Page 10 of Lost In You
ASAD
“I got calledin to work. Can you come get Jayceon? I’ll pick him up when I get off.”
“What time you getting off?”
“Eight.”
“Just let him stay. I’ll drop him to preschool before I go to work in the morning.”
“Why? That’s not late, Asad.”
“Because I like spending time with my son, that’s why. I wouldn’t mind him staying with me all the time.”
“So you can have him calling that ho mama? I think not.”
“Watch yo’ fucking mouth, Mila. She’s my woman now, and you will not disrespect her in my presence.”
“What the fuck ever. I’ll have him ready in a few minutes.”
“Yeah.”
I ended the call, knowing I would truly have to put Mila in her place when it came to Ashanni. She was so butt hurt that Ashanni lived her life and was still blessed. I’d heard rumors about Ashanni getting around, but she was a single woman doing what the fuck she wanted to do. I couldn’t be mad about that. As long as she was clean and could be faithful, that shit wasnone of my business. She was a beautiful soul and had a sweet spirit until you pissed her off.
Those were the things that mattered most to me. I knew she would treat Jayceon like he was her son, and the couple of times he was around her, he seemed to gel with her. He thought she was pretty. He thought all the women I was around were pretty. I grabbed my keys and headed out to get him. I would get dressed for Sunday dinner with Ashanni’s family when I got back. I would have to be sure that it was cool to bring Jayceon with me, although I was sure it would be.
When I got to Mila’s apartment, she opened the door before I could knock. Jay was right there with his backpack on his back.
“I’ll see you later, munchkin.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
She glared at me as I picked him up. “What’s up, man?”
“Hi, Daddy.”
I glanced at Mila to see her still glaring at me. If I could get away with keeping him forever and him never seeing her ass again, I would do that shit with the quickness. She put her hand on her hip and said, “I guess he can stay. I put him some extra clothes in his backpack. His lunch kit is in there, too, so you can pack him a lunch.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I kissed my little man on the head as he waved at his mama, then walked away to my truck. When I got him strapped in, I got into the driver’s seat and headed home. I checked the time to see it was only ten. Ashanni and her family ate at one. It was more like Sunday lunch than Sunday dinner. Most Black families ate lunch on Sundays and didn’t eat dinner. My mama did the same when I was growing up. We ate so much for lunch after church, there was no room for dinner. Most of the time, we had ice cream or some other dessert later that evening.
I wanted to take him to see her, but I knew she was at church. Her husband was a preacher. He was cool and treated her right. He wasn’t one of those holier than thou preachers, and I liked that about him. My sister looked like him with my mama’s skin tone. Clearly, my dad liked dark-skinned women. Mama Shana was dark complexioned as well. It seemed all his children took after him though. I wasn’t as light as Red Squared and Aaliyah, but I was much lighter than my mama.
When we got to my house, Jay unbuckled himself. He was too excited to be with me. That made me happy. My son kept me sane. It didn’t matter what bullshit came my way. As long as I had him, I knew I would be fine. Once inside, I put Sesame Street on for him, then went to iron us something to wear to the Hendersons. Although what Mila had put on him was presentable, I wanted him to look nice like me. Since I was wearing khaki pants and a nice button-down shirt, he would wear the same.
Before I started, I texted Ashanni.Hey, baby. Would it be okay to bring Jayceon with me? His mama had to go to work.
She responded immediately.Of course. I can’t wait to see y’all. You’re more than welcome to get here early.
I smiled. She was just as anxious to see me as I was to see her.Okay. I’m ironing now. I should be there by noon or a little earlier.
Perfect.
Knowing that she wanted to see me as soon as possible made me put a pep in my step. Just as I finished, Jayceon came to where I was. “Daddy, I’m hungry.”
“You didn’t eat breakfast?”
“No, sir.”
