Page 107 of The Last Man on Earth
She nods.
“So who baby is that?”
Me and Avery both look over at Shemari. The question catches me all the way off guard, because it ain’t the time or the place, and because it seems like it should be fuckin’ obvious.
“How long was I gone?” I ask.
“Almost nine months.”
I give her a look that saysyou already know the answer to that question.
Her eyes fill with tears, but her voice is steady. “Avery, can you take JR to the room?”
My aunt grabs JR’s hand and leads him away. As soon as they’re out of sight, Shemari gets started.
“What the fuck, Vince?”
My shoulders droop under the weight of this. “What you want me to say?”
“Explain this shit to me. Please.”
I rub a hand over my face. “It should be self-explanatory.”
“Well, it’s not!” Her eyes go wide. Her nostrils flare. “They tell me they found yo ass, and I’m all giddy and shit cuz I thought you weredead, and then you waltz your black ass in tonight with another bitch who’s carrying your fucking baby? And that’s supposed to explainitself?” Her voice breaks at the end. “You done lost yo damn mind.”
Tears spill down her face. I’m surprised, because Shemari don’t cry like that. Not when she’s mad.
“Listen—“
“It’s bad enough that I got left at the fucking altar, but then you show up with your side bitch and the bitch is pregnant. And she’sold enough to be my mama! What the fuck am I…howthe fuck am I supposed to feel, Vince?”
“First off, she’s thirty-seven,” I correct. “And I don’t know how you should feel, Mari. I ain’t you. I can’t tell you how to feel. Just like you ain’t me. You didn’t see what I saw. You didn’t deal with the shit I had to deal with.”
She rolls her eyes.
“It’s too soon for this shit,” I say. “I wanna give you all the answers to all your questions and whatnot, but I need a minute to get my fuckin’ head right.”
“Oh yeah?” she snaps, swiping at her tears. “Maybe I should call your plug. So you canget your head right.Right?”
That one hits a little too deep.
I get up and walk past her, stopping at the bathroom door.
“Vanessa? You okay in there?”
I don’t wait for an answer. I open the door and find my big sister in a ball on the floor.
I drop to my knees beside her. “I’m so sorry, Van. I’m sorry.”
She looks up, eyes swollen. “I told him not to go,” she sobs. “I told him.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
That’s all I can say, really. He was a grown man, technically, but I guess to a mama, you’re never truly grown. And I’m the one who promised to look after him and not let him get into anything.
And now he’s dead.
I pull her into my arms and hold her tight. “He’ll be home soon,” I say. “I’ll take care of everything.”
