Page 6 of Are You Going to Love Me

“Did I tell you it was?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Eden answered.

“Okay then, have her come, but keep Anzel away from me. That bitch needs her ass beat for what she did,” Poppi huffed, as Eden watched Staysha slide through the back door and creep down the hall.

“I will. You want to watch TV?”

“Yeah, put on that show with the BBL bitches who be fighting over those washed-up rappers,” Poppi instructed, licking her fingers and handing Eden her empty bowl.

Retrieving the bowl, Eden turned the TV to the desired channel and draped a blanket over her. “Are you going to give Aysha an easy night?”

“Hell no! I'm going to give that bitch a run for her money like I should be doing her fat ass momma,” Poppi stated with a chuckle. Then she winked. That was the woman Eden knew. And had only been allowed glimpses of over the last years. “You paying her?”

“I am.”

“How?” Poppi asked, looking up at Eden, who was trying not to lie to her grandmother ever. But in the light of recent events, Eden’s back was against the wall. Thanks to Staysha.

Eden chewed her lip. “I uh...got another job.”

“Oh yeah?” Poppi questioned as she snuggled into her blanket. Her meds were kicking in, but she wouldn’t be fully relaxed until Eden answered her question in its entirety.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Where?”

“Around the way,” Eden shared, earning a grunt from Poppi.

“Make sure you go see Dub at the corner store. Tell him I sent you, and he’ll make sure you’re good.”

Wearily, Eden said, “Okay.”

Dub had been dead for the last seven years, gunned down in the street in front of his one stop shop over gang shit. Poppi went crazy over that, had the streets laid out with bodies until the gang brought the attacker forward. The gunman was found within a week.

“Aight, whatever you do, don’t go talk to that bitch, Mama,” Poppi scoffed. “Some ‘mama’, she can’t do shit I do. Tomorrow, take me down there so I can get my shit back.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Eden shared, moving from the small living area to the front door to let Aysha in. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Nothing, anything I need to know?” Aysha questioned.

“No. Nothing outside of don’t let her sleep on the couch all night, put her in her bed, and put her oxygen on her. Just turn the key to the right and put the tube in her nose, then around her ears.”

“I can handle that. Call you if I need you.”

Eden nodded. “I’ll answer you when I can.”

Aysha nodded and sat by Poppi, leaving Eden to slip down the hall to prepare herself for her night.

“Where are you going?” Staysha asked her as she packed a duffle bag.

Staysha was sitting at the end of Eden’s bed, dangling her legs with her feet barely brushing over the worn carpet. Eden offered her a loaded look from her face down to her ankle, where the monitor was.

“Goin’ to work since you got caught. And whatever I make that’s extra pays Aysha for sitting with Poppi and your new hardware.”

Staysha smacked her lips and rolled her eyes. “Two things, you’re paying her to sleep? And how was I supposed to know the mark was a detective?”

“By knowing. I told you the signs. Nigga claiming hustler, no tattoos, no scars, nothing. Just straight up bullshit. Cops, detectives, whatever, off limits. Those are the type of marks that’ll nail you to the cross and not think twice. The only reason you got off with house arrest was because he was undercover, and you were going to blow up his spot.”

“Again, how was I supposed to know?” Staysha mused, before flipping her hair over her shoulder.

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