Page 117 of One Good Reason

“Law out there?” Gema asked.

“Ummhmm. I tried to get him to stay in the car, but he thought I was gon’ sock yo’ child in the eye.”

“Knowing you, he prolly right.” Gema laughed. “What we eating?”

“Your favorite, of course,” I gushed.

“As long as I can add the blueberries to my waffle, I’ll take it.”

“Gema.” I laughed. “You know those aren’t actual blueberries.”

“Ummhmm I’m knowing it,” she acknowledged.

Diabetes and all, my girl pushed it every time. She knew she wasn’t supposed to have a bunch of sweet shit, but I let herindulge from time to time.Only because I made sure her levels were checked three times a day. If at any point they started reading high, we would lay off the sweets. My mama n’em on the other hand ain’t give her shit. Gema knew all of the indicators to determine if her sugar was high or not, but they’d rather treat her like an invalid instead of listening to her.

“They been giving you those pills I packed.”

“Litha have. She took me to the Walmarts and got ‘em transferred back down here.”

“And I’mma transfer ‘em the fuck back when I get home. Those were ninety-day supplies, by the time you need a refill, you will be back at home.”

“How Jessie doing?”

“As good as can be expected. Worried about you.”

“Yo’ mama… I swear.” Gema shook her head.

Tying the string on her shoe, I stood. “She was your daughter first. You ready to go Bertha Mae?”

“Ready for that waffle.” Stepping past me, Gema slowly walked out of her room. I grabbed her purse off the dresser and tossed her pill case in it. Following her out of the door, I told her to head to the living room where Law was and tell him they could go to the car. I needed to get that phone from my mama. Her ass had been hiding in the back since I walked through the door.

“Jalitha!” I yelled as I walked down the hall toward her room.

“What?” she shouted back.

“Girl,” I groused, swiping at my nose. I laughed it off. “I need that phone.”

I stood at her room door and waited for her to open it up. I wasn’t playing when I said she wasn’t ‘bout to have my granny round here without any way to communicate with me. Thank God Corrine was able to make the few strides that she did. The way my mama was acting, who knew when I was gon’ be able to see Gema if she hadn’t gotten the judge to sign off on it.

The sound of her unlocking the door had my eyes turning to slits. Scary ass did all of that talking to turn around and lock herself up in the damn room.

“Here.” She shoved her arm through a small crack and handed me the phone.

I snatched it out of her hand. “I’ll bring Gema back later on.”

“What time cause I gotta give her meds at a specific time?”

“Don’t play with me. I got herandher meds. I been doing this longer than you have,” I spat and slid the phone in my back pocket. “I’ll call you when we’re on the way back.”

I turned to walk away, but before I could make it down the hall I spun around. “Matter fact, I’mma bring her toherhouse. It would be wise of you and the rest of ‘em to meet me there. The tenants included.” Without giving her time to offer a rebuttal, I walked away.

“Why y’all not eating?” Gema asked and forked a piece of blueberry waffle that was drenched with sugar free syrup into her mouth. The three of us was smooshed in one of those tiny ass booths at Waffle House talking while Gema enjoyed her all-star breakfast.

“We ate earlier. We gon’ go for dinner before I drop you back off.”

“You handle that?”

“I did. I got all of the paperwork in the car. I can’t evict the folks living in your house but I’m meeting with them later and I’ll have them deposit the rent money into your account.”

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