After a while, I reached over and placed my hand over his where it rested near the gear shift.
“You gon’ take me to the airport?” I finally asked.
“Of course,” he said, like there was never another option.
I smiled, squeezin’ his hand before leanin’ my head back again, keepin’ my fingers laced with his.
We stayed like this, lookin’ up at the stars, the music playin’ low, the blunt burnin’ down between us, and for once, my mind wasn’t runnin’ in ten different directions.
Kelli had a way of doin’ that to me, calmin’ me down without sayin’ much. And tonight, that was exactly what I needed.
Two days after Grandma Glo almost gave my ass a damn heart attack, I was over at Pluto and Pressure’s spot, where they had a whole goin’ away party set up for me. And when I say they showed out for a bitch, I mean they really showed out for a bitch.
The backyard was lit up with soft gold lights strung across the patio with music playin’ through the speakers and tables set up with so much food on ’em it ain’t even make sense.
They had jerk chicken sliders, honey garlic wings, barbecue ribs fallin’ clean off the bone, fried fish baskets, shrimp skewers, stuffed peppers, baked mac and cheese sittin’ in big trays, rice and peas, plantains, pasta salad, deviled eggs, and lil’ buffalo chicken finger sandwiches lined up in different sauces like somebody knew I was gon’ be walkin’ around all night eatin’ with a drink in my hand.
Drinks was everywhere too. Bottles lined up with cups already filled, and somebody was always handin’ me somethin’ before I could even ask for it. Weed was rolled up, and passed around, sittin’ in ashtrays like it was just part of the setup, and the whole vibe was filled with love, laughter, and people who actually wanted me here.
I stood outside for a second when I first walked in, just takin’ it in, and I ain’t even gon’ lie, that shit hit me a lil’ bit.
“Why y’all doin’ all this?” I asked, lookin’ between Pluto and Pressure while I laughed.
Pressure was already pourin’ himself a drink, smirkin’ like he ain’t do nothin’ special. “You leavin’, ain’t you?”
Pluto came up behind him, rubbin’ her hand over that cute round belly of hers, glowin’ like she always did. She was damn near five months now, and you could see it in the way her dresses hugged her just right.
“We wanted to do this for you, Nelle.”
I walked over and wrapped my arms around her, careful but still tight enough to let her feel me. I pulled back and gave her belly a lil’ look. “Bitch, when you finna find out what you havin’?”
Pluto rolled her eyes like she was already tired of the question. “I’m not.”
Renza’s voice slid in right on cue. “That’s ’cause she know she about to have another boy.”
Pluto turned her head slowly and looked at him. “And that’s exactly why we not findin’ out right now.”
Pressure laughed under his breath, already shakin’ his head. “She gon’ be mad as hell if it’s another boy.”
“I am,” she said, not even hesitatin’. “So, I’d rather be surprised and cry when the time comes.”
I snorted, lookin’ between them. “Lawd… please let it be a damn girl ’cause it if it ain’t, Pluto said she gon’ knock all this shit over.”
Renza laughed and lifted his cup. “Facts!”
The whole day just went up from there.
We had tables set up playin’ cards and then dominoes smackin’ loud as hell. Niggas was yellin’, and the music kept switchin’ from old school to some island shit, then back to somethin’ that had everybody singin’ along. I don’t even know how many drinks I had, but at some point, I was feelin’ good. I was loud and talkin’ my shit like I always do.
And I was whoopin’ they ass too…
I slapped my cards down on the table so hard it made the cups shake. “I guess I just had to beat on y’all ass one mo’ good time before I leave.”
Kay’Lo leaned back in his chair, laughin’. “We can tell you been waitin’ all day to say that.”
Renza leaned back in his chair, watchin’ me like he was already irritated by how loud I was bein’, but that dry ass smirk on his face told me he was waitin’ on his turn.
“Girl, you done only won them two lil’ hands and you hollerin’ like you done ran the whole table.”
