“Awe man, that’s my fault. I forgot all about them clothes,” Tre replied.
“Don’t even worry about it now. I’m happy Tanya picked them up because I couldn’t even do it,” Von said shaking his head.
“You and Mia need to stop being so damn dramatic all the time. She’s walking around here acting like you’re a saint and you’re acting like she’s a virgin. This don’t make no damn sense,” Tre fussed.
“Whatever man, but what’s up with my baby’s name? Y’all ain’t come up with nothing yet?” Von inquired.
“No, but we’ve been trying,” Tre answered.
“Y’all don’t have that long to think about it. That time is approaching. I can’t wait until she gets here. That’s gon’ be my prized possession,” Von smiled.
“We already know, especially since you say it all day. Do I need to give you or Moonie any more money for the baby shower?”
“Nope, that’s a done deal. I still have to give her the rest of the money that you gave me the last time. Everything and everybody will be paid in full after that,” Von answered.
“Lamar called and asked if we needed help with anything, but I told him that I got it covered. I know that he just started working, so he needs to stack his chips.”
Lamar had recently started working at a construction site of a new school that they were building downtown. He’d been doing well since he got out of rehab and Von and everyone else were proud of him.
“Nah, everything is all taken care of,” Von replied.
“Cool, so now I can focus on finding me and Mia something to wear,” Tre said.
“No, y’all need to focus on finding my baby a name. How hard can the shit be?” Von argued.
“That’s not on me Von. You need to talk to Mia about that. She don’t like nothing that I come up with.”
“Tell her to come talk to me as soon as she wakes up,” Von ordered right before he got up went to his bedroom.
Tre nodded his head in response to what his father had said. He was just as excited as Von was about the new addition to their family, but a part of him felt down as well. Although he and Terri formed a bond later in life he still missed her. Spending time with her every day for months had earned her a place in his heart. He wished that she could be a part of his marriage to Mia and the birth of their first child, but that wasn’t a part of God’s plans. It took Tre months to get over being angry at his mother, but he eventually let go of the past. At first he thought that Terri was selfish for wanting to die, but Von had to make him see the bigger picture. She was in pain and she was suffering. When he thought about all that she had gone through he began to better understand her decision to end the fight. He took comfort in knowing that she was out of pain and that helped him to get through the hurt of it all. Surprisingly his brother and sister had been reaching out to him, but they still hadn’t seen each other since Terri’s funeral. They talked on the phone quite often, but that was about all there was to it. Mia kept saying that they had a motive for reaching out to him, but only time would tell. The minute they said or did something to piss him off, he would go on about his business again and this time it would be for good.
Chapter 16
“It was two weeks before Mia’s baby shower and Moonie felt like things were finally starting to look up. She had just taken her pot roast out of the oven when she heard Mitch coming through the front door. He was just in time to get a hot meal and she couldn’t wait to tell him all of the good news.
“What’s up baby? You got it smelling good in here,” Mitch said while giving Moonie a peck on her lips.
“I know, but wash your hands and sit down so I can fix you something to eat,” Moonie ordered him.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Mitch said as he did what he was told.
His mouth watered as Moonie sat a big plate of pot roast with gravy, white rice and vegetables in front of him. She popped open an ice-cold bottle of Heineken and handed it to him to go along with his meal. Moonie may have done a lot of things wrong, but she damn sure knew her way around the kitchen.
“So, guess what?” Moonie asked with a huge smile on her face.
“What?” Mitch asked in return.
“I got a job interview at the post office next week,” she smiled.
“That’s what’s up baby. I’m proud of you,” Mitch smiled back at her.
“Yeah, Tiara hooked it up for me, but that’s not all.”
“What’s up?”
“I signed us up to go to the first time home buyers class. It starts next month. The lady that I talked to on the phone said that we could be homeowners in as little as ninety days depending on the price of the house that we choose. And they offer night classes so we can go after you get off from work.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. Now you’re starting to talk like my future wife,” Mitch said making her blush.
“Thanks baby. I told you that I’m going to show you better than I can tell you, but this is only the beginning. Eventually I want to go to college too, but I’m not trying to overwhelm myself.”
“You can do it. Anybody can change Moonie. You just have to really want it,” Mitch encouraged her.
Mitch was happy because his woman was happy. Moonie had been through a lot in her life, but he couldn’t deny that she caused all of the drama that she’d been through. From bad relationships to countless nights at the club she was responsible for how her life had turned out. Even still he loved her to no end and wanted to be with her every step of the way through it all. Although he and Moonie grew up in a two-parent home, their lives turned out very differently.
“You want some more?” Moonie asked when she saw that Mitch had cleaned his plate.
“No baby, I’m straight. That was good,” Mitch said rubbing his now full belly.
“Okay, well I have to meet Von at the hall in a little while. We need to show the owner how we want the tables and chairs situated for Mia’s shower. Make sure the kids eat and do their homework before they go outside or get on their games,” Moonie instructed.
“You already know I’m on the job,” Mitch promised just as someone knocked on the door.
“I got it,” Moonie said while heading to the front door.
She looked through the peephole and saw a young black girl with glasses holding on to a folder in her hands. She looked kind of familiar, but she appeared to be nervous making Moonie wonder what she was doing at her house in the first place.
“Hi, can I help you?” Moonie asked figuring the young woman must have been at the wrong apartment.
“Uh, yeah, I’m looking for Mya Walker,” she said while reading from the folder in her hands.
“I’m Mya Walker,” Moonie said curious as to what the visit was about.
“Hello Ms. Walker. My name is April Hollins and I’m with child protective services. Can I come in and speak with you for a moment?”
“Wait, what? Child protective services?” Moonie asked just to be clear.
“Yes ma’am,” April replied.
“Okay, so what do you want with me?”
“If you let me come in I can explain everything to you.”
“Who is that at the door baby?” Mitch asked.
He saw the worried look on Moonie’s face, but he still didn’t know whom she was talking to. When he got to the door and saw the woman standing there, he invited her in since Moonie seemed to not care if she stayed outside or not. He could see that it wasn’t a social visit and he wanted to know what was going on.
“My name is April and I’m with child protective services. We received a call from a concerned individual about the welfare of the children in your home. As a precaution we have to act up on all complaints. Once we do we can use our own discretion on if we close a case or if we assign a case manager to it.”
“I can’t believe this shit. You mean to tell me that somebody called child protection on me?” Moonie yelled pointing to herself.
“Yes ma’am. I’m s
orry to come here like this, but we have to investigate every call. I have some questions that I need you to answer and then I have to look around and document my findings for my supervisor,” April informed them.
“This is bullshit!” Moonie yelled.
“Baby calm down and let her do her job. We don’t have anything to hide. Just answer the questions and let her look around the house,” Mitch said trying to calm Moonie down.
Moonie was pissed and the tears running down her cheeks were evidence of that. She had been a mother for over twenty years and nothing like this had ever happened to her before. Granted, she wasn’t the best in the world, but she didn’t deserve what was happening to her. Her kids were clean, healthy and well fed. They had way more than most kids their age and they didn’t want for anything. Whoever made the call did it just to get back and her. That much she was sure of. A blind man could see that they had no case, but she had to go through the motions nonetheless. After answering a series of questions, Mitch was the one who gave April a tour of the house. She checked all of the bedroom, bathrooms, and closets as well as the refrigerator, freezer and cabinets. When April followed Mitch back into the living room where Moonie was, something immediately caught her attention. She looked at the pictures that were lined up on the wall and smiled when she recognized a familiar face.
“I knew you looked familiar to me when you first opened the door,” April smiled at Moonie.
“What?” Moonie replied confused as to what the other woman was talking about.
“You’re Ms. Clarita’s daughter aren’t you?”
“Yeah, how do you know my mother?” Moonie asked her.
“I know you might not remember this, but you and I used to play with each other when we were younger. I’m Sharon’s daughter. Our mother’s used to be best friends before my mom died,” April reminded her.
“Fatty!” Moonie yelled calling her by the name they called her when they were kids since she was so chubby.
“That’s me,” April smiled. “Or should I say it used to be me.”
“Girl, I didn’t recognize you without that big puffy ponytail and those thick ass glasses that you used to wear. And you’re skinny as hell now,” Moonie laughed as they embraced.
“I know right, I forget that your real name is Mya. We’ve been calling you Moonie since we were little kids.”
Mitch looked on in stunned silence as the two of them sat down and reminisced about their childhood. It had to have been more than twenty years since they last saw each other, but they had a lot of fond memories to share. Apparently April’s mother and Clarita attended the same church for years and became good friends. As a result, their daughters became good friends up until April and her family moved to a different area. Clarita stayed in contact with April’s mother, but their daughters didn’t see or talk to each other very much as they got older. April’s mother died of a stroke when she was still in high school and her father and his family raised her in a small town right outside of New Orleans.
“I’m sorry to break up this little reunion, but we need to discuss the matter at hand,” Mitch interrupted.
“Don’t even worry about that,” April said waving him off. “You guys have a beautiful home. Anybody can see that your kids are not being starved nor neglected. Your case is going to be closed. From the looks of things it shouldn’t have been opened in the first place. But as I stated before, we have to investigate every call that we receive.”
“I know that you’re not allowed to tell us who called you, but I can’t lie and say that I’m not just a little worried about all of this. Obviously somebody has a problem with us to stoop so low as to call child protection. That’s just evil to try and get somebody’s kids taken away from them.”
“You’re right, I can’t tell you who made the call. I could lose my job if I do,” April replied.
“I understand,” Moonie said nodding her head.
“I need to get going, but can I use your bathroom before I go?” April asked.
“Yeah, it’s down the hall to your right,” Mitch answered.
“This folder has confidential information in it that I’m not supposed to let anybody see. But if I so happen to be in the restroom, and somebody takes a peek without my knowledge, there’s really nothing that I can do about that,” April replied as she sat the folder on the coffee table and headed down the hall.
Moonie and Mitch immediately caught on to what she was saying. They looked at each other before Moonie picked the folder up and started looking through it. Moonie felt like she was about to have a nervous breakdown as she read through the files.
“That bitch!” She yelled as she showed Mitch what had her so heated.
His jaw clenched in anger as he read Melissa’s name listed as the anonymous caller. Their breakup was nowhere near a smooth one, but it wasn’t that serious for her to take things that far. Trying to hurt his family was worse than her trying to physically hurt him. Melissa was salty about him leaving her, and he understood that. She was also in her feelings about the beat down that Moonie had given her, and that was to be expected as well. But to go as far as she did was just unacceptable. He could see a mixture of hurt and anger on Moonie’s face, and he completely understood.
“Baby I’m so sorry about all of this. She went too damn far this time, and I can’t wait to tell her ass a thing or two,” Mitch said as he pulled Moonie in for a hug.
“It’s not your fault Mitch. This is all on her. I’m just happy that it turned out the way it did. Sometimes these cases stay open for months or even years. She overstepped her boundaries big time, but it’s all good. She better thank God that I’m trying to change my ways. I would be at her front door right now if I wasn’t,” Moonie swore.
“Okay guys, I better get going to my next appointment. Here’s my card Moonie. Feel free to call me anytime. And tell your mom that I said hello. I would love to see her one day too,” April said when she walked back into the room.
Moonie thanked her and walked her out before returning to her apartment. She and Mitch had talked about the situation for a while longer before she left to go meet Von. Moonie was late, and she just hoped that she didn’t have to hear Von’s mouth. She already had a headache, and she didn’t need him to make it worse.
***
Von had been at the hall for twenty minutes, and Moonie was late as usual. He tried calling her phone a few times, but she never picked up. He really didn’t know how she wanted the hall to be set up, so he was wasting his time being there without her. The owner didn’t seem to mind waiting, but Von was pissed.
“I’m sorry about this. I don’t know where she is. Let me step outside and call her one more time,” Von said to the man who sat there and smiled politely.
He actually wanted to step outside to make the call just in case he got Moonie’s voicemail again. He wanted to leave her a nice long message, and he didn’t need anybody to hear it. When Von stepped outside, he took his phone from his front pocket, preparing to make the call once again. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted Moonie’s truck in the parking lot.
“About damn time,” he mumbled to himself as he put his phone back where he got it.
He waited impatiently for her to get out and walk over to him, but she never did. After being almost a half hour late, Von was ready to walk over to Moonie’s truck ad yank her out just for being so stupid. She had to see him standing there, but she still made no attempt to even open the car door. He didn’t think twice as he hauled ass right over to her, preparing to go off as soon as he got close enough for her to hear him. His plans changed quickly once he got close enough to see the tears that were pouring from her eyes. Moonie was in her own world, so she never even noticed Von walking over to her truck. When he banged on her window, she jumped and tried to wipe her eyes, but it was too late. He’d already seen her crying, and now she would have to explain what the tears were for.
“What the hell is going on with you? What’s up with the tears?” Von ask
ed her.
“I’m good Von. I just feel like so much shit is coming at me all at the same time. I’m trying not to let it break me, but it’s hard,” Moonie confessed.
Von didn’t answer, but he walked around to the passenger’s side and got in without being invited. Moonie knew him well enough to know that he wanted to know everything. It wasn’t that Von was nosey, that’s just how he was.
“I’m listening,” Von said looking over at her.
Moonie took a deep breath and started spilling her guts.
“Well, Mitch and I have been at each other’s throats for the past few weeks about one thing or another. First his ex came to my house talking crazy. Then when I beat the breaks off of the bitch, he gets mad and tells me that I take shit too far. Then there was the fight at Anika’s party when all of us went to jail. He was so pissed about that that he took the kids to the cabin at the waterpark without me. We finally got our shit back on track after all of that only to have his ex send CPS to my house today,” Moonie said never taking a breath.
“What!” Von yelled. “She called child protection on you?”
“She sure did,” Moonie confirmed. “I’m so sick of all this bullshit. And Mitch just expects me to sit back and take it like I’m some weak bitch. He always wants me to be the bigger person, but I’m not built for that shit. I’m used to handling shit a certain way, but I’m trying to respect him as my man.”
“Mitch is a good dude. How many niggas you know can say that they have a good paying, job, a college degree and have never been to jail? He does things a different way, but that’s just how he was raised. It doesn’t mean that his way is wrong. It’s just different. I’m still trying to see how your ghetto ass ended up with him in the first place,” Von joked.
“Haven’t you ever heard of the saying opposites attract? That is definitely true for us, but in some weird way we complete each other. I can’t explain it, but he makes me want to do better for myself and my kids,” Moonie said honestly.
“Some things just can’t be explained, but don’t be too hard on Mitch. It’s never wrong to do the right thing. You might not like it, but you’ll appreciate him later.”
Creepin' 3: A New Orleans Love Story Page 12