Two brother's navigate life, love and the annoyance of brotherhood, and realize that the most important thing in life can be summed up in one word - family.
"Ma." I called out as I went down to the basement. She wasn't in any room upstairs or on the mainfloor. I knew she had to be home because her car was in the driveway. The only other place she could be was the basement.
"Ma." I called out again.
I didn't get an answer. I went into the laundry room and sure enough she was there. She heard me. I know she did. But she was still upset at me and Miri, that we even considered not coming home for Thanksgiving.
And I understand it. It was only a couple of days. Why would not spend a couple of days with our parents? That's selfish on our behalf. I was so clouded by the baby drama, I didn't see that. That all she wanted was time. Time that she had looked forward to, since August when they moved Miri in.
But I knew as soon as Sata said she was picking us up from the airport to be ready for my mother being mad, because she always picks us up from the airport. Always. Unless I drive home.
"You don't love us no more, you had Sata come pick us up from the airport?"
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
She ignored me and put detergent in the washer.
"Ma. I'm sorry. That was selfish of me to not want to come home. If I can't make two days out of my schedule to see you and Pop, then something is wrong with me."
She continued to ignore me as she put clothes in the washer. I took the clothes from her.
"I can do it." She eyed me.
"And so can I." I took the basket and put the clothes in.
She walked out the laundry room and back upstairs. I sighed and shook my head as I finished up putting the clothes in and went upstairs.
"Don't touch me Amiri." My mother moved Amiri's hands off of her as he tried to give her a hug.
"I can't get no hug?" He held his arms out as she started washing dishes in the sink.
"No you can't. Get away from me." She warned him, then focused back on the dishes.
Amiri laughed. "Ma, why you acting like that? I thought I was your favorite son. Your strong man. The rice to your red beans. The pine to your apple. The coco to your puffs. The gummy to your bear." He wrapped his arms around her. "You my bestfriend mommy." He kissed her cheek.
"Let me go."
"No. Not to you tell me you love." He laid his head on her shoulder like a baby.
She took the water squirter thing out the sink and sprayed him in the face. He started coughing and wiped his face. I laughed.
Amiri took some soap suds from the dish pan and put it on my mother's head.
"Amiri I'm not playing with you." She wiped it off.
He did it again. She sprayed him with the squirter thing again.
"Aight, I quit." Amiri said laughing. "Why you mean Ma?"
"Ma we didn't mean nothing by it. School was fareal the only reason we was gon stay down there. Only reason." I explained.
"Whatever Auggie. I know that girl got in your head." My mother said.
Here we go. 🙄
"Ma Ra don't have some strange hold on me, where I would abandon you. You thinking too deep."
"Am I?" My mother got paper towel to clean up the water.
Amiri took it. "I got it queen." He said sucking up.
She hit him with the papertowel roll. He laughed and cleaned up the water.
"Ma Rahiel is not even like that. I swear. Any decision I have ever made has been my own. She was against me taking a semester off. I chose to do that. And she even sent a gift." I got it off the kitchen table where I set it. I handed the bottle of wine to my mother. My mother took it.
Well the gift was from me, but I just didn't want no drama so I said it was from Ra. Plus I was trying to butter her up as much as possible for when I told her about the new baby. 😩
"She a sweet woman Ma. Stop making her out to be something she's not. She work as a hairstylist. Had her own booth since she was 19. She got her own apartment. Her own car. Everything. She never once asked me to do anything for Shantel or her. I do it cause I love them both."
"Where is that child's daddy? Shouldn't he be taking care of them?" She put her hands on her hips.
"It's complicated and when we have a proper sit down. With all of us. Because that's what I want. You both to know each other. You'll find out. But for now I want you to know you always going to be mother. Nobody can take your place. Now can I get a hug?" I held my arms out to hug her.
I hugged her super tight and kissed her cheek.
"So egg head can get a hug, but I can't." Miri said salty.
"I'm her favorite man." I stuck out my tongue and kissed my mother's cheek again. "Ma let's do something tonight."
"Do what?" She turned off the water. "I'm tired Auggie."
"Ma you ain't even that old. Stop Acting like that. Let's go out. Me, you and Miri."
"Go out where. I'm not going to no hip-hop anything."
"We'd do something old folks appropriate." Miri said throwing away the paper towel.
My mother eyed him and rolled her eyes.
Miri laughed.
"What you wanna do? Whatever you want to do we can do?" I said. "Didn't they just open up a B.B. Kings here? Let's go to BB Kings" I suggested.
BB Kings was a blues club and restaurant.
"What are you trying to say?" My mother folded her arms.
"You liked it when we went to Memphis."
"No you're trying to say I'm old. The first thing you think about when you think about me is a blues club?"
"Well Yeah wasn't you born when they started the blues?" Miri asked.
"Amiri I'm two seconds from knocking you out." My mother said.
Amiri laughed. "I like B.B. Kings aint' that old dude from Cadillac Records with harmonica that Columbus short played?" Amiri said.
"Oh my God. Ignore him." I said.
"That was Lil Walter." My mother said.
"See you know all the old people. BB Kings it is." Amiri said.
She took a paper towel and threw it at him.
"I like old people too. That's why I wanna go. Find me an old womens that'll give me her social security check."
"Womens Amiri?" My mother asked.
"Yeah old ladies called womens."
My mother smirked and shook her head at his stupidity.
"So we gon go to B.B. Kings? Okay. Go get ready." I hugged my mother and kissed her cheek.
"Ma what old women like, so I can dress to impress. Y'all like them Hawaiian shirts and gold chains? Or them adidas track suits like Rev Run?"
My mother went over to him and playfully strangled him.
I was trying to make my mother happy for as long as I could. Because we knew it wouldn't last long. 😩
