Page 48 of For the Love of City

PORSHA

“BABY GIRL, IS that you?”

The voice had Lyric snapping her head around angrily before she released a huff and then turned back to the racks we were looking at.

“I know the fuck—”

I was looking at her hard as hell because I was limited as to what I could do.

Lyric took the news of our having a baby really well and was excited to have a sibling.

City wanted to get this record with Lyric and Royce done as soon as possible and asked me to come along.

It would be a good opportunity to start off with this styling thing he wanted me to do.

I’d already met with Royce so I could get an idea of what he liked.

Now we were at the mall getting preliminary pieces I thought would work for him.

“What’s wrong?”

Lyric shook her head and kept looking through the clothing racks so that she didn’t have to face whoever this was trying to get her attention. “Girl, this ain’t shit to even think twice about.”

“Do we need to get security?” Because again, I was willing to risk my livelihood but not my life or the baby’s. City would kill me if I was fighting and I wouldn’t imagine harming my kid.

Lyric paused and looked at me as though she were insulted. “Since when have you and I ever needed security?”

“True. But the look on your face makes me feel like something ‘bout to go down and it might be a step beyond my pay grade. I’ll stomp a bitch out but right now I can’t move like I want without risks.

” I pointed to my belly and she nodded in agreement.

“So am I tripping a bitch so you can handle her or what?”

“No, because that’s exactly what she wants.”

Since her tone was light I understood she wasn’t pressed but I still wanted to know who was walking up on us.

“So we’re not handling business, but who is she?” I kept my voice low so that the intruder didn’t hear our conversation.

“Lyric—”

“Not using my gotdamn government name in public and shit. This stupid bitch is really trying me.” That chuckle of disbelief escaped Lyric’s lips and I knew she was shuffling through her reasons to stay calm and out of jail before she turned around to whoever the woman was that was trying to get her attention. “What you want, Reina?”

Oh, hell nah. I knew that name all too well.

Since we were stationary Reina got closer to us and I could hardly tell the resemblance between them aside from their physical shape.

Her mother was a lighter brown than Lyric and nothing about her overly done up and clean girl aesthetic matched Lyric with her laid back style and J’s.

Today Lyric was wearing running tights and a crop t-shirt with her sneakers.

She looked like Lyric and nothing like Finesse, which is why we could move as freely as we were.

“What do I want? Lyric, it’s me. I’m your mom. You don’t remember me?”

The woman who didn’t seem that much older than me was waiting expectantly for Lyric to acknowledge her. She seemed to think that Lyric was going to run to her with open arms and even I knew that Lyric would hit her in the mouth before she ever hugged her.

Lyric turned around with her arms folded, and I did the same so that I might assist her. Wasn’t sure what my pregnant ass was gonna be able to do, but I was going to do something.

“Uhhh, yeah hence the reason I’m talking to you like a random on the street: because you are. So what do you want?”

Reina, cause this bitch surely wasn’t her mama, was looking at her like she was trying to find a soft spot that Lyric might have for her. With the hard set of her face, I assumed she knew there wasn’t one. She cleared her throat softly and looked around before she finally spoke up.

“I heard you were in Atlanta—”

“I was in Atlanta for thirteen years and just moved away two years ago. I’m always in and out of the city and ain’t never got word that you wanted to see me since you dropped me off.

Now that I’m sure you need something I’m sure you been scouting out the city waiting to catch up to me.

” Lyric was happily telling her mama about herself and Reina didn’t seem to appreciate being called out.

“You don’t have to talk to me that way.”

Lyric chuckled at her mama’s attempt to grandstand. “I really don’t have to talk to you at all if we’re being honest so you can take this tone or you can get the fuck out of my face. So, which will it be Reina?”

“I didn’t think that sending you to live with City would have you being this damn disrespectful. I’m still your mama.”

Lyric’s laugh was more like a chaotic chuckle as she went back to flipping through the racks.

“I can’t say what you thought. You left me on the doorstep like a biracial baby in the fifties after a one-night stand at the juke joint.

You never called, never sent that man a dime and you damn sure never came by.

So your thought process is absolutely foreign to me. ”

“Well, that’s your friend’s fault. I’ve been trying to get back in contact with you for years but it’s clear that she blocked me from getting to you.”

Lyric turned back around and I was standing there watching this whole thing play out like the strangest daytime soap. This shit was better than an episode of Passions .

“Damn, you saying there’s a reason I have to be nice to Trice now? Did not see that coming on my Bingo card for this trip to the A.”

Lyric was laughing in her egg donor’s face and that only seemed to frustrate her more. I was sure Reina thought that dropping that info was going to be a gotcha moment but Lyric was unbothered.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m glad she didn’t put your calls through.

I mean knowing her she probably lied to you and told you she was working on it.

Anything to milk you for whatever I’m sure you were paying her.

Cause she did nothing for free. I’m sure that money was supposed to be a guarantee that you’d have a piece of whatever pie you’re attempting to take a bite out of now.

Probably only stopped once you heard we fell out and realized she’d been playing you.

Sound about right? It’s page one on the trifling bitches’ playbook and frankly it sounds like something you would do.

Crazy how you got conned like that. Anyway, again, what do you want?

I know it’s something and I don’t have a lot of time today. ”

Lyric tapped her watch like she wanted to hurry this run in along. To be honest, she was handling this much better than I could have. If my mama had done me like Reina had I wouldn’t have hesitated to swing.

Reina fidgeted in her pleated maxi skirt and tried to soften her approach. “Lot of time? You’d limit time for your mom? Your family? You have step siblings—”

“Okay. Good for you. It’s funny you had time to raise someone else’s kids but not your own.” Lyric was laughing at her mother but I wondered if her feelings were hurt behind her mother raising someone else and not her.

“Lyric, it wasn’t like that.”

I had to give it to Reina she either had been rehearsing this moment for years. She’d soften her voice at the appropriate times and even looked contrite. But it looked and felt like a performance to even me so I know Lyric felt the same.

Lyric laughed off her mother’s plea for understanding in a way that was so cold, I would’ve worried for this woman’s safety if I didn’t hate her so much.

“Nah, it was actually worse but I’m trying to be nice since we’re out in public. If you don’t want that I can tuck the manners that Corey taught me away and drag your ass up and down this floor. It would actually save me the trouble of having to come find you again later.”

“You would put hands on your mother?”

Reina started to glance around like someone in this department store was going to come to her rescue. The majority of the people were in an unspoken perimeter away from us and I could only guess how Reina got within the area.

“Actually, nah I wouldn’t. Cause then you’d want a payout for keeping quiet and then you’d think I was beholden to you for who knows how long.

And frankly, I don’t want to give you shit.

You know a shiesty bitch will always come back around with her hand out even after you’ve cut them off.

I’m not giving you a dime of my hard earned money.

” Lyric looked her mama up and down, gave her a fake smile and turned her back on her.

“So you’re saying even if I told you I was struggling financially you wouldn’t help me out?”

“I would say that karma is a bitch and if you didn’t want her to slap you in the mouth better you should’ve sown better seeds to reap a better harvest. It ain’t my fault life caught up with you, bitch.

Bout damn time.” She hadn’t turned to look at her mother and gleefully muttered that last line as she kept looking through the racks.

“How would the papers feel that you would let your mother starve?” Reina crossed her arms boldly as though she had Lyric backed into a corner.

“I dunno. Why not take a chance and go ask them?” Lyric wasn’t even hiding her smile now and the threat was clear in her tone. But since her mama didn’t know shit about her I was sure she missed it.

“You’re serious.” Reina looked surprised that the threat didn’t get Lyric to do exactly what it was she wanted her to as soon as she played that card.

I raised my brows at Lyric because I was ready to jump in at any moment. I could still cut a bitch with my words even if I wasn’t allowed to physically get involved. But Lyric shook her head and looked at me like she wished I would try to intervene.