Ziyah's POV
"Damn Zi, what took you so long," Lucas says the second he opens the door to his apartment.
"I'm 5 minutes late damn," I say. Shock comes over Lucas's face as I still stand on his welcome mat in the evening, in a button down, and with none of the good food he promised me when inviting me to eat dinner with him and his mom. Before Lucas can say anything about why he labeled this dinner as an emergency I hear footsteps approach the door.
"Did I just hear the D word?" a familiar woman's voice scolds. A voice that could only belong to Lucas's crazy mom Ms. Hamilton who at barely 5 feet scares me when she's not reciting sermons or bible verses.
"No Ms. Hamilton," I say.
She approaches the door dressed in her messy apron with her golden jesus piece. "Ziyah look at you! Come on in boy! Lucas why are you just standing there?" She shouts and pulls me into the house that's filled with the smell of collard greens, burnt cornbread, and mashed potatoes. In a matter of seconds Lucas has me sitting at his rusty dining table across from him. Just as Lucas is about to say something the doorbell rings, and a smile spreads on his face.
"Is that our special guest?" Ms. Hamilton shouts from the kitchen.
"Mhmm," Lucas says and heads to the door as his smile turns way too devious. After he opens the door I hear a few hellos and a girl's voice. Oh god please tell me Lucas didn't bring one of his conquest. Lucas walks back into the room, but now he's beside a girl who with one look I know is Danielle Goodman. Only her umber eyes are the same and she now can be mistaken for any girl on social media. Bright red waves of probably fake hair, fenty makeup that I only know because of Angela, and a black kinda tight jumpsuit. Fried chicken and popcorn, that was a bit much.
"Zi!" she shouts and leaves Lucas's side to get me up from my chair. She wraps her arms around me, I shoot daggers at Lucas who stands behind her. "I've missed you so much!" She looks at me expecting to say the same, but I don't because I haven't thought about this girl until last week.
"Who's this girl? Ziyah is this the Daya Lucas told me about?" Ms. Hamilton says coming back from the kitchen.
It takes me no time to say, "No."
"I'm Danielle Goodman Ms I used to hang out with Ziyah and Lucas in elementary school," Danielle explains. She looks back at me, why I don't fucking know. Ms. Hamilton looks Danielle up and down, and were probably thinking the same thing as me. That's a tight jumpsuit.
"Well Danielle you were cuter when you were 9, but you have to be dressed appropriately to eat in this house," Ms. Hamilton says in that sweet, but hella messy way. She could be on one of those shitty reality tv shows Angela watches.
I stare at my feet hoping I imagined what Ms. Hamilton just said. Ultimately I wanna save Danielle from this situation, but she seems to got it handled. "Oh I'm sorry Ms. Hamilton, don't worry I was just stopping by to say hi." Her smile remains, but it's more limp now, and she looks back at me. "Bye Ziyah," she says not even acknowledging Lucas as she flips her hair over her shoulder.
"Bye Danielle," I say. Thanks to Ms. Hamilton and the image of Daya in my head I have no problem not looking at her as she walks out.
When there is no trace of Danielle I'm back in my seat and Lucas is sitting across from me smirking. "So Danielle was the reason you wanted me to come?" I ask.
"No Danielle was just a surprise, I'll tell you the real emergency later after dinner," Lucas whispers and his mom comes back with plates filled with food. All kinds of soul food, all kinds of food that beats the microwave meals I share with Sof. All food I can't touch until Ms.Hamilton is done with her long ass prayer and speech.
"Lucas you better pull that hand back," she yells and Lucas obediently retracts his hand from his plate. Once Lucas mumbles, "sorry mom," and I try to hold in my laughter Ms. Hamilton plasters a smile on her face. "Now since we have a guest I thought before we pray over our food we sing our favorite songs about our lord and savior Jesus Christ," she says too excitedly. Oh no.
Lucas immediately shakes his head. "Mom, Ziyah doesn't really have the strongest vocals, maybe we should save the singing for church," Lucas says in his proper son voice that goes with the button down and slacks he's wearing. Ms. Hamilton looks over to me making me sit up a little bit, and push a dread out of my face.
"Fine Ziyah you don't have to participate, but next time you will read me a bible verse," she insists.
"Yes mam," I say. This is why Lucas is always over at my house. Lucas mouths me a "Your welcome," and we both turn our attention to Ms. Hamilton who starts her low humming. I don't know what Jesus song she's singing, but her head is bowed and she mimics the movements of Cece Winans through each word. I doze off and look at the many crosses, and Jesus art surrounding the place that doesn't seem to have a touch of the slutty Lucas I know. Snapping me out of my daze Lucas begins clapping and I follow as Ms. Hamilton hums her last hum.
"Thank you baby now it's your turn to praise us with a song about Jesus." Oh this is going to be good. Lucas doesn't hesitate and gets up from his chair to stand up straight and clear his throat. I've never heard Lucas sing, but something maybe it's his loud ass voice tells me theres a reason for that.
"This is a new one mom, don't think you've heard it," he says and his mom seems very intrigued. In a high pitch tone Lucas begins, "Jesus walks... Jesus walks with me," he sings with his eyes focused on the window behind his mom. Ms. Hamilton still looks excited with her big smile, and I'm biting my tongue in attempt not laugh at this dumb ass because I know he's not singing the sample. "Jesus walks with me," he continues. Not surprising me, but putting shock on his poor mother's face he changes his composure to mimic Tyler the Creator rapping at a festival. "You know the mid west is? Young and reckless negroes might snatch your neck-" Before he can continue Ms. Hamilton shakes her head vigorously.
"Boy if you don't sit your black ass down," she says. Lucas scurries to his seat and shoots me a smirk before turning to his now angry mother.
"Reciting that Kanye West nonsense in my house, can you believe this boy Ziyah?" She asks. I can't believe we still haven't eaten.
Hiding my smile I say, "It's just abominable Ms. Hamilton, especially after all of the words Kanye has said against the black community," I say and Lucas shoots daggers at me. This is what he gets for surprising me with Danielle and hotboxing my car not too long ago.
Ms. Hamilton shakes her head. "That man just put out a whole album talking about Jesus, if you're going to use one of his songs at least use a recent one." Amen.
After a long prayer we finally eat, and Ms. Hamilton asks all kind of questions about my mom and how many times an odd family like ours goes to church. The answer; is we only go on Christmas, easter, and sundays when my mom accidentally runs into someone from church.
Being that no matter how many times Lucas denies it, he tells his mom everything. She even asks about Angela, and her warm energy that reminds me of my auntie lets me tell her Angela is getting ready to move soon. I've surpassed my normal number of words talking to Ms. Hamilton making me relieved when she leaves the dinning room to read the bible. When there is no sign of her Lucas goes back to his slouching position, and begins getting all of his curse words out.
"So you guys slept together? But you didn't sleep together? I could've sworn the point of having a girlfriend was to be doing it 24/7," Lucas says. I kind of want Ms. Hamilton to come back just to see how he would lie himself out of that statement.
"Okay ," is all I respond with. "So what did you want to tell me?" Lucas begins to stare at the ceiling for a bit.
He then jolts back to look at me. "Right oh yeah that." He stares at the ceiling again. "When did your mother get back from Boston?"
"She got back yesterday why?"
"What time did she get back?' Wanting information has to be the only thing Lucas has in common with his mom.
"Why?"
Lucas places his hands together. "Last night I was listening to rap in the parking lot because you know mom be crazy, but anyway guess whose car was parked in the place where I do my Pusha T 'If you know you know'," Lucas throws his hands behind his head, as I try to piece his words together. Since when did this guy pay attention to things like my mom's car.
"So you're saying my mom's car was in your parking lot? Do you know she's not the only with a jeep?"
"She's the only one with this license plate." Lucas pulls out his phone and does like 50 swipes before flipping his phone over to me to reveal a picture of the back of my mom's car. I squint a little bit, but after scanning the plate I realize it is hers. But what does this even mean?
"So is that all," I say.
Lucas slides his phone back in his pocket. "Yea, but come on don't you want to find out what your mom's doing?" i'm not going to lie, my mom has been pretty suspicious lately especially since that phone call I snooped on. She works more, talks to me less, and keeps her bedroom door closed all of the time when before she had an open door policy. I've come to the conclusion that she's dating someone, who I have no idea, but I guess it's someone in Lucas's building.
"Nah I'm cool, stop acting like you're on Law and order she parked in your building lets leave it that." Lucas nods and his mom comes back in the room carrying her bible. Until I'm able to spit out some excuse to go home she makes me read three bible verses while Lucas has to sing a whole church song which he butchers. The only line I remember is: Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
I get home to a house that surprisingly isn't empty and instead Angela stands in the greeting room with my mom very into their conversation. When they see me they both turn and immediately stop talking. Suspicious as fuck. "Hi baby how was dinner with Lucas?" my mom coos and places a kiss on my cheek when I come beside her.
"Aight... Danielle was there," I say with no emotion.
"Danielle Goodman? Your first little girlfriend?" Angela buds in.
"She wasn't my girlfriend," I argue. Just a childhood buddy.
"Hmm ok," Angela utters, and her and my mom share a look. I went to ask my mom about the car thing, but honestly she can park where she wants to.
Angela crosses her arms and lets out a huff. "What is taking that girl so long?" she says looking up at the staircase.
"Sof?" I ask.
"Yeah no duh, we're moving some stuff to the apartment, she's packing." My eyes go wide a bit. I didn't expect Angela to be moving in so soon, I don't even know where this place is and I haven't seen Angela move one box.
"I'll go talk to her,"I say. Like the good brother I am I go to Sofia's room where Sofia sits on her bed holding a depressing cardboard box on her lap.
"Sof Ang is waiting for you," I say as I walk into her room and sit beside her. Most of her stuff is gone but her room is not completely abandoned.
"No Zi Zi I want to stay here with you," she whines. Damn.
"Sof you can come back here anytime you want."
She shakes her head. "Why can't I stay with daddy while he's doing his secret mission?" God she's killing me.
"Sof don't worry about him, you're going to live with Ang and everything will be ok," I say.
"Why can't I just be here?"
"Because you and Ang need a special place for just you and her."
"Can you be in that special place mommy said you might be." Of course she did.
"Maybe Sof," I say and I actually mean it. "So you're going to finish packing right?"
"I already have the stuff I need I was just having a moment," she pouts.
"Ok Sof," I say with a laugh and hold the box as we walk downstairs.
"There she is," my mom says and Sofia runs to Angela who hands her her Doc Mcstuffins backpack. As usual it takes forever for Angela to leave , but I don't mind as as long as my mom and Angela are having their secret conversations Sofia stays by my side. I flop back on my bed after watching Angela drive in the same way as Lucas's complex. Lucas would be going all Nancy Drew and shit, but there is only so many directions Angela can go in. I flop back on my bed, and my phone buzzes.
Unknown: Lucas gave me your number. It's Danielle.
My first reaction is to block her, but she's not being desperate like Ella so I just don't respond or add her number. She's the past, I've got my present, but would it really hurt to just have a piece of my childhood back only as a friend.