Chapter 12
Kalliope
We had been back in town for a week, and I learned that Andrès hadn’t been back to see his mother since his return.
He had flown her out to California to visit him several times through the years, but he had been back for a while now, and he hadn’t gone to see her one time.
His mother and stepdad no longer lived next door to my parents.
They moved across town four years ago and sold their home to a younger couple with two kids.
“Baby, I know that it’s not easy, but trust me, you’re doing the right thing. Leon needs to see this version of you.”
“He doesn’t need to see shit. I don’t owe him a damn thing, Kalli.”
“You don’t owe him, but I think he needs that peace of mind—to know that you did amazing things with your life.”
“That nigga’s peace of mind ain’t my concern. He had it the minute that I pulled out of their driveway. He doesn’t give a shit about me one way or the other.”
I reached out and gripped his chin and turned him to face me. “Do you really believe that? If he earnestly loves your mother the way you say he does, he cares about you. I don’t give a shit if he acts like he doesn’t care; he does care because he loves her, and you and her are one.”
“I’m sure that she’s told him all about what’s going on with me.”
“If we’re going to have a wedding, I want them both there. I want all your parents there, Drè. They all had a part in raising you and making you the man you are today.”
He shook his head. With a sneer on his face, he replied, “Nah, you’re not about to give that nigga credit for shit I did, baby.”
I reached over the console and grabbed his hand.
“Baby, I know that you mapped out the plan, you put in the work, and you brought it to fruition, but it was their impacts on your life that made you this man. Their decisions, whether good or bad, and their actions gave you what you needed to become the man you are. Your dad invited you to California on numerous occasions, and you declined. When you and Leon fell out that last time, that pushed you to go out there. Going to California is what opened the doors for change in your life, baby.”
He mumbled something before he replied, “For you and my mama, I’ll do this, but I’m not staying long. That nigga has one time to get out of pocket with me, and I’ll—”
“Do nothing but leave with a peaceful heart. Promise me. If things get uncomfortable, we can just walk out and leave this all behind, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool.” I pushed my door open, but he reached over me and slammed it shut. “Did you forget whose woman you are?”
I giggled and watched as he climbed out of the car and made his way around to my door. My man looked good in a pair of Fear of God black distressed jeans, a white Fear of God T-shirt, and a pair of all-black Nike Air Max Plus Supreme.
Around his neck was a twenty millimeter white-gold Moissanite Cuban link chain. He had pulled his hair up in a bun, and the white-gold hoops in his ears sparkled in the midday sun.
When he pulled my door open and extended his hand to me, I easily took it, but I stopped him before he could take another step.
“What’s wrong, babe?”
“Your energy is off, Drè. You cannot go in there all worked up like this. Honey, it’s in your shoulders, your jaw, and your eyes.”
“What do you want me to do, Kalli? I’m not changing how I feel. If I go in there today, tomorrow, or next week, he’s getting this same energy.”
“Well, your energy is funky. If not for yourself, change your energy for your mom. She deserves better than this.”
He closed his eyes and grabbed my hands.
We folded our hands together in a prayer position and held them between our chests.
“Lord, strengthen Drè to see and love Your children as You do. Help him to look beyond their faults, extend grace where it’s needed, and find peace in the storm by lingering in Your presence. Amen.”
“Amen,” he muttered with an attitude.
“No, sir. You can’t be having an attitude when you’re talking to the Lord. You’d better fix your attitude now.”
“Sorry.” He apologized before he clasped my face and kissed my forehead. “Thank you, baby.”
“You’re welcome, baby.”
“You’ve always been my peace.”
“That’s what I’m here for. Now stop procrastinating, and let’s go.”
Andrès knocked on the screen door to announce his presence. Leon called out, “Come in,” and Andrès hesitantly pulled the door open. We walked into his mother’s new home, and the loud talking and laughter ceased as three pairs of eyes turned our way.
A man and a woman, whom I didn’t recognize, sat on the couch opposite Andres’s stepdad. Leon looked the same; he had just gotten older with less hair on his head and more plumpness in his belly.
“Andrès?” Leon asked as if he didn’t recognize him.
I could feel Andrès struggling to be cool. “Hey, Leon. It’s been a minute.”
“We were expecting some other visitors to arrive, but I didn’t expect to see you here,” his stepdad stated.
“Hi, Mr. Leon,” I greeted cheerily, interrupting the negative energy.
“Kalliope, it’s been a minute. You’re looking good. How are you, girl?” Mr. Leon seemed more excited to see me than he was his own stepson. I had seen him as recently as six months ago at the mall last Christmas. He hadn’t seen Andrès in a decade, and he didn’t seem happy about his presence.
“I’m doing well. How about you?”
“Oh, I’m getting on fine. My arthritis acts up every now and again, but I can’t complain.”
“Is that your son?” the man on the couch asked.
Leon looked at the man and then at Andrès without acknowledging the man’s comment. “Drè, you remember Arnold Staten?”
“Yeah, I remember him.”
“I’m sure your memories of me aren’t that fond, son. You look good though,” Mr. Staten stated.
“Honestly, Arnold, I’m not hung up on that anymore. You firing me was the best thing that could have happened to me. It pushed me to move on and make some decisions that were in my best interest,” Andrès replied.
“I’m glad. Baby,” Mr. Staten stated, turning to his wife, “this is Andrès Jones. He used to work for us some years ago. About ten, right?”
“Yes, sir,” Andrès replied.
“Andrès, this is my wife, Jeannie.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Jeannie. This is—”
Before he could finish the introduction, Mrs. Nicole Porter, Andrès’s mom, stepped into the room with a tray of drinks. She almost dropped them when she saw Andrès.
“Drè, you came!” she shouted, rushing to set the tray of drinks on a table so that she could hug her son.
I stood by with a large smile, happy for him and for her.
“I told you I would, Ma.”
“I know, but I wasn’t sure if you really would.”
“Well, you can thank Kalli for that. When doubt arose, she had her foot on my neck.”
Mrs. Nicole released Andrès and turned to me with a smile. “Kalliope, it’s so good to see you again. How have you been?”
“I’m great, Mrs. Nicole,” I replied, walking into her open embrace and returning her hug.
“And your parents?”
“They’re still the same. Pressuring the rest of us for grandchildren that we’re not in a hurry to give. She says that one isn’t enough, especially since DJ will be graduating and leaving for college before we know it.”
She laughed. “That’s the same thing I’ve been pressuring this one for,” Mrs. Nicole replied, bobbing her head at Andrès.
“He has to find a woman and settle down first. What happened to that Mercedes girl your mama told me about?” Leon asked from his spot on the couch.
I felt Andrès tense up, and I wanted to tell Leon to shut up. Because while Andrès was behaving, I wasn’t sure how much longer it would last.
“I told you that they broke up a while ago, Leon,” Mrs. Nicole answered. “He is single again.”
“That’s what I came to tell you, Ma,” Andrès stated firmly, lifting our clasped hands to his lips. He kissed my knuckles, smiled at me, and my heart squeezed in my chest. I couldn’t love him more than in this moment. He was so loving and vulnerable.
“Baby, you and Kalli are finally together?” she asked with hope shining from her eyes.
“Kalliope and I are getting married,” he answered, dropping a kiss to my forehead.
Mrs. Nicole shrieked her joy, and the Statens stood and congratulated us. After all the congratulations and hugs were over, Mrs. Nicole went to get something to drink for Andrès and me, and Mr. Leon spoke up again.
“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, baby girl. Andrès can be a handful.”
“Mr. Leon, that was years ago. It’s been a decade, and he’s grown up a lot since then.”
“That’s what we’d like to believe,” Mr. Leon muttered.
“We all had our wild years. We grow up, things change, and we look back on those years and learn from them. I’m sure the same is true with you too, Andrès, right?” Mr. Staten asked.
My stomach churned because I knew things wouldn’t get any better. I suspected it would only grow worse from here.
“How much changing can one person do, though, Arnold? I mean, the boy didn’t fall too far from the tree. His daddy—”
The way Andrès moved so quickly and so close to his stepdad, I could have sworn he had superpowers. The funny thing about it was that he didn’t release my hand with his movement. So, while his voice was low enough for only Leon to hear, I heard it, too, because I was right there.