“You really do. Would you even be in his business like this if you were writing a book you actually liked?”
He scoffed. “Hell no. I’d be in my characters’ business instead.”
I shrugged. “So there you go. Finish the book so you can move on to some folks you actually want to write about. Or you could get you a woman of your own…”
“Whatever Jay. I’ll be back around three to get Bri.”
We exchanged a quick goodbye, and then Justin headed off. I went back inside to check on Brielle, and after breakfast, she and I kicked it hard. Cartoons on the TV, dolls and hexbugs on the floor, polish on the toenails of my prosthetic, which she was in awe of. After lunch, I left her to mostly to herself with her tablet, while I set up my laptop on the couch beside her and finished the first draft of a paper for my Modern Black Lit class.
Which of course took my thoughts straight to Reese.
Not that they hadn’t been already, but writing about this book – which I’d already read before and was one of my mother’s favorites – brought her closer to the forefront of my mind. I wondered what she would be doing today. Was it too soon if I wanted to see her again later? Did I really care about “too soon” and other bullshit like that?
I forced my thoughts back to my paper, since the draft was due on Monday. A little after three, Justin arrived to grab Brielle, and I got dressed for my short evening shift at the dealership.
Lucky for me, I was in the service center today. Most of the jobs were just tune-ups and normal maintenance, but even that was better than that salesman shit. I’d been back there for a couple of hours before Pops came by, looking for me.
“You got plans for dinner, son?” he asked, catching up to me as I climbed out of a car I’d just finished detailing.
I shook my head as I swung the door closed. I’d still been thinking about seeing what Reese was up to, but as of now, “Nah. Why, what’s up?”
He pushed his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “Well, I wanted all you boys to come over tonight so we can eat and catch up. And… meet a friend of mine.”
Immediately, a smile spread over my face. “A “friend”, huh? Would it happen to be the friend whose house you spent the night at last night?”
“How the hell do you know that?” His expression shifted into a scowl, and he crossed his arms over his chest.
I shrugged. “Streets be talking, Pops. Streets named Justin.”
“That boy, I swear.” Pops shook his head.
“He’s just concerned about you,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Justin kinda took on most of the load when you were going through it right after Mom died, so he’s protective. He did say she was fine though. And that she was half your age.”
Pops chuckled. “She’s not half my age. She’s only ten years younger.”
“Still, she must be pretty damned bad if she’s got you ready to introduce her to the family.”
“Would you expect anything less from your old man?”
Shaking my head, I laughed. “Nah, I really wouldn’t. So what time are we meeting your “friend”?” I asked, passing him to pick up the car’s service history sheet from the metal counter at the front of the room.
“Seven-thirty.”
I nodded. “Aiight. That’ll give me time to go home and grab a quick shower.”
“Good. She’s got a daughter about your age, who she’s bringing too. Pretty young woman…”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Me dating your “friend’s” daughter would be kind of incestuous, wouldn’t it? And besides, I already kind of have a… a… girlfriend.”
Before I could think of an appropriate term to use for what I wasn’t completely sure was a relationship, Pops started laughing.
“What did I tell you boy? Hope you’ve got money for a ring.”
I sucked my teeth. “Come on with that, man. There’s not gonna be a ring any time soon.”
“You sure?” He grinned. “Yesterday, you “weren’t even dating”. Today, she’s your girlfriend. Looks like things are moving pretty fast to me. I might mess around and get another grandbaby.”
“Chill,” I insisted, even though I was laughing. “You playing, you might mess around and get your little young tender pregnant. Mess around and get me a sibling.”
Pops shook his head. “Took care of that possibility long ago,” he chuckled. “Last baby was twenty-eight years ago, and I sure intend to keep it that way.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I looked up at my father, and smiled at the joy on his face. “Seems like she’s got you hooked.”
He grinned. “Yeah, she does. Haven’t felt like this since Cilla. Reminds me of when she and I first started dating. Your momma had me hooked too.”
“That’s all I need to hear then,” I said, nodding. “I’m happy for you. For real.”
He bobbed his head. “I appreciate that.” A few seconds passed without him saying anything, and I turned to my clipboard to start marking off the service items I’d filled for the car. “So,” he started, and when I looked up, he had his head bent, kicking at a stain on the floor. “You don’t think it’s too soon? Feel like it’s… an insult, to your mother? For me to date, move on?”
“Man, hell nah,” I scowled. “None of us think that. We know how you felt about mama, know you loved her. It’s been four years, Pops. I think even mama would want you to enjoy your life, and move on.”
“Well I know that. She actually told me that, when she was sick. She knew it was coming, and she wanted me to promise not to waste away after she left. You boys are the only reason I could keep that promise though. I don’t want you feeling like I’m disrespecting her memory.”
“I don’t,” I insisted. “We don’t. Don’t even… Just erase that from your mind. You said seven-thirty, right?”
“Yep. Seven thirty.”
“Aiight. I’ll be there.”
- & -
“Reesie get dressed.”
My eyes popped open, and I screamed at the sight of my mother standing over the tub. I hadn’t been expecting her, nor had I heard her come in, so her sudden intrusion into my relaxing bubble bath scared the hell out of me.
“Don’t be dramatic,” she said, before she turned to head out of the bathroom. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You weren’t answering your phone or doorbell. I used my key to make sure you were still alive. And you had your music up too loud. I could hear it from my side.”
I rolled my eyes as I pulled myself out of the tub. I’d already been in there nearly an hour anyway, and the water was starting to get less than warm. “What if I’d had company?” I asked, wrapping myself in a towel. When I stepped out of the bathroom, the light was on in my closet, and I found my mother there, flipping through hangers.
“Then I would have politely snuck back out and gone to my house to wash out my eyes. But I didn’t see a car other than yours, so I assumed it was safe. I need you to get dressed, so we can go.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Go where?”
“To Joseph’s, for dinner. With his family.”
My mouth dropped open, and I quickly closed it back, letting my lips spread into a grin. “Ah, so that dress and those boots got you invited to meet the family, huh?”
She pulled out a sweater dress, looked it over, and then hung it up again before she turned to look at me. “Just the boots,” she said, then winked before she went back to looking through my clothes.
“Oooh, mama you’re nasty,” I giggled, gently nudging her aside to pick out my own clothes. “Is this dinner a formal thing, or…?”
“Casual,” she answered, looking over my shoulder.
I grabbed a pair of jeans, then started looking for a top. “Okay. What time?”
“We’re supposed to be there at seven thirty.”
My eyes shot over to the clock. “Mama, it’s 6:45!”
She shrugged. “I tried to call, and I sent a text message thing. Just throw something on, Reesie. It’s dinner at his house. Look at me!�
��
My eyes raked over her, from head to toe and then back up, landing on her face with a deadpan expression. My mother looked like she’d stepped out of a magazine, per usual, in boots, slim-fitting rust colored pants, and a thick, creamy off-white sweater.
I, on the other hand, was going to be ashy if I didn’t put on some lotion real soon, and had taken down my braids earlier in the day. I’d only bothered with washing and conditioning my hair, and pulled it into a band on top of my head. Dealing with it would take at least an hour.
I groaned. “How long does it take to get to his house?”
“It’s about fifteen minutes. Twenty to be safe.”
I groaned again. “Okay, so… I’ve got twenty-five minutes. I guess I’ll see what I can do.”
I put the jeans back, and grabbed leggings instead, pairing them with a dark olive sweater and skirt combo. I lotioned and dressed quickly, then pulled on boots to keep it simple, and decided on big hoops and minimal makeup, since I really didn’t have time. I lifted an eyebrow at my hair, pulled on top of my head, and frowned. No way I could tackle it if we didn’t want to be late. I tugged open a drawer on my vanity, digging around until I found a narrow silk scarf, and tied it around my hair like an intricate headband.
I wonder if Jason is going to be there.
That thought hit me out of nowhere, reminding me that as far as I knew, he still didn’t know my mother was dating his father.
When Jason and I were together, I honestly wasn’t thinking about them. I was in the moment with him, focused on us… and was it really my place to say something anyway? I’d never discussed my mother’s love life with previous boyfriends, but this was admittedly a little different since this time, she was dating my boyfriend’s father.
Wait.
Did I just call him my boyfriend?
The word felt foreign, even in my thoughts. But as strange as it was, it also felt really, really… nice.
I thought about texting him, giving him some sort of heads up, and then decided against it. He hadn’t texted or called all day, and I honestly wasn’t sure what the right move was. Gray was the first, and only guy I’d dated since my father died, six years ago, and obviously, I hadn’t handled that very well. Instead of stressing about it, I chose to finish getting myself ready so we wouldn’t be late.
If nothing else, I’d see Jason there.
- & -
At 7:28, my mother and I headed up the front steps of a gorgeous two-story brick home. I was nervous like I was the one meeting my man’s family.
Wait…
Technically… I was.
The door swung open, and there was Joseph on the other side, just as salt-and-pepper handsome as I remembered. He pulled my mother into a hug once we were inside, and she just melted, practically purring as he placed a soft kiss against her lips.
I watched them in awe, because they were obviously in love. And I wasn’t the only one entertained – two tall-and-fines were standing at the other side of the living room, watching, amused. It didn’t take much to deduce that these were Jason’s brothers. Mama and Joseph separated themselves long enough to run through introductions.
All of the men shared similar deep brown complexions, with different features. Justin was the spitting image of his father, and Joseph favored, but had the same nose and brow shape as Jason, which must have come from their mother. I assumed Jason looked most like her, judging from the other men in his family.
A gorgeous little girl came bouncing across the room, with smooth deep brown skin and a head full of thick black curls pulled into two puffs on top of her head. “I’m Brielle,” she chimed, showing off deep dimples as she smiled. She was introduced to my mother, who she declared to look like a queen, which tickled mama. Brielle turned to me, with her big brown eyes wide. “You’re pretty!”
“Well thank you,” I smiled. “And so are you! I like your dress.”
“Thank you. You wanna see my hexbugs?”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Umm… sure? If it’s okay with your father.” I glanced up at Justin, who shrugged.
“Fine with me. Take it easy on her please Bri.”
“Okaaaay daddy!” Brielle grabbed me by the hand and led me over to a kid-sized table set up in the corner. I kneeled beside her as she showed me a set of tiny robotic bugs, contained by a maze of tubes. I watched as she disassembled and then reassembled the maze with different paths, then started it up, giggling as the “hex bugs” ran through it, bumping and flipping and climbing over each other as they went.
“Did your uncle Jason get these for you?” I asked, and she turned to me with a big smile, and nodded. I smiled back. Of course he’d given her an engineering and robotics toy, nurturing her brain with science instead of just the typical dolls.
A few seconds after that, there was an influx of action as someone else came to the door. Jason’s voice was soothing to my ears, as I heard him apologize to his father for running behind. I turned around just in time to see the shocked expression on his face as Joseph “introduced” him to my mother.
“My professor, Pops? Really?” he asked, but seemed to be unbothered by it. They laughed through the introduction, and Jason expressed his surprise, but approval. And then he looked around, and his eyes fell on me and went wide. I pushed myself up from the floor, and stood.
“Hey Jason.”
“Reese… hey.”
Our eyes connected, and I could tell he was wondering if I knew before now. I gave him a subtle nod, and he frowned a little, then looked away. Suddenly, I felt almost… guilty.
Maybe I should have said something.
I didn’t have time to think about it too hard before we were being ushered into the dining room, seated, and food was being passed around.
Of course I ended up seated next to Jason.
Everybody was talking, laughing, captivated as my mother explained how she and Joseph met. Jason’s brothers asked questions, engaged my mother, and I was happy for her that they seemed to genuinely like her. And I mean… why wouldn’t they? It was obviously that she was completely enamored with their father. But Jason was quiet, which I hadn’t expected.
Since nobody was paying attention to us anyway, I reached under the table to grab his fingers. He didn’t pull away, so I squeezed them, and he squeezed back, so I looked up at met his eyes. “Is everything okay?” I mouthed, and even though he gave me a subtle nod, his eyes said something a little different.
Squeezing my hand one more time, he leaned toward me, and quietly muttered, “We’ll talk.”
Could he be any more ominous?
From there, the dinner seemed to drag on forever, even though I was willing it to be over, and soon. Internally, I was freaking out, trying to figure out what exactly I’d already done wrong. When everyone was done eating, the party moved back into the kitchen for dessert, and that was when Jason chose to pull me aside, into a small room off the wall.
“Are you mad at me?” I asked, as soon as we were alone, looking up to meet his eyes.
He shook his head. “Nah, not mad. I just… why wouldn’t you tell me if you knew our parents were dating? I remember that day in the professor’s office, when you found out that he was my father. Why didn’t you just say something then?”
“I don’t know. I mean, you and I were talking, connecting… I was more interested in that than discussing our parents. And I didn’t think anything was going to come of me and you, so it didn’t seem like a big deal. And then from there, it just wasn’t on my mind. I didn’t find out about dinner tonight until right before.”
“And you couldn’t shoot me a text?”
I shrugged. “I thought maybe it would be a cute surprise. And… you hadn’t texted or called all day, so I wasn’t sure where your head was anyway. If yesterday was just like… a fluke.”
“What?” he scoffed. “Nah, nothing like that. I’ve just been busy. Babysitting, school work, work work. And… a little bit of wondering how to approach things with you.”
/> I smiled. “Oh, so big, strong, Sgt. Wright… gets a little nervous too?”
He chuckled, swiping a hand over his face before he pushed his hands into his pockets. “I guess. Maybe a little.” He pulled a hand from his pocket, reaching out to tug at one of the coils in my kinky-curly puff ponytail. “I like this,” he said. “I’m surprised, but I like it.”
I wrinkled my nose at him. “Why are you surprised?”
“I would’ve thought you wouldn’t let a nap anywhere near you,” he teased. “And yet here you are with a head full of natural hair.”
“I love my naps,” I giggled, running a hand through my puff. “I can be bougie without a relaxer. I thought you of all people would appreciate it.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”
“Your first paper. You complained that none of the women in Corey Jefferson’s book had dark brown skin or natural hair, and that was when I knew I wanted you.”
“It was more of an observation than a complaint. I love black women of all varieties. But back to you wanting me…”
I sucked my teeth. “Well, not you, but the author of the paper.”
“So you liked it that much?”
“I did,” I nodded. “That paper was the first thing that attracted me to you, sight unseen.”
“Well shit, I need to write some more papers then,” He mused, wrapping his arms around my waist. He pressed his lips to mine, soft at first, then deeper, slipping his tongue in my mouth as he pulled me closer to him.
“So you’re not mad at me?” I asked, when we ended the kiss.
“Nah,” he shook his head. “Not at all. I would have liked to know that my father and my professor were dating, but neither one of them said anything either, so it’s not like I can be pissed at you. It’s just… weird.”
I shrugged. “It’s really not. Only when you think about it too hard. And even then, it comes back around to not weird.”
Getting Schooled (The Wright Brothers Book 1) Page 14
