I had a feeling who it might be, but I was hoping that I was wrong.
Taking a deep breath, I turned around slowly. “Hey, Aunie,” I said dryly.
“Well, well, well…I didn’t know that you were in town. Where’s my niece?”
“She’s at the aquarium with my mother.”
Nodding her head slowly, she shoved her dark locs off her shoulders and lifted her phone to her face. She stared at the screen while smacking on her gum. “Hmm…interesting. I don’t recall getting a call from you. Did something happen? Did your phone get shut off?”
I could sense the sarcasm in her voice, which I easily returned while saying, “Nope, not at all.”
“Really? So why haven’t I heard from you? If you come into town with my sister’s kid, I think I have the right to know. We’re her family too.”
Feeling myself get heated, I lowered my head for a moment. There was a whole lot I had to say in response to her bullshit, but in an attempt to keep my cool, I simply said, “We’re not going to be here long.”
“And? All the more reason to let me know that she’s here.”
“What the hell for, Aunie? The last time I came to town and you took Dakota, she spent the whole day with your boyfriend…a nigga I don’t even know.”
“Iknow Taj. That’s what matters.”
“Bullshit! If I leave my daughter with you, that’s who I expect her to be with. Not one of your random hoes that you’ve moved in to help you pay your bills.”
“You know what? Fuck you, Don. At the end of the day, you should have let me know that she was here. If you think you’re going to keep Dakota away from us now that Kierra is gone, you better think again.”
No longer interested in the back and forth, I simply said, “Bye, Aunie.”
“Oh, really? It’s like that?”
“Yep.”
Pissed, she shoved her phone against her ear and stormed out of the restaurant.
I had no idea who she was calling, but whoever it was, I knew it meant more drama for me.
Tossing a few bills down on the table, I told Jay, “I need to get out of here. I’ll hit you up later.”
“Wait…what was all of that about? Where is Kierra?”
“I’ll fill you in some other time.”
Not giving him a chance to respond, I got up from the table and headed out. Shit was about to hit the fan, and I needed to make sure my mom had a heads up before it did. The last thing I needed was for Nubia Desaun to get caught off guard by Kierra’s family. All hell would break loose for sure.
6
Nova
I tried to calm my anxiety as I stood in the backyard of my aunt’s home drinking my third mimosa. As usual, she’d gone all out, inviting family that we barely knew and friends that I didn’t care to know. The buffet table was set to perfection with an endless amount of breakfast food. But that was Aunt Patricia for you. If she was hosting it, it was always going to be over the top.
Realizing that Kendra still hadn’t arrived, I glanced at the time on my cell. “I knew I should’ve picked her ass up.” I groaned.
“Don’t look so desperate,” Kendra whispered from behind me. “I’m here.”
“Thank God. I would’ve been pissed if you didn’t show up.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got you.”
“Mmhmm, what took you so long?”
