“I was. I ain’t ever been on a plane before, so I ain’t really know. I thought I could hide it in a cleaned out deodorant bottle and be good. That’s what the internet said anyway.”
Iskyiah couldn’t believe what she heard. It didn’t make sense to her. “Why didn’t you tell me? You literally just ghosted me.”
“I ain’t ghost you. I just went away for a bit. I asked my uncle and Tey not to tell you anything because I knew you would drop everything and hop ya ass on a bus or some shit, all the way to Montana to see about me, even if Ms. Wanda ain’t want you to.”
She had to give that to him. He was right. If she had heard he was arrested, she would have done everything she could to see him through that. It wouldn’t have mattered what her grandmother said, what her brother said, or even what Charles said. Moolah had always trumped them all, but he had also broken her heart when she didn’t hear from him for two years. By the time he hit her up, she had been close to graduation and had moved on with her life, at least that was what she told herself. Holding a grudge was something she was good at, so ignoring him had been easy. Kind of. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t cried over him for a long time and missed him like crazy, but she was hurt.
“You could have told me, even when you got out. I would have heard you out.”
“That ain’t somethin’ I could say over a message or the phone, Sky.”
“Then you could have pulled up on me,” she argued.
“You think I ain’t try? As much as Ms. Wanda loved me, she wasn’t tryna betray you by tellin’ me where you lived. All she said was you was still wit’ Charles and happy. Once I heard that, I let the shit go. I was hurt, man, but it was clear you ain’t wanna talk to me. I knew how yo’ ass could be when you got hurt. You shut down on me, and I ate that because I kept you in the dark for two years. That was my bad, baby, but it was never my intention to ghost you. You should know better than that.”
Iskyiah looked down at her lap. She had been so mad at him. Through the years, he even reached out on social media, but she refused to engage with him. The longer it went without speaking to him, the easier it got, but she never got over her best friend. She never forgot that beautiful last night together. Whether she wanted to fully admit it to herself or not, Moolah Brooks had a huge part of her heart, and she wanted to honor that by naming her daughter after him.
Feeling a bit silly for holding that grudge for so long, she finally looked at him and muttered, “I wish you would have told me.”
“I tried to catch yo’ ass at your grandmother’s funeral, but you acted like you ain’t see me.”
Shame flooded her. Seeing Moolah after so long had shocked her. She definitely did exactly what he just said. She acted like she didn’t see him at the repass and left immediately. The emotions were too much for her to handle at the time, and instead of confronting him after all those years, she ran.
Moolah didn’t say anything else, and she decided not to respond to his last statement. Instead, she looked out thewindow at the palm trees and bright skies and got lost in thought.
After another thirty minutes of silence in the car, they pulled up to a house that looked small on the outside, but Iskyiah had the feeling that it was much bigger than it looked. It was surrounded by palm trees, and the ocean sat just behind it. With curious eyes, she looked at Moolah and asked, “Where are we?”
“Paradise.” He opened his door and stepped out.
Iskyiah followed suit and stretched after she closed her door. She jumped when Moolah’s deep voice barked, “Fuck you doin’?”
“Huh?” she asked, startled.
She watched as his jaw clenched, and he took a breath before he nodded his head toward the car. “Iskyiah, get yo’ ass back in the car.”
“But I thought?—”
“Car.” His tone was so final, Iskyiah knew she had no choice but to do what she was told. He opened the door for her, and after she got in, he closed it. After a few seconds of confusion, he opened the door again and offered her his hand. “You don’t touch door handles when you with me. You hear me?”
It came flooding back to her, and she fought a smile. Moolah had always had a thing about doors. His uncle taught him how to be a gentleman when in a woman’s presence, and Moolah took those lessons to heart.
“I hear you.”
He grunted his response before he turned and led her toward the front door. Iskyiah looked back and noticed the driver had busied himself with getting their luggage. Briefly, she wondered how much money Moolah really had. A private jet, a driver, his clothes and jewels . . . it was clear to her he lived really well.
After he punched in a code, he opened the door and ushered her inside. Iskyiah’s instincts were spot on. The space wasgorgeous and much bigger than the outside let on. It was an open floor plan with glass walls at the back of the house that opened up to the ocean. There were tropical plants throughout the home, giving it a vacation vibe. The kitchen was a decent size, and there was a huge sofa with a projector against the wall, perfect for watching movies. A winding staircase was off to the side, so she knew there was another level.
While she took it all in, the driver placed their luggage inside. Moolah tipped him, and then they were finally alone.
His eyes bore into her. There went that intensity again. She squirmed under his gaze. She really didn’t know how to feel after his revelation in the car about going to prison. A part of her still felt abandoned, but the other part was relieved that there was a good explanation for his absence.
“You like it?” he asked.
Iskyiah was so lost in her thoughts, his question threw her off guard. “Like what?”
“The house.”
“Oh, yeah. It’s beautiful. Is it yours?” she asked.
