Spread Love, It's The Brooklyn Way

3||Tatiyana

Mama takes her key out of her pocket and opens the door to our new household.
"It's so big!" Audrey boasts.
"That's what she said," Bryson chuckles.
"Ew, Bryson." I say.
"She fell for that one."
I walk through the threshold and smell the flowers the previous owners left behind.
"An old couple. Their kids put them up in a nursing home and sold the house."
"We not gon' do you like that, Mama!" Audrey giggles and hugs her.
"You bet not," Mama hugs her back.
I start walking towards a big area, probably the living room.
"Mama, how you get this place?"
"Why you think I was working overtime at the hospital?"
My mother was the only doctor at the only hospital in our county. She didn't really have a choice to work overtime. She had to move, especially with more and more people getting sick because of the flu season. It was going to stress her out, and the other nurses knew that. So, they were able to hire another doctor and recommend Mama to St. Mary's Hospital. She worked harder than ever for her last shifts. She definitely inspires me, even though she wasn't around that much.
"You always work overtime."
"Well, I wouldn't be home for weeks at a time instead of days."
"Wow, really? I never noticed," I say sarcastically.
Mama never thinks that her long hours bother us, but they do. Audrey is lucky I know how to braid with weave and Bryson is lucky I know how to cook dinner. I am the mom of the house, even though Bryson is 18. I don't even have a job. Yet.
"Watch your tone. I am your mother and you don't have to say it like that."
"Wow, I can see the pedestrians from here!"
Audrey looks outside the big window facing towards the street. I walk over there and look too. The flowers growing outside give our brownstone a whimsical and homely feeling.
"Mama, who lives down here?" Bryson shouts from outside.
Everybody walks to the front of the home to the downstairs area.
"Um, I don't know. I guess somebody is moving into the basement," she says, looking confused.
"NEIGHBORS!" Audrey shouts.
"Audrey, hush up that yelling."
"Sorry, Mama."
Audrey and I decide to go back inside while Mama and Bryson talk about what we're gonna eat for dinner.
"Hey, maybe we should go pick our rooms."
"Ooo yeah!"
Audrey races upstairs and I tag along.
"I like this room!"
The room Audrey was standing in had a dusty carpet floor with a closet and gigantic window sill she could sit in. I decide to find my room before Bryson calls shotgun on one. I walk out of Audrey's room on the right and go into the room directly in front on the left. It's identical to Audrey's, but one small difference.
"Hey, no fair! I wanted a bathroom!"
Audrey pushes past me and goes inside the bathroom.
"You snooze, you lose." I snicker.
Audrey pouts but it's no use. I'm not giving up this room.
"Hmph, you suck."
"Yeah yeah, buh bye now."
I sit on the carpet floor and pull the piece of paper out of my pocket. Maybe Bryson is right. I should take a chance with her. I dial the number on my phone.
347 ...
204 ...
2838 .
The phone rings and rings until somebody picks up.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Remember me, from McDonalds?"
"Oh hi, I never got your name."
"Nia."
"Well my name is Tatiyana."
I'm shocked. I know this is kind of weird to say but ... I expected a Mariah or a Noelle. Not Tatiyana.
"Hello?"
"Oh yea, sorry. Um well I just wanted to call. I'm sorry about the bathroom incident."
"It's okay, I shouldn't have leaned in."
"I gave off signals when I didn't mean it like that, haha. I'm such a flirt."
"Wanna play 20 questions?"
"Yeah sure, I wanna learn more about you."
She giggles at my response.
"What you laughing for?" I chuckle.
"Nobody really wants to learn about the McDonalds girl. What do you want from me?"
"I just wanna get to know you. Maybe we can be friends."
"I would like that, Nia."
"Alright, I'll talk to you later."
"Bye bye."
I hang up and immediately send her the question:
"whats your fav food?"
As I wait for her response, I peek into Audrey's room. She's dancing to the song playing on her phone, which I happen to know by heart.
"You likin' what you see,"
"Nia, shut up, I'm dancing."
"Everything designer that's on me," I continue.
Audrey does a straddle jump into a split. She then moves her hips to the music.
"Stop moving them hips!"
"Shut up, Nia! And I'm not! That's how I dance."
Chris Brown continues blasting through her phone.
"Why is it up so loud?"
"Cus I want it up loud, if there's a problem-"
HONK!!!
Audrey screams and I flinch.
"Was that a car outside, Nia?"
Those eyes don't tell no lie, no
Girl I know that you ready ...
Girl I'm not gonna let you down ...
I ain't gon' keep you waitin' up ...
"Yeah I think so."
"They bet not honk like that tonight when I'm sleep. Now get out my room."
"Geez, lil girl."
I comply and walk out of the room and down the stairs. My phone buzzes in my pocket.
"some meow meowwwww"
"srsly."
She replies quicker this time.
"i love me some cherries and seafood, wbu"
"chicken n' waffles"
"ah, that's good or wtv"
"oh, ik. now ask me a question."
"guys or girls?"
I paused. How could she question my sexuality when I just met her? I don't even have the answer to that question. At least not yet. How do I word this...
"still tryna find the answer to that question ."
Bubbles that indicate she's typing show up and then go away. Maybe she's thinking of what to say.
"well, i'm full on lesbian."
Bubbles show up quickly after that.
"idk y i said that srry.. like that was gonna make u attracted to me lmao."
"nah it's alright at least ik now lmao"
"your turnnnnnn"
"ever been to nyc?"
Before I get the chance to read her response, Mama comes in.
"Chicken wings or pizza? Bryson and I can't decide."
"I want chicken wings," I say.
"Alright, your sister does too. Even though I wanted pizza for tonight."
"Hey Nia, wanna go with me to the Chinese restaurant?"
"I thought this was New York."
"Hush up. That's where these New Yorkers get chicken wings from."
"Oh, okay."
Bryson and I take the keys to Mama's car and get ready to go.
"Bryson, help me with the suitcases first."
"Mama, we hungry now."
"Boy, get your ass down to my car."
Bryson obeys and trails behind Mama to her car. Finally, I get the chance to read this text.
" i live in nyc. i only work at the maryland house since my daddy is the janitor."
"but why all the way in maryland?"
"i'm not ready to talk about all that..."
"oh okay, that's fine"
I want to know, but I'm not gonna press her about something that's private. I'm not a hypocrite, even if she did question my sexuality after just meeting her.
"well, i just moved to bedford stuyvesant."
"LMFAOOOO"
"what's so funny :/"
"girllll just say bed stuy!"
"chile hush!"
"Alright, I'm done moving all of the suitcases, now can we get some food, Ma?" Bryson whines.
"Stop whining like a little (b) and man up. You almost 19."
"Ma!"
"Shut up, I can curse. I'm 47."
"Nia, come on."
Bryson and I get in the car and I text Tatiyana the whole time.
"Wassup with you and texting? You got a new friend or something?"
"No."
"What the hell!" I shout.
Bryson abruptly stopped the car, causing me to jerk forward. Using the opportunity, he snatched my phone out of my hand.
"Who is Tatiyana? Is she that girl that was making moves on you at Maryland House?"
I nod.
"' Maybe we can meet at Central Park?' Come on Nia, what if Ma see you going out with girls again? You know what happened last time."
"I'm not going out with her."
"Well, this just says the opposite." He says, waving my phone in my face. I snatch it back and go back to texting Tatiyana.
"uh, idk about central park, i live all the way in crown heights"
"oh well are there any parks near u?"
"well, there is lincoln terrace"
"great! i'll look that up and meet you this saturday."
"lmao okay. my dad need help cleaning the girls' bathroom so i'll ttyl."
"alright, t, i'll ttyl"
"oooh, u calling me t now?"
"yes ma'am :)"
"get out w your smiley faces."
"bye t"
"bye niniii"
"you such a hypocrite"
"nini is cute like u tho"
"ik i'm cute."
"you're so cocky"
And finally, that's the end of the conversation.
"Dang, it took you forever to end that conversation."
"You so damn nosy, mind the business that pays you."
We were able to get a parking spot in front of the house. I grab the bag of food and head inside. Audrey comes down seconds later. How she smell food all the way from her musty room?
"Make your plate and wait so we can say grace. I don't think those people blessed our food."
"Obviously not, Ma, they paid to cook and serve, not cook, serve, and have a whole baptism for the food." Bryson chirps.
"Shut the hell up, Bryson, before you get smacked."
Audrey snickers and grabs the spoon for the fried rice. Once everybody is sitting down, we say grace and dig in. I'm surprised. It's actually really really good.
"Bryson you wash dishes, then Nia tomorrow, then Audrey."
"Yes, Ma."
I head upstairs and take a shower in my new bathroom. Mama set up sleeping bags in each of our rooms since Bryson didn't want to move the furniture in today. I throw on an wife beater and some comfy Pink panties. I don't feel like sleeping with sweats tonight or else imma be in a sweat. This room ain't get no air. I try to fall asleep but all I can think about is Saturday with T. I didn't even ask Mama if I can go out that day. I already like the food, but I can't call New York home just yet. They are so many unseen aspects and I just have to be able to take it all in before making a final decision. I'm just waiting for November to come already so I can go back down to Virginia.
"u up?" I end up texting. It's only 9 PM.
"duh. you can't fall asleep to the honking?"
"no i'm thinking about you."
I would've texted her that. But instead, I text;
"no, just thinking."
"well, try and get some sleep . i'll text u tm ok?"
"you can't text now?" I press.
"i can't, sorry nini. i promise i'll text u when i wake up. gn darling!"
Her calling me darling gave me some butterflies in my stomach. But why?
"gn, t"
I sent the text and stared at my ceiling. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep and dreamt about what could've happened in the Maryland House bathroom if I complied with Tati.