Chapter 13
“Your girl was on this flight this morning.”
I glanced at Gabriella. I knew she was about to be shady.
It was very public that Arlie and I were in a relationship.
She had to know that I already knew what flight “my girl” would be on.
I was heading to Baltimore to surprise her for dinner.
While what I said was real about not wanting to be in her business and shit, I missed her.
I was supposed to have an early birthday dinner with my bio mom, but I told her I would rather wait until Kimaji could join us. She seemed to understand.
Plus, I was lonely as fuck. My parents and most of my family were in Baltimore because they all worked for Noah in some way.
If they weren’t, they were working at their regular jobs and didn’t have time to be fooling around with my ass.
Cooper was the closest to me, and he was working overtime this week.
So, I figured I may as well carry my ass to Baltimore and celebrate Arlie’s new beginning.
When my mama told me what all they were planning, I knew I had to go.
Arlie thought she was just going out there for a financial literacy class and to talk to Noah about what it would be like being signed to YKMN.
She had no clue that it was already a done deal.
I knew that part beforehand, but not about the dinner party until my mama said she and my dad were heading out there.
My dad had done the manual for the financial literacy class and sometimes, he taught the intro class.
Gabriella was still standing there, so I said, “I know.”
“So y’all really are a couple? You risked your career for her but wanted to act like that was beneath you when it came to me?”
“First of all, the only thing that got me in trouble was that I had on a Premier Wings uniform. Being with her wasn’t really against policy.
They had to reprimand me because the airline’s reputation was on the line.
I have never needed this job. They need me.
Remember that. Now do your job before you end up getting suspended.
That won’t play out as well for you as it is for me. ”
She huffed and walked off. I didn’t give a damn.
No one was specifically assigned to me since I wasn’t in a cabin.
I was basically catching a ride. It was one of the perks of the company.
Since I hadn’t been fired, I could still benefit.
Regardless, my parents were investors . .
. big investors. My mama wanted to go after them about suspending me, but I told her to let it ride.
I understood how the business game worked.
I shouldn’t have gone there that day, and I surely should have waited to put my coat on. That was what gave it away.
When the pilot stepped out of the cockpit, he frowned when he saw me. I slowly shook my head. He was a brother that always looked out. He came to me and asked, “It’s against company policy to fuck?”
I laughed but didn’t offer an explanation.
That nigga was crazy. He went to the mic and addressed the passengers, then slapped my hand and went back to the pit.
Once they’d given the safety instructions and we were in the air, I connected to the Wi-Fi.
Kimaji had sent me an audiobook to listen to a while ago, and I hadn’t started it yet.
She’d sent Strummed by Iesha Bree. She said the main male character in it reminded her of me, except he was a singer.
Before it could get started good, Gariella was in my fucking face again.
I rolled my eyes and sighed deeply. I took out my earbuds and stared up at her.
She was gon’ fuck around and find out. I was only nice on this plane because it was my job.
I wasn’t working today and wouldn’t be for another week. “What, man?”
“I was just asking if you wanted something to drink.”
“Naw.”
“A snack?”
“No.”
She rolled her eyes and moved on to the next passenger. I pushed my earbuds back in my ear, then relaxed to listen to the book.
I knocked on my parents’ suite, so I could get dressed for dinner. When my mama opened the door, she smiled. “Hey, baby!”
I smiled and walked in. Once she let the door close, she hugged me. “Hey, Ma. You good?”
“Yeah. How about you?”
“I’m cool. I met my bio mom yesterday.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Really? How did it go?”
“It went good. She said she know you. Y’all went to school together.”
I watched her closely. Despite her being a criminal defense attorney, she wasn’t a good liar, at least not when it came to her lying to me.
I could always tell. She would fidget quite a bit.
My mama never fidgeted. She was always confident in what she did and said and slightly aggressive, even when she was wrong as fuck.
She looked away, and said, “Yeah, we did. I wouldn’t say we were friends though.”
I tilted my head as I stared at her. She wouldn’t look at me. “Mama. Why you avoiding my eyes?”
She turned to me and smiled. I could see the nervousness in her eyes. “I’m not avoiding your eyes, Graham.”
“Yes, you are. What’s wrong?”
“What else did she say?”
Although I thought I wouldn’t bring it up to her, I had to now.
Seeing the torment in her eyes wouldn’t allow me to lie to her.
“She just said she was connected to your abuse as a kid and that was why you probably didn’t mention that you knew her.
You don’t have to talk about it, Mama. I know it’s traumatic for you.
She didn’t say how she was connected or anything like that.
She said she thought you had told me that y’all knew each other.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have mentioned it. ”
She lowered her head for a moment, then went to the couch and sat. I followed her to it and sat next to her. “Where is Dad?”
“He and Shawn went to meet Kai and RJ. Hopefully, they aren’t in no bullshit. He should be on his way back in a little while.”
Kai was Aunt Sonya’s ex who faked his death.
That nigga was crazy. He was now living life as Nathaniel, but it was hard for the family to remember to call him Nathaniel.
When he revealed to everyone that he was alive, it was a whole shit storm between him, Aunt Sonya, and Uncle Shawn, mainly because Uncle Shawn knew the entire time and had helped him fake his death . . . Uncle Shawn and my dad.
“Oh okay.”
“Her dad was one of the men that repeatedly raped me. I got pregnant from him, and my mama forced me to have an abortion. Because of that abortion going terribly wrong, I had to have a hysterectomy. That’s why I couldn’t have children,” she said suddenly.
My lips parted as my eyebrows lifted. I couldn’t respond right away.
I knew my mama had suffered sexual abuse as a kid.
She told me that about ten years ago. She had also told me about her parents and how her mother was basically pimping her out for her next fix.
I didn’t know how she survived so much abuse and became as successful as she was.
That was something that also explained why she spoiled me so much.
She wanted to be sure she showed her child the love she never received from her mother.
When she told me all that, we spent the entire next day together, going to the spa, the movies, and dinner.
I wanted to cater to her after knowing how much she’d suffered throughout her life.
“Mama . . . damn. How does it affect you knowing that I’m biologically his grandson?”
“I don’t think about it that way, Graham.
You’re Karen’s son. I never connected her to that pedophile.
She was really nice in school. When she knew what had happened to me, she hugged me so tight.
Her mom and dad broke up about it, because my mama called their house talking about how he’d gotten me pregnant. ”
She slowly shook her head. “Damn. Super coincidental you ended up with me then, right?”
She shook her head. I frowned for a moment. I didn’t know where this was going, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“We didn’t go through the state like I told you.
Your mom did get raped by your dad after she came home from the hospital.
Her mental was so fucked up after that. She thought about me and wondered how I could have handled that as a child when she was struggling as a grown ass woman.
She called me, and we worked out an agreement.
She gave up her parental rights, and we adopted you. Your father was locked up.”
“So she had me for four months?”
“Yeah. She was struggling so bad. She knew she wouldn’t be able to take care of you with the way she was. Her mom was strung out on the streets, so she didn’t have any help. She knew I couldn’t have children and would take care of you like I carried you myself.”
I closed my eyes. I put my arm around my mama and retreated within myself for a moment. My bio mom went through hell. Her lying to me didn’t bother me. I was sure that was a story they’d come up with. I knew she lied to protect my mama.
“Does Dad know?”
“He does. I didn’t want to keep that from him and it blow up in my face.
We had history of me keeping things from him.
We almost didn’t make it because of that.
I vowed from that day that I wouldn’t withhold shit from him anymore.
I didn’t tell him I couldn’t have kids until we were engaged.
I actually led him to believe that we would one day have a baby.
I was such a fool . . . a few times in my life. ”
“It’s okay. Ain’t none of us perfect. If we were, life would be boring as hell.”
She lifted her head and chuckled. “I’m glad that you went and talked to Karen.
She deserves a relationship with you. I’m glad you met Kimaji so she could figure things out.
Karen didn’t want to reach out until you expressed an interest in knowing who she was.
When you never did, she gave up ever hearing from you. ”
“Yeah. Had it not been for Kimaji, I still wouldn’t know her. She’s going to cook dinner for me for my birthday. It would be cool if you and dad could go with us.”
She smiled slightly. “I would love to. I was so grateful to her for thinking of me and wanting to be a blessing to me. You are a true blessing, baby.”
I nodded as she stood, then thought about my life.
My biological father raped my bio mom. That was probably the genes in me showing out when I grabbed my dick in front of Aunt Sonya all those years ago.
I slid my hand down my face as I thought about it.
I was so glad my dad did what he did. Had he not let me know how both of us had him fucked up, there was no telling how I would have turned out.
Those creep vibes would have elevated into whatever the fuck was running through him.
When she came back, she had a glass of wine for herself and a glass of something strong for me. I could smell it. She’d sworn off hard liquor because of medication she was on. I sniffed it, and asked, “What’s this?”
“Crown Black.”
“That’ll work.”
She chuckled then took a sip of her wine. “When are we having dinner?”
“This weekend for my birthday.”
It seemed the levee broke at that very moment. My mama broke down, crying hard. I hadn’t seen her that way since her father died years ago. I set my glass on the coffee table and held her.
“She gave me her greatest love. I will never forget that. She’s been carrying you in her heart for all these years. I should have told you the truth sooner. She was willing to totally lose you to appease me and try to make up for what her father did to me. God . . .”
I lifted my head for a moment, trying to restrain my tears.
I hated seeing my mama this way. There was so much trauma between the two of them.
They both became successful women despite that.
Mama telling me this only made me want to spend as much time as possible getting to know Karen . . . my mama.
When the door opened, my mama quickly stood and went to the bathroom. My dad came around the corner, and said, “What’s up?”
“Hey, Dad.”
“What’s wrong?”
I slowly shook my head. “Mama just told me everything surrounding my adoption. All the details of how y’all got me.”
“Damn. Why?”
“I met my bio mom yesterday, and she told me she went to school with Mama.”
He nodded, then went to the bathroom door to try to console my mama. When she opened the door and fell against him, I grabbed my glass and downed my drink, then went to the bar and poured another. It was gonna be a long night. Hopefully, surprising my baby tonight would take my mind off it.