Chapter 14
Fourteen
X arielle
Mama Reese’s surgery was scheduled for the second Tuesday morning in August. Kept, the girls, and I flew in the night before to get settle in the rented house.
Gannon and Vivienne offered to let us stay at their place.
It was a large house with room enough to host us but Kept decided that he wasn’t ready to stay under the same roof as them.
He did agree to meet up with them for dinner one night before our visit came to an end.
Trinity showed up bright and early with plans to take the girls for breakfast then to the Londynville Zoo. She had to promise Kept more than five times that she would make sure Destin remained in her stroller at all times.
“For real, Trin. I don’t want to see my baby on the news in the Big Cat habitat making friends with lions and tigers. You know how Destin is—all gas and no brakes.”
“I know. I know my niece. I helped raised her the first two years of her life, remember? I know she’s a wild child.”
He sighed. “Why don’t you take them to the children’s museum, where it’s okay for her to touch stuff? I just don’t know about the zoo . . .”
“Look.” Trinity’s directive was followed by a sigh. “I wasn’t going to tell you this until you got to the hospital, but Priscilla and Ganniece are going with us to the zoo. So, there will be three sets of adult eyes on Miss Destin.”
Kept scrunched up his face in a frown, and I had to admit that he still looked handsome to me. Even while giving Trinity the stank face.
“Priscilla and Ganniece? Since when is the zoo a place that Priscilla visits? It stinks there, and there are animals. She hates animals and the smell of funk. And Ganniece? Since when does she pay attention to anybody that’s not Ganniece?
I can’t picture either of them at the zoo.
Please keep your eyes on my daughter. I don’t trust your mother or your sister. ”
“First of all, she’s your sister too.”
“Fuck that.”
Trinity dissolved into giggles. “They’ve changed, Kept. Gannon spent a lifetime appeasing my mother with jewels, bags, clothing, and shoes. The one thing she wants the most now only you can give it to her. Grandchildren.”
Kept chuckled. “Why is it that these women who didn’t enjoy motherhood are yearning for grandkids?”
“Maybe they want a do-over.” Trinity’s shoulders bounced in a nonchalant shrug.
“Anyway, when she found out that I would have the girls with me today, she invited herself along. And when I told her that I was taking them to the zoo you know, to dissuade her, that lady doubled down. She said it should be a girls’ trip and invited Ganniece. ”
“Why is Ganniece even available during the middle of the work week to take a trip to the zoo? Doesn’t she work at some high-powered financial conglomerate? Don’t they need her at her desk, churning out budget projections or something?”
“You’re so silly. She’s on a leave of absence right now, Kept. Her fiancé recently called off the wedding.” Trinity paused. “Well, actually Ganniece called it off, but she called it off because she caught dude in a compromising situation with another dude.”
“Oh shit.” He reared back as if Trinity had hit him.
“Yeah. It was a big ordeal. Wynston told Ganniece he loved her, and if she went through with the marriage, he would be a good husband to her. He just has his needs.”
“What?”
“Yeah. It’s called a lavender marriage. It’s when the straight wife knows that her husband is gay but marries him anyway.”
“That’s a thing?” By the expression on his face, this was clearly something he’d never heard of.
“That’s a thing, brother. Anyway, Ganniece refused the offer of a lavender marriage and is currently in the process of piecing her life back together.”
“Damn.”
“Oh no,” I said at the same time.
“Yeah. So there will be three sets of adult eyes on Miss Destin.”
“Somebody better keep their eyes on Ganniece and make sure that she doesn’t find her way into the alligator pit or something. She has to be depressed like a motherfucker.”
“She is, but seeing my nieces will cheer her up.”
“Damn, I don’t even know what to say after a story like that,” Kept admitted.
“Just kiss your girls and say goodbye.” Trinity gave both of us a shooing motion with her hands. “Me and the girls have stuff to do. Bye.”
We kissed the girls like Trinity told us to, and we left.
Mama Reese was released from the hospital late Thursday night. The procedure ended up being more intense than they originally thought. A second large fibroid was hidden behind the one they were removing.
“I’m starving, and I need to eat so I can take my pain meds,” she announced the minute her foot crossed the threshold into her own home.
“Well, you already know we ain’t leaving you. We might as well make it a movie night or something,” Nehemiah told her.
She smiled at her son, though it was obvious she was hurting. “Okay.”
“We’re gonna fix you up a comfortable set up on the couch, order food, and hang out with you for as long as you’ll let us,” Yahirah added, giving her mother a light hug. “What do you want to eat?”
Once Mama Reese decided what she had a taste for, Nehemiah placed and paid for the order. In exchange, Kept and I agreed to pick it up. The smell of delicious food wafted into my nose the moment we stepped over the threshold of Sweet Potato Soul .
“Oh, it smells so good in here,” I moaned.
“Like home,” he added.
Home. That word made me cringe, because technically, Londynville was home for me.
I was born and raised in the town and had spent the first thirty-two years of my life thinking I would never leave it.
But I didn’t really want to be there. The three days that we had been in town, I spent most of my time either at the hospital, at Mama Reese’s house, or at the house Kept rented for us.
I hadn’t let my family know I was in town or anything.
The truth was, I was hoping that I would make it back to Jackson Island without them ever even knowing.
That hope evaporated when we walked to the front counter to announce our arrival to the cashier, and I spotted the familiar silhouette of my cousin. Of all my cousins, I was happy that if I had to see one of them, it was Nisha.
“Hey, Nisha.”
She eyed me before a smile bloomed on her face. “I thought that was you, but then I didn’t think it could be since you live out of state.”
She rushed toward me, wrapping me in a hug once she was close enough to make contact.
“Mama Reese, my play mother, had to have surgery. I came into town to support her.”
“That’s the one you used to live with, right?”
I nodded.
“Is she good? Was the surgery successful?”
I smiled. Nisha and her mom truly were the only thoughtful people in my bloodline.
“She’s good. She’s home resting. We actually came to pick up food for her.” I placed my hand on Kept’s arm. “Nisha, this is Kept. Kept, this is my favorite cousin, Nisha.”
She chuckled at the way I put emphasis on the word favorite. “Hey.” She studied him. “Your dad’s that famous baseball player, right?”
“Yeah.” Kept shook her hand and gave her a grin. “You remember that, huh?”
Nisha returned the grin. “Back in the day, you used to always be with Nehemiah. I had the biggest crush on him.”
“Aw, shit.” Kept snapped his fingers and gave her the eye. “You used to have more than a crush on him. If I remember correctly, y’all used to fuck around. He loved you, girl.”
She dissolved into giggles. “The feeling was mutual, but we were on two different paths. He was headed to college, and I was headed to hair school so I could work in my mom’s salon. How’s he doing?”
“Good. Lives in Nashville.”
Her expression was wistful. “Tell him that Anisha said hey.”
“I will.” Kept nodded.
“As for you, cuzzo, how long are you in town?”
I resisted the urge to ask her why. Anybody else, I wouldn’t have resisted. I glanced over at Kept. “Sunday?”
“Yeah. Our flight’s Sunday morning.”
Before she could say anything, I jumped in. “Remember when I borrowed that suitcase from you to go on the job interview out of town? Well, I work for Kept. He has two little girls, and I’m their nanny.”
She gave a bright smile. “Well, I know you feel like you won the lottery. Xari definitely knows her shit when it comes to kids. She’s been teaching them for years.”
“Thanks, cuz.”
“I definitely know that me and my girls lucked up.”
“Saturday is Nay’Tron’s trunk party. You know he graduated high school in May, right?” she told me.
Nay’Tron was her youngest brother.
“I knew. I saw him posting all of his prom and graduation pictures. He didn’t tell you that I Cash Apped him a hundred and fifty dollars?”
“Nah, his funky ass ain’t tell me that. Wait till I tell my momma.
” She stepped up and gave me a hug. “The party’s at Granny’s house.
” She rolled her eyes before I could protest. “I know. I know. But Granny has that deck and the biggest backyard. Please come through. Even if it’s just for a minute.
Granny ain’t getting no younger, and I know you’re never moving back to Londynville. ”
I shook my head. “Even if everything in my life goes south, I’m gonna do everything I can never to come back here.”
“I hear you. So, this might be our last time seeing you for a little minute.” She hugged me again. “Come through.”
“I don’t know, Nisha. Does Nay’Tron need anything specific? Maybe I’ll send a gift to your mom’s house. What school is he going to?” I mentally crossed my fingers and prayed she wouldn’t say Banneker University. That would be too close for comfort.
“Walker University in Indianapolis. He’ll be close enough to visit but far enough away to feel like he’s doing something.”
We both chuckled.
“He’s registered at a few places, but what he really needs is money.”
“Simpson!” The cashier called out over the din of the crowd.
“That’s me,” Nisha told us. “I hope to see both of y’all at the trunk party.”
On Saturday afternoon, Yahirah and I drove Mama Reese’s truck to my grandmother’s house.