Page 64 of Ms. V's Hot Girl Summer

Brian pulled out his key and opened the door. We both swung our backpacks off our shoulders, the synchronicity between us a comfort before what awaited us in our living room.

We silently entered the living area, and there she was, with her back to us on the main sofa. Ma was sitting on Orlando’s lap, giggling. I don’t think I’d ever seen my mom giggling.

“What do you think they’ll say?” she asked him.

“I mean, this is what they wanted, right? So they should be cool about it. Now, come here and kiss me again.” Orlando’s large hand cupped my ma’s face, guiding it down to his—

“The fuck?” I mouthed to Brian.

Brian stood stock-still, a look of pure horror on his face. He shook his head and pointed toward the hallway. No need to tell me twice, I followed him as my mother giggled and Orlando’s groans grew louder.

We barricaded ourselves in my room and turned on the TV to bury the sounds from outside.

“The fuck was that?”

“I guess that’s what we wanted.” Brian shrugged and plopped onto my bed.

“Nah, that’s, nah, why couldn’t they get a room or something?” I said, disturbed, but deep down, I was glad for Ma. She deserved all the happiness in the world. And I had known since I saw Orlando looking at her like the sun shined from her behind that he would be good to her.

So, I guess I had been right all along.

“Man, wipe that smug look off your face. You know she knew we were there, right? They were messing with us.”

“For real?”

“Yeah, listen…” Brian brought down the TV.

From outside, I heard Mom’s voice.

“Did you see how fast they ran to the room?”

“Serves them right,” Orlando answered.

Damn, I thought my dude was on our side.

But whatever, they could get this one. We won the prize.

Our mother finally had her dreams come true.

EPILOGUE 2

Brian

High school graduation day and our entire family had shown up to support us. All of our friends were standing all over the gymnasium with their families and loved ones, taking pictures and giving them gifts.

I would have never imagined having such a large crowd come to support Brandon and me. That shit was dope.

Surrounding us in a circle of laughter and love were my father and his wife, all dressed up in designer clothes. Pops had taken a turn for the better a little after Mom had started dating Orlando. We never found out what happened, but it seems he and my mother reached some type of better understanding of how to co-parent. At first, I’d been hesitant to trust my father’s presence, but day by day, he proved to us he wanted to be a better father.

Orlando’s brothers both stood next to two pretty girls who were their latest girlfriends. The dudes kept a revolving door going, but hey, if it worked for them, that was cool. I, for one, was looking for some deep, lasting love. I might be young, but I wanted something solid like what my ma and Orlando had.

Their relationship wasn’t perfect; they disagreed sometimes but always spoke to each other with respect and consideration. They had different goals in life but made it work for each other, supporting each other in everything they did. When Orlando decided not to do law school, my mom stood by him. When mom decided to retire from the event planning business and start an event consulting business for event planners, travel agencies, and hotels instead, Orlando sat by her side on the long nights as she built her business from scratch.

They’d weathered a lot of highs and lows, and still, every day, they showed up for each other.

Ma stood by Orlando’s mother, both laughing at something wild Ma probably said. Maya bounced around from person to person, chatting up with anyone who wanted to hear about the latest animation she was working on with her father.

Maya was my favorite; she had wormed her way into Brandon’s and my hearts, and we protected her like big brothers, always looking out for her. She ran over and gave Brandon’s boyfriend a big hug, then Brandon; then she came to me.

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