Chapter 5 #2
While the women danced on the coffee table, tossing ass and titties everywhere, King and Ryan stood around the table, ensuring their idiotic asses didn’t fall as they had six months ago.
Kingdon was in his happy world while big-belly Aleana tossed her stomach on his chest and threw ass like she needed another rock on her finger.
Look at these happy, stupid fuckas here. My family. Love them to death, I thought as my cell phone vibrated in my pocket.
Retrieving it, I saw a number that had no business calling me ten minutes before midnight. Fear sat in my bones heavily as I rushed to retrieve the radio’s remote control from my front pocket. Once the music was muted, everyone looked at me and hollered, “What the fuck?”
“The assisted livin’ home callin’, so shut the fuck up!” I bellowed, voice trembling.
King rushed to my side.
Kingsley hopped off the table, close to breaking her ankle again.
Kingdon hurried to put Aleana on the sofa.
“Give me that phone, August,” King demanded, running toward me, as I was in no position to give him the phone. I was stuck in place, for sure scared.
My world became dark as the worst thoughts slammed into my head. In a hurry, King snatched my device. Kingdon ordered Kingsley and Mona to stop moving in my direction because he was on his way to me.
Urgently, King said, “August Abbott’s phone.”
My head wobbled as I saw myself burying Momma. My vision became cloudy as Kingdon grabbed my jeans waistline, stared into my eyes, and commanded, “Breathe. We are here.”
Nodding, I prayed that the worst had not landed in my life.
“She did what now?” King screeched, causing me to jerk my head in his direction.
Darkness and sadness lifted away from me. My leading lady was alive and still being her usual self. With clear vision, I locked into King’s biggest smile. “Yeah, you can. Hold on for a second.”
“What has Auntie done, King?” Kingsley and Kingdon inquired curiously as King extended the phone to me.
“Just hold your horses. He will spill it.” King laughed as I put the phone to my ear.
“Yeah, bitch, my blind ass tossed my piss on you. I told you ‘bout comin’ into my room late at night, tryin’ to steal the good shit my son brang me,” Momma bellowed, causing me to smile as I shook my head and pumped my fist.
“Hello,” I said into the phone.
“August, this is the last strike. I’ve done everything to keep your mother a resident here.
She refuses to alert the authorities when someone comes into her room.
I don’t understand how she moves around so well while being fully blind.
As of right now, your mother is no longer welcome.
Please, come get her,” Peatrice, the manager of the living facility, sighed.
Eager to have Momma in my house, I nodded. “I’m on my way.”
“Okay. See you shortly,” she voiced, relieved.
“See you shortly,” I replied before ending the call.
Once I dropped my phone in my pocket, Mona’s phone vibrated. I didn’t give a damn about what I needed to speak with her about. I had to get my first leading lady from a place she wouldn’t leave once I became older and copped my own place.
“Nigga, if you don’t spill what Auntie did … I’m going to body slam you,” Kingdon hissed as I looked at him ugly and pointed at his feet.
Ryan, Kingsley, Mona, and Min howled in laughter as King slowly slid his eyes to where I pointed. Clamping his lips, Kingdon looked at the ceiling.
Nastily, King hollered, “Bitch, you haven’t been in Birmingham that long, and you damn sure haven’t been in my house that long.
When did you get my new shoes that haven’t been on my feet yet?
Fuck that! Get out of my shoes, Kingdon!
Your ugly ass got money just like I do. I see you need your colon cleansed, big back bitch! ”
While the heated man walked off, cussing and fussing, Kingdon dropped his head and laughed. “August, you are so damn messy. All you had to do was tell me what Auntie did.”
“Yo’ buff ass threatened me. So, I sic’d the idiotic silverback gorilla on you. Put yo’ shirt on. We finna go get Momma. She threw her piss on a lady who been comin’ in her room to steal the stuff I buy her,” I said, causing the ladies to look at me shockingly.
Spinning on his heels, King laughed. “Riddle me this. How the fuck can Auntie see if she is full throttle blind?”
Posting on the door, I grinned. “I been up in that place since she was put there. I needed her to not be so dependent on people. She needed to know her surroundin’s.
She blind, but she ain’t gotta be helpless.
We walk an’ talk. She’s also rememberin’ where people sleep ‘cause of smells an’ the touchin’ of the walls.
She know what the place look like ‘cause I describe it to her. Them old ugly bitches who can see wasn’t gon’ get the ups on her.
Nawl, Abbott’s run shit blind an’ dead. Nih, put that shirt on.
Finna go get my momma. Oh, yeah, Mona, Momma movin’ in wit’ us. ”
“It’ll be a pleasure to have her in our home,” she spoke lovingly as her phone vibrated in my pocket.
Gritting my teeth, I narrowed my eyes. As calmly as possible, I said, “Lemme holla at you fo’ a minute.”
Furrowing her eyebrows, she said, “Okay.”
“Put on a shirt. I ain’t got time to be suckin’ on titties that have a thousand mosquito bites on ‘em,” I ordered, causing everyone to drop their heads and laugh.
“Yes, sir.” She giggled, picking up her shirt from the floor.
“August, are we leaving in my truck or yours?” King asked as Mona tossed her shirt over her head while walking toward me.
“Mine,” I told him, tossing my keys at him.
“Should we get the guest bedroom ready for your mom?” Min inquired lovingly.
Smiling at the woman perfect for my cousin and family, I nodded. “Yes.”
“Cool beans,” Min offered, causing King to blow a kiss at his wife.
As I opened the front door, Mona asked, “What’s up? I sense it’s urgent.”
“Som’ shit that should’ve been brought to my attention,” I answered, stepping onto the porch and pointing to the left of the door.
“Ooou, you know I love it when you pin me in a corner. Just a helpless lil woman, I am,” she purred as I closed the door.
While laughter spilled from inside the house, I pushed her close to our brick home while wrapping my arms around her. Placing my mouth to her left ear, I whispered, “You have difficulty readin’ an’ comprehendin’?”
Her body shook horribly as she pushed me back. As she studied my eyes, I had never seen fear and shame in her eyes. It was as if I were looking at a different woman.
Slowly, she nodded. “Yes. Who told you?”
“Yo’ text messages wit’ Dropo.”
“Oh. Is that why you didn’t want me to come outside until twenty minutes so you could go through my phone?” she asked, lowly, unable to keep eye contact.
“Yes.” I nodded, massaging her body. It shook horribly.
“Oh. Um, you don’t trust me?” she asked, voice small, eyes becoming teary.
“Whether I trust you or not ain’t the issue. Yo’ readin’ an’ comprehension is. Is that why you always told me to look over papers an’ tell you what they ‘bout an’ read to Azaria?” I whispered as the loud crew became louder.
“Yes,” she replied, embarrassed.
“Is yo’ comprehension an’ readin’ a lil better since I’ve been readin’ to Azaria?”
“Yes.”
“Was you gon’ ever tell me?”
“No,” she said, trembling.
“Why?” I asked, holding her tighter.
“You are a jokester, and you weren’t going to crush me. Plus, knowing that I’m a grown ass woman who can’t read fluently and understand many words at once is embarrassing.”
“I’m silly, not an asshole. You ain’t see me when I first met Simon?
You ain’t pay attention to me when I helped that guh at the restaurant last week fill out her job application?
I’on joke on those who can’t do what I can wit’ ease.
Momma blind. I’m finna be yo’ husband, guh.
I’on need to be left in the dark ‘bout shit. Don’t pull that shit again, Mona.
You won’t like how I do you when I take yo’ drawls off wit’ my teeth,” I whispered against her neck.
“K. I love you.” She nodded, still not looking at me but wrapping her arms around me.
“I love you. You the only one who got that issue?”
“No. All my siblings have that issue. Correction, my sisters’ men have helped them either by doing it themselves or hiring a tutor. They can read and understand very well,” she confessed as if it hurt her to speak the truth.
What the fuck? I thought asking, “You wanna learn how to fluently read an’ understand what you read wit’ ease?”
Nodding, she said, “Yes.”
“A’ight. Tomorrow, we gon’ be on that. Do Min know ‘bout y’all’s issue?” I whispered as King opened the door.
“No, but her parents know. When they learned, I made them promise not to tell her,” she whispered as the cold air from inside rolled around our bodies.
“When did they learn?”
“Um, since we were true dependents.”
“Did they try to teach y’all?”
“Yes, but once Daddy and Momma caught onto what they were doing … they stopped letting us go with them. Momma cut our talk time down tremendously. Whenever Min called, or I wanted to talk to her, my parents were always on another phone … listening … making sure Min wasn’t teaching me how to read,” she answered, sadness deep in her tone.
Motherfuckas, y’all will see me, I thought, “Did you ever try to get the hang of it?”
“Yes, but I never made it a priority. Throughout the years, I learned just enough to survive the trenches of the streets,” she whispered before exhaling sharply.
“A’ight. Privately, we gon’ take care of that issue. What readin’ level you on?” I inquired, causing her to shrug.
“Peep this. Two weeks ago, I read an R.L. Stein book to Azaria. Was that book too much fo’ you?”
“A little. The words were easy, but some of them I didn’t know the meaning.”
“What ‘bout the books wit’ pictures an’ big fonts?”
“I like them. Not too many words to focus on. I know those words and their meaning. Easy to understand. Big words trip me up,” she whispered, nails clinking louder and louder.