Page 7 of Love Sanctioned

“I can get it.” He was too damn eager, looking like a miniature version of me. Between trying to grow up myself, he had too grown up. Shit was wild. he had gone from asking me for money to buy Robux to a whole fucking car.

“We’ll talk about this with your moms.” I deaded the conversation for now, knowing damn well I’d hear about it as soon as he got his mother on the phone. She wanted him to come to Tampa with her, but he didn’t want to go. Lowkey, I would have liked for him to go with her too. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about his safety here with me, but we fucked up and gave him a choice and he chose to stay with me. Now it had been almost nine months since Carla went to care for her grandmother and I was dead ass a full-time dad. Shit wasn’t easy at all, but I was grateful I didn’t have a daughter because that shit would have had me DOA.

“Aight.”

He got out of the car first, grabbing his bags from the backseat. I sat there for a moment, about to call Killah when my phone started ringing. He must have felt me about dialing him because he was calling me.

“Are you at home?”

“Just pulled up, boutta go over to mama nem’s. What’s up?”

“Nothing, I’m about to slide through. Come take a ride with me.”

I glanced at the time. “Aight, lemme go in here and check on Hattie right quick. You know she keeps sending me all these fucking Google searches of illnesses.”

He laughed. “You are the only person who pays that much attention. You know she be talking to Ms. Gladys up the block. Err’time I look up she got a fucking ambulance outside her spot.”

I shook my head. “And she needs to stay the fuck away from that lady ’cause that’s a bad influence.”

“What?”

“Birds of a feather flock together. My grandma ain’t no ambulance bug.”

“Yo, shut up, dumb ass. I’m out front.”

I got out of the car and headed out the door. My yard was somewhat connected to my grandmother’s, only separated by a flimsy garden gate with a latch. So it took no time for me to go from my yard to hers.

I went in through the back door after climbing the back stairs. Just like I already knew, Mama was at the stove while Grams sat at the table talking to Junior.

“Pops, I'll stay over here for a little while and put Grandma’s bookshelf together.”

I leaned in and kissed my mama’s cheek, then moved to where my grandmother was sitting. “That’s cool. I’m about to take a ride with Killah right quick. I shouldn’t be long.”

He nodded. “My stepmama coming over tonight?”

I grilled the fuck out of him. “Probably. Don’t you got a fucking bookshelf to be building?”

“Posydiann, language.” Grandma hit my thigh. I glanced around the spacious kitchen, my eyes landing on the golden-brown fried chicken wings sitting on the pan near the stove where my mother stood frying the other pieces. I didn’t even realize I hadn’t eaten until now. I had gone from picking Junior up at AAU to getting my truck detailed then the mall with his begging ass. Now he wanted to play me in front of Grams.

Junior laughed, then hightailed it out of the kitchen. He knew what he was doing, knowing damn well my grandmother and Mama went feral over Karsyn. They knew who he was talking about because she was the only woman who had ever been around him for him to call her his stepmother.

“So, did I hear that correctly? My daughter-in-law is coming over and you didn’t tell me?” Moms asked immediately.

“Probably, knowing her she’s gonna gimme some excuse why she couldn’t. Karsyn is wishy-washy.”

My grandmother shook her head. “Nope, you probably out here putting your lil thang in everything, which is not making her secure. Get your shit together and commit. Committed men live longer. ”

I chuckled. “Ain’t nothing ’bout me lil, Grams.”

“I don’t wanna hear that. Apparently something is off. But what I’m saying is, you wanna be with her, don’t you?”

“Ain’t no want to. I’m with her and only her. She just gotta get out of her head.”

“Then show her that. And when she gets here, bring her pretty chocolate self over here. We miss seeing her.”

The door in the front opened and immediately Killah walked in. “What y’all in here talking about?” he asked.

“You and why you don’t have anybody.” Grams started with him, so I shut the fuck up and walked back over to my mama to steal a piece of chicken. It was time for them to tag team his ass now.