Moses
Watching as my phone lit up with a ring, I couldn't help but grumble low to myself.
Malaki was working my nerves this morning. He'd been calling my phone since the ass crack of dawn and rushed me while I made breakfast. He rambled about unimportant shit while I showered, bitched and moaned while I switched my wet clothes from the washer and put them in the dryer, and made corny jokes while I started my car to head to his. He talked and rushed and nagged and whined, and the clock had only just hit twelve when my eyes began to grow heavy again.
I sighed as I answered the device, harshly rubbing a hand over my dry eyes to get rid of the itch I felt there before speaking to the boy.
"I'm outside." I told, and Malaki smacked his lips into the speaker.
In the back, just barely, I could hear Auntie's voice shrieking and hollering at them kids for no good reason. It brought a small smile to my face knowing she probably had her hand on her hip and her eyebrows raised to the top of her head as she yelled and banged at her scalp.
"Man," Malaki whined, "Ma doin' too much. Ya Auntie said come in, she finna try an' buy all yo weed off you." He snickered before cutting the call.
I snickered to myself at his words. I wouldn't put it past my Auntie to try and hustle me out my shit again. She was always good at negotiation. Could make me hand over a quarter of weed for the price of a gram on a bad day. I didn't even want to imagine how much more she would get out of me if she swindled me on a good one.
I pushed my car door open and stepped out into the crisp air before bringing my arms above my head and stretching out my sore limbs. My ears popped and my eyes pinched shut as I yawned, fingers cracking against my palm while a deep groan breezed past my lips. I hummed. It felt good outside today. The sun was shining, trees were rustling, and the air was blowing just right. Too bad I was as sleepy as I was to enjoy it.
If Malaki hadn't woken me up as early as he did this morning, I probably would've still been asleep.
Last night I was up real late cleaning. It was supposed to already have been done about a week and a half ago but I kept putting it off, procrastinating. I figured the minute it popped in my mind was when I should get started. And I did. I was up longer than expected because of it. Three, fours hours type long but I was glad it was finally done. Otherwise, it would've accumulated and sat there for a couple more weeks.
I rubbed a hand over my eyes once more. My cheeks were puffed with air when I pushed the white door open before I blew it out.
Immediately, I held my hands out and crouched down a bit, scooping Ryliyah's small body into my arms after she bounced around the corner and a sweet smile tilted my lips. She giggled as I tossed her and I laughed at the sound of it.
"Moses!" The child shouted.
Her happy tone caused my smile to widen. Dimple showing and all as I tightened my arms against her small frame, hers tightly wrapping around my neck. "I missed you sooo much, Mooey!" She told. And even though we had just seen each other two days ago, I couldn't help the way my lips twitched up into a grin at her words, genuinely finding myself missing her too. "Not more than I missed you."
Ryliyah pulled back with a giggle, "Look!" she grinned, and as she shook and bounced in my arms, the little pink beads dangling from the ends of her braids noisily clanked together in the space of Auntie's living room. "My toof came out an' this one wiggle next!"
Entertaining the kid as always, I gasped exaggeratedly at the news, "Aw shit Ry," I pulled my head back as if surprised, "Keep on knocking 'em out and you gon' need baby dentures in a couple weeks. How much the tooth fairy give you this time?" I used my knuckle to softly nip at her chin, bumping my forehead against hers, and grinning at the way her eyes crossed to look into mine.
