look off his son’s face.
Li’l Greg didn’t respond. His expression went from arrogant to humble.
Even though his towering stature meant he could’ve stared directly into
his father’s eyes, he wisely avoided his glare. He had been all mouth a few
minutes earlier, but he wasn’t that crazy.
When Karen angled to place herself between the two Gregs, Ava
looked up to see who would make the first move and what the move
would be, her eyes poised to type. At fourteen, she never said much but
that didn’t mean she didn’t have a voice. Karen was totally aware that the
tween was her mother’s spy. She only came over to the house so that she
could provide information to Greg’s ex since information about what
happened under their roof always found its way into Nicole’s ear and out
of her mouth. If Karen received more than a “hi” or “bye” from Ava, that
was a good day. Karen was a non-factor in Ava’s life and she made sure
to show it at every point.
Karen’s fifteen-year-old son, Jalen, stepped forward to speak but
paused for a moment. He was what most people would consider a nerd,
but the Black Lives Movement had given him a certain bravado that
he’d never had. Ta-Nehisi Coates had replaced the science fiction on his
bookshelf. Jalen removed the white earbuds from his ears, in what Karen
thought would be an effort to defuse the stand-off. Instead, Jalen erupted
with a surprising, “Ma, you like this dude. We don’t have to.”
Wait. What? This dude?
Counting to ten first, Karen didn’t address his disrespect toward Greg,
the man of the house. Because if it was a diversion, it worked. Greg
turned his head away from his son and glared at hers. His face became a
mask of confusion.
She’d talk to Jalen later and get him straight on the proper way to
address his stepfather, but at least Greg wasn’t about to stomp a hole in
his own son.
Greg’s stare bounced between Karen’s son and his, before he snatched
his keys from the coffee table. “Karen, I’ll be back.”
“Wait.” Karen tried to grab his arm before he stormed out of the house.
Unfortunately, the only thing she caught was the smell of freshly mowed
grass as the storm door slammed in her face. She pushed it open and
yelled, “Where are you going?”
Greg jumped in his SUV. The passenger side window lowered. “I need
some fresh air.”
Karen needed the same.
The next thing she heard was the tires screeching as he sped up the
street.
Terri Ann Johnson is a national
bestselling author for her
contribution to the Brown Girls
Books anthology All I Want
for Christmas. Her enthusiasm
for reading blossomed into
a desire to write. Terri is a
mom and loves to travel. She
is a finance professional in
Washington, D.C.
www.TerriAnnJohnson.com.