17. Wyn
Wyn
“Come on, Ma. Let’s sit down.” Pooh wraps an arm around Nan’s shoulders and guides her inside, with me following.
Nan has been quiet about it, but something happened to her while she was gone. She came back speaking English, a little nicer, and was serious about having her whole family here for her birthday.
Which happens to be the same day as mine.
I wonder what type of Come To Jesus moment she had all those months back. Instead of ignoring me, she’s actually been trying to teach me Spanish whenever I’m stuck with her.
And she’s been leaving me in charge of caring for Mars, which he loves, since he’s still been stuck on me like white on rice since his mama peeled out on him.
Rico has forbidden anyone to even mention Ju, but Miele tells me they still talk, and she still lets Mars talk to her when she keeps him.
I guess Mars is learning to keep secrets from Rico, seeing as how when Pooh sauntered out onto the deck earlier, Mars knew exactly who his Pawpaw was.
“I’m gonna go lay down,” Nan mutters. “I’m fine, Pooh Bear. Sit with Snow.”
That’s another new thing. Nan calling me Snow or Snowball. Rico smirks every time he hears it.
Nan pats Pooh on the arm and shuffles out, leaving us in the kitchen area. I go to the fridge and get out the carafe of orange juice.
“I didn’t think when I showed up for my mother’s birthday, I’d find you here,” he says as I pour us both a glass of juice.
I just shrug, a smile playing on my lips. “I never thought I’d see you again, to be honest. Still got that jheri curl.”
He barks out laughter before taking a swig. “You’ve grown out of that scary shit, I see. I’d see you on TV, and you’d have on these blonde wigs, no freckles. You look more like the Wynter Snow from before.”
I take a sip of my juice and meet his gaze. “I feel different, too. I can’t say like the girl before, but I guess… better?”
Pooh grins, his eyes twinkling. “Belize is good for the soul. I come every time I need to decompress.”
“But not here?”
“No. I have a place in Belmopan, but Nan requested I come here, so I came.”
“Alone… no Pilar?”
Pooh’s smile falters, before he takes another swig of orange juice. “Can you believe my bottom bitch left me?”
“Maybe she was tired of being a bottom bitch,” I volley, throwing him a wry smile.
“Baby girl, Pilar is more gutta than me when it comes to the game. Nah… we just grew apart I guess. I think I’m just meant to be alone.”
“Well, are you really alone? You have your honeybees, right?”
“I learned a long time ago not to eat where I shit,” he spits before killing off his juice. “Besides, that shit is getting old, too. Fred’s gone, and Rick doesn’t want the keys to the kingdom. If I could find Pilar, I’d hand it over to her.”
“You can’t find her?” I cackle. “Damn, what you do?”
He sighs, and that makes me feel bad. Dang, he’s really torn up about this.
“I think… it’s what I didn’t do. I never wanted to remarry, but you know, y’all women want that ultimate commitment shit. And I think she just got tired of waiting for me to come around.”
“Would you have come around?”
Pooh rubs his hands together. “Real shit? I already was… when Yani died, I said I wouldn’t remarry for her honor.
I’d known Pilar, but then we became more than…
friends. And Pilar ain’t the type of woman you just keep sitting pretty.
But then I got scared. One marriage ended bad; who’s to say the second one wouldn’t? ”
“Yeah, I get that,” I nod, gulping the rest of my juice down. “I’m sure if you really wanted to find her, you could. Shad is good with a computer. You know him? Set’s brother?”
Pooh smirks. “Yeah, I know him. I don’t think he gon’ help me though.”
“He would if I ask, and I’ll ask him. I like Pilar for you. So you need to get her back.”
“This how you be bossing around Rick? Yeah, fasho gotta be. I wish Yani could see you two.”
I wave him off, darting my eyes to the hallway where the bedrooms are.
That’s the only reason I see him, because I damn sure can’t hear his footfalls.
Rico’s smirking, holding a gun as big as my fucking leg as he comes toward us.
“Y’all cute as fuck, on Baby,” he taunts, before lifting the gun and closing his bad eye.
“Get down!”
I don’t wait to see if Pooh listened, because in the next millisecond the wall behind him explodes into wooden pieces.
Thankfully, he slides next to me on the floor. “Go!”
As soon as we move, the cabinet behind us explodes as well.
What kind of fucking rifle is this?! And why does he have this lying around?!
“SNOW!”
I pop up like a daisy, stumbling a little as my eyes zero in on Rico.
I start to exhale as he lowers the big gun, just to raise my hands when he reaches behind him and levels a handgun at me.
“Bring that ass here.”
I take timid steps toward the psycho, but when his trigger finger tightens I hightail it over to him.
His arm, heavier from the submachine gun, swings around my shoulders as he turns me around.
Pooh rises slowly, looking oddly proud at his son hugging me, and grins harder when Rico presses the barrel of the handgun to my temple.
“Rico–” I try to whisper, but he cuts me off.
“Creíste que habías logrado algo por follarte a mi novia? Quién te habló de ella?” (You thought you’d accomplished something by fucking my girlfriend? Who told you about her?)
Whatever Rico says has Pooh balling his face up immediately as his eyes dance from me to his son. “No se–”
“DON’T FUCKING LIE TO ME!” Rico roars. A squeal leaves me involuntarily, as I shiver against the gun barrel. He presses it harder, making Pooh raise his hands in surrender.
“Hijo, I ain’t–”
“Then why the fuck she got Ma’s bracelet?! Why the fuck she know about the chandelier?! Tell ‘em, Snow! Tell that nigga how your ho ass couldn’t keep them legs or your mouth closed!”
I cut my eyes to the wall, trying to sort through what the hell he just said. How could Rico know that Pooh gave me a bracelet? No one but me and Ty know I spent Christmas hiding out with him, and I know Ty wouldn’t spill the beans.
And I definitely didn’t have sex for a very long time after my abortion.
What is he talking about?
Blinking a few times, remnants of the night I cut Rico filter in my brain, and zero in on when exactly I put my fucking foot in my mouth.
Why is the fuck did I choose to say that to be petty?
In my defense, I absolutely would not have guessed we would all end up here. With Richard Alvarez once again overreacting.
“You’re an idiot,” I mutter, pushing him away from me.
Rico stumbles, dropping the heavy rifle on the ground and aiming his handgun at Pooh.
“You really think I would fuck your dad?!” I screech, stretching out my arms away from my body.
Confusion colors his face. “You said–”
“Because you told me you fucked my best friend! Because you burned me, and shot at me!” I push him again, and he stumbles a bit, his arms dropping to his sides.
“You have always treated me like shit, and thought even worse of me! What the fuck!”
His eyebrows pull as he averts his eyes. “That’s not true–”
“Son–”
Rico’s hand lifts immediately, leveling his gun at Pooh.
His original words die on his tongue, but he doesn’t back down. Not at all.
He just shifts his gaze to me.
“Rico had money on your head. That’s why–”
The gun goes off, and Pooh shifts back as red blooms on the sleeve of his linen shirt.
But I’d heard enough. Enough to connect the dots.
Nan moves faster than I thought she could move to get to her son. He’s waving her off, but she won’t stop fretting over him.
Rico tries to walk by me, but I grab his arm as hard as I can and pull. He shakes me off, but I grab him again, and he whirls on me.
“What?!” he bellows in my face. Eyes wild, dancing between my own. But he doesn’t get to be mad. Not when he’s in the wrong.
I lick my dry lips. “You wanted to–”
“Yes, Snow!” He throws his arms out away from his body.
“Yes! I wanted to kill you. I put money on your head. I was gonna put you down and tell your sister I was too late! Yes! I cheated on you. I hurt you. I lied to you, lied on you! I burned you! I shot at you then, and I just shot at yo ass now! Because I hate yo ass, Snow. Hate you so much it makes me sick! I think the worst of you, but you bring the absolute worst out of me. I ain’t ever pretended to be a good person, Snow.
I ain’t shit, and you know that. I told you that shit.
You knew that shit from the beginning. You know what else? !”
He fists my shirt and yanks me to him so hard I have to place my hands on his arms for purchase.
“As fucked up as I am, you loved me anyway, Snow. So what does that make you?”
He pushes me out of his face and stalks off, shoulder checking NiNi and Reno.
NiNi goes straight for the discarded rifle, while Reno begins to walk toward me. Tears flood my lids and I dodge him, not stopping until I’m locked in my room, my back on the door.
His words echo in my mind. They get louder, the more I want to shut down. They repeat faster the more I beg my mind to let it go.
All the shit he did, and I loved him anyway.
I love him anyway.
And that’s something I’ll never be able to forget.