Page 22 of Mahogany 2
Gabe sucked his teeth. “That ain’t fair!”
“Yes it is. I have my own money, little boy,” She teased.
Aubry had a little side hustle selling charm bracelets on Etsy, but sales were far and in between. She was in the process of looking for a job, but it’d been hard with her busy school schedule.
“Yeah okay. All of y’all finish y’all chores before momma gets back.”
“It’s barely anything to do—she cleaned up before she left and?—”
“So if I check the bathroom, it’s going to be clean, G?” I asked Gabe, cutting him off.
“I had to clean my room,” he complained. “I can’t do both like that.”
“You will tonight,” I told him. “You too Spark. Make sure you clean up the mess you made.”
“Okay, okay! Can I show you now, daddy?” Sparkle rushed.
“Yeah.”
There were a few moans, groans, and teeth sucking about chores, but they carried their asses on to do what I told them to do. All but Spark who grabbed my hand and dragged me to her room to show me her painting. She’d splattered damn near every color she had on the canvas and had gotten it all over her desk and floor too. It was a mess, but I told her it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. After, she told me I could have it to hang in my man-cave, and I told her I would. Which… I would. I’d already had a couple of her Picassos down there already.
Once I was done checking in with the kids, I went to the bedroom, closing and locking the door behind me. With a sigh, I looked over at the bed and shook my head. A nigga was still trapped down in the man-cave. Couldn’t believe it’d been damn near a week since she put me out the room and hadn’t bulged to let me back in. We were good and cordial around the crib but that was about it. I hadn’t slept with my wife since she’d been back and that shit ate at me viciously. Despite missing the hell out of her, I respected what she wanted and suffered in silence, uncomfortable as hell every night on that couch. Sleeping on the couch was a major step up from divorce so… I was cool with it, I guess.
Before I got undressed to shower, I emptied my pockets out onto the dresser and the folded-up test results taunted me. I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath, deciding it was time to finally open them.
I picked the envelope up and paced for a few before I ended up at the balcony doors. Although the bedroom door was locked, I slid the balcony doors open and walked outside. The evening breeze greeted me as I sat in one of the chairs. My heart raced. Started to pace but sat down instead. As I ran my finger under the flap of the envelope, my heart raced. Didn’t understand whythe fuck I was so nervous to read what I already knew to be true, but I was. I guess it was because reading them would make it more real.
I took my time taking the results out of the envelope. Took an even slower time reading them. When I got to the bottom and read the results, my stomach dropped. Probability of paternity? 99.9%.
I was immediately sick to my stomach. It wasn’t the results that got me. Like I said, I knew she was mine. Looked too much like Sparkle, who looked like me, not to be mine. It was the gravity of it all that pulled me down. I had to step up for real now. I had to make Diary a part of my life. I had to figure it out. I promised Erika I would. So, I had to make good on that. Not just because I promised her but because I refused to let one of mine grow up without a pops like I had to do. It was the right thing to do. I just didn’t know how the fuck I was going to do it.
You see the structure I already had? Shit was perfect. I had my four and there was a system. I knew them. Knew them just as well as I knew myself. They were mine through and through. I raised them from babies. Diary? I didn’t know her. I’d have to get to know her. This whole shit? The entire situation? It would take time. And I prayed like hell that Rochelle would give me that.
6
CRESCENT
“How did it go?”Luna asked as I made a right turn into my parents’ neighborhood.
“It didn’t. I’m pulling up on the block right now,” I told her, regretting the fact that I hadn’t held the meeting about the cooking arrangements for ma’s birthday yet. I hated not to have shit together when we talked. Luna was meticulous and would swear up and down a nigga couldn’t handle it because I was last minute. I could handle it perfectly fine.
My mother's birthday was in two weeks and since I’d taken the initiative to handle the food problem, I had to hold a meeting. I might’ve bitten off more than I could chew since I had my own shit to worry about but, it would be handled because moms deserved the party she desired. No way in hell was I about to let work get in the way of the plan.
“The party is in two weeks, and you still haven’t even talked them into spending two days at the compound,” she said before huffing. “It’s a good thing I found a black caterer to keep on standby because?—“
“Because you don’t believe I’m capable.”
“Exactly,” she stated matter-of-factly. “Did you think I would say something else? I’ve been planning this party for three months and you step in weeks before, making changes to the menu. Ma’s party is just as important to me as it is to you. Cres’. Don’t blow this! If you do, I won’t?—“
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I interrupted. “You won’t talk to me. You’ll never forgive me. I hear you, Lu and I told you I got it so let me have it.”
“You better,” she threatened. “How are things going with work? I heard you hired some bad ass interior decorator and wouldn’t stop staring at her.”
I laughed. “Man, mind yo damn business. That nigga Rah couldn’t wait to call you, huh?”
“You know it,” she laughed.
Rahmir and Luna were favorite cousins. Every time that nigga wanted to gossip like a bitch, he called her.
