Page 74 of Royce
“Wassup Heidi.”
“Just coming to check on you. I’m sorry for not being here for Mama Rose’s funeral. It was too much for me. You know she was the first one besides you that showed me kindness. I didn’t think I’d ever be without her.”
“You and me both. Yonnis ‘bout to read the will. You coming?” I asked draping my arm over her shoulder.
“You know I am. How the babies? CJ didn’t even notice me when I walked in. I skated right pass his little behind.”
“They straight. You see how big my baby done got. She throw that breastmilk back like they shots. She getting chunky on a nigga. I love that shit ‘cause she was tiny as hell coming home.”
“Yeah, she was. And your wife? Is she doing what she supposed to?” She was hinting at being my support system. Heidi took a big step back once I brought My Baby home and only showed up every so often. She didn’t want to overstep or create problems.
“She’s much like you, you know. She knows how to be there without suffocating someone and she have this peaceful presence to her. She caters to a nigga without making me feel like she doing it just because she owes me. She being a wife. You can rest easy bestie,” I jested on that last comment.
“Cool. Let’s go see what kind of chaos Mama Rose ‘bout to create from the grave. I’ll grab CJ, you get baby girl,” she said brushing my arm off.
Her and CJ was locked in the minute he saw her. Klarity walked in with a smile on her face wrapping her arms around my waist. “You ready?”
“Not for real but I’m ready to get this shit over with. Come on y’all.” I pecked her lips and scooped up my baby. We walked out the house as a unit heading over to my parents’ crib.
The distance between my shit and theirs was a two-minute walk. Right next door to me but with some land in between. CJ had a ball driving his lil’ motorcycle from here to there. Today he was attached to Heidi’s hip though. He loved her down. You could see it from the way he looked at her that she was his lil’ crush.
Once we stepped through my people doors all you heard was laughs. I guess they had gotten over Mama Rose’s death. I shook my head out of frustration but kept my comments to myself. I was the only one that cared so I expected nothing less.
We followed the commotion and ended up in the family room. All eyes shifted to us as conversations faded. Every Atkins was in attendance and those close to the family. Striker sat in the back holding up a glass to get my attention. My crew stayed close behind letting me lead. We took to the back with my brother refusing to say a word. The glass he held was extended to me and I immediately took it throwing the shit back. I wasn’t in the mood for none of them.
“Can I hold her, Junior? It’s been a couple of weeks since I saw her.” My mama was the first to approach.
I ain’t really have no beef with her but since she was married to Pops, I kind of threw her in the mix. However, I handed baby girl over to her and I saw the relief on her face when I allowed it. She took her and sat on the other side of me. I was glad she knew not to go too far.
“Aye, what’s taking so long, Yonnis?” I spoke up. The room had plenty of life before I got in here now it was quiet as a mouse.
“Don’t come in here with that, Junior,” Pops chimed.
“Don’t say shit to me nigga. I was talking to Yonnis, the hell.” I was pissed and ready to do Pops in. He really ain’t have to ignore my granny like that and that shit was fresh on a nigga chest. I had all the smoke for him and Uncle Ryan, too. He knew not to say shit to me.
“Unt uhn, unt uhn, unt uhn. Not today. Junior, I get that you’re upset and hurt but that is still your father. Senior, let my son be. We not here for that,” my mama stood nipping the bullshit in the butt immediately.
“Read the will, Yonnis, so I can get the fuck on,” I voiced. I was ready to get the hell up out of here already.
He nodded and pulled out the documents. “My apologies y’all for it taking so long. I was trying to locate the other parties mentioned in the will. I got no response, so I figured they wanted nothing to do with it. Here we go.”
Yonnis began reading the will and Mama Rose split up her properties and belongings between her two sons and grandkids. However, he caught everybody’s attention with that last section, especially mine.
“To my grandson, Bentley Atkins, I leave you your mother’s life insurance payout of ten million dollars and her farm home located in North Brooke. To my grandson Genesis Atkins, I leave you my shares of Kinfolk Galleria, and life insurance payout of fifty million dollars. My love for my blood is all I had so I hope you all do what I couldn’t and be one without worries. That concludes the reading of her will.”
I know like hell this ain’t the same Bentley that took my shit. I mean, how many niggas is named Bentley out this muthafucka.
Before I could even get a word out, my mama went from zero to a hunnid quick. She offered a sinister laugh that had everybody looking at her like she was crazy. When you heard that shit, you knew she was getting ready to give it out without caring who thought what about her. I was just waiting to see who the hell she was ‘bout to turn up on.
“Junior, take my grandbaby,” she ordered. I reached for Essence with the quickness. The only times I saw my mama get like this was when she really felt disrespected. “You got meall kinds of fucked up. Muthafucka, when I said get rid of that bastard ass baby that’s what the fuck I meant nigga!”
Everybody in the room looked at Pops. It was obvious who she was talking to then. For some reason, my conversations with Mama Rose were the first thing that came to mind. Every time she mentionedthat girlorhaving a sonshe wasn’t speaking on me, she was talking ‘bout Pops’ outside kid. If Bentley was Aunt Rhema’s son, that left Genesis being Pops. I was already ready to do Pops in for the treatment of my granny but learning their separation of my parents was because he not only cheated but made another kid was making me want to dust his ass right then and there.
“That’s my son, Iris. I wasn’t ‘bout to take his life to make you happy. I made a mistake, but he had nothing to do with it. He was innocent in this adult shit,” Pops responded.
“I was innocent in this shit. You cheated on me and made a fuckin’ kid. What? You been taking care of them this whole time, too?” she shouted.
He nodded, and I released a hearty laugh. Pops really wasn’t shit. I stood with my daughter in my arms and said, “Aye, whatever you decide to do, Ma, I’m with you. If you part of me, let’s roll. I ain’t sticking ‘round for this bullshit.”
