Page 33 of When a Soul Cries

“Nah, let him keep talking, Ma. I wanna see how this ends.”

I pointed at him. “This your fault.”

“My fault? You the one laid up somewhere and lied saying Ma wanted me to go grocery shopping.”

Mama’s head turned toward me so slowly I knew I was fucked.

“You told your brother I said *he* had to go?”

I glared at Rome. “You talk too fucking much.”

“I might've worded it a little different,” I admitted.

Rome folded over laughing.

“I was busy!”

Mama narrowed her eyes. “Doing what?”

Rome looked at me.

I looked at him.

That snitching motherfucker smiled.

“Minding my business.”

“With who?” Mama asked.

“Why it gotta be somebody?”

Rome coughed into his fist. “Because it was.”

I lunged.

His ass took off around the car.

“Bring your snitching ass here!”

Mama stood watching two grown men chase each other across her yard like we were children again.

“Both of y’all look fucking stupid!”

“You don’t even know where I was!” I yelled.

Rome dodged around the car. “I know you was with a woman whose name your dumb ass couldn’t remember!”

Mama’s voice cut through the yard.

“YOU DON’T KNOW THE GIRL NAME?”

Both of us stopped.

I looked at Mama.

Then Rome.

“It slipped my mind.”