the last time you burped a baby or changed a diaper?” I shook my head at her.
Mama glanced at me before taking the baby from the car seat.
I stood alongside my mama, eyeing the baby. The baby was so beautiful. She had the prettiest hazelnut complexion. She had thick, curly hair sitting on her little, round head. She was wide-awake, staring up into my mother’s face. Those dimples, those bright hazel eyes; she looked vaguely familiar.
“This is London,” Mama whispered, kissing the baby’s forehead.
“She’s so cute!” I looked her over. “But…why does she look so familiar?”
Mama looked at me. She hesitated. “Because she’s Nina’s baby.”
I don’t know why Mama wanting to raise Nina’s baby surprised me. Mama always cared more about Nina than she did about me. My mama didn’t spend all that much time with me, but when she did, she’d make sure to bring Nina along with us. Every time I turned around, I was getting the “why can’t you be more like Nina” lecture. Nina was the daughter she always wanted. Mama showed her off like she was her own. Couldn’t stop bragging about how smart and mature for her age that she was. I was too much like my mama, which is why we barely got along. I never resented Nina for my mother favoring her. I only resented my mother for never accepting me for who I was.
I gasped. I pushed my mama’s shoulder when I really wanted to push her got-damn face into the wall. “Mama! What? Why do you have Nina’s baby?” I looked back at the baby.
“I didn’t go to Hawaii; I went to England.” Mama looked into my face, watching my nostrils flaring. “This is for the best, Kourtney. You already know Rayna wasn’t trying to help that girl raise this baby.”
“Mama, and you are?” I scoffed. “You barely raised me! The streets raised me a hell of a lot better than your ass ever did. And you have the nerve to take the only piece of Ricque that my cousin had left? You and Aunt Rayna ain’t shit! I can only imagine how Nina is feeling right now, knowing that her aunt is raising her baby halfway around the world! She must be devastated!”
Any other mother would have slapped the shit out of me for cursing her out, but not Mama. She was that express-yourself-but-you-better-not-put-your-got-damn-hands-on-me kind of mom. I wished she was more of a mama than a friend. She acted my age, and I think I acted more like I was her age. Shit, as reckless as I lived, I was still more responsible than that woman was. If you even wanted to call her that.
Mama sighed, shaking her head at me. “Yes, Nina is devastated after giving her baby up. And I don’t want you calling her about it. Don’t bring it up to her at all. She has to go on with her life. You have no idea of the chaos going on in Ricque’s life! It won’t be long before the muthafuckas who are after him come for Nina. His own aunt even offered to keep the baby - just to keep trouble away from Nina.”
I shook my head. “I need to at least call her and see how she’s doing.”
“She’s in the psychiatric ward!” Mama exclaimed to my back before I could make it across the living room to where the cordless phone sat on the end table.
I stopped in my tracks. No wonder why I hadn’t heard from my boo in over three weeks. I turned around, facing Mama. “What?”
“Well, at least she was in the psych ward. Keith’s sister, Toni, came and picked her up from the hospital a few days ago. We had London moved to the children’s hospital out here after she had a few surgeries.” Mama watched the irritated expression on my face. “I just wanted the baby closer to me so that I could see her every day. There was no point in Nina seeing that baby every day when Rayna planned on giving her up. I didn’t hesitate to get rights of this beautiful baby so that at least one day my niece can see her mother again. This child has extensive health problems, Kourtney - health problems that Nina will only blame herself for.
Mama glanced at me before taking the baby from the car seat.
I stood alongside my mama, eyeing the baby. The baby was so beautiful. She had the prettiest hazelnut complexion. She had thick, curly hair sitting on her little, round head. She was wide-awake, staring up into my mother’s face. Those dimples, those bright hazel eyes; she looked vaguely familiar.
“This is London,” Mama whispered, kissing the baby’s forehead.
“She’s so cute!” I looked her over. “But…why does she look so familiar?”
Mama looked at me. She hesitated. “Because she’s Nina’s baby.”
I don’t know why Mama wanting to raise Nina’s baby surprised me. Mama always cared more about Nina than she did about me. My mama didn’t spend all that much time with me, but when she did, she’d make sure to bring Nina along with us. Every time I turned around, I was getting the “why can’t you be more like Nina” lecture. Nina was the daughter she always wanted. Mama showed her off like she was her own. Couldn’t stop bragging about how smart and mature for her age that she was. I was too much like my mama, which is why we barely got along. I never resented Nina for my mother favoring her. I only resented my mother for never accepting me for who I was.
I gasped. I pushed my mama’s shoulder when I really wanted to push her got-damn face into the wall. “Mama! What? Why do you have Nina’s baby?” I looked back at the baby.
“I didn’t go to Hawaii; I went to England.” Mama looked into my face, watching my nostrils flaring. “This is for the best, Kourtney. You already know Rayna wasn’t trying to help that girl raise this baby.”
“Mama, and you are?” I scoffed. “You barely raised me! The streets raised me a hell of a lot better than your ass ever did. And you have the nerve to take the only piece of Ricque that my cousin had left? You and Aunt Rayna ain’t shit! I can only imagine how Nina is feeling right now, knowing that her aunt is raising her baby halfway around the world! She must be devastated!”
Any other mother would have slapped the shit out of me for cursing her out, but not Mama. She was that express-yourself-but-you-better-not-put-your-got-damn-hands-on-me kind of mom. I wished she was more of a mama than a friend. She acted my age, and I think I acted more like I was her age. Shit, as reckless as I lived, I was still more responsible than that woman was. If you even wanted to call her that.
Mama sighed, shaking her head at me. “Yes, Nina is devastated after giving her baby up. And I don’t want you calling her about it. Don’t bring it up to her at all. She has to go on with her life. You have no idea of the chaos going on in Ricque’s life! It won’t be long before the muthafuckas who are after him come for Nina. His own aunt even offered to keep the baby - just to keep trouble away from Nina.”
I shook my head. “I need to at least call her and see how she’s doing.”
“She’s in the psychiatric ward!” Mama exclaimed to my back before I could make it across the living room to where the cordless phone sat on the end table.
I stopped in my tracks. No wonder why I hadn’t heard from my boo in over three weeks. I turned around, facing Mama. “What?”
“Well, at least she was in the psych ward. Keith’s sister, Toni, came and picked her up from the hospital a few days ago. We had London moved to the children’s hospital out here after she had a few surgeries.” Mama watched the irritated expression on my face. “I just wanted the baby closer to me so that I could see her every day. There was no point in Nina seeing that baby every day when Rayna planned on giving her up. I didn’t hesitate to get rights of this beautiful baby so that at least one day my niece can see her mother again. This child has extensive health problems, Kourtney - health problems that Nina will only blame herself for.
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