Family Lies

Treasure

1993

"Mama, I wanna go with Tré!" My sister Mahzya whined. I laughed while holding my hands to my ears and sticking my tongue out in her face. "Zya, I told you no! You can help her pack, but you can't go. How many times I gotta tell you that? Shit, y'all finna get on my muthafuckin' nerves. Pack that damn bag Treasure!" Dollie lit her a cigarette and walked out of the room that I shared with four of my other sisters. I sucked my teeth before throwing my bag open and filling it up with the clothes that Dollie had threw on my bed. Mahzya plopped down onto our mattress with her arms crossed. "It ain't fair that you get to spend the weekend with Daddy and I don't!" I stopped looking for stuff to take with me. 

"Dollie said you couldn't. And 'sides, I can only stay with him the weekend." She blew a big mad breath. "But it's not fairrrr. I wanna spend time with Daddy too!"

I balled up my whole face. "He always playin' witchu when he come over here." Mahzya shook her head real fast and made all the beads Nique put on her braids go clack. "Not uhhhhh. You know you Daddy's favorite! Y'all always playing basketball and he always go on and on about his Treasuuuurrreee," Mahzya spoke with her hands and I held my belly while laughing.

"You right I am his favorite."

"Stupid head!" She pushed my head and I smacked her hand as she stood up. "I'm goin' to Daddy's too!"

"Not uh. Dollie said you can't go."

"Yes I am. I'ma sneak. And you gone help me. And why are you callin' Mama Dollie all the time?" Mahzya asked like she was annoyed as she started digging in our drawer. "She told me not to call her that," I shrug. Last time I slipped up and called Dollie Mama she went off like a siren. All I wanted to know was if I could go play with my friend Nic down the street. But she jumped up screaming and hollering like I cussed at her or something.

"She didn't mean it," Mahzya tried to convince me yet again and I shook my head as I stood up straight as I probably ever had. "She beat me last time I called her that!" My sister tucked her clothes into a corner of my bag before zipping it up. She grabbed both of my shoulders. "Mama was just mad that day. You know that's both our Mama." I huffed. "Well she don't wanna be my Mama. And how in the world is you gone sneak to Daddy house?" Mahzya smiled like she had been working on something evil in her head. "I got a plan. We gone need a lil help but it's gonna work. Come on!" She took my hand and pulled me down the hallway and down the stairs and out of the house. She dragged me all the way down the street and around the corner where we would find our brothers playing basketball with they homies.

"What's up, spare parts? What you doin' down here?" My fraternal twin, True, approached me with a basketball tucked under his arm. I rolled my eyes. "What's up must bucket?" I pushed his shoulder and Mahzya stepped in between us before we could get to tussling like we usually would. "Yo, T!" Our big brother Blaze called out like he was heated and True turned around to toss him the ball before turning back to us. "For real. What y'all want? You see I'm out here breakin' ankles and shit," True boasted with a chuckle. "You ain't breakin' nothin' but a sweat," I teased and Mahzya laughed. "Aye, you wanna break somethin' for me?" Mahzya inserted and I looked at her in straight up confusion. "You know my services come with a fee." True held out his hand.

"So you a professional badass now?" I asked and True popped my lips like an auntie I barely remembered used to. "Stop cussin'."

"I'll give you five bucks to break somethin'. Gotta be real real loud though. You down?" Mahzya slapped a wrinkled five dollar bill into True's hand and they bumped shoulders. 

"Blaze, Mama said bring yo tail on, she got dinner ready at the house!" Mahzya called before grabbing my hand and nudging True so we'd begin to walk back towards the house.