Chapter 12 #2
I expected Aroyal to go toe to toe with me, but he threw his hands up in surrender. For the first time in our lives, he waved the fucking white flag and I didn’t know whether to hug him or take a photo of the moment.
My eyes immediately went to my mother. She had still yet to speak, which meant she had a lot to say.
“Say something, Ma.” I leaned back against the counter, staring at her.
“I’m happy,” she quipped simply.
I was about to ask her about what, but she held her index finger up to pause me.
“From the day I met him in your home, I knew he was somebody special to you. Call it a hunch, but I kind of knew something like this would happen. It was in the way you both looked at one another in a room full of people, all intense and eternal-like. Just tell my son-in-law I’ma need a wedding.
I absolutely refuse to let the two of you rob me of this moment. ”
“Of what moment?” Kay’s voice made me look up from my mama to her as she walked into the room.
“Rim done ran off and got married to the nigga with the tattoos on his face. Same shit you and I did, except she went to City Hall,” Aroyal answered before me or my mother could.
“Says the nigga with the tattoos on his face as well,” my mama muttered, making us all laugh as Kay approached me.
“You did what? Oh my god! How long? Where are yo—”
“I love how y’all congratulate her impulse but everything I do is ridiculed.”
“Different motherfuckers, shorty. How you gonna compare yourself to a motherfucker whose lifestyle ain’t funded by our mama?
” Aroyal responded and Kay put her hand to his chest. His patience for Ariya was nonexistent, especially after how she’d handled the Brysheer situation.
Leaving your kid over a nigga was something you couldn’t come back from, especially after you signed your parental rights away out of spite. Bitch was bonkers.
“Fuck you, Aroyal! You’ve never had my back. And neither have you.” She pointed her fury in my mother’s direction, moving forward.
I stepped in front of my mother instantly. I had no problem flooding her ass over my mother. Shit, I’d flood anybody over this lady. “You know that’s not true. You’re mad nobody is paying you attention.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, Karim.” She exhaled heavily.
“But I was talking to you.”
“You went off and married a nigga and they still look at you like the golden child. While I’m treated like shit under your shoes. Where is that fair?”
“Yo, you’re grown as fuck talking about fair. You left your whole fucking child for somebody else to raise and you got your stupid ass in here talking about fair. Fuck outta here,” Aroyal fumed.
“Oh my god! When are you going to get over this? It was my decision and I made it. It was the best choice for me,” her selfish ass said like she was discussing buying a fucking dog or something.
“That is enough.” My mother’s voice filled the room as a slight cough followed her words. “I will not have you all arguing while those kids are in there. Ariya, carry all this mess you’re slinging up out of here because I have had enough.”
“See! It’s always me. Why am I always the blame when it’s them too?”
“It’s not them. It’s you. It has always been you. You refuse to take accountability for anything you do. You come here and guilt me for everything that has gone wrong in your life, but no more. I will no longer be the reason you can’t grow up.”
Ariya’s eyes grazed the room. “You know what, fuck this. I’m out of here.” She snatched her coat off the chair and ran out of the room like a child.
My mother shook her head. “I don’t know where I went wrong with her, nothing is ever enough for her.”
I spent a while longer with my family, then Ro and I cut out to meet Reminisce.
Of course, my mama had to feed her and get her hooked then send her off with her own food while having me promise to bring her back when we finally did dinner.
The thought made me smile. My mother was genuinely happy about the idea of adding another grandchild to her spoil list even though Romance shared not a lick of blood with her.
“Yo, why yeen get me a plate from your mama’s house?” Reminisce asked, digging into my food like it was his plate.
“I didn’t even ask for a plate. She only made my plate because she made Ro one.”
“Give me Ro’s. She doesn’t need it.” He gnawed on the oxtails she’d packed to go.
“Rem, aren’t you eating mine?”
He sucked his teeth. “Your mama’s house is right up the street, right?”
I nodded, looking around the lavish kitchen while he maxed like he hadn’t eaten all day. This place was beautiful, like something out of an art magazine.
I was too quiet for him because he pulled me into his lap, saucy hand and all. “You good?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”
“’Cause you quiet, like you didn’t miss me today. I missed the fuck outta you and your lil hungry ass best friend.”
A smile found its way onto my face faster than anything. How in the hell did he always know what to say?
“You already had me looking sap as fuck in front of my twin when you didn’t tell me you loved me back.”
“You could never.”
“Well I did. You ’boutta tell me you love me, Rim?”
“Hopefully, so both of you all can tell me why neither one of us were invited to the nuptials.” Jade’s voice filled the space behind us as his siblings began to flow into the kitchen one by one.
I looked from them to Reminisce who shrugged. “These niggas are nosy, bae.”
I laughed.
Jade cleared her throat.
I threw my hands up in surrender. “Ask the man with the pla—” A loud crash outside of the house halted my statement. Then Rennix rushed to the window, assessing whatever was going on outside.
“Yo, what the fuck?” G, who was also at the window, quipped.
“What!” Jade asked, moving to the window but Rennix stopped her and looked at Reminisce. “Jade, go check on the kids. Rem, you need to handle that before somebody calls the law.”
Jade still peeked out of the window but also did as he asked.
I saw confusion sweeping Reminisce’s features before he stood me up by my hips and moved to the window himself. His expression went cold immediately, which had me wanting to know what was outside of the damn window. Whatever or whomever it was had him moving toward the front door immediately.
I told myself I’d sit there and let him handle whatever it was, but that only lasted for five seconds because I was on my feet moving to the window behind Beyah.
It was then I saw the pink-haired, child-abandoning bitch yelling at the top of her lungs.
Nope, I couldn’t stay in the kitchen like a good little wife. That wasn’t in my character.
“Who is that?” Beyah asked.
“A bitch I owe these hands to.” I moved from the window toward the front door with Beyah in tow.
I stepped out into the frigid temperature just in time to hear this dumb ass broad tell Reminisce she wanted her child and wasn’t leaving the premises without her. I hugged myself before I stepped off the first step from behind Rennix, next to Reminisce.
He heard me and turned his face in my direction before looking back at her. She was yelling and carrying on and he had yet to react or respond.
“Now you got the nerve to stand with this bitch. Where the fuck is my child, Reminisce?” she mused loudly.
“You signed them rights over already, Pynk. Ain’t shit about that lil girl yours, now get the fuck on.”
“You made me sign those papers! You forced me!” she screamed, moving around like ol’ girl from the movie Holiday Heart.
“Rock, paper, scissors, you let me beat her ass.” I glanced over at Reminisce.
His expression was blank, but when he extended his fist and palm out flat, I knew I had him.
Two rounds later and several pats against our palms, I won. My scissors to his paper.
I nodded then began to move in her direction, but he caught my arm.
“Yo, are y’all really out here playing rock, paper, scissors on beating ol’ girl’s ass?” Rennix asked.
“Best two outta three.”
I tilted my head to the side. “You tryna’ save this bitch?”
He laughed. “Hell nah, gon’ ahead. You better not let her land shit.”
I cracked my fists, moving toward her. She didn’t back down either, instead putting her fists up like she had any chance in this.
“I’ve been waiting for this since you walked your ass in my hotel room thinking you were better than me.”
I chuckled. “Cool. Run it.”
She swung and I ducked that reckless ass shit before I slapped the shit out of her.
I called myself studying her, but it didn’t take long because she was leaving her face open trying to land hits that only would’ve landed had she had a grip on my hair.
She was a cat fight type of girl while I grew up fighting niggas.
No hair to pull, just fists and knowing not to let one of them catch me.
She swung again. This time I followed up, making sure to put nothing but weight behind the jab I connected with the center of her face. She fell instantly.
“You’re still putting too much weight behind that punch.” Reminisce’s tone indicated he was standing no more than three feet from me.
“I think that shit is on purpose. You know she’s little as fuck,” Rennix called out, making me side eye him as he walked up.
“Well, she’s gonna fuck her shoulder up throwing that motherfucker one day.”
“Maybe, but yo’ bitch ass is gonna take care of her when she does. I’m about to call the law. I’on feel like seeing this bitch get laid out again.” G’s voice now had me looking in his direction.
These niggas were comical. I was about to speak, but Reminisce grabbed my hand and inspected my knuckles before bringing them to his lips and kissing them. “You’re gonna need some ice.”
“Probably, but I’m good.” I pulled my hand from his and began walking back toward the house. Regardless of the fade I had just handed out, it was still cold as hell.
It took the police all of three minutes to get there and about an hour to have her car towed out of Rennix’s property. She’d crashed it into a tree on the way in.