𝐋𝐎𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐋𝐔𝐕.

sixtyfive.

EXCUSE ANY ERRORS.

".. So you're serious about that granny? Lauren is my big cousin?" Hours had passed and Patience was still in shock. Quietly, Mai nodded her head avoiding eye contact with Patience because she knew Patience would have plenty of questions to ask,"So.. wait. Let me get this straight. Because she's told me before that she and her siblings grew up in the system, why wouldn't y'all go and get them? They could've grown up with a real family, granny."

"Patience, honey, you don't know the full story."

"Well tell me then, because it seems like to me y'all just left then hangin' high and dry. What happened between y'all and their mom? Why don't they know that they have more family out here besides themselves?"

"Whew chile! It is cold as hell out there," In came Patience's mother, June Harper. "What y'all in here talkin' about? Mama, that food almost done?"

"It will be in about another hour or so," Mai answers her,"I just told Patience about her aunt April. Apparently she works with one of April's daughters, what'd you say her name was again?"

"Lauren London."

"London?" June frowned her face up,"Mm. So April went on and had kids with that guy Boaz too?"

"Why'd you just make that face? What y'all got against her dad?"

"I just personally never thought he was good enough for April," Mai shrugged her shoulders,"April was a good girl, she had her head on straighg. She was in college trying to pursue a degree in nursing when she met him, once they started getting serious all of that went out of the window. She became someone we didn't recognize, she started staying out late, stopped showing up for class, grades were slipping. She was focused more on being a drug dealer's girlfriend than handling her own business."

"I don't get where y'all come into play though? Maybe she didn't want to become a nurse in the first place. Maybe Boaz made her feel like she was actually living life instead of just always being focused on school and bein' a goody two shoes."

June opened her mouth to speak,"Well I can admit that mama, you did kind of force your own dreams onto April. She never liked school, let's be real, but because she didn't want to disappoint you she settled on going to USC. I have— I'm sorry, had my own issues with the two of them because I liked Boaz first and April knew that. Good girl April started getting out of the house more, and that's when they sparked they own relationship behind my back."

"So you're saying that she took yo' man from you?"

"I wouldn't say took my man from me because he was never mine to begin with, but she knew how big of a crush I had on him at the time." June sighed. "but it's whatever now. I don't hold that against my sister and it doesn't even matter now. She's dead, and I've moved on with my life. I got three kids and a husband of my own now."

"So..." Patience trailed off, not really knowing to say other than,"I mean, if I tell her that we're family are y'all willing to meet her and her siblings and build a healthy relationship with them?"

"I would actually love that." In a way, Mai felt like finally meeting her three grandchildren would somehow fill the void in her soul from losing April; even before she was murdered. "I can only hope that they feel the same."