy.”
Jela stood and held her hand out to me while smiling. I chuckled lightly as I rose from the couch. Pulling her to me, I leaned down and wrapped my arms around her waist.
“Thank you for not revealing how we really met,” she whispered in my ear while wrapping her arms around me.
“I’ll always protect you, baby.”
“I believe you.”
I spun her around until we were in the entryway.
“Look up,” I told her.
She looked up and smirked. “You spun me over here on purpose.”
“And did. You already know what you gotta do, Mama.” I licked my lips.
“In front of your family?”
“They ain’t paying no attention to us. Put them pretty-ass lips on me.”
She stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against mine. I slid my tongue inside her mouth only for a second, then kissed her forehead.
“Merry Christmas, Jela.”
“Merry Christmas, Tru Bear.”