Jazmine POV-
"Y'all got everything?" Ms. Shelia asked as we came back in the house from putting our things in the car.
"Yup." August said coming in behind me.
"Alright then. Y'all be safe." Mama Shelia hugged Aug.
"You make sure you safe while you out here facetiming old niggas. Wrap it up."
She hit him and pushed him off of her.
"Damn Ma. I was looking out for you."
"Girl if I was you I would dump his ignorant ass." Ms. Shelia grabbed me into a hug.
I laughed.
"Any recipes you need. Help or anything else just let me know."
"I will."
"Imma try to make it up there to see y'all."
"Oh that would be great." I smiled. "You could bring your man."
"Or she could not." August looked at me.
"Boy you don't tell me who I can or cannot bring. Anyway, y'all get outta here before traffic hit."
"Mm-hm. Trying to kick us out so you can do the do." August eyed her. "I'm on to you Shelia Marie Blair."
"Boy if you don't get outta my house." She directed us toward the door laughing at Aug's foolishness.
We left out giving her one last hug. We got in the car and hit the road.
-----
"I never leave without coming here."
I followed Aug out of the car to the cemetery where his brother was buried. He just looked at the place where his brother laid for a minute. Not saying anything. I'm sure his mind was running rapid with thoughts, but the only sound we heard were the birds chirping.
That was a beautiful sign. That amongst all this death, there was still life. The birds. The spirits of those that lay beneath the soil.
I wrapped my arms around his and held his hand. He put his fingers between mine.
"What do you think he'd say seeing all you accomplished today?" I laid my head on his shoulder.
"Nigga you did it." He gave a slight smile.
"You did." I reached up and kissed his cheek.
"Yeah." He sighed. "Just sad my nigga couldn't see."
I was waiting for him to cry but he didn't.
"We can go. Just wanted to pay my respects." He made a salute to his brother then led me still holding my hand back to the car.
He opened my door for me and closed it. Then got in. We drove to the high way in silence. I wanted to give him time to process his thoughts.
"What you thinking about bum?" I looked over at him as we silently drove on the highway.
"How when I was first learning to talk to girls, Mel said your game gotta be as smooth as Nola Jazz."
He chuckled.
"I didn't realize I put that as a hashtag under your pic."
"Oh because New Orleans is known for jazz music?"
"Yeah. And it's real smooth I guess. I don't know. Mel was always using these old ass men quotes. Like shit somebody granddaddy would say. "
I laughed. "Like what?"
"He would say stuff like "boah you don't know shit from shinola. And I was like what the fuck is Shinola?"
"What is it?"
"This old shoe polish."
"Oh my God." I cracked up.
"He was like an old man in young dude's body. He hung around my uncle's too much. Cause they was like old niggas who'd sit around drink and talk shit all day. And Mel would be right there with them."
"Oh wow. He seemed funny."
"Yeah. He was."
There was a silence.
"So when am I going to meet your family?" Aug asked me breaking the silence.
"Huh?" I said.
"Don't fuck we me Jazz."
"I'm joking. One day."
"What you mean one day?"
"You know Lauren. Don't act like you don't know none of my family."
"I'm talking about your parents."
"Soon."
"You ashamed of me?"
"August. Stop. No. My mother would love you."
"Your dad?"
"Ehhh he don't like nobody."
"He bourgeois like you?"
"First off I'm not bourgeois and second off he's just over protective that's all. His ideal life for me is to be forever single raising cats."
The truth was Aug and my dad both had strong personalities and them together would be a volcano. I was trying to hold off on that for as long as possible.
"I think he would like me. I'm a pretty good guy."
"We should stop somewhere to get something to eat."
"Oh so you changing the subject?"
"I'll set up a dinner where you can meet them okay. Geesh. You're so irritating."
August's phone began to ring. He looked at it, then ignored it.
"Who was that?"
"Nobody." He kept driving.
I looked at him with suspicion.
"What are you looking at?"
"Why you didn't answer the phone?"
"Cause it wasn't important."
There was a beep indicating the person left a message.
I picked up his phone.
"Sit it down Jazmine."
"What are you hiding?"
"I'm not fucking playing."
I refused.
He pulled the car over to the side of the road. And snatched it from me. He started the car and got back on the road.
"That's a woman isn't it?" I looked at him.
He ignored me.
"Really August?"
He tucked his lip and tried his best to ignore me.
"You are so full of shit. All this talk about how you want me to trust you and you trying to regulate me and here you are, we can't even get our relationship off the ground without you hoeing around. Let me out."
"We in the middle of nowhere."
"I don't give a fuck. Stop the fucking car."
He kept driving. I opened the door and he abruptly pulled over and stopped.
"You want to be rolling down the fucking pavement?"
I got out and went to the trunk to get my things. I didn't know how I was getting home. Hopefully an Uber could take me to the nearest airport. Train station. Hell bus depot. I didn't care. I just knew I wasn't riding with his ass.
No nigga was going to disrespect me by openly in my face cheating and expecting me to stick around for it. I would put up with a lot of stuff but this wasn't it. And that celebrity life style bullshit was no excuse.
"It wasn't a woman."
"Oh so the comments on the Shaderoom were true. I am your beard." I said sarcastically.
Beard for those who don't know is a woman a man gets with to hide the fact that he's gay.
"Don't fuck with me Jazz. You know I ain't gay."
"I don't know anything. I thought you were faithful and obviously I was wrong." I closed the trunk.
"Can you get back in the car to listen to the voice mail?"
"No I don't want to hear another bitch calling my supposed man."
"Just get in the car please."
I sat in the back seat with the door open, while he sat in the front.
"You can't hear nothing with the door open."
"I can hear just fine."
He played the voicemail on speaker. A female voice was heard.
"Hello Mr. Alsina this is Dr. Byass. I was calling to inform you that your test came back. I'm sorry to inform you, Your kidney's are deteriorating and you are going to need a transplant. Please make an appointment to see me as soon as possible. Thank you for your time."
I couldn't say anything. I just quietly put my things on the back seat, closed the door and August drove off.