Chapter 20
“Love Me When It’s Hard” by Inga Rose
Mommy, is La La okay?” Messari asked.
“She’s not the same, Ssari,” Eazy answered as he watched Morgan pack an overnight bag.
She paused, recognizing the sadness in Eazy.
It reminded her of the sadness she felt when she had lost her mother.
She focused on Eazy. “She’s just trying to find herself, Eazy.
We got to give her time and love. Alani has lost a lot.
It takes some time to find yourself again after going through so much. ”
“What if she leaves? What if she divorces Daddy?” Eazy asked.
Morgan scoffed. “One thing that you don’t have to worry about is Alani ever falling out of love with Ethic.
People who fight like that love one another, Eazy.
There are no slamming doors, no pushing, or hands laid.
No name-calling. If you notice, Ethic never even raises his voice.
Alani is an emotional woman who is hurting, and she has no way to let it out besides her tears.
Ethic listens. He doesn’t match her fear or get frustrated.
He doesn’t even tell her to calm down. He lets her feel whatever she needs to, and then he loves her through it.
That is two people who will make it no matter what.
They love each other. They always have. They always will.
And even when Ethic is on her shit list, she has always chosen you and Bella. You don’t have to worry. Okay?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Eazy replied, unsurely.
“Hey! What about me? La La loves me too!” Messari butted in.
“Of course, she does, baby,” Morgan said, picking him up from his chair.
“How could she not? Hmm?” Morgan blew raspberries against Messari’s neck and tickled him gently as he wiggled and screamed bloody murder in her arms. Morgan reveled in the sound of his glee.
His laughs were so little, and Morgan wished she could bottle them up and take them with her.
She carried Messari over to Eazy and poked at Eazy’s ribs.
“You not too old to get it too,” she teased.
Eazy tried to keep his cool, but eventually he laughed too, wiggling out of his chair.
“You play too much, Mo!” Eazy said, but her mission was accomplished. He was a little annoyed, but the smile that she had always loved appeared. Messari started to tickle Morgan’s neck.
“Let’s get her, Eazy! Come on! Tickle, tickle, tickle!” Messari was gleeful, and Morgan squirmed playfully as Eazy joined in.
She put Messari down and took off running through Ethic’s mansion, landing in the living room. She leaped over the couch and grabbed one of the pillows.
“Pillow fight!” Eazy declared war as he grabbed a pillow and went to town on Morgan. Morgan hadn’t done this in years. She remembered Ethic used to wake them up on Saturday mornings, declaring pillow wars, and they would run around for an hour as a family, just goofing off.
No matter how heavy or hard their week would be, Morgan, Eazy, and Bella knew that Saturday mornings would be light.
Messari got serious when Eazy hit him with a pillow, surprising him with the blow.
“Hey! No fair! You is on my team!”
“Boy, shut up!” Morgan teased as she hit Messari, too. “Hey!”
Morgan saw his eyes go heavy, and she laughed as she shook her head. “Messari, quit crying, boy, and fight back!”
“No, because you’re cheating!”
BOP! Another pillow to the head.
Eazy finally went up to Messari and said, “Shake it off, man. Come on. Let’s get her.”
“I not being your friend no more because you’re a traitor! I’m telling my daddy on you, Mommy!”
Morgan’s heart pinged, and she lowered the pillow.
“Oh, yeah? What you think your daddy gon’ do to me?” Morgan asked, smiling.
“Him is going…”
“He is going to…” Morgan corrected.
“He is going to be on my side! And we are going to pillow fight you, and you too, Eazy!” Messari yelled.
Morgan waved her white flag, and she put her pillow back on the couch, before walking over to her baby boy.
“I’m sorry, baby boy; don’t be mad. It’s just a game,” she cooed as she pulled his spoiled self into her arms. “Your daddy ain’t the boss of me, though. I’ll beat him up, too.” She kissed the side of his head. “I have to go see Yolly now. Are you going to stay here and be a big boy?”
“Why can’t I come?” Messari asked.
“They don’t let kids in the hospital, baby. You’ll see her soon, though. I promise you, okay?” Morgan bartered.
“Come on, man, we’ll go make some cookies for your La La,” Eazy bribed.
“Yay! Can I lick the spoon?” Messari brightened up instantly.
“Yeah, but only after we’re done. Don’t nobody want no baby spit in the cookies,” Eazy replied.
Just like that, Messari was distracted.
“Thank you. I love you,” Morgan mouthed to Eazy.
Eazy threw up the sign for “I love you,” and was about to lead Messari out of the room when Mara appeared in the entryway.
“How about we act like we have some manners and clean up this mess you made? And no cookies before you eat,” she said.
Morgan frowned.
“Umm, how about you mind your mu’fucking business, bitch,” Morgan said flat out.
“Oooh, Mommy, that is a bad word!” Messari said.
“Messari, hush,” Morgan said without looking his way.
“I’m sorry. Ethic just doesn’t like things out of order. I’m just helping maintain things around here. The language really isn’t necessary. I’m just doing my job.”
“Eazy, take Messari and get your cookies started. You follow rules that your daddy gives you, or that Alani gives you. This lady don’t got nothing to do with the way anything is running in here,” Morgan said.
Eazy nodded, and he hurried Messari from the room. On his way out, Morgan heard Messari say, “My mommy is going to bop her with a pillow!”
It would have been hilarious if Morgan hadn’t been so annoyed.
“Your job is to take care of Alani, ain’t it? It’s not your place to tell Eazy or my son what to do,” Morgan asserted.
“My apologies. I thought I was being helpful,” Mara conceded.
Morgan snatched up her bag as she looked Mara up and down skeptically. “Just do the job you’re being paid to do. That’s all the help Ethic and Alani needs,” Morgan said.
“Bitch,” she mumbled as she walked out the front door.
It was the second time Mara had rubbed her the wrong way, and if she had more time, she would talk to Ethic about it, but she was in a rush to get back to Yara, so she let it go.
She knew Eazy would call her if he needed her, but something about Mara just didn’t sit right.
Morgan picked up her phone and shifted her eyes between the road and the Google search bar.
She typed in Dr. Pratha’s name.
Ethic needs to get that bitch out his house.
I don’t even like her energy, Morgan thought.
She pulled up the doctor’s office number and pressed Call.
As far as Morgan was concerned, they could send a whole different nurse out.
She didn’t trust Mara as far as she could throw her.
It’s like she was there to assist Ethic more than Alani, Morgan thought.
Morgan was sure Ethic could handle himself, but Morgan felt the need to protect Alani.
She hadn’t always been team Alani, but now that she was family, Morgan wasn’t about to play behind her either.
It had taken years for them to find their own bond, and Morgan respected Alani enough to shut this Mara shit down before it ever became an issue.
Morgan wasn’t even sure there was an issue, but she was learning to trust her intuition.
The last time she had ignored it, Bleu fucked her nigga.
The answering service picked up the call, and Morgan left a message.
“Dr. Pratha, this is Alani Okafor’s stepdaughter.
I’m calling to discuss a matter with you regarding your nurse, Mara Benton.
If you could please give me a call back at your earliest convenience, that would be great.
I can be reached at…” Before she could even recite her phone number, she saw the red, white, and blue lights in her rearview.
“What the hell?” she mumbled, hanging up the phone. She was just merging onto the expressway, and there was barely a shoulder to pull onto, so she continued to drive. “Hey Siri, call Ethic,” she announced.
The police turned on their sirens, giving her a warning to pull over.
“What’s up, Mo?” Ethic answered. “Can I call you back in a bit? I’m taking care of…”
“I’m being pulled over,” Morgan said.
“What?” Ethic’s voice changed.
“I just left the house less than ten minutes ago. As soon as I merged onto the expressway, the police jumped behind me,” Morgan said.
Morgan glanced in her rearview mirror, and panic filled her. “There are two cars now. They both have their lights on.”
“That’s not a traffic stop, Mo,” Ethic said. “They’re about to arrest you.”
“What?” Morgan shrieked. “Why? But they let me go!”
“I don’t know, but I want you to pull over, put your hands on the wheel. Don’t resist. Don’t say anything. Don’t get smart with them. Just comply. Let them cuff you and take you in. I’m on my way.” His voice was calm, direct, and controlled, but Morgan was freaking out.
“Ethic, I’m scared,” Morgan said as she pulled over onto the shoulder. Traffic zipped by her as she placed both hands on the steering wheel in front of her.
“I know,” Ethic replied. “Ask for Einstein, and don’t say another word until he or I lay eyes on you. No matter what, Morgan. Tell me you understand.”
With her eyes in the rearview mirror and her hands glued to the steering wheel, she replied, “I understand.”
“Killing Me Softly with His Song” by Fugees