Parys and A'maree rode in a separate limo with the rest of her siblings while her mama rode with her stepdad back to their Auntie Rita house for the repass. Nobody was talking. It was an eerie silence that crept in the limo, nobody was checking their phone nor was anyone starting a conversation. They just lost one of the only ones who went off to college and although a small feat to some, it was really a monumentally inspiring thing to have a young black man route to anything else besides the streets, especially where and how they grew up.
Basketball was De'quavious' outlet from the hood. There were constant breakins and robberies where they grew up. Drug addicts and drug dealers hung out simultaneously in the parking lot and it was just so easy to pluck another young boy into gang activities that masked itself as a familial setting. Young girls chasing said drug dealers and ending up following the unspoken generational poverty that keeps them cycling through the projects like pissy sheets off an equally pissy mattress.
Peaches did her best but she wasn't perfect when it came to her life decisions or the men she decided to lay down with-hence her siblings. All from one failed relationship to the next. Her current husband, Parys stepdaddy, saw something special in Peaches that made him wanna marry her despite not having no kids with her. Granted her Stepdaddy, Chauncy AKA Redd, had a very keen sense of business, Parys never liked him. Only for the reason that when her daddy died she felt like Peaches never gave herself or her family time to greive 'cause she was off to another man. But after a while Parys stopped caring. She was doing her own thing. With the help of Redd, she was able to attend one of those dual-enrollment type schools and while she was a senior in high school she became an esthetician working in the uppity salons in Buckhead on the weekends and with her own side hustles she was making good money for herself. Probably good enough to get her a little apartment up in Lithia Springs somewhere and just live a normal life.
Which, in itself was more than enough reason to not up and move to Louisiana. Especially after the death of her brother Q! what was going through her mama head? She was sure not much.
The ride back to their Auntie Rita house felt even longer than it usually did. Probably because Parys was so damn mad. A'maree kept glancing nervously at Parys direction because he knew Parys temper better than anyone. A'maree stayed picking up Parys from the principal office because she was always getting into fights with the other girls at her school.
That hoe called my mama a dirty bitch so I jumped on her ass I don't see the problem!
It was just all too much for Parys to digest today. She just wanted to get out of these funeral clothes and eat something. Her school gave her a week off of bereavement so here she was in Louisiana seeing how this was all gonna play off. Her sister Carmelia sat next to her and just scrolled up and down Instagram. Parys ain't know what Carmelia was gonna do if they really was gonna move out here. Not like she cared about school anyway. She was always bout a dollar and a nigga following right behind Peaches. And how bad she would hear the stories about Louisiana the last thing Parys needed to worry about was Carmelia falling for one of those d-boys and getting pregnant.
Without even realizing, Parys let out a huge sigh.
This shit was too much.
She leaned her head back onto the headrest, shifted her glasses down over her swollen eyes, and just decided to take a nap. Auntie Rita house was still a whole ass hour away in Baton Rouge.
---- - - - - -
Jay'Shyan, A'maree and Dakari was outside with their cousins Jamaree and Deshaun while Parys and Carmelia stayed inside with the rest of the family and In'dya who's face was so red despite her being so yellow that you knew Q death tore her up more than anyone. Peaches and Chauncy still hadn't showed up and that was starting to worry Parys.
"Parys," Auntie Rita yelled out from the packed kitchen.
"Ma'am?" Parys got up and entered the kitchen to Auntie Rita fixing hearty plates of candied yams, cornbread, collard greens, seafood rice, and macaroni.
" Why don't you offer In'dya a plate. Poor baby, she ain't say a word since the funeral and I's afraid she gon' pass out if she don't put somethin' on her stomach."
"You so sweet, auntie." Parys said with a smile as she carried the heavy plate with two hands. If it was one thing Auntie Rita had besides a heart of gold it was a golden hand in the kitchen. As skinny as Jamaree and Deshaun was, it always blew her mind considering her auntie threw the fuck down in the kitchen and she had the arms and hips to prove it.
"You seen mama?" Parys questioned.
Auntie Rita nervously took a breath as she wiped a bit of sweat off her cheek with the back of her forearm. "I think she said she was gonna go to the store and pick up some sodas." They had plenty of soda already. "I don't know baby, I'm sure she'll be here soon. You know yo mama." And with that A untie Rita shuffled outside to put some more fish in the fryer on requests of the guest.
"Alright, alright na! I'm only one lady so y'all gonna have to wait!" she teased with the patio door shutting behind her.
Auntie Rita didn't marry again after her late husband died from being shot in a robbery but he made sure to make sure her and her sons would be well taken care of after he was gone. Auntie Rita had a nice 3-story 7 bedroom/6 bathroom house with front and back patio and plenty of yard space. I guess Parys understood why she wanted her mama to stay with her. Shit got lonely in this big ass house. And although Auntie Rita made good money from owning beauty salons up and down Baton Rouge, a little extra help never hurt at all.
Parys sat back down next to In'dya and handed her a plate. "Courtesy of Auntie Rita. She wanted to make sure you got first dibs on her cooking." Parys said reassuringly.
"Thanks, Parys." In'dya smiled weakly and began picking over her plate. In'dya had to be no more than 150 but she was thick. Yellow, pretty face, dark brown eyes, with long bundles down her back. She didn't wear a lot of makeup today but she didn't even need it. Q loved this girl to pieces, he would call their mama every weekend and talk about her nonstop until the calls stopped altogether.
She even sported a nice sized ring on her hand that was their anniversary gift. It was pretty as hell.
Poor girl.
Peaches and Redd finally walked in and in casual clothes no less. Peaches wore a flowery sundress and Redd in a comfortable pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. A'maree and Dakari walked in behind her with a weird, uncomfortable look on their faces that Parys paid a little more attention to than normal. What was this weird vibe they were giving off?
"Parys,Carmelia, y'all come and grab some of these sodas and stuff for me please." Peaches stated as she put her bags down.'
"OK mama." Both the girls said. As they were out of earshot of Peaches and Redd, Carmelia turned to Parys with the container of Check soda nestled in her arms.
"Parys. You think something up with mama and Redd?"
"What you mean?" Parys replied with a raise of her eyebrows.
"Like, Ion know, like they hiding something."
Guess Parys wasn't the only one catching the vibe.
"You know, you right." Parys nodded in response. "What you think it is?" she questioned.
"Ion know." Carmelia sucked her teeth. "But whatever it is, I don't like it."
"We just gon' have to see, CC." Parys replied in a distant tone.
"Yeah." Was all Carmelia said as she entered back into the house.
We just gon' have to see.
