by Cee Bowerman
“Oh, sweet Jesus.”
~*~
“Summer! Thank you for inviting us over for dinner.” Martha hugged me to her, and then Smokey did the same before he walked through the door to the patio. “It’s not often that we get invited to Bird’s house for food. It’s usually the other way around.”
“Well, you can expect more invitations. I like to have people over for dinner, and it gives you a chance to hang out with the kiddos. It’s easier than loading them up and carting them around.”
“Are you feeling okay, honey? You look a little tired.”
“Oh, I’m feeling perfectly normal.” I smiled at Martha. What I didn’t add was that I felt perfectly normal for a pregnant woman. Exhausted, worn out, terrified. The usual emotions.
“Kale and Terra are coming over too. Kale said that he and Bird both need to speak to us about something. Smokey thinks it’s something to do with one of the bars. I hope it’s not some other fool trying to skim money.”
“No. That’s not it at all, I’m sure.” I smiled and moved to the kitchen to pour us both a glass of tea.
“Are you okay after last night? Any word from the police?”
“Marcus called Bird earlier, but he didn’t have any new information. Ms. Cherry is out of town on vacation, but somehow she found out what happened. She called earlier to check on us.”
Just then, Kale and Terra walked in through the side door. Kale was carrying a basket full of shiny Hot Wheels cars and set it down on the table before he enveloped his Mom in a hug. I heard the large man murmur, “Hi, Mama.” and it was the cutest thing I had ever heard. It was so sweet, it brought tears to my eyes.
I took a deep breath and willed them away. Good Lord, I needed to figure out how to keep my shit together.
Terra looked at me oddly, and then smiled softly. Somehow, she knew what was going on with me. It was like she could sense it. I raised my eyebrows at her, and she just chuckled.
“I brought the boys a gift basket.” Kale lifted the basket up proudly. “Me, Pops and Bird are going to race cars with the boys.”
“That is a whole lot of cars! They have some Hot Wheels already that they can add to it.”
“He went through every single car on every single peg in Walmart. I’m not playing, Summer. He compared them all and then told me what was wrong with each of them and what parts weren’t realistic. Did you know that they have a Chevy out there that is not painted with a Chevy color? Apparently, it’s painted a color that didn’t exist when that year model car was produced in the first place, and years later another car company patented that paint anyway.” Terra’s eyes got wide in mock outrage.
“That’s a travesty!”
“Isn’t it?” Terra was still pretending outrage. She clasped her hands in front of her chest. “I thought so too! We should alert the presses, call in the National Guard!”
“Fuck both of y’all. Smart asses.” Kale grumbled. Marta patted him on his cheek and smiled.
“So, you’re going to race them? That sounds like fun.” I made a mental note to grab my camera before we headed outside. It would be cute to get pictures of the men teaching the boys about cars.
“Yeah. We’re going to use the slides.”
I took a breath and let it out loudly as I looked down at the floor.
Martha laughed. “Oh, son. It’s a good thing you’re pretty.”
Terra laughed so hard that she had to grab onto the table to stay standing. Kale, completely unimpressed with the three of us, picked up his basket of toys and stomped away.
~*~
Once dinner was finished and the boys were back in the pool, Kale turned to Martha and blurted out, “Terra’s pregnant. She’s almost three months along.”
“Holy shit!” Smokey exclaimed as he jumped up and jerked Kale out of the chair for a hug. Smokey moved to Kale’s other side and pulled Terra up out of her chair much more gingerly and enveloped her in a hug.
Martha didn’t say a word, she just put her hands over her mouth and tears silently ran down her face.
“Bird’s got something to tell you too.” Kale added, looking at his brother.
“Summer’s pregnant too. It’s early yet. Just a month or so. But we’re having another baby!”
“Oh, my sweet boys!” Martha wailed. Smokey sat down in his chair and pulled her onto his lap. “They’re giving us more babies, Smoke.”
“I know, Mama. It’s okay. Hush now.” Martha cried into his chest, and Terra and I both joined her. Each of us sniffing and wiping the tears off our faces. I looked over at Terra and started laughing at her tears, she did the same to me. Soon, she and I were leaned into each other, holding hands, laughing and crying at the same time.
Bird and Kale were staring at us like we had both lost our minds. Oh, the two of them were in for such a roller coaster of surprises in the next few months.
“My girls!” Martha stood up from Smokey’s lap and came around the table. She leaned down between us and hugged us both close to her. “I’m so excited!”
“I’m going to give it a few weeks and then go to the doctor to make it official. Bird and I took a test this morning though and it was definitely positive.”
“Yeah. I fucked up. Since the plus sign was pink, I thought that meant we were having a girl. Summer rolled her eyes so fucking hard I was afraid she was having a seizure.”
“Oh, son. Both of you are in so much fucking trouble right now and you can’t even see it. Word of advice. Shut up, rub her feet and give her whatever the fuck she wants to eat. I’m not even remotely joking.”
Bird and Kale both nodded.
I heard Martha whisper between me and Terra, “You’re both going to end up killing them. For such smart guys they can be really fucking dense.”
~*~
BIRD
“Lark is down for the count, and all three boys are in their own beds. For now.” Bird stripped his clothes off and joined me in the bath. He pulled one of my feet up onto his chest and started rubbing it.
“Your Mom and Dad were so cute when they found out.”
“They are over the moon. Dad said that Mom is going to teach herself to crochet.”
“That’s nice. I bet she’ll do great!”
“She’ll end up stabbing someone with a crochet needle. This won’t be her first foray into homemade crafts. She got so pissed when she tried to learn how to embroider that she set the shit on fire on the back porch. Clem fucked up and told her that the bluebonnet she was sewing looked an awful lot like a dick and balls. She lost her shit and walked out back. We thought he hurt her feelings and she was trying to calm down. When the fire department showed up, we realized that she had set her embroidery on fire and it caught the fence on fire when the wind kicked up. Dad made us replace the whole fence for hurting Mama’s feelings.”
I was laughing so hard I snorted, which made me laugh even harder. I could imagine Martha doing that. Hell, I was not the crafty type either. I could see myself wanting to set shit on fire too.
“Just so you know,” I wheezed out between chuckles, “I can’t make a damn thing. I don’t paint, sew or any of that shit. Not a crafty kind of girl.”
“Maybe you can’t do any of that shit, but you’re a great Mom and you love all of us to distraction. The rest is just fluff anyway.”
I smiled. He was good at the sweet stuff.
“And, that pink lemonade pie? Holy shit. That was the best. Will you make me and the boys one soon? We had to share that one tonight and I barely got a slice. Phoenix ate his slice and half of mine!”
“Welcome to parenthood, sweetheart. I haven’t finished an entire plate of hot food without interruption in years.”
“What I want to know is how such little people eat so much fucking food. It’s crazy to me.”
“From what my Mom said it’s preparing us for when they get older and never stop eating. She said that she caught Atlas gnawing on the coffee table one afternoon while he waited on the pizza to get to the house.�
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“Yeah. I’ve been that hungry before. I get it.” Bird looked so serious, it made me worry about what our house would be like with what was soon to be five kids who were growing by leaps and bounds every day.
“Hell. I’m probably going to have to go to work just to afford their groceries.”
“No. We’re doing okay, babe. I’ll take care of paying for it. You’re the one that has to cook it all. You get the short end of that stick.”
“I love you, Bird.”
“And I love you, Sunshine.”
I heard Lark start to cry and looked toward the monitor.
“I think we should take her to the doctor.” Bird said as he rose from the tub. “She’s not acting right and she’s got a whole lot of spit coming out of her. She might be dehydrated.”
“She might be getting teeth. Bring her in here and let’s put her in the water with us. It will relax her and maybe she’ll sleep better.”
“I’m being cock blocked by an infant.”
“Get used to it, buddy. You have no idea.”
~*~
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart. I hope you weren’t asleep.”
“Oh, no. I was up and awake. I think Lark is teething. It feels like there are four teeth coming in.”
“Poor baby.” Mom cleared her throat. “I got your text that you really needed to talk to me, but I was in the middle of something and couldn’t call. Is everything okay?”
“Well, yeah. It is. Is everything okay with you? You sound different. Off somehow.”
“Yeah, sweetheart. I’m okay.”
“You sound so sad, Mom.”
“I’ll be okay baby. I’ll bring the kids over tomorrow and we can talk.”
“I have some cheerful news for you, I think.”
“Did the judge already sign the papers?”
“No. But just as good, I think. I’m pregnant.”
“Oh my God!” My mom squealed and then covered the phone up. I heard her speaking to someone and thought that it might be one of my little brothers or sisters. Instead, I heard a man’s deep voice. “I’m so excited for you, baby. That’s great news.”
“I think so too. It’s really early yet, but I wanted you to know.”
“Oh, sweetie. Congratulations. Tell Bird that I said I am happy for the two of you.”
“I’ll let you go, Mom. See you tomorrow?”
“Yes, of course. We’ll be over around eleven. I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
After my Mom hung up, I sat there staring at the pool for a few minutes. The man with her had to be Grunt. Well, it didn’t have to be, but I was positive that she would have told me if she was seeing someone. What I didn’t understand was why she had seemed so sad in the last few weeks. Hopefully she and I would have a few minutes to talk tomorrow, and maybe I could drag it out of her.
“You about ready for bed, Sunshine?”
“That depends. Are you going to do wicked things to me when I get there?”
Bird snorted and pulled me up out of the chair.
“I’ll do some naughty things to you right here.”
And, he did.
19.
“I may seem calm and reserved, but if someone messes with my kids, I can go to a level of crazy that most people can’t comprehend.”
Summer to Bird
“Oh, shit.” I looked down at my arm and saw that yes, there was actually shit on it. “Lark had a blowout. Will you guys get the boys in the car and I’ll go change her. And me.”
Martha grimaced when she saw my arm and then nodded her head. She reached down and grabbed Phoenix’s hand and led him out the door. My Mom was already outside with Hawk, Crow and my little sister Petra.
“Little baby girl, at least you got this out of the way now, rather than after I strapped you into your seat.” Lark cooed at me and stuck her fist in her mouth. “After yesterday’s fiasco, I’m not ready to wash that car seat cover again.”
By the time I walked into our bedroom, I had her poop on my shirt and my skirt. She was feeling just fine and didn’t seem to notice the smell that was making my eyes water. I shook my head and stepped into the shower stall with her. Instances like this needed a high-pressure wash.
Once she and I were both undressed and clean, I wrapped her in a towel and laid her on my bed while I dressed. I took her to the nursery to put a fresh set of clothes on her, and within just a few minutes we were ready to go. As I walked down the stairs, I heard a shrill scream from the front yard, followed by another child’s scream. I recognized my sister’s voice, and Hawk’s. As I rushed across the room, I laid Lark down in her playpen. I threw the door open and saw my Mom laying in the grass, Crow beneath her, screaming his head off. From the car I could hear Hawk and Petra screaming in fear.
As I rushed to my Mom, I looked around but didn’t see Martha or Phoenix.
I touched my Mom’s neck as I moved her off of Crow. I felt a strong pulse, but she was out cold. Crow didn’t jump up, he laid on the grass screaming, holding his arm up across his chest. I looked over to the Suburban and saw that Hawk and Petra were both strapped into their seats, screaming at the top of their lungs.
“Mom! Mom, wake up.” I knelt over Crow. “Baby what’s wrong? What happened?”
“Bad man, Mommy. Bad man!” Crow was sobbing, but I was afraid to move him.
I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and called 911. When the operator answered, I didn’t know for sure what to tell her other than one person was unconscious and bleeding from her scalp, and my three-year-old might have a broken arm. I added that my baby and Mother-In-law were missing. Once I was sure the operator had the address, I hung up on her and called Bird’s phone. Luckily, he was close by at the clubhouse, having a meeting with his brothers and Terra about some financial things.
“Hey, babe…”
“Come home. I need help. The cops are on their way.” I hung up on him and ran toward the car. The kids were both frantic and sweating, sitting there strapped into a vehicle with only one door open in the heat.
As quick as I could, I unleashed them both from their car seats and they threw themselves at me. Petra quickly let me go and went and collapsed beside our Mom. She never stopped screaming.
Hawk was so upset his words were running together, but he was trying so hard to tell me what happened.
“Mama! The bad man took Nix and Gamma!” Hawk rushed out the words as he held on tightly to my neck. “He hit Gigi and pulled on Crow. Gigi hit him and then he hit her hard and now she’s dead! Gamma hit him and he hit her. She hit him with a rock, and he fell down. The other bad man took Nix in the car, but Gamma got in. She was bleeding Mama. Gamma was bleeding. Gigi is dead.”
“No baby. Gigi is not dead.” I could see a man lying down in the grass on the other side of the Suburban. I assumed that was the man that Martha hit with a rock. He was still unconscious.
I heard the motorcycles pulling up and with Hawk in my arms, I turned to see Bird and quite a few others pulling into the driveway. Bird was off his bike in seconds, running to Crow who was still laying in the grass. Kale and another man went to the other side of the Suburban, and I saw Kale lean down to look at the man in the grass.
Grunt fell to his knees by my Mom and leaned over to inspect the cut on her head. He held her chin still with his hand, but in a harsh voice, ordered her to wake up.
It was complete chaos. I felt Terra come up beside me, and she pried Hawk from my arms. He latched onto her neck, wrapping his legs around her waist. As she walked past her, Terra grabbed Petra by the arm and drug her into the house. She shut the door behind her.
I knew that the three children inside would be safe with Terra. She would see that Lark was over in the play pen and take care of her along with the older kids. I dropped down beside Crow and put my forehead to his as he cried.
“I think it’s his shoulder, maybe his elbow. Fuck. I don’t know.” Bird had his hands on Crow and winced as my litt
le boy screamed in pain.
I heard sirens in the distance, and I looked up at Bird.
“I had to call 911. They’re hurt. There’s a man on the other side that your Mom hit in the head with a rock. Take him somewhere and find out who the fuck took my baby. They have your Mom too. Find out. I don’t care how you do it or what you do to him. Find them and kill them and bring me back my baby.” I realized that I was yelling, but I couldn’t help myself. “Find my baby, Bird.”
“Yeah. Sunshine. I can do that.” Bird stood up and ran to the other side of the Suburban where two of his brothers were.
