Page 44 of So I Know it's Real

“Fuck!” I groaned, slamming my fist into my palm.

“Don’t let that shit knock you off your square. She won’t say anything.” Ishmael tried to convince me.

“But what if she does?”

“Then handle the situation like a man.”

O’Cyrus shrugged. “Youcouldtell Clover yourself. Get ahead of the drama before it gets out of control.”

“Right,” was the only thing I said when leaving the garage.

I didn’t have an appetite, but I wanted to make sure Clover ate. I spoke to a few of my granny’s friends then stumbled on Clover, sitting at a card table across from Church. Her smile wasin place, yet she taunted the players like everyone else at the table.

“Nephew! Come get your lady! She pretended to be innocent but whupped us bad!”

I laughed at my uncle while helping Clover to her feet. “It looks like you’re enjoying yourself. Are you ready to eat?”

“Yep! My mouth has been watering since we got here.”

“Good because there is plenty of food. Mama Jo couldn’t decide what she wanted, so I told her to get everything.”

Clover removed her sunglasses and glanced up at me. “The way you love your family will make a lady fall in love.”

“Oh, yeah. Are you that lady?”

She twisted her body from side to side. “Maybe. Too soon?”

“Hell nah. It could be two months or two years. If it’s real, I don’t think the timeline matters.”

Before we made it to the trays of food, “Cupid Shuffle” blasted from the speakers, summoning the birthday girl and her guests to a temporary dance floor near the DJ. I tried to guide Clover toward the grill, yet she danced to a spot by my cousins. Shiloh waved his winnings in the air when he two-stepped to the music, but I flipped him off while laughing at his goofy ass.

“You know I’m only out here because you’re here, right?” I whispered in Clover’s ear as we stepped to the beat. “You better quit grinding on me in front of my granny.”

My sweet lady squealed and pushed me away, but I didn’t let her get far. The song was upbeat, but I held her in my arms like we were grooving to a slow jam. I could sense eyes on us, and it made me squeeze her tighter. I wanted anyone watching us to know she belonged to me.

We stayed on the dance floor for another song before I fed Clover. She feasted on a little of everything, and even though I said I wasn’t hungry, I gobbled down every piece of food she shoved in my mouth. Once she was done, she asked to see myold bedroom. I hadn’t chilled in there in forever, but every time I did, a sense of euphoria flowed through my bones.

“Oh, my God, Durk. This room is huge! Mother Jo is sweet for leaving everything the way you left it. The day the twins move out, I’m converting their room into something for me.”

I headed straight for the bed, needing somewhere to rest my heavy head.

“She has too many rooms to care about this one. I think she secretly hopes I will move back in one day.”

“Judging by the way she was doing ‘da butt’ with Mr. Edwards, I don’t know about that.”

My upper body shot up from the bed. “What the hell does that mean? You think they’re fucking around?”

“Calm down, Buttah. I didn’t say all of that.” She waved me off and went back to inspecting my room. “Judging by the posters, I can tell you’ve always loved music.”

“Believe it or not, playing background noise helped me focus when I had trouble reading. I viewed the words I had to read like lyrics and paired them with the beat.”

“That’s actually a brilliant way to remember things.”

She eyed the pictures tacked to a bulletin board near a long window. Every image carried an experience that shaped me. There were pictures from my hood days and images of cars I aspired to purchase before I actually did. Some photos were illustrations of The Sons of Eshu logo, which had changed over the years. As Clover’s gaze traveled over the board, I didn’t recognize a bit of judgment on her face. Her orbs sprinkled as if she enjoyed the preview of my past.

“Take off your shoes, and come lay down with me for a minute.”

“Ha! You think you’re slick.”

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