giving her a long, admiring look. “Come ‘ere. Give yuh man his due.”
“But how?” Last she’d heard, he had a video shoot. “How’d you get here so fast?”
“In a private plane. No way I’d miss muh gurl’s big night. Yuh shoulda been first. Next year you’ll be first. I’m gonna put us both on the map,” he promised. “Why don’t you dance for my video?”
“But-but I thought you already filmed it?” Harlow sputtered.
“Naw. I told ‘em I need muh gurl in it. And you’re muh gurl.”
Ozzy’s first video was filmed at home, in several locations around Trinidad and Tobago.
But that was then, and now . . .
Crossing her arms over her chest, Ozzy’s message took a backseat to Kyle. Ozzy wasn’t used to coming in second to any man in her life. And she wondered just what sort of tantrum he’d throw once he found out.
*****
Harlow could swear her heart froze at her daughter’s words. “Wha-what did you say?”
Reina’s left brow went up while the right brow dipped low, reminding Harlow of the only other person in her family with that same expression. Her daughter’s dad, Ozzy. “I wanna go with daddy this Thanksgiving,” Reina said, her voice particularly whiney this morning. “Tantie Eustace said she’ll come get me, in case you’re scared to let me fly with daddy and his friends.”
Harlow had to stop her eyes from rolling. ‘Tantie’ or Auntie Eustace was Ozzy’s aunt and the woman who’d raised him. Instead of sounding upset, Harlow bathed her voice in brightness. “Isn’t that nice of her her. Did Tantie Eustace suggest this?”
“No, I did.”
“Oh, you thought of this all on your own-”
“It’s ‘cause I wanna be a real Trini. It’s my heritage-”
Up ‘til then Harlow had shown a great deal of restraint. But Reina was at that age where she thought they were on equal terms when it was time to make a point. “You’re twelve. What cha know about Trinidad ‘cept what I tell ya, or what yuh dad tells yuh?”
Reina’s shoulders sagged as she stared into her cereal bowl. She could tell her mother was mad, because not only had her voice changed, but her accent came back. When one of Reina’s box braids fell forward and almost landed in her bowl filled with milk and Fruit Loops, Harlow reached over to brush it back. “Mom, not a baby anymore.” This time Reina’s whine included a poker face.
“I know. But you’re still just a little girl. My little girl.”
“I’m not a little girl either”
“Reina, I really trying here. I-I don’t want us to argue. Listen, Thanksgiving’s not for another few weeks so I won’t make a decision yet. How about you and me spend some time together, like going shopping or even to a football game?”
That left brow shot up again as Reina’s mind worked to figure out her mother’s motives. “Football? You mean we’ll go see the Panthers?”
“Sure, we can go see the Panthers. And how about we also see the Renegades? You like them don’t you? I’ve heard you screaming at the TV over . . . um, Kyle McClure.”
Reina’s little face twisted in disappointment. With brown skin that was darker than her father’s but just a shade lighter than Harlow’s, her mother’s sudden interest in football was a surprise. “I guess they’re okay. They’re kinda last in their division though. But I really like their wide receiver Romero Diaz. He is so fine.”
Like any mother would when their underage daughter sounded too enthralled with a male, Harlow started to remind Reina that she was just a child. Instead she gave Reina a phoney smile. “What would you say if after one of games, like one of the Renegade home games, that you’d have the chance to meet them?”
A scream preceded Reina leaping from her chair, hugging her mother and pulling out her cell phone, thumbs flying. “Mom! I would kill to meet Romero Diaz!! And can one of my friends come too? Can Mikko go with us?”
“I guess so. I only have two
“But how?” Last she’d heard, he had a video shoot. “How’d you get here so fast?”
“In a private plane. No way I’d miss muh gurl’s big night. Yuh shoulda been first. Next year you’ll be first. I’m gonna put us both on the map,” he promised. “Why don’t you dance for my video?”
“But-but I thought you already filmed it?” Harlow sputtered.
“Naw. I told ‘em I need muh gurl in it. And you’re muh gurl.”
Ozzy’s first video was filmed at home, in several locations around Trinidad and Tobago.
But that was then, and now . . .
Crossing her arms over her chest, Ozzy’s message took a backseat to Kyle. Ozzy wasn’t used to coming in second to any man in her life. And she wondered just what sort of tantrum he’d throw once he found out.
*****
Harlow could swear her heart froze at her daughter’s words. “Wha-what did you say?”
Reina’s left brow went up while the right brow dipped low, reminding Harlow of the only other person in her family with that same expression. Her daughter’s dad, Ozzy. “I wanna go with daddy this Thanksgiving,” Reina said, her voice particularly whiney this morning. “Tantie Eustace said she’ll come get me, in case you’re scared to let me fly with daddy and his friends.”
Harlow had to stop her eyes from rolling. ‘Tantie’ or Auntie Eustace was Ozzy’s aunt and the woman who’d raised him. Instead of sounding upset, Harlow bathed her voice in brightness. “Isn’t that nice of her her. Did Tantie Eustace suggest this?”
“No, I did.”
“Oh, you thought of this all on your own-”
“It’s ‘cause I wanna be a real Trini. It’s my heritage-”
Up ‘til then Harlow had shown a great deal of restraint. But Reina was at that age where she thought they were on equal terms when it was time to make a point. “You’re twelve. What cha know about Trinidad ‘cept what I tell ya, or what yuh dad tells yuh?”
Reina’s shoulders sagged as she stared into her cereal bowl. She could tell her mother was mad, because not only had her voice changed, but her accent came back. When one of Reina’s box braids fell forward and almost landed in her bowl filled with milk and Fruit Loops, Harlow reached over to brush it back. “Mom, not a baby anymore.” This time Reina’s whine included a poker face.
“I know. But you’re still just a little girl. My little girl.”
“I’m not a little girl either”
“Reina, I really trying here. I-I don’t want us to argue. Listen, Thanksgiving’s not for another few weeks so I won’t make a decision yet. How about you and me spend some time together, like going shopping or even to a football game?”
That left brow shot up again as Reina’s mind worked to figure out her mother’s motives. “Football? You mean we’ll go see the Panthers?”
“Sure, we can go see the Panthers. And how about we also see the Renegades? You like them don’t you? I’ve heard you screaming at the TV over . . . um, Kyle McClure.”
Reina’s little face twisted in disappointment. With brown skin that was darker than her father’s but just a shade lighter than Harlow’s, her mother’s sudden interest in football was a surprise. “I guess they’re okay. They’re kinda last in their division though. But I really like their wide receiver Romero Diaz. He is so fine.”
Like any mother would when their underage daughter sounded too enthralled with a male, Harlow started to remind Reina that she was just a child. Instead she gave Reina a phoney smile. “What would you say if after one of games, like one of the Renegade home games, that you’d have the chance to meet them?”
A scream preceded Reina leaping from her chair, hugging her mother and pulling out her cell phone, thumbs flying. “Mom! I would kill to meet Romero Diaz!! And can one of my friends come too? Can Mikko go with us?”
“I guess so. I only have two
Similar Books
