CHAPTER 12
HIS MAMA CAME TO GET HER GRANDBABY HER DAMN SELF
Zaviyah had exactly zero intentions of taking Kyren anywhere that night.
She went home.
Locked the door.
Put her phone on Do Not Disturb.
Ordered wings from a spot off Sistrunk.
Put Kyren in the bathtub.
And decided every motherfucker in Broward County could kiss her ass until Monday.
At 7:16, somebody knocked on her door.
Zaviyah ignored it.
Another knock.
She kept rubbing lotion on Kyren.
Another knock.
“Mama.”
“I hear it.”
“Door.”
“I know.”
“Open.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Mama tired of people.”
Kyren nodded like that made perfect sense.
Then the knocking turned into banging.
Zaviyah’s head snapped toward the door.
“Oh, hell no.”
She threw on her bonnet and walked toward the living room.
“Who is it?”
A woman answered.
“Kavon mama.”
Zaviyah froze.
Kyren came running behind her.
“Grandma?”
She looked down.
“Why the fuck you remember everything?”
“Bad word.”
“Not now.”
Zaviyah looked through the peephole.
A short, thick woman stood on the porch
wearing a long sundress, gold hoops, and an expression that said she had never waited for permission in her fucking life.
Kavon stood behind her.
Zaviyah snatched the door open.
“Kavon.”
He immediately raised both hands.
“I tried.”
His mother turned around.
“Boy, stop lying.”
“I did try.”
“You said she didn’t want company. I said I ain’t company.”
Zaviyah stared at her.
The woman smiled.
“You Zaviyah?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Patrice.”
“Hi.”
Patrice looked past her.
Kyren peeked around Zaviyah’s leg.
Everything about Patrice changed.
Her mouth opened.
“Oh.”
Zaviyah’s irritation softened.
Patrice covered her mouth.
“Oh my God.”
Kyren stared at her.
Patrice’s eyes filled.
“That’s my baby.”
Zaviyah immediately stiffened.
Patrice caught it.
“I mean my grandbaby.”
“Okay.”
“I’m not trying to take nothing from you.”
“Good.”
Kavon rubbed his face.
“Ma.”
“What?”
“You came here uninvited.”
“And?”
Zaviyah almost laughed.
Patrice looked at Kyren.
“Can I say hi?”
Zaviyah looked down.
“Baby, this is your grandma Patrice.”
Kyren stared.
“Grandma?”
Patrice’s face broke.
“Yes, baby.”
Kyren looked at Zaviyah.
“She Daddy mama?”
Zaviyah blinked.
“How the hell you know how that works?”
Kavon laughed.
Kyren pointed at Patrice.
“Daddy mama?”
“Yes.”
Kyren smiled.
“Hi Daddy Mama.”
Patrice burst into tears.
Kavon turned away laughing.
Zaviyah covered her mouth.
Patrice crouched.
“Come here.”
Kyren looked at Zaviyah.
She nodded.
He walked over.
Patrice hugged him.
Then immediately started crying harder.
“Oh, baby.”
Kyren patted her back.
“Don’t cry.”
“I’m trying.”
“Happy?”
Patrice looked at Kavon.
“He told him that?”
Zaviyah smiled.
“Apparently crying means happy now.”
Patrice laughed.
“Okay. Grandma happy.”
Kyren smiled.
Then Patrice looked at his face.
Really looked.
“Kavon.”
“What?”
“This is your whole damn face.”
Zaviyah leaned against the doorway.
“I’m starting to hear that.”
Patrice touched Kyren’s cheek.
“And that dimple.”
“I know.”
“You didn’t know?”
“I didn’t know who his father was.”
Patrice looked up at Zaviyah.
For one uncomfortable second, Zaviyah prepared herself.
Here came the judgment.
Instead Patrice nodded.
“Okay.”
Zaviyah frowned.
“That’s it?”
“What else you want me to say?”
“I don’t know.”
Patrice stood.
“You took care of him?”
“Yes.”
“He healthy?”
“Yes.”
“Happy?”
“Yes.”
“Then thank you.”
That shut Zaviyah up.
Patrice looked at Kavon.
“My son missed two years.”
Kavon looked down.
“But that ain’t her fault if she didn’t know where you were.”
“Thank you,” Zaviyah said.
Kavon frowned.
“Why you saying thank you like I blamed you?”
“You ain’t. I just like your mama right now.”
Patrice smiled.
“You got good taste.”
Kavon groaned.
“Jesus.”
Patrice looked inside.
“You gonna make us stand outside?”
Zaviyah laughed.
“I knew that was coming.”
She stepped aside.
“Come in.”
Patrice walked straight into the living room.
Kavon followed.
Zaviyah pointed at him.
“You owe me.”
“For what?”
“This.”
He smiled.
“I definitely do.”
Patrice sat on the floor with Kyren.
Not the couch.
The floor.
Within ten minutes, she knew his favorite cartoon, favorite juice, favorite dinosaur, and that he hated peas.
Within twenty minutes, she had invited him to Sunday dinner.
Zaviyah stopped her.
“No.”
Patrice looked up.
“No?”
“Too much too fast.”
Patrice nodded.
“Okay.”
Again.
No argument.
Zaviyah wasn’t used to that.
Patrice looked at her.
“When you ready.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean that.”
“I know.”
Then Patrice looked toward the kitchen.
“You ate?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“Wings.”
Patrice frowned.
“That ain’t dinner.”
“It was today.”
“You cook?”
Zaviyah stared.
Kavon covered his face.
“Ma.”
“What?”
“Yes, I cook.”
“Good.”
“Why?”
Patrice shrugged.
“Just asking.”
“Sound like you interviewing me.”
“I am.”
Kavon stood.
“We leaving.”
Patrice looked offended.
“I just got here.”
“You been here forty minutes.”
“So?”
Zaviyah laughed.
“I see where you get it from.”
Kavon looked at her.
“Get what?”
“Everything.”
Patrice smiled.
“Exactly.”
Her phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
“Oh.”
Kavon frowned.
“What?”
Patrice answered.
“Hello?”
She listened.
Then looked directly at Zaviyah.
“Yes, I’m at her house.”
Zaviyah’s stomach tightened.
“Who is that?”
Patrice held up one finger.
“No, I’m not giving you her address.”
Kavon stood.
“Ma, who is it?”
Patrice’s expression changed.
“Your sister.”
Kavon closed his eyes.
“Shit.”
Zaviyah looked at him.
“What’s wrong with your sister?”
“Nothing.”
Patrice laughed.
“Liar.”
Zaviyah folded her arms.
“Kavon.”
He sighed.
“My sister and Samaria are friends.”
Zaviyah stared.
“Of fucking course they are.”
Patrice frowned.
“Wait.”
She looked at Kavon.
“Samaria?”
He went quiet.
Patrice’s eyes narrowed.
“As in your girlfriend Samaria?”
“Ex.”
Zaviyah immediately looked away.
Patrice looked between them.
Then at Kyren.
Then back at Zaviyah.
“Oh.”
Kavon rubbed his forehead.
“Ma.”
“No.”
Patrice stood.
“Somebody explain this shit.”
Zaviyah pointed at Kavon.
“Your son.”
Patrice looked at him.
Kavon sighed.
“Samaria is Zaviyah’s sister.”
Patrice’s mouth dropped.
“No the fuck she ain’t.”
Kyren pointed.
“Bad word.”
Patrice looked at him.
“My bad.”
Then back at Kavon.
“You dated your baby mama sister?”
“I didn’t know.”
“And your baby mama fucked you before her
sister?”
“Yes.”
“And now you got a baby?”
“Yes.”
Patrice stared at him.
Then slowly sat back down.
“Lord.”
Zaviyah nodded.
“Exactly.”
Patrice looked at her.
“How you holding up?”
“Poorly.”
“I can see why.”
Her phone started ringing again.
Patrice looked down.
“My daughter.”
Kavon sighed.
“Don’t answer.”
Patrice answered.
“Hello?”
“Ma.”
Patrice listened.
Then frowned.
“What you mean Samaria at your house?”
Zaviyah’s head snapped up.
Kavon froze.
Patrice listened again.
“Oh.”
She looked at Kavon.
Then at Zaviyah.
“This shit just got worse.”
“What?”
Patrice lowered the phone.
“My daughter Keisha got Samaria at her house.”
Kavon frowned.
“Okay.”
Patrice shook her head.
“No.”
“What?”
“She crying.”
Zaviyah stood.
“What happened?”
Patrice looked uncomfortable.
“Apparently somebody sent Samaria a picture.”
Kavon’s face tightened.
“What picture?”
Patrice stared at Zaviyah.
“Of y’all at the park.”
Silence.
Zaviyah’s stomach dropped.
“What?”
Patrice handed Kavon the phone.
He looked.
Then his jaw clenched.
Zaviyah snatched it.
The picture showed her.
Kavon.
Kyren.
All three holding hands.
Right before they swung Kyren between them.
The caption somebody had sent Samaria said:
YOUR SISTER MOVED FAST AS FUCK.
Zaviyah’s eyes filled.
“Oh my God.”
Kavon looked at her.
“It wasn’t like that.”
“I know what it was.”
Patrice frowned.
“Does Samaria?”
Zaviyah stared at the picture.
No.
She probably didn’t.
And right now, Zaviyah couldn’t blame her.