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“What are you doing here?”
Her beam deepened but without the tenderness. “Well, isn’t it obvious?” She smoothed down her pencil skirt distractedly. “I’m visiting my beautiful granddaughter.”
“Did you forget to check in with her mother?” I turned to my father. “What ruse was just played on my nanny? What is going on here?”
“Oh, calm down, Shi-Shi.” She waved me off dismissively. “Let’s exclude the dramatics. I’m her MeMa. I can have the pleasure of seeing her whenever I like. It’s called grandparent privilege. Even Jas spoils me with my cravings for her.”
“Don’t dismiss my concerns regarding my daughter.” My attention bounced back to my father, heart still racing from having to come and search for my child. “And you. How dare you disrespect my staff this way? We’re talking about a three-year-old! She was taken from the care of her nanny!”
“You don’t think you’re the only one who’s employed a nanny, do you, Shi-Shi?” My mother’s brow raised. Her gaze ping-ponged between my father and Jas. “You’re here now. You see, it was just a visit from her grandmother—”
“I don’t give a shit about her grandmother’s wishes to see her. It’s random. Selfish!” I’d lost my breath. “Just like you.”
“Shi-Shi!” my father warned.
“Just chill.” I felt Jas’ hand on my arm.
“Awwwww! Look at the mommy, running to the rescue of her only baby,” my mother heckled. She pretended to cry.
That surged my fury. “You know what? She willalwaysbe my baby. Even when her dad does things I don’t want him to do, it would havenothingto do with my girl. That love is unconditional. Unlike yours. You’re the most selfish maternal figure on theplanet—”
“That’s enough, Shi-Shi!” my father tried.
“No! It’s true! She abandoned me as a child. Refuses to support me as an adult—even from afar. But wait. I guess I’m supposed to be grateful because you love my little girl. Right?” I wouldn’t bite my tongue. For years, I lived with the pain of her abandonment. But today, I’d protect my baby girl. “Well, you can keep your conditional interest masked by love. I don’t want her heart broken by it. I won’t perpetuate it.”
She broke out in a robust laughing fit while clapping her hands. It was rude. It was evil.
“Come on, Celestine,” my father murmured cowardly. “You see she’s shaken up. She’s a mother now. You can understand her concern.”
“I’m sorry.” My mother covered her mouth, trying to slow her amusement. “You’ll have to forgive me. It’s the irony!” She pinched her nose in an act of calming herself. “It’s just that very thing you accuse me of—” More snickering. “You forget DNA is strong.”
“Excuse me?”
“You.” My mother straightened. “Chi-Chi’s father did something in the past you didn’t agree with, like revealing his full identity. Because you’re so weak, he knew you’d run. When he finally disclosed his name, I’m surprised you didn’t run faster.” She spit out a giggle. “Then, when he absorbed your father’s firm in his acquisition, you ran. And when my little lamb was born—can you guess?” She slapped her palms together. “Yup. You ran again. You’ve been running her entire little life.” She pointed behind me to Jas. “Because of him and your resentment for him, you’ve not been a part-time mother to my lamb, but perhaps a quarter. No wonder MeMa goes to these lengths to see her. At least when you were that size, you had all of me all the time. Nothing in my world competed with growing and developing you.”
My father stepped in front of her, whispering, I was sure, pleas for her to stop.
She craned her neck to peer around his stout frame. “Oh, no. Sweetheart, don’t ever forget you’re my child.” Her eyes brightened, and her voice hiked. “Yes,mychild! Your apple has fallen, but it hasn’t rolled far from the old root here. You don’t believe it? Look at how Chi-Chi ran to her father when you both barged protectively in here together. She didn’t see you. See. Same tree. Same type of apple. Different seeds.” My father’s voice raised, losing patience by now. “Oh, stop it, Noel! I will not be disrespected. Not by her. Not by anyone!” Then she stormed into the corner where her purse lay on the chair.
Completely shattered by her judgment, I left the room.
I felt her body trembling as she walked around me to leave the room. The sadness and fear in her face fucked with me.
Noel’s pussy ass was at Celestine’s side in the corner of the room, trying to talk to her. For comfort?
“Yo,” I called out into the all-glass room. “I ‘on’t know what this bullshit today was about, but if you try it again, you’ll cancel your ‘grandparent privilege’ with Chivon.”
“Jas,” Celestine was first to speak. “I cannot stand for disrespect,” she cried. Crying. The lady showed emotion after her daughter left the room, running from a hail of verbal shots.
“That ain’t got nothing to do with me.Butabout that. Your lil’ flexing of me allowing you to spend time with Chivon can come to an end if her mother says so. I like you, Celestine. I really do, but don’t get it twisted; it’s for my daughter’s sake. I’m about whatever it takes to give her the best life. And if that toxic shit between you and her mother spills out to her, I’ll dead it.”
“What are you saying?” Noel turned fully to face me. “We did nothing wrong here, and I won’t allow you to disrespect me or my wife, Sinclair.”
“You did nothing wrong? You just let her slaughter your child. Y’all may be with this shit, but I ain’t. Don’t involve my daughter.”
“Wait a minutehere—”
“Noel, yo…” My hand shot into the air while I made sure to control my volume. “I play nice because of my daughter and the respect I have for her mother. But be clear, you know I don’t fuck with you. The minute you co-sign this beefin’ shit with my daughter’s mother and her mother is when I don’t play no more. You got that?”
