Page 10 of When It’s All Said And Done

Just like Nessa she hung up on me too. Although hers was out of safety, I still wasn’t a fan of that rude ass shit. Even if you said bye with it at least let a nigga respond in case, I still had shit to get off my chest. Once we caught our breath, we hopped into the other moving truck that housed all of Chance and Chanel’s belongings. There was no way I would’ve got out with a lot ofmoney and don’t lookout for my people. Mama Eva and Chance were the only ones holding me down while I was on the inside. In more ways than one and with her not being here to reap the benefits, I be damned if Chance doesn’t.

Now, he couldn’t just let me give him a handout that big. So, instead of him just letting me cash out on a spot for him. This man was adamant about him paying me back for it. Rather he does it or not didn’t matter, but if he did all I was going to do was gift it to his daughter. On the way back over to my house, thinking about what I’d just done for Chance had me looking at myself funny. I couldn’t help but side eye my-damn-self because how I do that for my cousin but not my Baby Mama first.

As I turned into my gated community in Miami Gardens, the wheels in my head started spinning. Just as I was almost to my house it hit me. Nessa not only needed an upgrade, but she deserved one of these big ass houses she dreamed about too. Not just one of them but the one next to me, I thought I was whipped into my neighbor’s driveway. Getting out of the moving truck, I made my way towards the door.

“Um, yes, can I help you?” An older black lady asked when she answered the door.

“Hey, how ya doin’? Can I buy your house?” I inquired.

“Excuse me?”

“How much would you sell me your house for?”

After a little more back and forth before she took me seriously, I called Fernando over with the amount of money she felt it was worth. When I really put my mind to something, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t do or obtain.

“I wanna keep the furniture too. Just take all your personal belongings with you. How much you think all your furniture and appliances worth?”

“Tuh, my house must really be that nice for you to want to buy it this bad.”

“I mean it’s nice and all, but I really just needed my Baby Mama to live next door to me.”

“Ooh, well, um isn’t she lucky.”

Once we agreed on a date to go to the bank to do the transfer the deed and her to be out of the house, I got back in the truck to go home. As I entered the house, the only thing that I wanted to do was lay out on the couch. I stayed fit while on the inside but moving furniture all day wore a nigga out. Just as my head fell back on the couch, Fernando cleared his throat to announce his presence.

“We leave to meet your mother at midnight,” he explained. “We’ll stop by to grab Chance as well.”

“Bet,” I responded as I checked the time on my phonebefore sending Chance a heads-up text.

A little after one in the morning, we finally arrived at this secluded location. It was a huge, abandoned lot with a building in the middle of it. Fernando informed us that my mother was waiting inside before getting in the truck and pulling over to the other truck that sat off in a corner. With everything I had going on I still hadn’t had a chance to secure me some weapons. With my status in the game being unknown, and Fernando having a gun on him it wasn’t a pressing issue right now.

When we walked into the building, Nina sat at the head of the table looking like a true queen pin. She was dressed in olive green from head to toe with a white hat tilted to the side on her head. We stopped when she stood up with a bag and walked over to us. She placed the bag on the table before standing in front of it.

“Who’s this?” she questioned me but stared at Chance. “Well, well, if it isn’t April’s son. How is Ms. Holier Than Thou doin’? She still talkin’ shit ‘bout everybody like her shit don’t stink?”

“She’s good,” he answered.

“And the other question?”

“Yeah, she still talkin’ shit. Well, she stopped after you missed your own mama funeral.”

“But she didn’t,” I chimed in causing them both to look at me. “Did you?”

“How’d you figure it out?” She countered with a smirk.

“When I finally made it to the grave site I looked around and noticed a woman standing under an umbrella too concerned with our burial instead of focused on the person she came to visit. You were just far enough not to be identified but close enough to still have seen everything.”

“Yep. At one point we were havin’ a starin’ contest because it took me droppin’ my head for you to look away. I couldn’t miss my own mom’s funeral, but I couldn’t fully attend either.”

“Ooh, I can’t wait to burst my mama bubble with that info,” Chance chuckled.

“No, you can’t tell her yet. Not her or anybody needs to know about me. Not until we complete the mission first. Understood?”

“Cool with me,” he agreed.

“If this all you brought me here to tell me, you could’ve sent this message by way of Fernando,” I shook my head. “I ain’t got no reason to tell nobody else ‘bout you being here. Is that all?”

“You act like his ass too,” she rolled her eyes before removing her hat. “No, Nasir, you can’t leave because that’s not the only reason I risked my life for this damn meeting. Now, can I continue or will this be a trip in vain?”