When a Gangsta Loves You (Currently Editing and Perfecting)

Chapter 16 Rome

After leaving Ky behind, I took off for my mama's house to go get JJ. As always, the front door was open and when I walked in, I saw JJ was concentrated on playing a video game. He dropped the Xbox controller from his hands and ran up to me when he saw me.

"What's up, lil man?" Interactions like these still felt crazy as hell to me. I'd only been locked up for three years, but being away from my kid? Man, that shit had made it feel like fuckin forever.

"Playing 2k!" He motioned toward the small fatback tv.

I'd tried to upgrade moms to a flat screen years ago but her stubborn ass had made me take it to my house. She liked shit the way she liked it and nobody could ever tell her a damn thing.

"Bet you ain't no good though!" A smirk played on my lips as I said it.

"I ain't never lost! I beat Uncle Ky every time I play him!"

"Yeah but Ky's trash." With how shit was going, we may have to re-evaluated that uncle shit. "Let me see what you got, boy!"

"Sure! I'll beat you right quick." Chuckling at what he said, I took a seat on the couch.

Me and JJ started up a game, and I must say, the lil nigga was nice on the sticks. After letting him beat my ass, I went off to the kitchen where I knew Ma was.

"Ma, when you gonna stop leaving the front door open?" Picking off a piece of fried chicken from the platter by the stove, I popped it in my mouth.

"When I'm dead and gone." Ma swatted at my hand and moved the dish. "I've lived in this neighborhood for over 25 years and never had a problem."

That's another thing Ma wouldn't let me change. It's every lil nigga's dream to be able to buy his mother a big ass house after watching her struggle. Pops always provided the best he could but being that he'd always been in and out of jail made shit hard at times. Buying Ma a house was one of the first things I'd wanted to do when I started seeing good money. Of course, like those mothers you hear about who are planted too deep in the community, Ma wasn't having it. She loved her house and her neighborhood and I couldn't get her to budge for nothing.

"A lot has changed over the last 25 years, ma. Do me a favor and keep the house locked up when I'm not here."

"Why? Something going on that you need to tell me about? I see you got them people across the street in some black truck watching the house." She paused from grating the cheese for what I was hoping was for macaroni and cheese and looked at me.

"Nah, there ain't nothing to tell." Man, you couldn't get shit past Ma. She probably knew I was lying my ass off right now too.

"Alright Jerome." She gave me a pointed look before going back to grating. "How are things going with Shawnee?"

Sighing, I ran my palm over my face. "Not too bad. She still ain't fu-messing with me though."

Sha may be letting me stay at the house, but she's made it known more than a few times that this shit wasn't permanent and we weren't back together.

"And I don't blame her. The things you did to that girl..." Ma shook her head.

"I know, Ma." She didn't have to tell me how fucked up I was; I knew that shit.

"Do you, Jerome? Because this feels like the thousandth conversation we've had like this. Shawnee is a good woman, a wonderful mother. I didn't raise you to do women this way. I swear you are your father's clone."

"What you mean Ma?" I sat down at the kitchen table after pouring me a glass of lemonade.

"I mean exactly what I said. You and your father are one and the same. He took me through a fair share of bull shit way back when."