CHAPTER 11 #2
Kavon laughed.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“What does my friends being hoes have to do with Kyren?”
“I don’t want random women around my child.”
“My friends aren’t random women.”
“I’m talking about you.”
Kavon stared at her.
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh.”
“You worried about women around me?”
“Don’t make that face.”
“What face?”
“That stupid one.”
He smiled.
“You jealous?”
Zaviyah laughed.
“Of what?”
“Just asking.”
“I do not give a fuck who you sleep with.”
Kavon’s smile faded slightly.
“Okay.”
That bothered her.
Why did that bother her?
She looked back at the notebook.
“Anyway.”
Kavon leaned back.
“Anyway.”
Kyren ran over and climbed into Kavon’s lap.
“Daddy.”
“What’s up?”
“Park.”
Kavon looked at Zaviyah.
“Can we take him?”
Zaviyah frowned.
“Where?”
“Park.”
“I heard him.”
Kavon smiled.
“Dillard?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Too many people.”
“Bayview?”
Zaviyah thought.
“Maybe.”
“Come with us.”
She looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because you just said you’re not ready for me to take him alone.”
“Oh.”
“And he asked to go.”
Kyren nodded.
“Park.”
Zaviyah sighed.
“Fine.”
Thirty minutes later, they were walking through Bayview Park.
Kyren ran between them.
Kavon held one of his hands.
Zaviyah held the other.
It felt weird.
Too normal.
That was the problem.
Kyren laughed and lifted his feet.
“Swing!”
“No,” Zaviyah said.
Kavon looked at her.
“Come on.”
“He heavy.”
“I got him.”
Before Zaviyah could object, they swung Kyren
between them.
Kyren screamed laughing.
“Again!”
Zaviyah laughed too.
Kavon looked at her.
She looked at him.
For one second, it felt like something else.
Like a family.
Zaviyah immediately released Kyren’s hand.
“Go play.”
Kyren ran toward the playground.
Kavon looked at her.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“You got weird.”
“I’m fine.”
“Zaviyah.”
“Go watch him.”
Kavon stared at her.
Then walked toward Kyren.
Zaviyah sat on a bench.
Her phone vibrated.
A notification.
Instagram.
She opened it.
Then her stomach dropped.
Somebody had tagged Samaria.
A local gossip page.
LAUDERDALE TEA.
The post showed a blurry picture from the DNA testing center parking lot.
Zaviyah.
Kavon.
Rashaad.
Kyren.
Her fucking child.
The caption read:
FORT LAUDERDALE MESS ALERT ??
WORD IS TWO WELL KNOWN brOWARD MEN WERE SPOTTED AT A PATERNITY TESTING
CENTER WITH THE SAME WOMAN AND CHILD. ONE OF THE MEN ALLEGEDLY DATED HER SISTER.
WHO BABY IS IT?
Zaviyah stopped breathing.
“No.”
She stood.
“No, no, no.”
Kavon looked over.
“What happened?”
Zaviyah walked toward him.
“They posted my baby.”
His face changed.
“What?”
She handed him the phone.
Kavon read it.
His jaw tightened.
“Who runs this page?”
“I don’t know.”
“They need to take it down.”
“No shit.”
Kyren ran over.
“Mama!”
Zaviyah picked him up.
Her hands were shaking.
Kavon looked at her.
“I’ll handle it.”
“No.”
“Zaviyah.”
“No. We handle it the right way.”
“They posted my son.”
“I know.”
“My two year old.”
“I KNOW.”
People nearby started looking.
Zaviyah lowered her voice.
“I’m pissed too.”
Kavon looked at the post again.
Then his face changed.
“What?”
He turned the phone toward her.
Comments.
Hundreds already.
One comment made Zaviyah’s stomach drop.
SAMARIA_RAINES SHOULD BEAT HER SISTER ASS. HOW YOU HAVE A BABY WITH YOUR SISTER MAN?
Another.
THE SISTER BEEN SLEEPING WITH KAVON. EVERYBODY KNOW THAT.
Another.
SAMARIA TOO PRETTY FOR THIS EMBARRASSMENT.
Zaviyah’s eyes filled.
“That’s not fucking true.”
“I know.”
“I never slept with you while you were with her.”
“I know.”
“People think I did.”
“Fuck people.”
“No.”
She looked at Kyren.
“This is exactly what I didn’t want.”
Her phone rang.
Samaria.
Zaviyah stared at it.
Kavon looked at her.
“Answer.”
She did.
“Mari.”
Samaria was crying.
“You happy now?”
Zaviyah froze.
“What?”
“My fucking coworkers are sending me this shit.”
“Mari, I didn’t.”
“Everybody thinks my sister fucked my boyfriend and had his baby.”
“That’s not what happened.”
“DOES IT FUCKING MATTER NOW?”
Zaviyah pulled the phone away.
Kyren looked scared.
She put him down.
“Go with Daddy.”
Samaria heard it.
Silence.
Then she laughed.
“Oh.”
“Mari.”
“You with him right now?”
“We took Kyren to the park.”
“You, him, and Kyren.”
“Yes.”
“Like a little fucking family.”
“It’s not like that.”
“There it is.”
“Mari.”
Samaria’s voice cracked.
“I can’t do this.”
“What does that mean?”
“I can’t keep being embarrassed every fucking day.”
“You think I wanted this posted?”
“No.”
“Then why are you blaming me?”
“Because every road leads back to you!”
That hurt.
Zaviyah went quiet.
Samaria continued.
“My man.”
“Ex.”
Silence.
Fuck.
Again.
Why the fuck did she keep doing that?
Samaria’s voice went cold.
“You really like reminding me of that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No.”
“Mari.”
“No. Fuck you.”
The call ended.
Zaviyah stared at the phone.
Kavon stood a few feet away holding Kyren.
He had heard enough.
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Good.”
Kavon looked toward the parking lot.
“We should leave.”
“Yes.”
As they walked toward the cars, Zaviyah’s phone kept vibrating.
Messages.
Tags.
Calls.
People she hadn’t spoken to in years suddenly worried about her fucking life.
Then one message stopped her cold.
From her mother.
MAMA
Call me right fucking now.
Zaviyah closed her eyes.
Kavon looked over.
“What now?”
“My mama knows.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Oh shit.”
“Exactly.”
Then Kavon’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“Who?”
“My mama.”
Zaviyah stared at him.
“You gotta be fucking kidding me.”
He answered.
“Ma.”
Even standing beside him, Zaviyah could hear the woman screaming through the phone.
Kavon pulled it away from his ear.
“Ma, calm down.”
Zaviyah laughed.
“Good luck with that.”
Kavon glared at her.
His mother kept yelling.
Then Kavon went still.
“What?”
Zaviyah stopped laughing.
Kavon looked at her.
His face completely changed.
“Ma, what did you just say?”
Zaviyah’s stomach tightened.
Kavon listened.
Then slowly lowered the phone.
“What?”
He stared at Zaviyah.
“My mama wants to meet Kyren.”
Zaviyah blinked.
“Okay.”
“Tonight.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“Hell no.”
Kavon covered the phone.
“Zaviyah.”
“No.”
“She just found out she has a grandson.”
“And I just found out everybody in Broward knows who I fucked.”
“Fair.”
“I’m going home.”
“My mama is not gonna let this go.”
“That sounds like a Mercer family problem.”
Kavon almost smiled.
Then his mother screamed through the phone again.
Zaviyah heard her clearly this time.
“KAVON, YOU BETTER brING MY GRANDBABY TO MY HOUSE!”
Zaviyah stared at the phone.
Then at Kavon.
Then at Kyren.
Kyren smiled.
“Grandma?”
Zaviyah closed her eyes.
“Jesus fucking Christ.”
Kyren pointed.
“Bad word.”
Kavon started laughing.
And Zaviyah realized the DNA test hadn’t ended the mess.
It had only introduced the fucking families.