by Briann Danae
Freshly planted flowers decorated the yard and, the way the sun was gleaming, Nakita had better make sure she watered those babies. Across the street, a younger couple she recalled from previous years were placing a toddler and a baby in the backseat of a car, while their loved ones waved goodbye. Politely, she waved, and a smile graced her face when she heard Nakita’s voice.
“Hey! You guys made it.”
Just reaching the big five-zero, Nakita didn’t look anything near that age. Sen shook his head at how built and in shape she was and thanked the man above for those black-don’t-crack hereditary genes. Standing shorter than her daughter at five-foot-four, Nakita was a tiny little something and total opposite personality than Neicey’s firecracker one.
“We did. Look at you,” Neicey chuckled, giving her a once over.
Nakita shooed her away before pulling her into a hug. Butterflies swam through Neicey’s stomach, begging to be let free. This closeness, motherly warm hug, and love radiating from Nakita to her was almost unreal. Unreal, because Neicey had missed it and didn’t even know she had until know. But, her guard was still up, so their embrace ended quicker than Nakita wanted it to.
“And look at you,” she replied on the verge of tears, and Neicey shook her head.
“Ma, please. I just got here. At least save them until I leave.”
Nakita swallowed her tears back instantly. “And how long do you plan on staying this time?”
“Until Monday,” Sen spoke up before Neicey could. They discussed only staying until Sunday evening at the latest but, after seeing their interaction, one he knew they both needed more of, he made a quick change in plans.
“Boy,” Nakita beamed, as Sen stepped into her space. “You get anymore handsome, I’ma start wondering why you two aren’t married yet.”
Sen frowned and looked at Neicey, who chuckled. Her mama was a mess. “What you mean, Ms. Nakita? You trying to call me gay or something?”
Nakita’s eyebrow raised. “I would never, but I just have to make sure. All this hair, and well… let me hush. Get on in here, before I have a heat stroke. Making me sweat my relaxer out in this sun.”
Sen didn’t know how the fuck she got the impression that he was on some gay shit, but he wasn’t feeling her little comment. “Fuck is she on?” Sen whispered in Neicey’s ear as they rolled their luggage up the driveway.
“She was joking.”
“Nah. No, she wasn’t. If she knew how you just sucked the hell out of my dick on the ride here, she’d really sweat her relaxer out knowing her daughter was a porn star.”
Neicey cackled loudly, making Nakita turn around. Clamping her mouth shut, she held back her giggles until her mama opened the screen door and stepped inside.
“Shut up. That was regular head,” Neicey exclaimed, slapping him on his arm.
“Sheeiiiit. I almost wrecked. Wasn’t nothing regular about that. It’s cool. You my personal porn star, but we’ll keep that to ourselves,” he whispered the last sentence in her ear, before giving her ass cheek a smack and walking behind her in the house.
Inhaling deeply, a citrus smell invaded Neicey’s nostrils and she wanted to give her mama a round of applause. Before she moved out of her mama’s crib, their house always smelled like cinnamon. Granted, on certain holidays such as Christmas, Neicey didn’t mind the smell, but it gave her headaches for the remainder of the year. You couldn’t pay Nakita to get rid of her cinnamon plug ins and décor. The entire house stayed smelling like a pack of Big Red gum.
“Yes, I changed the smell up,” Nakita confirmed, when she saw Neicey sniffle the air more than a few times.
“Thank goodness. I was ready to walk around here with a mask on my face,” she chuckled.
“Ya’ll hungry? I made some food.”
Sen nodded his head. “Starving. We gone get settled and come back in here.”
“Great. Nolan is supposed to be coming by. He and Marlae are running a few errands before tomorrow’s party,” Nakita confirmed Neicey’s silent curiosity.
The two years she had gone without seeing her older brother didn’t feel like any time at all. Neicey simply chalked the minutes, hours, and days up as just being busy. No one was that busy for their siblings or family though. She knew that and felt bad, but crossing over the threshold to her mother’s home placed all those guilty feelings to the back of her mind.
Down the hall in the guest bedroom they were crashing for their duration, Sen flopped down in the chair in the corner of the room. Kicking his shoes off, he stretched and released a yawn that made Neicey grin.
“Sleepy?”
“Nah. I know I will be after I eat though. I know she threw down and I need to smoke before I eat.”
“You can smoke on the back porch. Just don’t leave anything out there because it will probably get smoked,” she laughed but was serious.
“I got you. You trying to shower before we eat?”
“I’m okay. You can shower and I’ll fix your plate when you get out.”
Standing from the chair, Sen walked up on her at the dresser, as she placed their clothes inside. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Neicey’s nerves instantly calmed. She hadn’t realized how tense she was until she felt her shoulders relax.
“You good?” Sen didn’t know what was up with her, but she had been fidgety and spaced out since they got on the road.
Neicey nodded. “Yeah. Why? You good?”
Kissing her neck, Neicey quivered under his touch, and she was thinking about joining him in the shower but knew it’d turn into more than a quickie with him. Sen slid his hands up her stomach and rested them there while inhaling her scent. He didn’t care about them having been in the car for close to six hours. Pressing his body into hers, they moved closer to the dresser, making her lean her elbows against.
“No stress this weekend, alright? I meant that shit. Let’s just enjoy yo’ folks and deal with whatever is on your mind when we get back to the town.”
If it were that easy, she thought with a sigh. “No stress.”
After a quick peck to the lips to seal their deal for the weekend, Sen went to the joint bathroom and started the shower. While he was inside, Neicey stared at her reflection in the mirror and told herself to try and relax over the weekend. It was easier said in her head than done, but she was willing to try. If not for her, for Sen. He deserved that much.
Back in the kitchen, Nakita was waiting for her daughter to return, so they could catch up. Every mother-daughter relationship was different and, though Nakita wanted to act like she didn’t know why her and Neicey’s was strained, she couldn’t lie to herself. Over the years, she tried reaching out, wanted to make amends, but she just didn’t know how to get them pass the point where they left off years ago.
No matter the number of phones calls, visits, cards, or holidays spent, their relationship was strained. Neicey knew it but, at this point, it was normal for her. Their relationship was normal and worked for her, especially with them living miles away.
“I sat the towels out on the sink. Did you see them?”
“I did. Thanks,” Neicey replied, taking a seat at the table.
An awkward silence filled the air and Neicey tapped her nail against the modern wood dining table. This was always the part of the trip she hated the most, breaking the ice. Usually other family members were around and the conversation would flow, but not this time.
“So, how have you been?” Nakita questioned, grabbing the pitcher of tea from the refrigerator.
“I’m making it. Been working, that’s all. What’s new around here besides the smell?”
They smiled simultaneously, and Neicey’s heart ached of the remembrance of when that would occur when she was younger.
“Nothing much. Old man Jenkins down the road passed a few months ago. I finally got your uncles to clean out Mama’s storage area and sort through her things. I couldn’t do it by myself.”
“I know. Grandma had so much stuff, it didn’t make no sense.
Half the stuff she couldn’t even tell you where it was from,” Neicey laughed, and that awkward silence filled the room again. She was going to need Sen to hurry his ass up. Holding a conversation with the woman who birthed her had never been this exhausting. Difficult? Yes. There were plenty of those, but this one seemed forced, as if neither wanted to say the wrong thing or bring up a touchy topic, so they stayed on neutral ground: Grandma. She was the one who held everything together when she was alive and was still doing it in peace.
“She would have been proud of the woman you are today,” Nakita choked back on her words.
“Are you proud of the woman I am?” Neicey had meant to say those words in her head and her slip of the tongue had Nakita ready to bawl. Thankfully, Nolan saved the day and ruined Neicey’s mood at the same time.
“It smells good in here!”
Bending the corner to the kitchen walkway, Nolan’s smile was wide and was looking like he and Neicey could pass for twins, instead of him being three years older than she. His tall stature, inherited from their father’s side, had him damn near close to the ceiling. Neicey wasn’t blessed with height, but that was fine with her. Not far behind him, Marlae walked in sporting a baby bump that caused Neicey’s eyes to bulge.
“Marlae!”
Hands on her face, Marlae shook her head. “Please tell me you’re screaming for another reason than what I think.”
“She don’t need to be screaming at all,” Nolan intercepted, swooping Neicey up in his arms. As if she were his child, he twirled her around a few times before placing her back on her feet. No matter how old she got, Nolan always greeted her the same.
“Sis, what’s good?” he beamed, looking over his youngin’. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The two years Neicey had stayed away gave Nolan the opportunity to only check up on her through social media, and he hated that shit. Had his job been a lot more lenient with letting him take off work and use vacation time, he would have been made a trip to see her.
“Not much. What’s good with ya’ll? I’ma be an auntie?”
Marlae grinned and nodded her head. “Yes. I have been trying to keep this from you as best as I could. Do you know how hard it is to hide an entire belly in the summer time?”
They all laughed, as Nolan gave Nakita a kiss on the cheek. “I can’t say that I do. Are you nervous?”
Nolan looked at Marlae when the question was asked, and she had no reason to lie so she nodded her head. “Extremely, but I know we’re in good hands.”
“You sure are. I can’t believe I kept it from Neicey this long either,” Nakita spoke, and Neicey shot her a look that could kill.
“I can,” she mumbled under her breath. She wanted to say more, but Sen strolled through the kitchen just in time.
As if the two had known each other their entire life, he and Nolan embraced and both women rolled their eyes. Men sometimes complained how women could be so extra, but so could they.
“What’s good, folk?” Nolan asked, pulling out a chair for Marlae to sit while Neicey stood to fix Sen’s plate, but he stopped her.
“Relax, baby. I got it.”
“It’s cool. I’m already up,” Neicey replied, not giving him a chance to protest as she grabbed a plate from the counter.
Sen let her do her thing, not wanting to step on her toes in front of her family. Plus, he was dead set on them having a stress-free weekend. Had he flipped out the way he wanted to about Neicey being out having lunch with Dex, he wouldn’t give a fuck what happened while they were there, but he was working on his temper. So far, so good.
Placing his plate in front of him, Sen grabbed her hand before she could go back and fix hers. The kiss to her lips was simple, but it made Neicey fall in love with him more. It was reassuring and let her know that she was appreciated.
“Good lookin’.”
“What you want to drink?” Neicey asked, grabbing her a bottle of water and pouring him a glass of tea once he answered her.
Nolan fixed Marlae’s plate, which Neicey thought was cute and all, but they were acting like she was around there wobbling around. Neicey wasn’t going to say anything though. That was their thing. Casual conversation was held as they ate but, every now and then, Neicey would look up and catch Nakita longingly, staring at her. Not in a creepy way, but it still made Neicey feel uncomfortable. She knew her mama had something she wanted to get off her chest and she was not prepared to hear it… whatever it was.
“Thanks for dinner, Ms. Nakita,” Sen praised, placing his plate on the counter where she was washing dishes.
Nolan and Marlae had headed home minutes’ prior, and it was just the three of them left. Marlae had caught a bad headache and she would have grabbed a nap on the couch, but it was already late and they still had to stop by her mama’s crib on the way home.
“Of course, Sensay. You cleaned that plate like my baby don’t be feeding you,” she joked.
Looking over at Neicey, who was placing food away in the fridge, he licked his lips seductively but on the sly. “Nah. She feeds me very well. Know that.” Neicey’s head snapped toward his and she grinned, before mouthing for him to stop.
“Ma!” Neicey called out, as Sen tried copping a feel of her ass while Nakita’s back was turned. “You need any more help in here?”
Nakita dried her hands and faced them. “No. Thanks for helping me. You gone call it a night?”
“Yes. I still need to shower. I know you’ll have us up bright and early, and you know how I get when I don’t get enough rest,” she chuckled but was serious.
“I do. Even back in high school, you-”
Nakita’s words were cut short when Neicey gave her that look from earlier, again. For the life of her, Neicey couldn’t understand why she loved to reminisce. It grinded her nerves so bad, it took everything in her not to snap on her. So, before she could, Neicey put an end to the conversation.
“Yeah, that was a while ago. Just knock on the door in the morning when you need my help.”
For the first time, Sen peeped the weird shit going on between the two of them. The tension in the air was thicker than the Kush smoke he exhaled. The warm smile that Nakita had been wearing all night was gone, and she looked saddened by her daughter’s sudden need to be closed off from her. Nakita surely thought with them being face-to-face, things would be different. That hopefully, time had healed a few wounds. But, she should have known better. Pain wasn’t always visible, and some healing caused for more than time.
“Sure. You know where the extra covers are if you need them, right?”
“We won’t need them. Sen doesn’t like comforters, so the sheet is fine. Thank you, though. And, thank you for dinner. Everything was good.”
That put a slight smile back on her face. “You’re welcome. I’m glad to see you home.”
Before it could turn into an emotional reminiscent party, Neicey excused herself for bed with Sen close behind her. The door hadn’t been shut all the way before Sen started going in.
“If you didn’t want to stay here for a reason, we could have crashed at a hotel, baby. I ain’t pressed for no one’s hospitality, you feel me? Not even ya mama’s, if ya’ll not on good terms. We can get that anywhere down here.”
She was stripping from her clothes and mentally trying to tune Sen out. She and her mother were never on what she would consider ‘good terms’, but they made the best of their relationship. Neicey despised some things about what happen in her and her mother’s past, but she’d never openly disrespect her and go sleep in a hotel, when there were three extra bedrooms at her house.
“We’re good. Trust me.”
“When someone tells someone else to trust them, it’s almost like they’re trying to bribe themselves too. You can keep it real with me. If something is up with ya’ll, we can shake to a hotel. Don’t let no mufucka make you feel uncomfortable, just because they’re family.”
By the second, Neicey was becoming uneasy under his scrutiny. Even if she did leave, Nakita would
n’t let her without a fight. Neicey wished she didn’t let certain people make her feel uncomfortable, but they did. They had for years, and she had no clue when her brain was going to process the fact that she was trying to move on from her past, but it was damn sure taking too long.
Turning around, Neicey knew she had to physically touch Sen to let him know she was good. Having putting on the front for so long, it came natural when she told him she was.
“Aight, I ain’t saying shit else unless I feel the need to. You’ll say something when you’re ready. I’ma let you handle whatever it is but, if a mufucka get out of line with you, be that yo old ass uncle that be talking shit, his wife with that damn mustache, them nappy headed cousins of yours, hell, yo mama… I’m going off.”
Neicey gave him the side eye for trying, and succeeding, in clowning her family. She did have a few cousins on her mama’s side who called themselves going natural like it was a trend, when they should have just stuck to their creamy crack. Her uncle Shawn’s wife did have a thick ass mustache, too, though. And, she was light skinned, so you could really see the strip of hair. But, she didn’t care and, clearly, uncle Shawn didn’t either. Sen wasn’t holding anything back if shit went left on this trip and, until Neicey popped off, he was going to keep his cool.
“Don’t talk about my family,” she laughed, making Sen smirk.
“You know I ain’t told not one lie, shit.”
“I know, but still. Don’t do them. You got folk on ya’ll side of the family who ain’t got it all either.”
“Like who?” he questioned, as if she were bluffing.
“Umm… let’s start with you, for example. I know your ass is missing a few screws up there.” Sen acted like he was about to hop out the bed, and Neicey took off for the bathroom.
“You gotta come out of there!”
Closing the door with a lock, Neicey chuckled before releasing a deep, relieved breath, and started the shower. Their weekend had jumped off to a good start, and she only hoped that it remained the same. What had surprised her the most thus far was Marlae’s pregnancy, and she couldn’t blame Nolan for not telling her. Secretly, Neicey was hoping it was his this time. Only Lord knows what would happen if Marlae had stepped out on him.