26. Lee
Lee
Christmas had wore me out. By noon, most of the real excitement was over.
Me and Mama had been up since early, Anika and Trevon had already come through, gifts had been opened, wrapping paper had been stuffed into trash bags, and we had eaten enough breakfast to hold us until dinner.
Mama had done most of the cooking on Christmas Eve, so all she had left to do later was warm everything back up, which meant she finally gave me permission to go somewhere and sit down.
I went straight to my old room, kicked my shoes off, and crawled into bed.
I must’ve fallen asleep almost immediately because the next thing I knew, my phone was ringing somewhere beside me.
I frowned and reached around the bed until I found it.
When I squinted at the screen, Van’s name was staring back at me.
I answered without opening my eyes all the way. “Hello?”
“Merry Christmas.”
I smiled before I meant to. “Merry Christmas.”
“You asleep?”
“You woke me up.”
“My bad.”
“It’s okay. I probably needed to get up anyway.”
Van laughed. “You at home?”
“Nah, I’m at Mama’s. Been here since yesterday.”
“Oh.”
That little oh made me open my eyes. I stretched under the blanket and sat up a little. “Why?”
“I got your Christmas gift.”
That woke me up.
“My what?”
“Your gift.”
I pushed myself upright against the headboard. “You got me a Christmas gift?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
There was a short pause before he answered. “Because it’s Christmas, Lee.”
“I know that, but we ain’t say we was exchanging gifts.”
“We had to?”
“No, but now I feel bad.” I rubbed my hand over my face. “I ain’t get you nothing.”
“You're a horrible friend.”
My mouth dropped open. “See, now you trying to make me feel worse.”
Van started laughing. “I’m messing with you. I don’t give people stuff because I’m waiting on something back.”
“Well, damn. Now I feel even worse.”
“You’ll survive.”
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. “So what you got me?”
“You’ll see.”
“Can you tell me?”
“No.”
“Give me a hint.”
“I said no.”
“You so annoying.”
“I’ve been told.”
I smiled and dropped back against the pillows.
“So you're at your mama's house?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“You think she'd mind if I stop by and drop it off?”
“No, she won’t mind.” Then I remembered exactly where Mama lived. “But you know she stay in Maysville, right?”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“I’m just saying. I know you from Dog River and all.”
“And?”
“I ain’t know if you was scared to come to the hood.”
Van got quiet for half a second. “Did you forget I dropped you off over there?”
My smile disappeared. “Oh, God.”
He started laughing.
“Please don’t remind me about that day.”
“You brought it up.”
“I did not bring up the pumpkin patch.”
“You brought up me coming to your mama's neighborhood.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“Close enough.”
I groaned and pulled the blanket higher over myself. “I try to forget that whole day happened.”
“Nah, don’t forget it.”
“Why not?”
“You might need to sell your life story to Tyler Perry one day.”
I laughed. “Shut up.”
“I’m serious. You got enough material.”
“You get on my nerves.”
I could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “Anyway, I’ll be there in about thirty.”
“You really got me something?”
“Yes, Lee.”
“I still feel bad.”
“Stop. I’m not worried about it.” He paused. “Go brush your teeth.”
I sat straight up. “Excuse me?”
“You just woke up.”
“My breath is fine.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Goodbye, Van.”
He laughed again. “See you in a minute.”
I hung up and immediately covered my mouth with my hand. Okay. Maybe brushing my teeth wasn’t a terrible idea.
I dragged myself out of bed and went into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, fixed the parts of my hair I had slept on, then reached for my lip gloss without even thinking about it. After I put some on, I stopped and looked at myself in the mirror.
Why the hell was I putting on lip gloss?
I wiped a little of it off with my finger before leaving the bathroom.
When I walked back into the kitchen, Mama was sitting at the table scrolling through her phone.
“Van coming over,” I told her.
Her eyes came up immediately. “The Dog River boy?”
I laughed. “Yes, Mama. The Dog River boy.”
“The same one dropped you off over here after all that mess with JB?”
I opened the refrigerator and started looking for something to drink. “Can we please not talk about the pumpkin patch on Christmas?”
“I was making sure it was the same one.”
“It is.”
Mama put her phone down. “What he coming over here for?”
“He said he got me a Christmas gift.”
Her eyebrows went up, and she made that little noise she always made when she had something to say but wanted to pretend she didn’t.
“Mhm.”
I looked over my shoulder. “Don’t.”
“I ain’t said nothing.”
“You did that mhm.”
“That ain’t saying nothing.”
“With you it is.”
Mama went right back to scrolling through her phone. “What you get him?”
I slowly closed the refrigerator.
“Nothing.”
She looked up again. “Damn.”
“I didn’t know we was exchanging gifts!”
“That boy bought you something and you ain’t get him nothing?”
“Thank you, Mama. I already feel bad.”
She laughed. “I’m just asking.”
“You not just asking. You judging.”
I was still fussing at her when somebody knocked about twenty minutes later. I headed toward the door before Mama could get up because I did not need her answering it and embarrassing me before Van even got all the way inside.
When I opened the door, he was standing on the porch holding one of those oversized Christmas gift bags in front of him.
I looked at the bag, then at him.
“You put my gift in a bag that big?”
Van shook his head. “Merry Christmas to you too.”
“Merry Christmas.”
I stepped aside so he could come in. “Hurry up before Mama start yelling about letting cold air in.”
“I heard that,” she called from the kitchen.
Van laughed as he stepped inside. “Hey, Ms. Maisie. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Dog River.”
I covered my face. “Mama.”
Van looked at me. “Dog River?”
“Don’t encourage her.”
Mama came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel. The first thing she did was look at Van, then at the giant bag he was holding.
“You hungry?”
“Mama, he been here twelve seconds.”
“I’m asking the man if he hungry.”
Van smiled. “I’m good right now, but I appreciate it.”
“Mhm.”
I pointed at her. “See? There go that noise again.”
Mama ignored me completely.
I turned back toward Van and looked at the bag. “So what is it?”
“Damn. Can I take my coat off?”
“No.”
He laughed. “Impatient.”
“You walked in here holding my gift. What you expect?”
Van finally held the bag out to me. “Here.”
I reached for the bag, but the second it moved in my hands, I froze.
My eyes shot straight to Van. “What the hell is in here?”
He was already smiling. “Open it.”
The bag moved again, followed by a soft little scratching sound against the tissue paper.
“Oh my God.”
I pulled the tissue back, and when a tiny cream-colored puppy poked her head out, I screamed so loud Mama jumped. And it wasn’t no cute little scream either. I mean a full scream.
“Oh my God!”
The puppy blinked up at me with these little dark eyes and fluffy ears hanging around her face.
“Van!”
I reached into the bag and scooped her against my chest. She was so little I felt like I could hold most of her in one hand.
“Oh my God, look at her!”
“It’s a girl,” Van said.
That made me scream again.
Mama came closer, shaking her head. “Lord, Lee.”
“Look at her!”
“I see her.”
The puppy started licking my chin, and I laughed while pulling her closer against me.
“Hey, baby. Oh my God, you so little.”
Van leaned against the wall watching us with this satisfied little look on his face.
“She’s a Maltipoo.”
I looked over at him. “A what?”
“Maltese and poodle mix. She shouldn’t get too big.”
Then I remembered standing in his house telling him exactly what kind of dog I wanted.
“You remembered?”
His eyebrows lifted. “You told me you wanted something small and fluffy.”
I looked back down at the puppy. She had already settled against my chest like she had known me longer than thirty seconds.
“Van…”
“What?”
“I love her.”
“I figured you would.”
I pressed my face into her fur. “You are so cute. Yes, you are.”
Mama folded her arms, and I already knew reality was about to come busting through my little moment before she even opened her mouth.
“Now what you gon’ do with a dog knowing good and well you finna have a baby in a few months?”
I looked up. “Mama, please let me enjoy this for five minutes before you start reminding me about real life.”
“I’m just asking.”
“You always just asking.”
Van laughed under his breath.
I pointed at him. “And you don’t laugh.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to.”
The puppy started chewing on the edge of my sweater, and I gently pulled it away from her mouth. “Girl, stop.”
Mama shook her head. “You gon’ have your hands full.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes, Mama.”
“You gotta house-train her, feed her, take her outside, pay vet bills. Then you finna have a newborn on top of that.”
“Mama.”
“I’m telling you.”
“Okay!”
Van finally stepped in. “I’ll help her with the dog.”
That shut Mama up for about two seconds. She looked at him, and I did too.
Van shrugged like he hadn’t said anything serious. “I got Snoop. I know what I’m doing. If she needs help with the puppy, I got her.”
Mama studied him for a second, then pointed at my stomach. “What about that baby? You gon’ help her with that too?”
My head whipped toward her. “Mama.”
“What?”
“Why would you ask him that?”
“I asked a question.”
“Yeah, a crazy one.”
Van didn’t jump to answer. He looked at me first, probably trying to figure out whether he was supposed to touch that question at all, before turning back toward Mama.
“I like to think I’m part of her village,” he said. “She knows if she needs me, she can call me.”
Mama nodded slowly. “Aight.”
I stared at both of them.
Apparently that was enough for her because she turned toward the kitchen like she hadn’t just put this man through a surprise interview.
“Van, you want a plate before you leave?”
He looked at me, and I immediately shook my head. “Don’t do it. If you say yes, she gon’ send you home with enough food for three days.”
“I heard that,” Mama called.
Van grinned. “I’ll take a plate.”
“Traitor.”
“Free food,” he said like that explained everything.
I went into the living room with the puppy still curled against my chest and sat down on the couch. Somewhere in the middle of Mama interrogating everybody, the puppy had fallen asleep like none of us had anything to do with her.
I rubbed my thumb over the top of her little head. “Now I gotta figure out what to name you.”
Van sat down beside me. “You don’t already have a name?”
“No. You bought her. Help me.”
“That’s your dog.”
“And you the reason I got her. Give me something.”
He thought about it for a second. “Coco.”
I made a face. “Everybody dog named Coco.”
“Princess.”
“Absolutely not.”
Van laughed. “See? This is why I told you that’s your problem.”
I looked down at her again, trying to think of something that fit. She was cream-colored, tiny, and had shown up on Christmas like somebody had dropped her straight out of a holiday movie.
“What about Holly?”
“Because it’s Christmas?”
“Yeah.” I looked at her little sleeping face. “Holly.”
Van nodded. “That works.”
“I kinda like it.”
“Then Holly it is.”
“I said kinda.”
“Too late.”
Before I could argue, Mama came back carrying a plate covered in foil and handed it to Van.
“Thank you, Ms. Maisie.”
“You're welcome.” Then she pointed at me. “And don’t be bringing that dog back over here every time she get on your nerves.”
“I’m not bringing her back.”
Mama gave me another one of her little mhms before heading back toward the kitchen.
Van laughed.
“Don’t encourage her.”
“I didn’t say anything, Lee.”
“You keep saying that while laughing.”
I looked down at Holly again. She was still asleep against me, warm and tiny and already way too comfortable.
Van leaned back against the couch and looked at us. “You happy?”
“Very.”
“Good.”
I looked over at him. He had remembered one random conversation at his house and somehow turned it into this little dog sleeping against my chest.
“Thank you. For real.”
“You're welcome.”
I leaned over and kissed him. I meant for it to be quick, just a little thank-you kiss, but once his mouth touched mine, neither one of us pulled away right away. When I finally sat back, Van was looking at me with a smile.
“Sorry.”
“It’s cool.” He settled back against the couch. “We’re friends that kiss from time to time.”
I laughed. “Oh, that’s what we doing?”
“Apparently.”
I looked at him for a second. “So you ain’t gon’ complain if I do it again?”
Van’s smile got bigger. “Nope.”
“Good.”
I leaned over and kissed him again.