Page 15 of Can I?

I knew my mama was familiar with them, simply from Asad and me talking about them to her. “Oh, okay! Do you have a picture of her? I’m pretty sure she’s tall though.”

“I don’t have a picture. Yeah, she’s probably six feet.”

“You and those tall women. Does she rodeo?”

“She does. She barrel races.”

“She’s going to be there this weekend, isn’t she? That was why it wasn’t hard to convince your ass to go.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, she is. She just texted me. She doesn’t know I’m gonna be there though.”

I brought my attention back to my phone.Hey, Milana. I’m glad you reached out. I thought this would never happen. LOL. I look forward to getting to know you, beautiful. Good luck at the rodeo.

I hit send and stared at my phone to see if she would respond. After a few seconds, a message came through.

LOL! Thanks.

She was remembering what she’d said to me at that rodeo last weekend. I would like to think her reconciliation with her mother made her have a more positive outlook about her future. I just hoped that future included me.

CHAPTER SEVEN

MILANA

Iwas on my horse, pacing back and forth. I was so nervous, and I didn’t have a clue why. I’d been barrel racing for years, most of my life, and I hadn’t been this nervous since I was a kid. Although I’d had nearly a two-month break since the last rodeo and had only practiced for a week of it, I knew what the hell I was doing. I was built for this shit. When I heard my song come on, I smiled slightly. “Bigger In Texas” by Meg was my shit. It actually hit home even more now.

I turned to my mama to see her holding her cell in the air and dancing. I chuckled. Having her back in my life was my oxygen. She dropped the phone to her side and made her way to me. “Like Meg said, you in your prime, baby. I see the worried look in your face. Go out there and show them who the muthafucking boss is. This yo’ shit! You a fucking Semien and a muthafucking Henderson. You the standard in this rodeo shit!”

I swore she was my hype man. “Hell fucking yeah,” I said, giving Terminator a rub on the neck.

He was my mama’s horse that she’d passed to me. He could run those fucking barrels with his eyes closed. He was getting older though. Mr. Zayson was training a new horse for me. He’d just finished with KJ’s new one a few months ago and hadgone straight to mine. I needed a spare in case Terminator went down. I took a deep breath as I watched the young lady go before me.

“You got this shit, baby. Tune all that other shit out. You been doing this shit for ten plus years. It’s yours for the taking. The best time so far is fifteen seconds. That ain’t shit for you.” Glancing at the clock, she said, “She got sixteen point two five seconds.”

The racer flew by me. I looked over at my mama and nodded my head as “Like a Boss” blared through the arena. That was my mama’s theme song, and I had adopted it as one of mine as well. I flip-flopped between that one and a song by Z-Ro. Meg’s song was for my private moments. It was too vulgar to play at the rodeo, even when it was edited.

I nodded repeatedly as I stared at those barrels, visualizing what I was about to do, then took off. “Go! Go! Go! Sliiiiiiiide!”

We slid around the first barrel in record speed and was completing the clover leaf pattern in record time as well. After circling the last barrel, my nerves picked up because I could see it wobbling. If it fell, then that would be a five-second penalty. I couldn’t afford that.

Terminator turned up the speed in the straightaway as I lifted my ass and kicked him. When we got to the end, I heard the announcer going nuts.

“Ladies and gentlemen, wheeeew! Milana Semien just showed us how it’s done with a time of twelve point one six! That’s a record for this arena! She didn’t come to play!”

After Terminator stopped, I jumped off him and went straight to my mama. “You the fucking boss!” she screamed, causing me to laugh.

She was so cocky. She’d taught me to be the same way, but I rarely verbalized the things she did. I knew I was good. I knew Iwas one of the best at this shit. Only one other person was better, and that was Karima. This was gonna be her year had she not gotten pregnant. So I had to come through and keep this shit in the family. My mama picked me up and swung me around as I laughed. I was an inch or two taller than her, but she was strong as hell.

When I looked up and saw my daddy and Ryder J standing there with big smiles on their faces, I ran to them. “Daddy! Y’all made it!”

“Hell yeah! I wasn’t gon’ miss my baby competing for nobody!”

He picked me up as well and swung me around. “I’m so proud of you, baby.”

When he lowered me, I hugged my brother. He said in my ear, “Just like nothing happened. I told you y’all would get that back.”

I kissed his cheek. “You were right. What time y’all left Nome?”

“Shit, around three this morning. Ashanni, Maui, King, Kane, Uncle Kenny, Karima, and Rylan are out there too.”

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