Page 33 of Our Mother's Sons

“Jovani-”

“I need some advice. You claim you didn’t trap my daddy. My grandma said you did.”

“I did not trap your father. I really wish she’d stop that narrative. Yes, he did leave me only because your grandmother had gotten wind that my family was racist. I was hurt, but I was cool with the breakup. Then I found out I was pregnant, and he came back. That’s the type of man your father was. He knew the dangers, but he loved me so much that he came back around. We raised you and your brother until the age of three. Your grandma was so stubborn that she wasn’t talking to Johan like that unless she called to tell him to leave. I feel bad that my family did that to your father, her son. But I did not trap him. We were in love.”

I studied her features to spot a lie, and Girl was so in Tune with her daddy that she was also looking Melissa upside down.

“Aite. So I need your take. I told Fine Shyt-”

“Who?”

“Fine shyt. My bitch. My woman. I told her that I loved her and wanted her to move in, but she hasn’t responded. Since you claim you didn’t trap my dad, what should I do next? I’m going crazy right now. I need her with me.”

“So, you fell in love?”

“Didn’t I just tell you I did? I swear your firstborn is yours fasho. He be asking dumb ass questions too.”

Doing that thing she does with her lips that makes her look like a mean ass principle, she reached in her bag and pulled out a folder. Instead of handing it to me, she kept it in her lap.

“I’m going to get right to it. I did some digging, and I found out who sold Girl to the Russians.”

Opening the folder, she pulled out a picture and handed it to me. I looked at the picture, but spots appearing in my vision made that hard to do. My stomach grumbled as I bit down on my back teeth.

“Melissa what the fuck is this, man?”

Pointing her manicured nail at the paper, her diamond bracelets clinked.

“That is the woman you have fallen in love with baby’s father.”

“Man hell nawl!”

After balling the paper up, I tossed it, and since there wasn’t much room, it bounced off the partition.

“So… so…” My breathing caught, my muscles tensed and my heart was thumping so hard in my fucking chest that I had to reach up and rub my breastbone.

“Girl is my daughter!”

“Son, I never said she wasn’t. I’m just presenting you with facts.”

A sudden and overwhelming sense of dread came over me. I could feel the veins pulsing out of my neck as I sat up right and looked at Girl with her foot in her mouth, wide eyes studying me.

“So you telling me the bitch who I been fucking is her womb donor? Her and that weak ass nigga sold Girl to a human trafficking ring?”

That had to be why the hoe got all weird at the sight and thought of kids. I didn’t even understand how in the fuck she worked at a god damn library not being able to see kids.

“Jovani. Let’s reel it in.”

“Ain’t no reeling shit in! Do I look like a fishing pole? I’m killing that weird ass bitch! Fictional living ass hoe.”

“Don’t call her out of her name, Jovani. That is Girl’s mother, and you must give her back.”

Drawing my head back I wanted to reach over and knock Melissa’s ass out.

“I’m not giving her back to no fucking body! You put me in this corn chip smelling ass truck to tell me that Dutton and Voyage sold their kid and you want me to hand her back? Yeah its good your ass did let Grams raise us because you ain’t got it all up there.”

“Jovani. Voyage-”

“Fuck that lemon drop drinking ass bitch!”

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