Chapter 9 #2
The third time, somebody answered.
But it wasn't Nyrobi.
“Hello?”
Kaizleigh looked at me.
“Hi, Ms. Juanita?”
I straightened up.
A pause.
“Yes, ma'am. It's Kaizleigh, Nyrobi’s friend.”
I couldn't hear what Juanita was saying, but Kaizleigh's face softened.
“I'm good. How are you feeling?”
Another pause.
Then Kaizleigh looked at me.
“Where are y'all?”
That got my attention.
She listened.
“Okay. Is Nyrobi with you?”
Kaizleigh's got quiet then her eyes widened.
“What do you mean she's taking Nysheca somewhere?”
I walked closer. Kaizleigh put the phone on speaker. Juanita's voice came through.
“She went to drop her sister off. Told me stay here until she get back.”
“Where is here?” Kaizleigh asked.
There was a pause.
Then Juanita gave her the name of a motel.
Kaizleigh looked at me.
A fucking motel.
I held my hand out.
She gave me the phone.
“Ms. Juanita?”
“Yes?”
“This Billion.”
“Oh. Hey, baby.”
“You comfortable there?”
“I'm alright.”
That wasn't what I asked.
“You got your medicine?”
“Yes.”
“All of it?”
A pause.
“Most of it.”
I looked at Kaizleigh.
Her eyes closed.
“What you mean most?”
“Nyrobi's picking up the other one tomorrow.”
“Why tomorrow?”
“Because that's when she get paid.”
I looked away.
That girl had signed a contract for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and her mother was sitting in a motel waiting until payday for medication.
Nah.
I was done asking questions.
“Ms. Juanita, don't unpack too much.”
Kaizleigh's head snapped toward me.
Juanita got quiet.
“Why?”
“Because y'all moving tomorrow.”
Kaizleigh mouthed, Billion.
I ignored her.
“Moving where?” Juanita asked.
“One of our properties.”
“Oh, no, baby. We can't?—”
“Yes, ma'am, you can.”
“Nyrobi ain't gonna like that.”
“I know.”
Juanita laughed.
“You don't know my daughter.”
“I know enough.”
“She stubborn.”
“So am I.”
Kaizleigh covered her face.
Juanita laughed again.
“Well, that's between y'all. I ain't getting in it.”
“Good.”
“But don't be trying to boss my child around.”
“I wouldn't.”
Kaizleigh looked at me like I was lying. I ignored her too.
“I'm gonna have Kaizleigh call you back in the morning.”
“Alright.”
“And send her the name of the pharmacy.”
“What for?”
“Your medicine.”
“No, baby, y'all already doing too much.”
“Ms. Juanita.”
“What?”
“Send the pharmacy.”
She sighed.
“Alright.”
“Thank you.”
I handed Kaizleigh her phone.
She ended the call and immediately looked at me.
“She's going to fucking kill you.”
“Who?”
“Nyrobi!”
“She'll live.”
“You just told her mama they're moving without asking her.”
“I didn't say she didn't have a choice.”
“You said, ‘Y'all moving tomorrow.’”
“That's different.”
“How?!”
I walked back toward the sofa and grabbed my laptop.
Kaizleigh followed me.
“Billion!”
“What?”
“What are you doing?”
“Sending an email.”
“To who?”
“Property management.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, right now.”
“It's almost nine o'clock.”
“They'll read it in the morning.”
I opened the laptop.
The Windermere house had been cleaned after the last tenant left. I'd still have somebody go through it before Nyrobi and Juanita got there.
Kaizleigh stood over me.
“You really doing this.”
I looked up.
“Did you think I was joking?”
“No, but?—”
“But what?”
She smiled.
“Nothing.”
“There go that nothing shit again.”
“I just love you.”
I stared at her.
“Because I'm letting somebody use a house?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Because you act like you don't care about shit and then do stuff like this.”
“I care about plenty.”
“I know.”
I started typing.
“And don't make this weird.”
“How am I making it weird?”
“Don't go telling Nyrobi we saving her.”
“I would never.”
“Don't make her feel like she owe us something extra.”
“I know.”
“And don't buy a bunch of shit for the house.”
Kaizleigh got quiet.
I stopped typing.
Slowly looked up.
“What you already bought?”
“Nothing.”
“Kaizleigh.”
“I haven't bought anything!”
“Then why you looking guilty?”
“Because I was thinking.”
“About?”
“Her mom needs a comfortable bed.”
“The house has furniture.”
“What kind of mattress?”
“I don't fucking know.”
“Exactly.”
“Leave that woman's mattress alone.”
“Billion, she has heart failure.”
“What that got to do with a mattress?”
“I don't know, but she needs to be comfortable.”
I stared at my wife.
She stared back.
“Fine.”
She smiled.
“One mattress.”
“I didn't say buy one.”
“You said fine.”
“I said fine because I'm done arguing.”
“Same thing.”
“No the fuck it's not.”
She kissed my cheek.
“I'll call tomorrow.”
I caught her wrist before she walked away.
“Call Nyrobi tonight.”
Her smile disappeared.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
“She might be driving.”
“Then text her and tell her call when she stops.”
Kaizleigh nodded.
I went back to the email. A few seconds later, I heard her typing. Then my own phone rang.
Dad.
I almost ignored it but I answered.
“What?”
“That's how you answer the phone?”
“When you call me at nine o'clock, yeah.”
“I just got off a flight.”
“Congratulations.”
“Everything set with the surrogate?”
“Contracts signed.”
“And the amount?”
I hesitated.
“Two-fifty.”
The phone got silent.
Then:
“Fair.”
That surprised me.
“You think so?”
“I'd have paid three.”
I laughed.
“Of course you would.”
“This ain't where you get cheap, son.”
“I know.”
“She's healthy?”
“Still going through everything, but so far.”
“And Kaizleigh?”
I looked across the room. My wife was still staring at her phone, probably waiting for Nyrobi to respond.
“Happy.”
“Good.”
A pause.
“That's what matters.”
That surprised me too. Dad loved Kaizleigh. Always had. But when it came to this baby shit, sometimes his obsession with the Stylez name made him forget there were actual people involved.
“I'm moving the surrogate and her mother into Windermere.”
That got silence again.
“Why?”
“Evicted.”
“From her home?”
“Yeah.”
“And her mother?”
“With her.”
“Move them.”
I smiled.
Same brain.
“Already handling it.”
“Good.”
No questions about rent. No questions about what we were losing by keeping the property off the market. Just move them. Because for all the shit my father could be, family business meant something different to him than just money.
“You need anything?” he asked.
“Nah.”
“Keep me updated.”
“I will.”
“And Billion?”
“Wassup pops?”
“Don't let Kaizleigh get too attached before there's a pregnancy.”
My eyes went to my wife.
Too late.
“I know.”
I hung up.
Kaizleigh looked at me.
“What did he want?”
“Checking on everything.”
“What he say about the house?”
“Move them.”
She laughed.
“Of course.”
I closed the laptop. Kaizleigh’s phone vibrated almost immediately. She looked down.
“Oh shit.”
“What?”
“Nyrobi.”
I held my hand out.
“Give me the phone.”
“No.”
“Kaizleigh.”
“Hell no. She texted me.”
“What she say?”
Kaizleigh read it, then bit her lip.
“What?”
She turned the screen toward me.
NYROBI: Why tf my mama just call me talking bout y'all moving us somewhere tomorrow???
I smiled.
Kaizleigh slapped my arm.
“This is not funny!”
Another text came through.
NYROBI: AND WHY SHE TALKING BOUT MR STYLEZ SAID ITS ALREADY HANDLED??
Then the phone started ringing.
Kaizleigh looked at me.
I looked at her.
“You answer it.”
Her mouth dropped.
“ME?”
“She called you.”
“Because YOU told her mama!”
The phone kept ringing.
I stood.
“Put it on speaker.”
“You have lost your fucking mind.”
“Answer the phone, Kaizleigh.”
She swiped across the screen.
“Hey—”
“PUT BILLION ON THE PHONE.”
I smiled.
Kaizleigh's eyes got huge.
Then she pointed at me.
“I told you.”