“You trying is good enough for me. And you know that this creepin’ thing can’t go on forever. At some point, we’re going to have to sit down and talk to Von like adults. I’m not rushing you, but we have to do it.”
“I want to do it, but now is definitely not the right time. Too much is happening already with you having to plan Terri’s funeral,” Mia replied.
Tre nodded because he understood what she was saying. He was full of so many mixed emotions at the moment. He was hurt and sad about losing his mother just a few hours ago. But he was also happy about him and Mia getting back together. He only wished that Terri was still alive to share the good news with her.
“Where are you going?” Tre asked when she tried to move off of his lap.
He didn’t give her a chance to respond before he lowered his head and placed his lips on hers. Mia wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. When Tre grabbed the back of her neck and deepened the kiss, Mia knew right where they were headed. Since it had been months since she had sex, she wasn’t complaining. She wasn’t sure about what Tre had been up to since they’d been apart, so she stopped him before he got too carried away.
“Tre wait, do you have condoms?” Mia asked.
“No and we don’t need any,” he replied while kissing on her neck.
“Yes, we do. I don’t know what you’ve been doing since we’ve been apart. I know what you were doing when we were together, and that was even worse.”
“Don’t start Mia. I haven’t had sex in months. The day you saw me with London was my last time,” Tre confessed.
“Ughh, I wish you wouldn’t have told me that. Now I really don’t want to do anything with you. That nasty bitch might have given you an STD or something,” Mia said pulling away from him.
“Stop being so damn dramatic girl. We used protection, and I got tested before I went into the rehab,” Tre said as he got up and showed her his paperwork from the facility. He was happy that he held on to it and didn’t throw it away.
“Okay, but we still need to use protection. I’m not on birth control anymore,” Mia protested.
“I’ll pull out, and you can get the pill from the drug store that you told me about,” Tre said referring to the morning after pill.
He wasn’t taking no for an answer, so he started taking off his clothes as soon as he finished talking. Once he was down to his boxers, he pulled Mia to the edge of the bed and undressed her, throwing all of her clothes in a pile right next to his. By the time Tre covered Mia’s body with his she was soaking wet and all of the fight in her was long gone. Tre kissed his way down her naked body and stopped at her honey pot and stuck his tongue deep inside. Mia arched her back and grabbed the back of his head for support. She was happy that they were home alone because she was screaming and moaning with every flick of his tongue. When Mia couldn’t take anymore, she pulled him up and kissed her sweet juices from his lips. Tre lifted up and tossed his boxers to the floor before he resumed his position on top of Mia. He looked her right in the eyes as she guided his stiffness into her warm wet tunnel. Both of them shuddered at the same time, enjoying the feeling of their bodies being connected again after such a long time. Their bodies rocked back and forth together for a while until Mia decided to switch it up and get on top. Nothing or no one was on Tre’s mind at the moment except for Mia. He planned to enjoy his time with her now before he would have to return to the dreadful task of planning his mother’s funeral.
C hapter 19
The following Friday Tre, Mia, and Von were getting things prepared to lay Terri to rest the next day. Terri’s parents and her only brother had died years ago. Aside from her kids, she didn’t really have any family at all that Tre knew of. He didn’t expect a huge crowd to show up for her services, so he decided to just have a small repast at Von’s house afterward. Tanya got one of her friends to cater some food for the guests that decided to come over. Mia helped Tre pick out a nice skirt set and shirt for Terri to wear. They ordered the flowers that she requested and everything was flowing well. Tanya and Mia wrote up a nice obituary, and Tre and Duke had gone throughout the week and cleared out her apartment. She didn’t have much, so they donated what little she had to her church. Besides the night that Terri passed, Tre had been holding up pretty well. That bitch Rainey called him to offer her condolences and Mia had to fight the urge to hang up in her face. She knew it wasn’t the time to be petty, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to. Even Cheryl called and asked if there was anything that she could do to help. Tre was nice about everything even though Mia wanted to act a fool. She already knew that Cheryl and London would probably be at the funeral. Knowing their thirsty asses, they would probably be at Von’s house afterward too. Mia already told Tre that if London, Cheryl or Rainey showed up she wouldn’t be responsible for what she did. She was done being nice, but she would try to chill just for him and Von.
“I think I want to still give my brother and sister the money that Terri had for them. I thought she would change her mind about the insurance policy, but she never did. She originally wanted to give them fifty grand each and I still want them to have it,” Tre said while looking over at Mia.
They’d just come back from the mall finding something to wear to Terri’s services. They’d been getting along great since they rekindled their relationship, and Tre was happy about that.
“What do you think?” He asked when Mia didn’t reply to what he had just told her.
“It’s your money Tre. Do whatever you want to do with it,” Mia replied.
She didn’t want to tell him how she really felt because it wasn’t her business. In her opinion, his brother and sister didn’t deserve a damn dime. Terri wasn’t the best mother to them, but they dogged her out even on her deathbed. When Tre called and told them that Terri died, his brother had the nerve to ask if he could have the big TV that was mounted on her living room wall. That was really the only valuable thing that she owned and of course Tre let him have it. He was the one who got it for her, so he didn’t mind. Mia was pissed, but she didn’t have anything to do with it.
“I know you better than you think,” Tre said grabbing her hand. “You don’t think I should do it, huh?”
“That’s not my decision to make. You do what you feel is best,” Mia replied.
“I have to go to the funeral home and see her today. They want me to make sure everything is done right before the service tomorrow,” Tre stated while staring off into space.
“Is Von going with you?” Mia asked.
“Probably, but I want you to come with me too.”
“Tre, no, please don’t ask me to do that.”
“Please Mia, you’re going to see her tomorrow anyway. What’s the difference?”
“Yeah, but I’ll be seeing her at the church tomorrow. I hate going to funeral homes,” Mia whined.
“Okay, well I won’t force you to go. I’ll get Von and Tanya to go with me,” he replied solemnly.
Mia instantly regretted turning him down when she saw the sad look on his face. He needed her right now, and she had to put her fears to the side and be there for her man.
“I’ll come too,” Mia said making him look over at her and smile.
“Did you make an appointment to get you some more birth control? You know we been getting it in a lot this past week,” Tre laughed.
“Moonie said she was doing it for me. I have to ask her when it is,” Mia replied.
“I can take you, so she don’t have to worry about that.”
“Okay, I’ll let you know,” Mia agreed.
They continued talking as they drove to Von’s house and prepared for their private viewing later on that evening.
***
Mia had a death grip on Von’s hand when they walked into the funeral home. She wanted to hold Tre’s hand, but she didn’t want anyone to get suspicious. All funeral homes had a smell that she just could never get used to. Even after she left, she knew that the smell would still be lingering
in her nostrils.
“You alright Mimi,” Von smirked at Mia.
He knew that she was scared to death of funeral homes, but she wanted to be there to support Tre. She was holding his hand so tight that the blood felt like it stopped circulating. Tre looked over at her, but she nodded letting him know that she was good. The man who let them in a minute ago walked over to them and asked them to follow him to the back. Mia was hoping that they wouldn’t see any other bodies on their way, but she wasn’t so lucky. They passed by three opened caskets before being led to a side room where Terri was laid out. Von let go of Mia’s hand and put his arm around Tre’s shoulder as he looked down at his mother’s lifeless body. His face didn’t hold any emotion, but Mia could see that he was hurting.
“She looks good,” Von complimented.
“Yeah, they did a good job,” Tre agreed.
Terri’s makeup was done nicely, and her curly hair had been trimmed up neatly. The cream and gold coffin that Tre chose matched the cream colored skirt set that they picked out for her to wear. Tre touched her hand and just stared at her for a while before he announced that he was ready to go.
“You alright son?” Von asked Tre once they stepped outside.
“Yeah, I’ll be even better when all of this is over with,” Tre replied.
“One more day and you can rest a little easier. Tanya and I are going to pick up the programs and get some ice for the ice chest. I don’t know how many people are coming to the house, and I want us to be prepared,” Von said before he and Tanya got in his car and pulled off.
Tre really appreciated Von and he’d been thinking about something that he could do for him to show just how much. Von was a father in every sense of the word. Aside from the eight years that he spent in jail, Tre couldn’t recall one time that Von wasn’t there for him. Whenever he did something stupid and went to jail Von was always there for every visit. He didn’t do too much writing, but he made sure he was straight in every way. When Terri told Von to take Tre with him when he got out of jail all those years ago, he did exactly what she said and never looked back. For that alone Tre would forever be grateful.
C hapter 20
The next day Mia, Brandis, Duke, and Von stood outside of the church with Tre as a few mourners arrived at the service. He was waiting for his brother and sister to arrive so that they could walk into the church together. He seemed to be in good spirits, and that made Von feel a lot better. Tre was just ready for everything to be over with, and that was understandable.
“It’s about time,” Tre said when he saw his brother and sister walking up.
They were accompanied by a nice looking older man who Mia assumed was their father. When he spoke to Tre and gave him a hug, Mia knew that her assumptions were right. He and Von shook hands as Tre hugged his brother and sister.
“We’ll be on the second row right behind you Tre. Tanya already saved us a seat,” Von said to his son.
He and Mia walked off with Brandis and Duke following behind them. Moonie, Mitch, Jabari, and Tiara came out to support Tre, and they were already seated in the church as well.
“The pastor is going to come out in a few minutes to walk us inside,” Tre said to his siblings.
“Why can’t we just go in and find a seat now? It’s not even that crowded in there,” His sister frowned.
“The pastor usually walks the family in Layla,” her father spoke up before Tre could say anything.
“She didn’t have any family. It’s only the three of us,” Tre’s brother DJ snapped.
“If y’all want to go in right now you can. Nobody is forcing you to do nothing that you don’t want to,” Tre snapped back.
Layla and DJ’s father motioned with his hand for them to follow him off to the side. Tre could see that he was fussing at them, but he didn’t even need to do all of that. With the way, Tre was feeling they could get their asses right back in the car and ride the fuck out. He still hadn’t gotten over how they did Terri when she was in the hospital anyway. He was trying to do the right thing, but he didn’t owe his brother and sister shit. They came walking back over to Tre right as the pastor came out.
“You ready to get started Trevon?” He asked Tre.
“Yes sir,” Tre replied standing behind him.
When the doors to the church opened, Mia looked back to see Tre and his siblings walking in with the pastor while he recited something from his bible. Tre looked calm before she left him, now he was looking like he was ready to snap on somebody. She wondered what could have happened that fast to piss him off. When she looked at his brother and sister’s faces, she was almost sure that it had something to do with him.
Terri’s service was short but nice. Von opted not to go to the burial site so that he and Tanya could have the house ready for the guests to arrive. Lamar and Nina were already there setting things up for him. Duke and Brandis went with Mia and Tre to the gravesite, but they were all on their way back to Von’s house at the moment. Tre was still upset about something and Mia couldn’t wait to find out what was wrong. Just like she’d originally thought, Cheryl, London, and Rainey all showed up at Terri’s funeral together. Cheryl probably didn’t know what was going on because she was too busy looking at Von and Tanya to care. A few times Mia caught Rainey and London looking her way, but she pretended not to see. It wasn’t the time for drama, so she chose to ignore them.
“What’s wrong?” Mia asked Tre when she went into his bedroom.
She had just changed her clothes and went to check on him before the house started to get crowded.
“I’m not giving them money hungry bitches nothing,” Tre fumed as he took his clothes off and changed into his Ralph Lauren sweat pants and t-shirt.
“Who?” Mia question.
“DJ and Layla,” he replied referring to his brother and sister.
“Why, what happened?”
“They didn’t even want to walk in the church as a family. Then they were sitting in the front row playing on their phones like their damn mama wasn’t lying in a casket right there in front of them. Terri wasn’t a good mother. I get that, but damn. They could have at least pretended to care even if they didn’t. And Darren’s punk ass had the nerve to ask me if Terri had a will. He said she told him that she did, but he didn’t get a chance to ask her about it before she died.”
“Are you serious?” Mia quizzed.
“Dead ass. That nigga lucky I didn’t knock his ass out at that gravesite. They almost died when I asked them if they wanted to come over here for a little while. Fuck them, straight up. Von raised me as an only child anyway. I don’t care if I never see their asses ever again,” he ranted.
“Don’t even let that stress you out. Y’all are about to have a house full of people, so you need to calm down,” Mia said.
“I’m coming out in a little while. I just need to chill out for a few more minutes,” Tre replied as he stretched out on his bed.
“Okay, I’ll come back in a little while to check on you,” Mia said right before she left.
As soon as Mia walked outside she spotted Cheryl and London walking through the yard with another dude that Mia had never seen before. Cheryl had a card in her hand and London was holding a plant that she sat down on the ground near where Von stood.
“Good evening everybody,” Cheryl smiled even though Mia could see that it was fake.
She introduced the man as her nephew who was visiting her from Washington. She walked up to Von while London and her cousin took a seat in the nearby chairs. Tanya saw them, but she was busy mingling with the guests and helping Lamar on the grill. Unlike Cheryl, she didn’t feel the need to be up under Von all day long.
“Where is Tank?” Cheryl asked. “I have something for him.”
“You can sit down, he’ll be out in a minute,” Von said making Mia laugh out loud.
He was basically telling her that she wasn’t welcomed in his house, but it seemed to have gone over her head. She took a seat next to London, but not before
childishly rolling her eyes at Mia. The thirst was definitely real for her to be sitting in a man’s yard while his other woman was only a few feet away.
“We need a card table out here,” Brandis yelled when she came and sat down next to Mia.
“They have some tables in the shed. Tell Lamar to go get you one,” Mia answered.
Mia sat and talked with Brandis for a while and ate some of the food that came off of the grill. She looked up and smiled when she saw Moonie and Mitch walk into the yard with her sisters and brothers. Mia’s sisters came running over to her while the boys went straight to the basketball goal just like they always did when they came over. Lamar was smiling and talking to Mitch and Mia was happy that at least the two of them got along. Nina and Moonie spoke to each other before Moonie made her way over to her daughter.
“I’m trying to get a table so we can play cards,” Brandis said making Moonie’s eyes light up.
Since she stopped clubbing so much, card games and the bingo hall was about as much fun as Moonie had these days. She really didn’t mind though, and she didn’t miss the night life as much as she thought she would. Spending time with Mitch and the kids was what made her happy now.
“Where is Tank?” Moonie asked.
Everybody kept asking for him, so Mia decided to go get him. She got up and walked into the house with London watching her every move.
“You feel better?” Mia asked when she peeped her head into Tre’s bedroom.
“Yeah, I’m good. Come here,” Tre replied.
Mia walked in and locked the door behind her. Tre pulled her into the bed with him and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Everybody is asking for you. When are you coming outside?” Mia asked.
“I’m coming out in a minute.”
“Cheryl and London are out there too, but Rainey didn’t come with them.”
“Please don’t start tripping on me Mia. I’ll stay in the house if it’s going to be a problem,” Tre said seriously.
“It’s not even that serious Tre. You just laid your mama to rest today. They came to the funeral, so I knew they were going to come here. It would be petty of me to even trip off of something like that at a time like this,” Mia replied.
Creepin' 2: A New Orleans Love Story Page 16