The Dutiful Wife [COMPLETED]

18.

Shiloh "Lo" Mackey
I sat on the sofa laughing at BK as this silly muthafucka rambled on about the type of party he thought my mother should have for her birthday a week from now. My ma, Don, and King laughed at him all while looking at him like he was crazy. Why the fuck would I have strippers at my mother's party bussin' it open as if this was P Valley?

Ma would be turning 51 and I wanted to do something special. If that meant calling in relatives that lived hours away where ma and pop had raised me and King then so be it. This woman deserved to be spoiled. Ever since she'd come into the city a couple of years back she'd been my rider. I can admit that I didn't welcome her with open arms the night she'd shown up to the party at King's place. I told her to go fuck herself and that I didn't want anything to do with her. She walked away that night but before she'd left she'd written down her number in case I ever needed her.

I was used to a church-going woman who followed all the rules. I never knew this gangsta side of my mom until I'd brought her on board with the bank robbery. I was still the boss but the ideas she pitched in helped us move a bit smarter. Don't get me wrong I was good but ma was a bad muthafucka. I found myself having to reach out to her the night Ann and Karla's grimy asses had left me for dead.

Instead of going to a hospital, ma spent a week nursing me back to health and in that time we talked and worked everything out. I hadn't opened up to her about what me and King were involved in right away but once I did I was sure she'd lecture me like she used to back in the day when she didn't agree with our choices. However, she wanted in.

I think she wanted so badly to be in my life that she'd rather be down with whatever I did than go against me. Her, Don, and BK knew about me taking Shyanne in order to keep Ann quiet. Though they all preferred I just put a bullet in her and get it over with. King was the only one in the dark about everything. I had him thinking that Ann and I were separated and sharing custody of Shyanne.

Ma was living with me now and whenever I had to leave the house it was her who was looking after Shyanne if she wasn't busy herself. She understood that if Ann popped up that she couldn't see Shyanne. Don't get me wrong back when we were kids ma loved everything about Ann but to protect her kids, right or wrong, she'd turn on whoever.

"You must be out of your mind if you think our ma is having a party with butt-naked hoes everywhere." I laughed, shaking my head.

"Shiloh.." She said sternly and I recognized the tone. She wanted me to watch my mouth but I was a grown-ass man now and if she wanted to sit around the crew then she needed to understand that this was how we talked.

"Either you're gonna be my mom or my homie. You can't sit around us and be both ma." I said and everybody looked away as if they were scared of her reaction or just didn't want to be witnesses to her slapping the hell out of me. She stood.

"What did you say?" She questioned. I sucked my teeth and stood.

"I'm not in the mood ma. Let me go check on my baby." I said as I headed out of the living room to go check on Shyanne. Making my way down the long hallway to her bedroom, I poked my head in the open door to see what she was doing. Baby girl was pretending to do her doll's makeup with the plastic makeup kit that came with the doll.