Page 45 of When I Thug You Like That

“That’s right,” Grandma Lettie agreed. “How you feeling, Jamison?”

“I’m looking forward to my boy being in an environment with his peers. Feeling confident about the school…”

“And the teacher,” Key added for me.

“Especially the teacher,” Tay cosigned with his head still down.

I shook my head, smiling, as I backed out of my parking spot.

“Damn, you like the teacher already?” Aura caught on.

“That nigga be liking everybody,” Pryce said, his face now in the camera but still behind Adai.

“No the fuck I don’t.”

“That’s two, Jamison,” Grandma Lettie counted.

“My bad. Tell ya grandkids stop puttin’ shit on my name.”

“I mean, you did kinda smile when Tay mentioned the teacher,” Thyri pointed out.

“Big too. She must be fine,” Amil concluded.

“Aye, man. Let me go.” I wanted to cut the conversation short before I broke out in another involuntary grin thinking about Ms. Jai’s cute ass.

“Send us pictures in the group chat of Baby Jay,” Key requested. “Make sure he got his headphones and stuff too.”

“I got this,” I assured her.

“We know you do,” Grandma Lettie said confidently. “And we love you and Baby Jay. Don’t let nothing or nobody get in the way of this day being a great one, ya hear me?”

“She talkin’ ‘bout India.” Key snickered.

“Key, get off this damn phone with yo’ messy ass,” Grandma Lettie scolded. “Matta fact, everybody hang up. Have a blessed day.”

With her final words, everyone dropped from the call, making me laugh. They knew when the big dawg spoke, everybody moved.

A text from Key came through seconds later.

Key: Let me know if India get to actin’ stupid. I ain’t got nothing to do today, so I can schedule a check a bitch consultation if need be.

Key’s ass was a nut, but I knew she was TTG at all times.

I reacted with the crying laughing emoji to her message then locked my phone. The drive to India’s was a quiet one. I’d managed to beat the school buses that were normally out early picking up the high schoolers and still made it to her place ahead of schedule. I didn’t want her to see the stuff that I’d packed for him, so I opted to leave the bags in the backseat of the car as I got out.

Seeing as there were no missed texts or calls from her this morning, I took it as a good sign. Like maybe she did have shit handled. And if that was the case, I had props waiting to give her for making shit happen. Using my key to unlock the door, I could hear music as soon as I crossed the threshold. It wasn’t blasting but louder than one would’ve liked on a Monday morning. I instantly thought about Baby Jay and how slow-paced mornings suited him better than ones where too much was going on at once.

Closing and locking the door behind me, I followed the music down the hall and to the kitchen where I could hear crying. It wasn’t regular crying either. I identified it immediately. Baby Jay was having a meltdown. Turning the corner, I stopped at the entrance, and the scene before me didn’t sit well. He was off in the corner, still in his pajamas, clutching his iPad tightly to his chest. His cheeks were wet, nose running, and his eyes red.

A frustrated India was talking to herself as she cleaned up what appeared to be cereal and milk that spilled onto the floor. It only took me seconds to assess the situation before stepping in.

I called Baby Jay over to me by a nod of my head. “Let me get that iPad, champ,” I requested over the music.

He didn’t move at first, prompting me to walk over to him. I lifted my pants and crouched down in front of him with my hand out. He’d heard my request, but by the sniffling and jerking of his shoulders, I knew he was still trying to get regulated.

“We all good, Jay. Let me get that, and then we’ll check on Mommy.”

“Don’t want Mommy. Mommy too loud.”