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“Gema, Betty Jo and Willearl wanna come get you next week,” I said, changing the subject.
“Come get me for what?”
“Well, it’s been a minute since you went and visited. They trying to spend some time with you.”
“Ummhmm. And which one of ‘em I’m staying with? Cause if I gotta stay with Litha, I ain’t going.”
“I think Willearl said you gon’ stay with him and Bonnie.”
“Well, in that case I reckon I’ll go.”
“How long you wanna stay?”
“Five days. On the fifth day, they can bring me ret on back.”
“That’s it?” Mrs. Jessie asked.
“That is all,” she swore. “They lucky I’m even going.” She huffed.
“I figured you would say no.”
“I know you and Jessie be needing a break. I’on mind going for you to get one.”
“I’on need no break, Gema.”
“Me either, Bertha,” Mrs. Jessie let her now.
“Well ya’ gon’ get one. Good thing Jessie done did my hair. Litha swears she know what she be doing. Last time she got the darn comb stuck in my head,” Gema fussed.
Tossing my head back, I laughed so hard. “Lady… you are too funny.”
“Hell, Louise had to come help her out.”
“You gon’ go see her when you get there.”
“No.” Her head shook vehemently. “She wanna see me, she better come over Willearl’s. I’m not ‘bout to be running all over town.”
“I know that’s right!” Mrs. Jessie drawled.
Hopping down off the counter, I took the stuff I needed to make my pad Thai out of the fridge. Law said he would be here in thirty minutes and I wanted to at least have the food halfwaydone. Gema egg rolls and the sticky rice was done but the man had a huge appetite. That wasn’t enough for him to get full.
Law had shown up right on time as predicted. To keep him company while I finished my food, Gema had whipped out the old picture book. The two of them was sitting at the island talking shit about me like I wasn’t standing right there. Mrs. Jessie had long retired to her room after telling me to let her know when the food was done so she could come out and get Gema situated.
“I remember when Joe pulled that toof right there. Miss Thang had a fit cause it was in the front. She ain’t want them chirren down at that schoolhouse to be picking at her.”
“Talitha, you were cute right here.” Law held up the picture Gema was referring too. I took it in second grade. Gema had combed my hair up in two pigtails and I had a gaping hole right in the front. Before I left for school that day, she told me I better smile in those pics. Out of all the pictures she could have shown him, she showed him the ugliest one.
“What day was this one?” Turning around, I leaned over to get a good look at the picture before turning back around. Jalitha had taken that picture of me the day after my fifth birthday. It was the day of my actual party. I wasn’t smiling in that picture. In fact, had anyone really paid attention to me that day, they would have been able to sense that something was wrong.
Neither Gema nor I uttered a word. I could feel Law staring at my back. Without even turning around, I mumbled loud enough for him to hear. “Day after my fifth birthday.”
“Oh,” he muttered when he realized why me nor Gema had said anything.
“Was this college or high school?” he asked, moving along to the next picture.
“High school. That’s the day Joe bought her that loud ass Mustang.”
“You drove a Mustang?”