thirty two

"Damn you get out of jail and don't remember a nigga anymore" Mari jokingly complained.

"Je'Mari please" i chuckle pressing the phone to my ear.

"Please my ass. You don't call a nigga or text"

"Lie! I did text you!" I defend

"So a 'hey, did ma cook?' a text" he questions. I can feel him popping his neck.

"Answer the FaceTime. I just know you popping your neck at me with your sassy self" I remove the phone from my ear and sit it up against the vanilla scented candle on the glass table.

"Mchtt" mari smacks.

"I ain't think so. Answer my FaceTime nigga"

"Shut up. Wanna FaceTime but don't wanna see me for real"

"Shut up. That's what i was calling you for. To see what you was doing"

"Eating" he expresses blankly

"So ma cooked!"

"Old fat ass. No ma ain't cook"

I roll my eyes at him.

"For real. Can we go out? Just me and you. We'll include ma later. I've already had my one on one with her" i coax.

"Mchtt. Where you wanna go?"

"It doesn't matter to me. And stop smacking your teeth like you don't miss me"

"Cause you fake"

"Yeah yeah. I'm tryna fix that"

"Bullshit"

"Shut up. We're going out! Where?"

"It's this new club that opened up"

"There's no reason for me to be at a club. I got all the ass and titties i need" i smile looking at the roses on the island.

"Just cause you got somebody don't mean a nigga do"

"Choose something else fool"

"I already chose. You choose"

I sit up excitedly.

"Nice. Let me plan this whole thing!"

He chuckled through the phone.

"For real. When you swinging by home?"

"Nigga you moved in?"

"It's more my home than yours, the amount of time i be over there" he retorts back.

"Sassy. And why? Thought you didn't miss me?"

"Didn't say that. I fuck with Ty but ever since you got out, I barely see you around. Ain't been a family dinner with just us three in months. I miss us"

I play with my check. He's right. It's really unfair because it really has been all about Ty. They matter to me just as much.

"Aw. I miss us too. How about this. After our sibling date, we'll have a family dinner and watch movies all night. A family day"

"Bet. Love you Au"

"I love you too Mari. I'll text you the details. Tomorrow works?"

"Tomorrow's fine. And since YOU neglected US, we having what I want"

"Fine" I chuckle.

"And no one's taking me away from you. Away from yall. I promise"

We say one more 'I love you' and 'talk to you later' before hanging up.

"You okay?" Ty comes out of the bathroom, hair wrapped in a towel. The stream follows her over to me. She places a sweet kiss on my forehead.

"Yeah I'm fine. It was just Mari"

"Oh yeah? What'd he want?" She asks plopping beside me, softly cuddling my waist.

"You don't have beef with my brother right?"

"No, of course not. Yall siblings"

"Great. I want who I love to love each other also"

She scrunches her face.

"Not like that" I break out in laughter, grabbing my stomach.

"Please don't love my brother like that" I manage to get out once my laughter dies down.

"I wouldn't love no one more than I love you" she reminds grabbing my chin softly bringing my face to hers.

"Except for God" I whisper pulling out of our kiss.

"Eeehhhhh" she stretches while scrunching her face once more.

"Yes Ty'Elle"

"Nah I'm playing. Except for God" she smiles placing a kiss on my lips again.

"Right cause I don't need him killing me off" I laugh.

She snuggles more into my waist.

"Are you gonna be ok when I spend all day with Mari and Ma?"

"I'll be fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

I observe her in her position. Arms tucked around my waist and her face buried into my stomach.

"I'll be fine" she tosses her eyes at me.

"When is it?"

"Tomorrow"

"Mhm. Ok then"

She gets quiet to think.

"Ok lay down. I need to be in your skin more then since I won't be tomorrow" she replies but is serious. She lifts the green cover up, allowing my body to slip under and into her arms. I kiss her forehead as well.

Usually all of this 'in the skin' would bother me but I love her so it doesn't. We quickly drift off to sleep.

"Black people always late" Mari announces as I walk into Big Air.

"Shut up" I playfully push his arm as we make our way to the line.

"Two adults?" The cashier asks looking between the two of us.

I nod and pull out my wallet.

"How long?" She asks impatiently, glaring over her clear glasses frames and tapping her red acrylic nail against the touch screen.

"One hour- wait. One hour and thirty. Maybe two?" I ask looking at Je'Mari.

"Well we can't do one hour. It's quite simply too long" he begins to play along, leaning his elbow on my shoulder.

"Yes yes. While two hours is utterly too long. And you know we can't stay out long. Nana has that arthritis in her hip" I rest my hand on my hip and placing my finger on my lip.

"Oh and in her big toe. You know she don't like to be on her feet too long. Her shit a cramp up and now everybody gotta hear her"

"Right right"

"Rightt"

"Damn and you know her friend Mr Otis, he got lyme disease. We can't stay for too long"

"But they be doing the nasty. They old asses need all the time in the world. We might need two hours" Mari suggests.

"Rightttt" I add on

"But-"

"I booked y'all for a hour- thirty. $44.22 is your total" the cashier interrupts rolling her eyes.

Laying off her for a while, I hand her my card without rebuttal and accept the charges on the small touchscreen pad in front of me.

"Socks are that way" she points out while handing my card back.

"Arthritis in her toe nigga?" I ask mari as soon as we were distance away from the front desk.

The bubble full of laughter erupts from his mouth as he holds his stomach pulling me into the pit of laughter with him.

"Me nigga? You talking about some 'Lyme disease'" he manages out holding his fingers up for air quotes.

"Oh my gosh, I am sooo tired" I exclaim, falling onto the couch.

"I know you better get your feet out my brand new couch cushions" Ma pops my feet.

"Y'all enjoy yourselves?" She asks sitting where my feet just were. I swing them onto her lap.

"Stink ass feet"

"Right. I don't know why she put them ugly motherfuckers on me" she swats away.

"Yall some haters. My feet pretty as shit- as heck" i correct as ma raises her eyebrow at me.

"Anyway, I had fun. Mari kept tryna drown me"

"I did not. Autumn jumped in the ball pit one too many times knowing she couldn't get out on her own. After a while, i got sick of it"

"So you let me drown?!" I exclaim sitting up and frantically throw my arms up.

"Yes" he blunt face says.

Ma busts out laughing, kicking her face.

"Ain't nothing that funny" i mug.

"I hope the food ready" i get up moving to the kitchen.

"How you wanna eat and that ass not washed" ma retorts still laughing. That's cracks them up more.

"Cause clock that tea!" Mari excites clamping his index finger and thumb together then thumping his index finger against his wrist as if he was tapping a watch.

"You gay. Shut up" i mug.

"And since I don't feel loved, im going upstairs" I joke while making my way to the stairs.

Their laughter doubling makes my heart flutter. I would rather hear any other sound.

"We watching Bambi?" I question ma as we cuddle into her bed.

"Yes!" She cocks her head at me.

"You chose yalls activity, Mari chose dinner, im choosing the movie" she clicks once again.

I throw my hand up surrender.

Before my eyes flutter closed, I look over my small family.

Ma and I been through it all. I'm glad our relationship is as strong as it is now. I'm so blessed that she stuck with me through it all.

And Mari. An unexpected relationship. He was respectful from the jump and we clicked as kin immediately. We went from inseparable friends to siblings. Even though he's not my real blood, me and my mama love him like it. He had his own problems but they all erased as soon as he was our family.

My little family❤️

•

Just something wholesome cause I feel like we don't get enough of Autumn, Mari and Tammy.

Anyway, how y'all been? Missing me?

I should be back for real though.

This book is ending soon though. Like SOON. I don't wanna drag it out too much.

Live, laugh, love God.

Deyjha out !