Page 94 of One Good Reason

“Ma’am.” The sheriff stepped toward me. “We got a call about possible elderly abuse.”

“Who the fuck called?” I quizzed.

“I believe the call came from a Jalitha Naples.”

My head snapped in my mama direction and before I could catch myself, I roared, “Bitch you called the cops on Mrs. Jessie? You really sat up there and lied to them folks ‘bout her abusing Gema.”

“When she came to visit last week, she had a bruise on her back,” Joe Lee spoke up.

“And I told this dumb bitch that she slipped in the tub. I took her to the hospital to make sure she was okay. It’s a fucking bruise. We’re using Arnica cream on it!” I raged.

“Calm down, ma’am!”

“Don’t tell me to fucking calm down. You’re standing in my house accusing a nurse that I vetted and hired of abusing my elderly grandmother. Like I’m going to sit by and let that shit happen.”

“I tried to tell 'em Tali,” Gema said.

“Gema, I believe you. I’m not mad at you. This bitch on the other hand.” I turned and pointed at my mama. “You lucky this white man standing right here, that’s theonlything keeping me off your ass.”

“Ma’am… Until we can rule out abuse, we’re gonna have to place her in the care of her next of kin.”

“You ain’t fucking doing a thing without proper paperwork.”

“Oh, you meanthispaperwork,” my mama snorted as she passed it over to the sheriff. Once he had them in hand, he passed them over to me. Lowering my eyes, I stared at my mama before skimming over the documents.

“Unfuckingbeliveable!” I chuckled bitterly. “You couldn’t get her to willing agree to move in with you, so you go and do this.” I tossed the papers in her face. Biting down on my bottom lip, I inhaled several times to calm myself down. If I punched that bitch in her face, I knew for a fact that her ass would press charges on me and that was the last fucking thing Gema needed.

My spiteful ass mammy had filed paperwork with the courts in Douglasville alleging that Gema was being abused and until myself and Mrs. Jessie was cleared, she was given temporary elderly guardianship. Fuck the fact that I was her power of attorney and over her entire estate. Because the alleged abusehad taken place under my roof, I had no choice but to release Gema into her care. If I went against court orders, I could be thrown in jail.

“Gema, unfortunately… you gotta go with her.”

Shaking her head vehemently, Gema mumbled, “I’on want to Tali.”

“I know baby. But you gotta. At least until this bullshit ass investigation is complete. I’mma reach out to my attorney and see if I can do anything to speed this process up.”

“I told him wasn’t nobody over here putting they hands on me.”

“Mama, you can barely remember what the day is,” my mama asserted.

“Bitch! Don’t lie on my, Grandma. She is very fucking lucid.” Granted Gema had her moments where she couldn’t remember little things but nothing to the magnitude Jalitha was alleging.

“Come on, Mama. We need to get back to the house.”

“I ain’t going nowhere with you and this fool,” Gema spat and turned to walk away. When my mama reached out to grab her hand, I slapped it down.

“Put ya’ hands on her again and I’mma mop the floor with you.”

“Ma’am, unfortunately, she has to be released in her care.”

“I read the fucking paper. Give me a minute to get her shit!” I yelled.

Pushing past everyone, I walked down the hall to Gema room. She was seated on the side of the bed with her arms folded.

Kneeling on the ground in front of her, I grabbed her hand. “Gema, I don’t like this shit no more than you do but baby you gotta go.”

“I don’t got to go nowhere,” she protested.

“You do. If you don’t, I could go to jail, and you’ll still end up with her.”

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