10. Dominique ‘Dolo’ Shaw
Dominique ‘Dolo’ Shaw
Iwas pulling up on Riot, and her family, and I came bearing gifts.
This shit was new for me. I never was deep in a situation with a woman before, where I had to meet her family.
Because it was new, and because I wanted to make a good first impression on her family, I called my parents this morning, needing to get some advice from them.
The second they heard me tell them that I was serious with someone, and how I was going to pull up and meet her family today, they switched it on me, telling me that they wanted me to bring Riot over next weekend because they wanted to meet her as well.
I was close with my parents. I didn’t pull up on them all the time because they moved a little further out north in West Palm Beach, which was about an hour from me, so I didn’t make that drive to them too often. We talked all the time though.
They knew that I had someone in my life, but I don’t think they knew how serious it was.
It probably didn’t hit them until this morning when I called asking for advice.
It was my mom that really wanted to meet Riot.
She’s never seen me settle down with a woman before, and she’s been in my ear for years, telling me that she wanted me to meet a good woman, so that I could give her grandchildren.
No matter how many times I’ve told this woman that I didn’t want children, I guess she was going to hear what she wanted to.
I told my parents that I would bring Riot over to meet them, but I just didn’t know if it would be next weekend.
I couldn’t make those kinds of promises, knowing that I was always on the move, and business always had to be handled.
My mom told me that whatever I did this evening for me not to show up empty handed.
She gave me a list of options to bring over for dinner tonight.
I didn’t want it to look like I was trying too hard, putting in overtime for Riot’s family to like me.
Don’t get me wrong, I wanted them to like me, but I didn’t want to have to put on a facade, doing shit that I knew that I wouldn’t typically do.
I wanted them to like me for Dolo. Since it was Riot’s mom that I felt like I really had to win over, I came with a beautiful bouquet of roses for her.
I get flowers for my mama all the time, and I would think that now that I was in a relationship, that I would get flowers for my girl all the time too, but Riot’s gangsta ass wasn’t into flowers. She told me that shit awhile back.
Not only did I show up with the flowers, but I came with a couple of bottles of wine, and even a bottle of reposado, and I only brought the reposado because I knew that Riot’s cousins were going to be here, and that’s what they liked to drink.
My mom told me that it would be a good look if I showed up with some kind of dessert, so I brought cheesecake over.
Riot liked cheesecake. The girl barely ate, but when we were in Mexico, I remember she kept having that for dessert, so I came with a big serving of that, that was more than enough for us all.
I wasn’t a scary ass nigga that needed Riot to come to the door to get me.
I never even texted her to let her know that I was outside.
I just pulled my car up on the side of the street, and I had all the items in a big, reusable bag.
I held the flowers for Riot’s mom in my hands, and once I had everything, I walked over to the double doors, and I knocked.
Standing outside, I was able to look around, see the nice garden that her mom had, and how well kept her lawn was.
On the outside, you really got to take in how beautiful her home was.
The driveway was nice and big as well, having enough space for all the cars that were parked.
I just knew that the inside of her home was going to be just as beautiful as the outside.
It took about a minute, but the door eventually swung open, and when it did, I knew that it was Riot’s mother that was standing on the other side.
I’ve only seen her in pictures, and no disrespect to my girl when I say this shit, but pictures didn’t do Keyshawn any justice because she was beautiful as hell.
She reminded me of Riot, but just a more mature version of her.
It really felt like I was standing in front of Riot, that’s just how much they looked alike.
She was small just like her daughter. While Riot preferred to wear her hair curly, her mother’s hair was straight, and it went down her back.
“Wow. Look at you. You are so handsome. It’s nice to finally meet you Dolo,” she greeted me, putting her hands out, so that I could walk into her embrace.
I was towering over her as I hugged her.
She smelled good as hell too. Just by the way she greeted me, I could tell that her, and Riot had two different personalities.
If it was Riot’s first-time meeting someone, she would have been nonchalant as hell, and I know for a fact that she wouldn’t have given them a hug, either.
It made sense though because Riot told me that she got her personality from her dad.
“It’s nice to finally meet you as well. I got these for you. I’m not trying to win you over or anything like that, but just wanted to come showing a little respect,” I said, handing the flowers to her after we pulled away.
She beamed at the roses and even sniffed them. For her to smell them, that’s how I knew that she was a flower girl for real because whenever I would get flowers for my mom, she would always do the same thing.
“Aww thank you. Come on inside. Everybody is dying to meet you. Riot must not know that you’re here because she’s out back with her cousins, and her best friend,” she said, reaching behind me, so that she could close the door.
“Nah. I didn’t tell her,” I let her know, and then I started following behind her.
We made it into the kitchen, and I felt like I was stepping into women territory.
I knew that these had to have been all of Riot’s aunties that were piled up in the kitchen.
There was an older woman that was standing in the kitchen as well, and I knew that that was her grandmother.
Riot always spoke highly of her grandparents.
I even turned my head to look over into the family room area, where there was a big sectional couch, with a flat screen TV mounted to the wall, and there was an older gentlemen that was sitting there, dozing off, so I knew that that was her pop-pop that she’s always told me about as well.
“Hello. How you ladies doing?” I was respectful, sitting the bag that I came with on the kitchen counter.
I don’t know what Riot’s aunties, and her grandmother might have heard about me, or if they thought that I was going to walk in here, and be shy since I was outnumbered, but being shy has never been a part of my personality.
I was bold, and cocky in any room that I stepped foot in.
The good cocky though. Not the asshole kind.
“Oh, so we finally get to meet you in person. I’m Rasheeda.
Riot’s favorite auntie. The one that will help her hide your body if you ever get beside yourself,” Rasheeda came over, getting right to the point, sticking her hand out, so that I could shake it.
I laughed at her antics, not fazed by that shit at all.
“How you doing Rasheeda? You ain’t gotta worry about me getting beside myself.
Your niece in good hands with me,” I let her know, and she gave me a look like she wasn’t sold just yet, and I still had to talk to her a little bit to win her over.
I didn’t mind though. I already knew what the purpose of today’s trip was.
“How are you Dolo? I’m her auntie Erica.
I’m backing up what Rasheeda just told you,” another auntie said, coming over, sticking her hand out for me to shake.
All of them looked alike. I could tell that all of them were crazy too.
That shit made sense to me now because Riot was a nut case. That shit was in her blood.
“And I’m her auntie Katrina. In all the years that Riot has been in my life, I never even heard her admit to liking a boy, let alone want to have a boyfriend. What are you over there doing to my niece?” Katrina got right to the point, wanting to know. Her question made me chuckle.
“I didn’t have to do anything too crazy. I just showed up as the true version of myself. Riot fell in love with that,” I responded, and when I said that, she laughed.
“In love? My niece is in love with you?” Katrina wanted to know.
“Bring Bean in here and ask her that. She’ll tell you,” I said it with a smile on my face, still showing them that I was with all the shit, and that I wasn’t scared of the smoke.
I didn’t want to be disrespectful, and not speak to Riot’s grandmother, so I went over to her.
I felt like Riot’s grandmother was going to be the one that was hard to crack.
Just from stories that Riot has told me about her grandmother, and how close they were, I knew her grandmother overly loved her, and she wasn’t going to play about her.
“How you doing? I’m Dolo. Riot told me a lot about you,” I said, introducing myself, thinking that she was going to be mean as hell to me, probably not even shake my hand, but she smiled, and she reached her arms out so that she could give me a hug.
After we hugged, she grabbed hold of my hands, gripping my hands tightly.
I could tell by the way she was looking me in my eyes that she was getting ready to say something to me.
Riot had a lot of her grandmother’s physical traits.
She was the woman that was behind the height because she wasn’t too tall herself, and she was small as well.
I want to say that she was in her sixties, but just like the rest of the women in here, she looked great.
“You know Riot is my baby, right?” she asked me.
“I know. She told me,” I let her know, and with a smile on her face, she nodded.