Page 27 of Rebound

“Where’s that sweet baby girl of yours?” she asks. Everything is a blur after she asks that question. Donna comes in with a man with tattoos up to his neck. He’s a few inches over six feet. He hugs Layla and lifts her off her feet. He puts her down when he notices me.

“Lay, I thought Auntie was exaggerating.” He looks up at me. “Wakowski really is your boyfriend,” he says in awe. “How do you go from having no man to this one?” He offers me his hand, and I shake it. “You sure you can handle him?” he asks Layla while looking at me.

“Shut up, June Bug,” Layla says. “I keep telling you people that he’s not my boyfriend but nobody will listen,” she hisses, and I’m relieved that she’s back to her normal hostile self.

“I’m her big cousin, Julian to you,” he says, pointing at me. “You got to earn the right to call me June Bug.” Layla rolls her eyes at him, and I grin. When he smiles, he looks just like Layla and her mother. “Come here. Let me holla at you for a sec.”

“June Bug, will you cut it out?” Layla says.

June Bug ignores her and pulls me to a secluded corner of the room.

“She’s my baby cousin,” he says, and I nod. “She’s my favorite person on the planet.” It comes out almost as if it’s a warning. “She went to her fancy friends and helped me get my job.” He points to his hotel uniform, and I assume Layla’s fancy friends are Jeannie and Coach. “The company’s going to pay for me to go to hospitality school after working there for a year.” I stand there, unsure of what he’s getting at. “I left that life behind, if you know what I mean.” I raise an eyebrow as he moves closer. “But I can return there real quick if anyone hurts my favorite person. Got it?” He points a finger at my chest.

“Are you threatening me?” I do my best to sound serious and not laugh in his face.

“I’m making you a promise. You have a reputation,” he whispers.

I roll my eyes and huff. “It looks like you do too.” I look down at him and the tattoos on his neck and arms.

“We ain’t talking about me. You keep it in your pants, and you stay away from those Sethheads. You do that, we won’t have a problem. You hurt my cousin; you deal with me, and I guarantee you won’t like what I do to you.”

I hold up both hands and step back. The last time someone threatened me was in high school after I slept with the quarterback’s girlfriend. “Back off,” I tell him, only he steps closer. “Don’t threaten me. I’ve never disrespected your cousin.”

“Wrong answer. I need to hear that youwill neverdisrespect her.”

“What happens between me and Layla is between us. Get out my face.” I take a step closer to him and wait for him to move back, but he doesn’t.

“June Bug? Wakowski? What the hell are you two talking about?” She comes between us. “Are you clowns having some kind of pissing contest?” When neither one of us answers, she says, “Are you kidding me?”

“Just letting him know he ain’t about to disrespect you, Lay,” June Bug says.

“Disrespect me? Why don’t you people ever listen to me? I’m not in a relationship with him. He couldn’t disrespect me if he tried. Just stop, June Bug. Didn’t you dump Vonnika just last week? What if her brother got in your face?” Layla says.

“Then I might have some respect for his little pussy ass,” he says, grinning from ear to ear. “Right before I beat his ass because no motherfucka better step to me. Forget Vonnika. I’m going to college, Lay. I’m trying to find me a woman who’s a doctor or an engineer or somethin’. Maybe a rocket scientist because I love me a smart woman.” Layla rolls her eyes at him, and that gets a chuckle out of me, and I think he hears me. “This man’s been coming around. The entire neighborhood is talking about it. Don’t tell me nothing’s going on, and since your daddy ain’t here, it’s my job—”

Layla puts a hand to his face and he knocks it down. “First of all, my daddy lives four miles away. Second, I’m a grown-ass woman. And you,” Layla says, pointing a finger at me, “just wait until I tell Vickie you’re over here acting like a caveman. She’s gonna knock you upside the head.”

“The only person who’s scared of Vickie is Chastain,” I tell her, chuckling. “And I didn’t even do anything. Your cousin is the one who got in my face and started talking shit to me.” She gives each of us a dirty look, turns her back, and walks away.

June Bug watches until she’s out of sight. “Is she talking about Vickie Chastain?” He whistles when I nod, and all his irritation with me disappears. “That woman is fine with a capital F.” Then he lowers his voice and asks, “You think you can introduce me? She’s the type of woman I’m looking for. Fine and sexy. And I can tell she has attitude. She’s my type.”

I let out an unguarded laugh at that thought. “Good luck. Her husband would kill you with his bare hands.”

Chapter 17

Layla

The background noise in the waiting room falls silent as we all stare at the doctor. I heard what he said, but my brain won’t or can’t accept it. Gaga falling and breaking a hip was bad enough, but that was fixable. We’d figure out a way to get her the help she needs, but Dr. Hiram just threw us a curveball I did not anticipate.

“Did you just say my mother had a stroke?” my mom asks. She takes my hand after asking the question.

I feel a large hand on my back, and it feels soothing. I’m not going to acknowledge who it belongs to, but for the moment, his hand feels good, and I won’t shrug it away. Donna takes my other hand, and June Bug stands so fast that his chair tips over. The doctor talks about complications and that Gaga is in the intensive care unit. The tears stream down my face as I listen. Words like rehabilitation and possible partial paralysis bounce around in my head.

I squeeze Mom’s hand as she listens. Unlike me, she hasn’t shed a single tear. That’s not surprising because she’s always been the strong one. She’s the oldest of her siblings, and she takes care of everyone. She’ll do it again this time because that’s what she does best.

As abruptly as the doctor came into the waiting room, he leaves and we’re left behind in stunned silence. A nurse comes, and we follow her to the intensive care unit. Only one of us can go in at a time, and we’re told that since she’s so fragile, they are limiting her to one visitor for tonight.

“You go, Auntie,” June Bug says.

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