Hoodwinked

by Desiree Granger

  “I got her Pia,” I said calmly. “I got her. Go home, and rest. Do whatever you do, and let me take her from here.”

  “Thank you Homer. I mean it,” she said, eyes never leaving mine. “Thank you.”

  …

  The moment I crossed state lines, seeing that Welcome to South Carolina sign over the Savannah River, I knew there was no turning back. Violet stayed awake as long as she could with Michael keeping her distracted while they ate their food from McDonalds. Caroline fell asleep with her feet kicked up while I had a few mixtapes in rotation on my playlist. Trying to take my mind off Pia until my phone rang inside the car.

  I smiled.

  “What’s up?”

  “Diega is the one that wanted me to call you,” Jason yawned. “She wants to know if you really stole your own daughter? Well, I want to know too.”

  “I didn’t steal her. I got her, but Pia gave her to me,” I said, glancing behind me to see a sleeping Violet holding a piece of hamburger in her hand. “I’m about thirty minutes from the house now. Ain’t no turning back.”

  “But she doesn’t know you’re taking her to South Carolina? Does she?” Jason asked as Diega laughed.

  “Ooooooo! Homer! You top level baby daddy crazy!”

  “Alright, alright,” Jason cut in. “I called him, and now I’m hanging up.”

  “I want to know how it ends! If you make it out alive or not!” Diega yelled before the phone clicked.

  Everyone was making a bigger deal out of this than me. Closer I got to my mama’s house, the more excited I became until I finally turned on the wooded street, seeing all the spanish moss drooping, and hovering over the roads like a cave. I rolled the window down to feel the cool familiar air, and sighed in content. I’m home, and so is baby girl.

  “AYE YOOOO!” I hollered out my window, pulling onto the dirt grassy driveway, seeing a few cars. The porch light popped on, and I could see the screen door open with my lil short firecracker out the mouth ma’am walk out looking like all five of my sisters in one way or another.

  “Kenneth! Get out here! Homer’s here! He’s home! You got my baby?!” She yelled from the porch as I got out the car, anxious for them to finally see Violet. All of this worrying, and feeling guilty didn’t matter anymore when I was able to bring home my creation, and gift to the world.

  “She just woke up so be cool,” I boasted, pulling Violet out of her car seat towards my chest. I wiped around her naturally full cheeks, removing the oil and grease that coated her chocolate skin. Raw eyes trying to adjust to her new surroundings before she laid her head flat on my chest, still tired.

  “Ooooo my God, look at her!” Mama cried, coming up behind me, just barely above my forearm. “Hey baby? I’m yo grandma, ohh! Kenneth she looks just like him!”

  “Don’t she though?” Trinity laughed, coming up to greet us. Nobody could wait to get in the house where it might be warmer, we all stood outside in the yard trying to get Violet’s attention before I finally took her inside.

  The house used to be so big to me when I was little. Running around in the kitchen, in and out the back door chasing after whoever at the time. Now, the living room seemed small with the furniture close together, and the light above me was only an inch or two away from my head. Didn’t take long for word to get out that I brought home a new baby in the family. Aunties, and uncles started to show up from houses nearby to cars pulling up in the yard. Everyone piling in wanting to see the newest addition. Standing in the center of the living room with everyone picking and talking to her at once, she came towards me, hiding behind my leg like she was shy until one of my aunts picked her up, and placed her on her wide hip. Smiling so proudly while smoothing her ponytail back.

  “Ooo she pretty baby, all this thick hair. Mama must be a fat lil girl? Homer?”

  “She is,” Caroline popped with pursed lips. “Or used to be according to Delilah.”

  “Yeah, you can see it in her daughter, look at her face. She hold all that weight in her face,” chucking her cheeks.

  “And yet she’s still beautiful,” my mama chimed in with a roll of her eyes. “No matter her size, she’s a damn child---.”

  “I know that Carol. I’m just making an observation.”

  “Good because y'all are the last ones to be talking about somebody’s weight---.”

  “Look at all this hair though, ooo chile!” Niecey hollered, cutting my mama off on purpose with a cut towards her sisters. “Bet the mama don’t know what to do with all of this,” she laughed, while tugging at Violet’s chin who suddenly looked away. “Who put a root on her?”

  “Mmmph, I was finna ask the same thang,” another said with a laugh as my mom’s eyes grew wide while looking at me. Caroline scratched at her head, acting like she didn’t hear while the rest of my sisters slowly removed themselves from the living room.

  “Who put a what?” My daddy came through. “ A root? Somebody put a root on her?”

  Kenneth Skye was tall and losing weight from old age and lack of wanting to eat as much these days, but he still had a commanding presence like he was still in the Marines. Face always serious, rarely smiled, but he was calm. Quiet one out of his siblings, like Nevaeh. It took a lot to get him started.

  “Somebody done laid a root on her, you see that?” Another aunt said as they tried pointing at her mouth. “Lil Forget Me Knot, what we used to call that back in the day?”

  “Fixin’,” one of the uncles said. “Done fixed that girl mouth.”

  “You can see it in her eyes too.”

  “You know what’s so funny?” Niecey laughed with a point at me. Silver hair wrapped in pink and yellow rollers as she threw her hand on her hip. “We did dat’ same mess to Homer with Carol. Fixed it to where he wouldn’t know nuthin’ bout his mama, and now he done did it to his lil gul. I swuh, life got a way of coming back around----.”

  “Yall did that to me?” I asked.

  “Back when we couldn’t stand the thought of yo dadd bein’ ran through by ya mama. Even when she had you, a lil bit after Caroline was born, we fixed yo mouth up something good boi. Ain’t know who yo mama was for a month until ya daddy found out. Hers ain’t gon last long at all though,” looking at Violet. “Open ya mouth chile, lemme see.”

  “Where the other grandbaby at? One with the pretty eyes? Why she not up here with family?”

  “Probably laid up there with that whole pedophile family of her husband, better hope he ain’t touching that chile. Yall be so trusting of these other folks---.”

  “Now I KNOW y'all not talking about that,” Carol cut in with a sharp tongue. “Again, y'all should be the last ones speaking on that. Yo son still locked up? Ain’t he?”

  “Hmmmph----.”

  “Junie was supposed to help us cook, he wouldn’t do that to that lil girl so hush. I like him,” another said.

  I could hear a door slam shut as I looked around for my mama before my dad signaled with two fingers for me to follow him out back. I glanced at Caroline who shrugged, wanting her to say it was her idea. She helped. They all helped, but the moment I stepped out into the back yard with Kenneth Skye, I already knew it was no point in lying now.

  “Yo sisters talked you into that didn’t they?” He asked, letting out a wad of spit before scratching at his bare stomach. “Answer me.”

  “No suh,” looking at the ground like I was a child all over again. Never had a close bond. Being the oldest, you would think I would be close to him, but Michael was his son, and I was my mama’s boy. Always been that way.

  He pointed at me with a deep look into my eyes.

  “You gon let yo sisters run that girl clean out of yo life, and take her daughter with her you if you don’t think for yo damn self.”

  “You don’t get how this woman has been treating me, and even you said---.”

  “I know what I said. I know what the hell I said. Sometimes I don’t need to say shit. Don’t listen to me, don’t listen to yo sisters. I know one thing, I would ne
ver put a root on my own child unless I knew it would help them. If it was health related, I was for it. Never would I fix a child’s fucking mouth. What’s wrong with you? Huh?”

  The back door creaked open as I looked up seeing my mama standing in the doorway. No smile, not even a hint of happiness to see her grandbaby anymore. Her small beady eyes squinted at me.

  “You need to call that girl, and let her know her daughter is here,” she stated.

  “That girl mama already know that Carol!” Kenneth snapped. “She don’t need to know step by damn step what he do with his child---.”

  “She don’t know! Do she, Homer?”

  They both looked at me as Kenneth’s eyes grew wide. He took a few steps back with a laugh.

  “Oh nigga you stupid,” he laughed, turning to walk back into the house. “Done stole a damn baby. You gon let yo sisters run you ragged until you ain’t gon have no mind of yo own, and no family to your name. If that girl don’t know her child here, best believe she will be at our doorstep tomorrow with that bullshit.”

  Friday morning felt like it came and went. I stayed away from my phone as much as I could aside from Pia asking me if Violet was okay. She trusted that I took her to school after telling me she was going to pick her up around three, and for me to meet her there. Part of me wanted to drive Violet back to Atlanta, thinking I could make it in time, just to meet her mother, but seeing her sitting on the porch with my mom snapping green beans in a white bowl made me think otherwise. Caroline had Violet dressed in a purple bucket hat wearing a matching jumpsuit, and white sneakers as she held her hand out every second for the end pieces Grandma gave her. Hair was braided down into two french braids as she held up a small end piece of the long string bean.

  “Daddy look!” She yelled. “Look at dis one!”

  “I see!” I yelled, but she felt the need to get up every time to show me up close before handing it to me, and running back to my mama.

  I had about thirty damn pieces of green beans soaking in my pockets right now that I needed to toss out.

  “You called the girl yet?” Trinity yelled from inside the house through the screen door as she looked at me. “You called Pia? You know what time it is?”

  “Where is Michael at Ma?” I asked, walking towards the porch steps, ignoring my sister who laughed with a flip of her hair as she focused back on the TV. I waited for a response, seeing her snap the ends one by one before handing the pieces to Violet who put them beside her, and held her hand out for more.

  “Mama?”

  “You hear something Violet?”

  “Huh?” My daughter let out.

  “Exactly. People just be talking, but I never hear them.”

  “Mmm hmm,” Violet agreed, hand out for more.

  “Maaa,” I groaned, irritated. “You can be mad at me, but you don’t know how Pia was treating me and my sisters like we weren’t good enough to be around Violet. If I knew they did the same to you, I would have thought twice about it, but I got desperate.”

  Carol Skye continued to snap and pass until she looked up at me.The wrinkles on her face a faint trace of a line, but her eyes said it all. She was tired. Wise and full of knowledge, but tired.

  “Michael is probably with his lil girlfriend,” she said suddenly, focusing back on the bowl.

  “Girlfriend? Nigga been single all my life. He ain’t never been in no relationship---.”

  “He’s been in one for about three years, give or take. Ya father told me a week ago because he’s thinking about proposing to her. Met her at a church out in Sumter. She was visiting family but she’s from Georgia. Around the same time as you met Nasia. Really sweet girl. Very polite. Spoke to her on the phone the other night.”

  “What?” I laughed, looking around the yard like I was searching for clues, and answers on how the fuck I missed that. “He acts like… But he---. Why wouldn’t he bring her to meet everybody? Meet me? At least!”

  “Ya father is the only one that met her, and can you blame him? Nevaeh told me she doesn’t want to bring Mai around anymore, and now I find out Michael has been keeping his woman a secret all this time. That’s two kids that got enough sense to get the hell away from this family. I stayed and fought for my place, and still ain’t accepted, and now,” getting up with a slow sigh. “Pia is about to go through the exact same thing. Just hope she’s strong enough for it. For the sake of her daughter. I told Michael, don’t ever bring her around for as long as you can. Hold her off from this family, and keep her to yourself. Peanut, go throw this in the trash for Grandma,” handing her a plastic bag, and balled up paper towels. Violet took off, happy to have a chore to complete while Carol sat back down, and looked at me.

  “Have you heard from Nasia?” She asked. Violet came running back out before tripping on the doorway with her hands falling flat onto the porch. I jumped a second too late, but Carol reached behind her and slowly pulled a crying two year old next to her lap.

  “You alright, you alright girl. Lemme see,” she said as Violet blinked her tears to come out, screaming so loud until she got her hands kissed by Grandma herself. “You see? It’s okay? You okay. Big girls fall all the time, but they get back up. You alright girl. You know what will make it better?”

  I smiled, seeing Violet shake her head before Carol whispered, Daddy kisses. Violet instantly looked at me, and cut the tears right back on as I laughed.

  “She faking it,” I said, taking her stretched out palms and kissed them both. Inside, and out.

  “They always do. This lil girl is a trip, was in there talking to Kenneth like a grown up. He called her Stinka butt, and she was quick to say, I no stinky, that’s not my name. I laughed so hard. I bet you he ain’t called her that again though. Bright young girl. Only one that did this much talking at this age was Siren, and Michael. Rest of y'all lagged behind like you was dropped on yo head a few times.”

  “Daddy,” Violet whined, holding her hands up. I cupped both tiny hands in mine, and just placed all the kisses I could manage until I heard her laugh.

  “You look like you need yo nap anyway,” I told her. “You wanna snap a few more beans with Grandma before naptime?”

  Violet nodded as I glanced at my phone. A missed call from Tucker was all I had. It was almost time to pick Violet up from her school so I knew any moment, Pia would be hounding me with messages, and a series of calls. Violet suddenly let out a watery cough as her hand hovered over her mouth. Thinking she was blocking the germs.

  “You okay Peanut?”

  She let out a small snotty sneeze, head ducking down just as her small foot stomped in place before sneezing again. I went over, and took my hand to wipe her nose down. Mouth glistened with saliva as I peeped the small black hair swirled in a tight curl on her lower lip. Without Carol seeing, I pulled at the hair only to open her mouth to see it was empty. Nothing but small teeth, and a red tongue that wiggled. Yet when I opened my hand that I cleaned, and squeezed her nose, and wiped up any saliva around her mouth, I could see the small long coils of hair scattered in my palm.

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Nothing,” I said, wiping her mouth again before backing up. The root was about done. “I haven’t heard or spoken to Nasia in a minute, don’t need to,” I said. “Pia has been keeping me busy with her lies and drama---.”

  “Is she really that bad?” Carol asked with a small laugh.

  “Ma, she don’t got no kind of attitude about herself. Everything is either timid, and weak… Letting people walk all over her, or she wanna scream, and play victim. She walk around like she had everything handed to her, her whole life.”

  “Michael said she comes from money?”

  “That don’t mean nothing to me. She’s frustrating, she complains, she dating some clown ass nigga with red hair. Who you know got red hair? That’s black? You ain’t no real man with red hair. Not in my eyes.”

  “Ralph down the street from here,” she pointed. “Got that red beard that turns blonde during t
he summer.”

  “I don’t like him because he thinks marrying Pia is gonna pull rank on me.”

  “She’s getting married?” She asked with excitement in her eyes that I wasn’t expecting.

  “Mann no! No she ain’t getting married. He’s not proposing, and if he do, it's because of me. Not because he wants her. He’s been with her all this time and you ain’t said nothing about no marriage until I came in the picture, what that tell you? She’d be a fool if she said yeah anyway, but no she ain’t getting married. That won’t happen.”

  “If she does, you can’t treat him like some boyfriend. That will be Violet’s stepfather---.”

  “I don’t wanna hear nothing like that. I ain’t even had a chance to be a real father, and you already tryna…. Nah.” I stated with a hard shake of my head. “It’s not happening.”

  “Bye Mama!” Trinity suddenly yelled. Jumping down from the porch as she flipped her thick hair back. Leaned in for a hard kiss on the cheek before chucking Violet’s chin who slapped her hand away in annoyance. “I’m off to Auntie V’s house. That’s where everybody’s at right now. Festivities are just about to begin baby girl.”

  “Be careful Trinity,” Carol called out after her as I started to walk too.

  “Hold up, I’m coming with you!”

  “Nah uh!” Carol snapped as I turned around. “Take this one with you too then!”

  “Maa?!” I complained, seeing her get Violet to stand to her feet. “Ma? It’s not that type of---.”

  “You wanted to be a daddy so bad, and show her off to the family, huh,” shoving Violet on with a gentle push. “Go on with ya daddy.”

  “I’m gone!” Trinity yelled from the front seat of the pickup truck, waving.

  “Bring me a plate back!” Carol yelled back as I stood in the yard, looking at Violet who walked over, and wrapped her arms around my leg. She was just about to step on my sneakers with her own when I swooped her up in the air causing her to laugh. The last person to walk out of the house was Kenneth Skye, wearing an old Marines hoodie and worn out Braves hat with thick boots, and dusty jeans.