Chapter 16 Work It Out #4
“If you think any of this was easy for me, think again! The world ain’t black and white little girl!” Giselle pushed away from Heavy. “But you right, why take advice from me?” Giselle stormed off before she put Gem’s head in the ground.
“Oh, Lord.” Maisie rolled her eyes. “Now you’ve done it.” She sipped her concoction through a straw.
“I’m not about to walk on eggshells for her,” Gem declared.
Maisie hopped off the back of Crew’s whip and passed the weed to Gem.
“Nobody is asking you to. Giselle knows better than anybody that she fucked up, but it doesn’t help to keep reminding her of it.
She’s been through something none of us can relate to, though.
So, yeah, I give her a little grace because I’ve never had to sit quietly and watch my parents be murdered.
Think about how that could fuck anybody up before you write her off.
” Maisie marched off to catch up with Giselle along the docks, leaving Gem staring after them.
“Man, you fucking Knox women know how to stress a muhfucka out.” Crew chuckled.
“Why am I the bad guy, though?” Gem brought a hand against her chest.
“You’re not.” Crew exhaled a cloud of smoke.
“Maisie been protective of Giselle since she was born. Those two might have a gap in age, but that ain’t never changed their bond.
Believe it or not, G ain’t trying to be a bitch either.
I think she sees a lot of herself in you, and she just doesn’t want you making the same mistakes she did.
She left you here because she knew you were where you were supposed to be… with family.”
“How are you the one with the wisdom in all this?” Gem turned up her nose.
“A nigga been around a long time,” he answered, holding the blunt out for her to take.
About a yard or so away, Giselle stopped near the dock railing and leaned against the side.
She brought her straw to her lips and took another sip.
There was a chill breeze in the air, but the liquor warmed her up.
Listening to the light but assertive steps behind her, she knew it was Maisie. Her ace. Her confidant.
“I don’t know how I went as long as I did without talking to you,” Giselle voiced.
“I know. You were deprived as fuck, right?” Maisie bumped her with her little waist and grinned.
Instead of standing beside Giselle, she hopped up on the burgundy painted railing to join her.
“It was definitely isolating.” Giselle kept her focus ahead, thoughts drifting to Alonzo and all the bullshit she was going through now.
“Look, you and Gem are not about to be stressing me out, okay. Because I need you. It’s time for you to be the little big sister. I know that I have Lou, but we both know that girl blows with the wind. One minute, she wants this rare, one-of-a-kind love, and the next, she’s on her Khia shit.”
“Don’t trust no nigga no.” Giselle raised her hand and did a little bop and sang one of their favorite anthems.
“Exactly. We love her, but she’s flighty as fuck.”
“True.” Giselle lifted her cup so she could access her straw again.
“Anyway,” Maisie said, digging into the inner lining of her bra and removing a blunt and lighter she’d tucked there, “if I tell you something, this shit stays between us right now.”
“Oh, shit, what is it?” Giselle faced her, resting an elbow against the railing.
“Well, I think I want to try to have a baby,” Maisie revealed, bringing the blunt to her lips and lighting the tip.
“What!” Giselle squealed.
“Shhh.” Maisie looked up the way to see if anyone else was paying attention to them.
Crew and Solo had joined Heavy at his truck, while Gem sat near the fire, both knees against her chest, watching it burn intensely.
“Mais, you’re forty-five years old. You want to have a baby now?” Giselle could barely believe her ears.
Her cousin shrugged and took another pull from the blunt.
“Why not?” she choked on the smoke. “These celebrity bitches out here doing it.”
“They also getting BBLs, bitch.” Giselle took the blunt when she held it out for her.
“I can see it on Crew’s face every time he sees a baby.
Look at him with the twins. Harlee turns him into mush, and he loves rough housing with Heir.
When they come over, it’s a party until they all pass out together.
I realized I love seeing him like that. It makes him so happy.
I know he’s saying he doesn’t want babies because I made it clear I didn’t a long time ago, so he just let it go.
I want to see that look on his face and give him something he’s always wanted, and I don’t want him to be resentful of me for not having it someday. ”
“But is it really what you want? You’re the one who’s going to be going through it physically. Trust, it may look easy, but being pregnant is no joke.”
“That’s why I need you. I’m sure. I want to see what a little me and him looks like together.” Maisie smiled.
“I’m happy for you and Crew.” Giselle grinned, leaning in to embrace her.
“Thanks. I haven’t exactly told him yet, but I’m going to. I already visited my doctor and got all my hormones, and everything checked. He says it could be a high-risk pregnancy because of my age, but I’m not worried about it.”
“How have you not gotten pregnant all these years?” Giselle queried.
“Oh, we take all kinds of precautions. It can be done.” Maisie grabbed the blunt back.
Glancing at Gem as she brought her red plastic cup to her lips and sipped, eyes still on the fire, Maisie nodded in that direction.
“Let’s go talk to her.”
“Mais…” Giselle groaned.
“Girl, come on.” She hopped off the railing and sauntered ahead of Giselle toward Gem.
Giselle dragged behind her, practically stomping like a little ass kid the whole way.
“Hey, you smoking with us?” Maisie offered her the blunt burning in her hand.
Gem glanced past her at Giselle, still being standoffish as the wind picked up, and she used one arm to hug herself while looking around.
“Thanks.” Gem took the blunt, and Maisie kneeled to sit on the blanket beside her.
She stretched her legs in front of her and set her cup between her thighs, catching the moon sparkling off the lake.
“When we were kids, Uncle Greg would throw Memorial Day picnics out here. It was always one of the best kickoffs to summer,” Maisie leaned in to tell her. “Right, G?” She peered up at her favorite cousin as she came closer.
“We had canoe races right out there.” Giselle nodded toward the water and moved in to sit with Maisie.
“We were forced to learn how to swim, thanks to him.” Maisie fell forward, cracking up.
Solo, Crew, and Heavy all moved in their direction, still chatting amongst themselves and smoking.
“Don’t, Mais.” Giselle cut her eyes and pleaded.
“I can’t help it!” Maisie slapped her thigh, eyes filled with tears as she giggled mercilessly.
“Wait, what happened?”
“The canoe tipped over with me and Giselle, and she didn’t know how to swim. Uncle Greg was so mad but scared at the same time when he had to swim to her rescue. He swam with her all the way to shore, talking shit the whole time!” Maisie cackled and tried to catch her breath.
“Should have been more worried about learning how to swim than looking cute out here in this little ass swimsuit.” Giselle imitated her father’s voice.
Maisie lost it and threw her head back in laughter. Gem joined in, hearing her father’s voice and shaking her head. Heavy slid up behind Giselle, offering her his jacket as he sat behind her so she was between his legs.
“Girl, he was pissed off. You know he was a light bright like y’all asses, so he was red as hell!”
“I miss him,” Giselle whispered, holding Heavy’s jacket tighter around her as she thought about her father’s smile and laugh.
“Me too,” Gem admitted.
Giselle’s heart cracked, and slowly, her head swiveled toward her sister. They knew two versions of the same man, but at the end of the day, he was still their father. For the first time, it was like they both acknowledged that.
“Yeah, Uncle Greg was the coolest, smoothest nigga I ever knew,” Maisie remembered with a smile.
“To Daddy.” Giselle raised her Styrofoam cup.
“To Daddy.” Gem lifted her plastic cup, and Maisie tapped hers against theirs.