6. Rico
Rico
It only takes a week of calling for Ju to hit me back.
She’s out of breath, breathing hard into the phone before the background noise cuts off.
“I’m sorry I’m just getting back to you,” she huffs into the receiver. “I had a virtual interview with the dean of KSU’s School of Medicine and I needed to prep for it. Is everything okay?”
“I mean, yeah. Besides Mars asking for you. You never hit me to buy you a flight to come out here.”
“Yeah. I wanted to come for the holidays, but I have to stay and work for my professor. Most students have to do a year of research before KSU even thinks about admitting them. It’s a feat for me to be Black, a woman, and get accepted straight out of undergrad.
But I should know before my spring break.
Can I come then? It’s the first week of April. ”
I lean back in my chair, going over the logistics in my mind. “Yeah. I could send Nan down to Placencia that week.”
“Do that for sure.”
“Ay, that’s still my grandmother,” I chuckle.
“So you know how she is. Once you get her to leave, book my flight. We’ll either be celebrating or drowning my sorrows.”
“You gon’ get it. Yo ass too damn smart to trip up now.”
I can hear her green ass smiling all the way from here. “You know I get hives when you’re too nice to me. Tell my baby I love him.”
“He’s the one who actually wants to talk to you. Why you ducking him?”
She’s quiet for a while, but not long enough to lie. Eventually, she sighs. “All he does is ask me when I’m coming back. You know how sucky it is to disappoint a five year old? Especially when his evil great-grandmother is telling him I all but abandoned him.”
“Well, did you? Is he still coming to live with you and your mother while you’re in medical school? That was the–”
“I know… I know what the plan was, Rico. I think Mars is where he needs to be.”
I click my tongue as a smile plays on my lips. “Nan still got you all the way fucked up. I bet you still haven’t told anyone about Mars. Not even Bleach?”
“Don’t fucking call her that,” she hisses.
“Don’t deflect,” I volley. “Mars is five, Ju. Five years and no one in your family knows you have a son?”
“Be fucking for real, Rico. When’s the last time I even set foot in Kenton? It’s not that outlandish that no one knows about him.”
I let her have it, even though it’s bullshit. Ju may have spent the last four years on the other side of the country, but I know for a fact she speaks to her cousin Bleach nearly every day, and meets up with her a few times a year in Northupton.
She let Nan get in her head, plain and simple. I don’t doubt that she loves Mars. It’s evident whenever she’s here.
But Ju was young, distraught, and impressionable when she showed up to Nan’s crib, pregnant, and confused. And Nan, even in mourning her youngest grandson, smelled her innocence and took advantage.
It was almost too easy for her to break her down. And now, Ju thinks her son is better off here with an ex-madame than with his own mother.
“I’m not tryna argue witchu. You wanna talk to your son or not?”
“I told you, I’m busy trying to make shit happen–”
“Aight.” I click in her face, over the conversation.
It’s not the first time I’ve done it. She’s used to me being abrasive, and takes it in stride.
It’s the psychological warfare from Nan that gets her panties in the twist.
But I’m not so obtuse that I don’t see what drew Fredo–and Slime–to her in the first place.
Ju’s a little neurotic, but she’s also confident in herself in regards to everything except with Mars.
Fine as hell, like a Black barbie doll. And seems to only gain stress weight in her ass and thighs, though I’m sure when Fredo was sprung, she was still a stick.
I’m sure if he were still alive, they’d still be fucking around. Shit, maybe all three of them.
You should fly out to see her.
I roll my eyes, already knowing this nigga is chilling on the couch next to my office door.
“Why don’t you go bother her ass?”
“Nigga, I’m a part of you. You lay eyes on her, then I can.” Amusement laces Fredo’s tone, and when I turn, he has his shoes on my fucking couch.
“Nigga, get your–nevermind. I can’t go see her with Snow here. I’ll temperature check her when she comes out here. Spring break is only three months away.”
“A lot can happen in three months, brodie.”
Don’t I fucking know it.
“I can’t be everywhere at once, Fred. I can’t make sure Snow gets clean, Nan don’t corrupt Mars, and then make sure Ju passes her classes and hold her hand and tell her she’s not a bad mom.
I still have a life. I still got shit to do, I still got a hotel to run, I still got open contracts and shit.
There’s a reason there was two of us, nigga. ”
I don’t look up to see that dumb ass smirk. My skin’s itching bad, like ants all over. Fingers locking up and shit.
I’ve been idle too fucking long.
Fucking Haze, man.
Fucking Snow.
I shoot out of my seat and grab the shit I was fiddling with the night before.
Nan is busy with the hotel. The weekends always bring a flurry of tourists, so she’ll be away for the next few days. Reno took Mars to Belmopan with him. And the shit in my hand will keep Snow busy while I tend to all the other shit she has me neglecting.
She’s sleeping peacefully when I enter her room. I wasn’t exactly loud, but Snow being a heavy sleeper is new. Her breaths aren’t shallow anymore, though, and she’s not sweating profusely.
She hallucinated for days. Different moans and whimpers and repeating Fredo and Summer and Auty and my name over and over. Then she slept for nineteen hours straight.
Nan reported that her eyes were clear, but she looked mischievous when I asked if anything else happened.
Either way, she’s been docile, so I uncuffed her.
Still showing mercy.
I place the items on her bed next to her, and take a second to make sure she’s straight.
Snow’s pale, but that’s probably from the lack of sun. And she’s too skinny. The lack of body fat makes her fake tits look painful.
At least a centimeter of red hair covers her scalp. Contrasting with the brown circles dotting her face.
“I hate you,” I whisper.
She sighs, and turns away from me before her breath evens out again.
I get the fuck out of there, texting NiNi with one hand.
I got some shit to handle.