Page 55 of Falling Into Gravity

“And if you gon’ love him, don’t play with it,” Gran Betty said just as Ralo got up fussing that he wasn’t playing with them anymore. She replaced him in his seat, back at the table. “He’s rough, but he worth it.”

“I’m not loving him,” Aku said, maybe a little too quick.

Myesa and Gran Betty looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

“Okay then,” Myesa said, clearly not believing a word.

Gran Betty just pursed her lips focusing on the table.

The pound cake was halfway gone by the time Gran Betty slapped a domino down so hard it made the folding table rattle. Anthony had closed the grill and made sure the old heads got back home safely. Now, it was just them.

“Twenty-five. Run it.”

Anthony groaned. “Myesa, you cheatin’. You count like you went to Crescent GED and not Crescent High.”

“Boy, please. I graduated with honors—and with yo’ dumb ass baby in my belly,” Myesa shot back.

Aku blinked, realizing that baby was Malik, and that this banter wasn’t just jokes—it was love…loud and layered.

“Y’all playin’ for real,” Aku muttered, settling into one of the lawn chairs near the table.

“You don’t play dominoes?” Anthony asked, eyes dancing.

“I mean…Malik showed me a little.”

Gran Betty’s whole body leaned back in her chair. “Oh, now I know you special. That boy don’t teach nobody nothin’ unless he care a little.”

Myesa cackled. “A little? If he taught her bones, he probably in love.”

“I didn’t say he taught me taught me,” Aku said quickly, waving her hands. “He just…we played a little…once.”

Gran Betty slapped her thigh. “Girl, that’s foreplay where we from!”

They all cracked up, while Aku sat there blushing, eyes wide, plate forgotten in her lap.

Anthony shook his head. “Ain’t no savin’ you now. Sit yo’ lil’ hot self down and lemme teach you how to not get skunked.”

He slid a few dominoes her way and started explaining the board slowly, methodically. Not like she was dumb—like he wanted her to win.

“You always been into the game?” Aku asked, lining her tiles up all crooked.

“I was born into it,” Anthony replied. “Dominoes, spades, and takin’ no shit from nobody. That’s Crescent Park baby.”

Myesa leaned forward. “What you need to know is, this game ain’t just numbers. It’s about readin’ people. Patience. Strategy. Life.”

“Everybody got the same pieces,” Gran Betty added. “It’s what you do with ‘em that count.”

Aku nodded slowly, lining up her play. She put down a double-five and looked up.

Gran Betty squinted. “That’s how you playin’? Girl, this ain’t no puzzle. You tryna win or decorate the table?”

“Let her be,” Myesa said, grinning. “She tryna learn.”

“I’m tryna survive,” Aku joked, picking up her juice. “Y’all cutthroat.”

“Exactly,” Anthony said. “You ain’t family till somebody cuss you out over bones.”

They kept playing, talking shit and counting points, smacking dominoes down with dramatic flair. Even when Aku played wrong, they didn’t make her feel dumb. They corrected her with love and laughter.

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