Page 45 of Our Mother's Sons

“Let a nigga try you.” I was serious as a heart attack. Just the thought of someone attempting to rob Rainah for the massive diamond she was rocking had my finger trigger itching.

“Calm down, killer,” she smiled. “I’ll be fine.”

“I have one more surprise for you.”

Rainah’s head lifted. She hadn’t been able to stop admiring her engagement ring. Once we got married, and I slid the band on her finger, it was going to top the set off just right. The wedding band was made of diamonds. I pointed towards the entrance, and she spun around. All eyes were on Alisa as she walked onto the basketball court.

“Oh my God,” Ida Mae gasped as she stared at her daughter. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and Alisa rushed over to her mother and hugged her.

Alisa looked better than I’d ever seen her look in my life. Her brown skin was free of blemishes and word on everything, she actually looked like she was glowing. Her face was full due to her having put on at least twenty pounds. Her hair was cut into a short bob, and the orange sundress that she rocked fit loosely on her newfound curves. Her nails were done, and Alisa rocked classy, short nails with French tips.

Rainah stood frozen in place watching her mother and grandmother hug. The two embraced for what felt like five minutes. When they were finally done, Alisa wiped her tears and headed in Rainah’s direction.

“Thank you so much for paying for rehab for me. I feel so good, Rainah. I won’t ever stand here and act like I think this is going to be easy. It will be a fight for me every day not to use, but I’m committed to staying clean. I’m going to get a job and keep myself busy.”

Rainah and her mother hugged, and I decided to wait on offering Alisa a job at Jonah’s. I never had to battle addiction, but one thing I didn’t do was judge. Alisa witnessed her husband be murdered, and she was raped and left for dead. I’d never look down on her for coping however she chose to cope. I had never been in her shoes, and I couldn’t fathom what I would have done in a situation like that.

Jason and Jordan couldn’t wait any longer. They ran over to their mother, and wrapped their arms around her. I stood back with a proud simper on my face as she introduced her mother to her grandkids.

“Congratulations, twin.” Jovani held out his open palm for me to slap. “Now see, if you would have married balloon lips, you would have missed the opportunity to be with your soulmate.”

“Can you or Grams ever call anybody by their names? It’s always got to be some odd ass description or insult.”

“Do you care what I call plastic Barbie?” he frowned.

With a chuckle, I shook my head. “You are one silly ass nigga. Voyage and Atlantis will never be bored around your ignorant ass. You already have the baby calling her mother a yemon drop bish.”

Jovani’s shoulders hiked into a passive shrug. “Guess she calls it like she sees it, but anyway, Grams killed Melissa’s pops, and it seemed like those two could be in the same room without killing one another now. Why isn’t she here?”

“She’s in Colombia meeting with Augello. Melissa is determined to take her place on the throne and continue moving coke through Ausnor Beach. I can’t even blame her. If that’s what she wants to do, what can I say? Her ass is going to be filthy fuckin’ rich.” For just a split second, entertaining the game for just a little longer crossed my mind, but I was tripping. My ass was done selling drugs. Hopefully, I was done murdering niggas too unless someone came at anybody I loved the wrong way.

“You can say she needs to sit her old ass down somewhere, lay off the fillers, and be a grandmother since she was never a mother,” Grams chimed in. “We can take turns with babysitting. I might not be running a drug empire, but I have a few prospects on the team. Grams can’t be out here babysitting all the time. I be having appointments to go see a man about a horse. Shit.”

Jovani frowned. “I know the fuck yo”

“Who the hell are you cursing at?” Grams snapped as she smacked Jovani on the arm.

I was equally as disgusted as him. When Grams peeped the fact that I was frowning, she drew back. “Something you want to say? I watch you all swap spit and act all lovesick over Rainah and Voyage. I even caught this nasty one ass out on the beach. Y’all aren’t the only ones that like to get it in.”

“La la la la la la la,” Jovani sang as he put his hands over his ears and walked away.

“I need a drink,” I mumbled. Grams raised her son, and then she raised his sons. She ran a successful pool hall for years, and she even sold coke for a lil’ minute. She deserved to relax and do whatever it was that she wanted to do in life, but there were certain things that I damn sure didn’t care to hear about.

It was crazy how things had come full circle on the very basketball court that I was standing on. Many basketball games between Rainah and I had taken place on the court. It was where our friendship grew, and it was the place where we had our first argument causing her to walk out of my life for five years. Now, the basketball court symbolized something new and positive. It was the place where Rainah agreed to don my last name. Rainah Bendetti had a real nice ring to it. She was going to be busy as hell over the next few months planning a wedding and getting her practice started, so I was going to be patient. I was going to let her handle everything that she needed to handle before I pumped more babies in her ass. Hopefully, next time she would have triplets.

* * *

The next morning, I carefully carried the wooden tray with Rainah’s breakfast on it up the stairs. Jason and Jordan had helped me to prepare breakfast for their mother. It was our first Mother’s Day together as a family, and I had gone all out for her. She wasn’t the only one that was going to get some dope gifts. Jovani and I had also gone all out for Joanna and got her a five-bedroom house that we hoped she would actually agree to move into. The new house was closer to me and Von but after yesterday, I wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. If Jovani popped up on Grams and caught her getting it in, I’d hate to think about how he would react. His crazy ass didn’t need to be shooting senior citizens and shit. Jovani never liked to see men flirting with Grams. He attempted to shut it down anytime it happened around him at the pool hall. I tried to explain to that man that Grams was grown as hell, but the Lord only knew how Jovani might tweak out if he caught Grams actually having sex.

Jason and Jordan ran ahead of me into the bedroom and used the stairs on the side of the bed to climb up on it. My California King bed was huge and sat up high off the floor. After Rainah moved in, I got a new mattress, sheets, and comforters. “Mommy, wake up! We made you breakfast,” Jordan cupped Rainah’s face in his small hands. I had to smile at the loving way that he held his mother’s face.

Rainah’s eyes opened, and she smiled at Jordan. “I’m up, baby.”

“Happy Mother’s Day!” Jason stood up and started jumping on the bed making Rainah laugh. Of course, Jordan joined in, but I had to shut it down.

“Aight. Your mom can’t eat her food if you’re jumping on the bed.” The boys stopped jumping, and I walked over to the bed as Rainah sat up. “Happy Mother’s Day.” I set the tray down.

“Wow, you cooked all this?” Rainah eyed the plate of food hungrily. I’d whipped up pancakes, smoke sausage, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes with onions and peppers, and fresh fruit.

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