Page 31 of Royce (Atkins Family Saga #1)

Thirteen

Royce

“ H ow you doing, Ms. Rachel? Heck, how my granny doing? Anything new?” One thing I never skipped out on was visiting my grandmother.

Before a nigga got hemmed up for three months, I was here damn near every other day when my schedule was free.

The only excuse I had this time was Klarity having my daughter.

If it wasn’t for them, I would’ve been up here.

“We didn’t think we would see you again, Royce. She’s in the room. She was up talking today. I think she’s in a good mood.”

“Thank you. I’ll send something to the facility sometime this week for all the residents and staff. I appreciate you, Ms. Rachel.”

“That sounds like a plan. Thank you, Royce. Go ‘head back and spend some time with her. Can we get you anything to snack on or drink?”

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll stop back through on my way out.”

She smiled and nodded. I stepped out her office with a big bouquet of white lilies and headed down the hall that led to my grandmother’s room.

She was the apple of a nigga eye. I hated that she fell ill but I was coming to terms with it.

She had esophageal cancer, and her treatment caused more complications than anything.

Being ninety-one, it wasn’t much they could do without complications being present.

She accepted her illness and expected everyone else to do the same. I mean, we really ain’t have a choice.

I entered her room to see she was wide awake smiling at the television. I glanced at it to see what she was watching. I should’ve known The Golden Girls was gon’ be there. She didn’t really care for anything else. Betty White was her real-life friend. She took her passing hard.

Walking over to her bed, I placed a kiss on her cheek catching her attention. She looked up at me and smiled even bigger. She was also suffering from dementia. I was my father in her eyes, and you couldn’t tell her any different.

“Hey Ma, how you feeling gorgeous?” It didn’t matter if it was the kids she birthed or her grandkids, we all referred to her as Ma.

“My sweet baby boy. Royce I was wondering when you were coming by here. Your sister Rhema just left,” she said barely above a whisper. It was hard for her to talk so she rarely did but when she was in a good mood, you got a full conversation.

“Did she? I’m sorry I missed her,” I lied. I changed out the dead flowers in her vase for the ones in tow.

My aunt Rhema was her youngest and passed when I was like five or six years old. I was glad she remembered her though. My uncle Ryan and Pops were the only ones of her batch left. Him and Pops got along but they weren’t close. Pops still made sure he lived good though. He was the oldest after all.

“Are you staying for a while? I missed you.” She looked so frail, and her skin was just as pale as it wanted to be. Life was slipping from her, and she had no clue.

“Yes ma’am. I got the rest of the day for you, and you know it’s all love, Ma. I’m gon’ forever miss you. You hungry? You want anything to drink?” I asked fighting back the tears that tried to surface.

“No baby. I’m alright. You see my girl up there?” she lifted her arm as best she could and pointed to Betty.

“I do. She doing good. When the last time you spoke to her?”

“The other day. I called her and she said she was stopping through here soon. You know we hang out all night when she do.”

“Y’all don’t be drinking do y’all?”

“Yeah. We like to drink that gin and catch us a few. We have a good time,” she bragged. Her smile was still present. It hadn’t dropped yet.

“Catch a few what, Ma? You was a Jezebel?” I asked in disbelief. I wasn’t expecting her to tell me how she got down back in the day.

“Oh, hush up boy. I don’t give them none of my cookies. I should. Yo’ father cheating anyway.”

Well damn. I would’ve never guessed Papa G was out doing my granny like that.

My granny always made it seem like they had an unbreakable bond.

Now I was curious if Papa G had any kids outside of his marriage.

My respect for him fa damn sho’ dropped though.

I didn’t give a fuck if he was already six feet under.

He played with my granny and I ain’t like that.

He wasn’t ‘bout to be mentioned out nobody mouth no more. I was gon’ make sure of it.

“Don’t be a hoe just ‘cause he one, Ma. It’s double standards, but you’ll lose your morals.”

“Morals my ass. You ain’t nothing but a child, you don’t know nothing ‘bout no morals. Where’s that girl you been seeing? What’s her name?”

“Who Iris?”

“Is that her name? The one with the curly long hair? I like her. I hope she have that baby. I would love to meet him. It ain’t nothing like a son, Royce.”

I smiled as tears fell. She’d met me a thousand times over but seeing how excited she was just to meet me all over again had a nigga chest tightening.

She was in her last days, and I couldn’t stop it.

No one came to see her as much as I did, and I found that to be fucked up.

Pops claimed he was too busy and gave her two days out the month then Uncle Ryan just didn’t stop by.

My mama and granny had a love hate relationship that neither one wanted to speak on so my mama coming was every once in a while.

Mercedees was much like her father so that left no one but me.

All she had was me and I was cool with that.

Shit, she was valued the most in my eyes anyway.

My last memory of her being lucid was right after Mercedees graduated from college. She was able to see her other grandchild walk, and I thanked God he kept her sane long enough. She checked out maybe a few weeks after and never checked back in.

“I know, Ma. She’s gon’ have him so you can meet him soon. I’ll make sure of it.” A call came through on my cell from my jeweler causing me to answer immediately. “Wassup Kellz?”

“I was wondering something. Since I designed the rings, am I invited to the wedding?” she asked.

Chuckling, I said, “Yeah man. Are they ready?”

“They are and they are stunning, Royce. Your wife’s a lucky woman. Are you coming today?”

“Uh, yeah. I’ll slide through in like an hour. I’m handling something right now.”

“That’s fine, just call me when you’re on the way.” She disconnected the call and as soon as I was getting ready to pocket my cell, another call came through. This one was from Yonnis. “Yo!”

“Aye, you really ‘bout to do this?” he inquired.

“Do what? Solidify my family? Hell yeah.”

“This is illegal, Royce.”

“Fa real? How much time you think I’ll get for it? I’m guessing like a year or two. I can’t do more than that. I got kids and shit to think about now.”

“Nigga you won’t do no time ‘cause I’ll get you off. This is small shit. My thing is, why don’t you just ask the damn girl. You ain’t got to sneak and shit. That girl gon’ lose her shit when she finds out you took it upon yourself to adopt her fuckin’ child.”

“I ain’t trying to hear all that. You got the papers ready or not?”

“Yeah. I’m coming to you or you to me?”

“Meet me at the mall by the house in an hour. I’m gon’ pick up our rings and shit. Can’t get married without them,” I said smiling. In the next forty-eight hours, I’d be married and officially placed as the head of The Oath.

“You fuckin’ crazy. I’ll be there.” He hung up and I tucked my phone in my pocket.

I didn’t mind the name calling. At the end of the day, I was spoiled and knew no one else’s way but my own.

Everybody in my life gave me what I wanted, or I took it.

Even with me taking it, it didn’t take long for a muthafucka to get on board afterward.

This was a piece of cake for me. I was killing three birds with one stone, that was what I called saving time. Why not get it done all at once?

I kicked it with Ma for the next hour I’d spoke on and whether she enjoyed it or not, it was enjoyed on my end.

I missed her and would fa sho’ miss her when OG called her home.

I hated that the kids wouldn’t be remembered.

She was already in a stage where anything new would be forgotten in the blink of an eye.

As bad as I wanted to slow down time, I didn’t think she had much of it left.

Her body was just as thin as it wanted to be.

She barely moved and her eyes were beginning to look lifeless.

I was still trying to prepare mentally but it was hard.

I heard this woman’s voice all my life and all my life she pushed me to be the best man I could.

It was never gon’ be a time her advice escaped a nigga.

I hated how my family was slow to coming to see her, but it was what it was.

She had me and that was all that mattered.

Shit, she would be proud to know she had a nursing home named after her.

Petals of Rose was all her and my way of remembering her.

Not many folk called her by her middle name.

Her kids took them R names from her, not Papa G.

Once she fell asleep, I crept out of there. I’d pay her a visit with My Baby and the kids soon. She deserved to meet them even if she was in her last days. I just wanted her to be that angel and light over my kids.

I stopped at Ms. Rachel’s office like I promised her I would. She was still in the same spot, pecking away on her computer. I did a light tap on her door and she looked up with a smile.

“How was Ms. Anita? Did she give you any conversation today?”

“She did and it was good to hear her voice again. She’s sleeping now and content. I was wondering if she’s been eating. She looks thinner than the last time.”

“I assure you Ms. Anita has been eating. She is starting to refuse meals thinking she’d just eaten but we still double back and make sure she’s fed.

Her favorite snacks right now are sweet potatoes and yogurt.

Her meals are blended as usual, and we try to give her protein shakes in between. She does good with those as well.”