Page 79 of Certified to Handle You 3

I stared at the watch, then glanced toward Pressure and Kay’Lo. Pressure’s grin had eased into somethin’ more serious, and Kay’Lo just looked at me over the rim of his cup like he already knew what part had landed. I rubbed my hand over my mouth and looked away for a second ‘cause I ain’t wanna stand in the middle of a jewelry store gettin’ emotional in front of everybody.

“Y’all crazy,” I muttered.

Pressure laughed low. “Put that shit on, nigga.”

The jeweler took the watch out real careful, and I held my wrist out. When he fastened it, the weight of it sat perfect. I turned my wrist under the lights, and diamonds caught every angle. The whole store clapped, and somebody in the back yelled my name. Then I heard Blaq talkin’ loud about how he had helped pick the right one.

Pluto came beside me again and leaned into my arm. “You like it?”

I looked down at her and shook my head. “You got me talkin’ all that deep shit in the car while you knew y’all was about to do this.”

Her smile softened. “Both things can be true.”

I stared at her for a second, then laughed under my breath.

Kay’Lo handed me a cup, and I took it from him.

“Y’all really thought this shit out,” I said before takin’ a sip from my cup.

“Had to,” ‘Lo said. “We wasn’t ’bout to let you disappear for yo’ birthday.”

“I ain’t disappearin’.”

Pressure snorted. “Nigga, please. You been in the house watchin’ sports and actin’ like a nigga on house arrest.”

I took a sip of the drink and shook my head. “Outside been corny.”

“Then we brought outside to you, but with diamonds and family.”

Kay’Lo laughed into his cup, and Pressure grinned. Then my mama called my name, and everybody started movin’ me deeper into the store.

I ain’t want no party. I ain’t want everybody lookin’ at me, askin’ if I was good, or makin’ my birthday feel bigger than I was ready for it to be. But this ain’t feel like people just wantin’ to turn up. It felt like they had all seen me driftin’ and decided to pull me back without askin’ permission.

It was my mama holdin’ my face, my pop’s hand on my neck, Pluto’s soft smile, Pressure’s loud ass love, and Kay’Lo standin’ close enough to let me know he was there without makin’ it a speech.

I looked down at the watch again while the lights hit it, and my throat got tight enough that I had to take another sip.

Pressure bumped my shoulder. “Don’t start cryin’, nigga.”

I ain’t have nothin’ smart to say back to that, so I just shook my head and let my people move around me.

A nigga like me wasn’t supposed to be easy to fool, and somehow they had me thinkin’ I was the one runnin’ the play.

I had walked Pluto into her own setup with my chest out, tryna make sure she ain’t catch Pressure slippin’, and the whole time she was walkin’ me straight into mine.

I should’ve been mad at these niggas for not listenin’. I probably would’ve been mad on any other night, but standin’ here with this custom Rolex heavy on my wrist and my family laughin’ around me, I couldn’t make myself feel nothin’ but grateful.

So, I lifted my cup when Pressure looked over at me, and he lifted his back with that same proud smile on his face. Kay’Lo tapped his cup against Pressure’s, then nodded toward me. Blaq stood beside me with his cup lifted too.

For once, I stopped fightin’ it. I took another sip, looked down at the watch again, and let myself stand here inside all this love without tryna run from it.

Tomorrow was my birthday, and even though I had told everybody I ain’t want nothin’ big, my people had decided I was gettin’ celebrated anyway.

Maybe I needed this shit more than I knew.

My birthday celebration was still goin’ and by then I had enough liquor in me to loosen up without bein’ too fucked up to know what was happenin’ around me.

I spent most of the night movin’ from one person to the next, laughin’ with my family and takin’ whatever gift somebody shoved in my hands. Every time I thought I was done openin’ shit, somebody else came walkin’ up with another box or bag.