Elijah

I stood outside of the house making myself repeatedly count from ten to one so I didn’t lose my shit on my grandmother. Since Winifred was being tight-lipped, I was unaware of what she’d said exactly, but it was enough to take the sparkle away that normally resided in Winifred’s gaze when she looked at me.

And that shit wasn’t cool with me.

The shit was ironic considering she’d only been here because OG was insistent that I invite her over. Shit got a lil weird when she learned Winifred had a college aged son, but I knew she couldn’t be tripping on that.

I was just about to go back in when my sister came sauntering out.

“Big doooooog snagged the aged cat. I see you, broski,” she trilled, laughter all in her tone. “That old lady in there, however? Whew. She big mad. Didn’t even put up a fight when I asked her to keep an eye on Naya so I can make a run.”

“Sha, please. Not right now. Take your ass back in the house, man.”

“Haven’t we discussed that you can’t tell me what to do? I won’t be gone long,” she called over her shoulder as she jogged toward her car parked further down the street.

I knew where she was going and was powerless to stop her.

Just like I couldn’t stop OG from stepping over the line with Winifred. I pushed a breath through my nose before reentering the house, heading straight to where I knew OG would be in the kitchen, putting away the rest of the leftovers. Instead I found her seated at the kitchen table, slowly savoring a slice of the cake Winifred had brought over. The sight made me groan aloud.

“Not you scaring her off, then having the nerve to sit here and indulge in the dessert she made,” I said, collapsing into the chair across from my grandmother.

“Is that what she said I did? Scared her off?”

“OG.”

“Peanut.”

I let out another harsh breath. “No that’s not what she said, it’s what I inferred since she couldn’t wait to get out of here. Now do you want to tell me what the two of you talked about or nah?”

“I had no idea that girl was old enough to be your mother,” she stated plainly.

“OG,” I groaned.

“I never worried about you, Peanut. It was always Pumpkin that I tried to keep a closer eye on because I saw a lot of Eliza in her. A little too much,” she finished on a murmur. “But perhaps that was where I went wrong.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Why in tarnation do you think it’s appropriate to date someone who is barely five years younger than your mother, Peanut?”

“Really, OG? Is that what you said to Winifred? Because last I checked that old nigga in there with half his wits is more than eighteen years older than you.”

“Watch your mouth, son,” my grandmother warned.

And she was right. I was wildin’ a little. But this shit aggravated me.

After a few moments of silence my grandmother spoke up again. “I did the best I can with both of you twins, but I guess my best wasn’t good enough. That sister of yours going off to ‘make a run’ more frequently now more than ever, just like your mama when she’d bring the two of you down here. And now you’re trying to make up for your mommy issues by dating someone who?—”

I interrupted her. “That’s where you got me messed up, OG. I don’t have no ‘mommy issues’. My interest in Winifred is separate from her age. That just happens to be a hurdle that couldn’t be helped. I’m interested in her because well, superficially she’s beautiful, but beyond that she’s a great person—kind, smart, nurturing. The kind of woman you always told me I should be interested in instead of those hussies running around here with nothing in their heads surviving off everything between their legs. Ain’t that what you always saying around here?”

Her prolonged silence made me go on. “Sha’s issues aren’t caused by anything that Pops, you, or me did or didn’t do. Her addiction, though it also affects us, is something with which she has to come to terms and decide to let go, OG. That’s something I had to learn and was only able to effectively discern after talking to someone about all of this shit.”

“Watch your mouth now, Peanut. I ain’t one of your little friends. You can’t just talk to me any old way, now.”

“My bad,” I acknowledged. “But I mean what I said, OG. Sha’s addiction isn’t your fault. Eliza’s addiction wasn’t your fault. If you’ve ruined things between me and Winifred, however? That will be solely your fault and I won’t be okay with that or you going forward.”

“So you’re willing to throw away your grandmother because what, she opens her legs on demand?”

“Yo, OG, you buggin’ right now. Where is all of this coming from, for real?”

“I’m just worried, that’s all, Peanut.”

“And I’m telling you that you don’t need to worry. I’m not being taken advantage of in any way. Hell, it took me entirely too long to wear the woman down and get her to see I wasn’t playing games or on no bullsh—funny stuff with her. Winifred and I are two adults in a mutually beneficial, budding relationship who were doing okay for themselves until you decided you didn’t like it. Now how you go from, you need to settle down with that nice young woman to talking so much trash that you might have ruined any and all chances of that happening?”

“Young, tuh,” OG scoffed. “I said you needed to settle down and give me some more great grands. Not settle down with someone who has an adult child and is likely going through biological changes that preclude her from procreating any further.”

“Hey, man. Look, I’m done with this conversation. I’ma give you some time to reflect, think about how crazy you sound and how harmful you’re actually reacting to a person in my life that I not only worked hard to attain, but hope her presence will remain. You keep talking crazy and the only one who is gonna suffer in all of this is you, OG.”

With those words, I left her there with a heaping helping of something to think about and traveled up the two floors to my place. Just as I stepped in, my phone buzzed in my pocket. A text from Winifred letting me know she was at home. That small gesture gave me a little hope. She could have ignored my directive once she left, but the fact that she hadn’t made me smile.

It only took her two days of effectively avoiding me at work and any attempts that I made to contact her otherwise before I finally heard from Winifred via text.

Can we talk?

I thought about letting her stew a bit before responding, but my body didn’t get the memo from my brain as my fingers instantly began a reply soon after I read the message. I was off work today, but she wasn’t.

In person?

Preferably. I’ll be home by 7. Meet at my place?

Say less.

That gave me a little less than an hour before I needed to be pulling up to her spot. Knowing her, she probably hadn’t eaten anything since lunch, so I figured I’d slide and grab us something to eat so we could talk over dinner. On my way out I ran into my OG, Pops, and Anaya coming back from their evening walk. According to some info OG got from one of his docs, regular walking was supposed to help slow down the onset of his dementia. Since then, they’d taken a stroll around the neighborhood around this time every evening. Anaya joined them when Sha either had to work late or was MIA for other reasons.

“Uncle Lij!” Anaya launched her little frame toward my legs and I caught her just in time before she took me out.

“Hey, Lady Bug. What’s the word?”

“Nana and PopPop had a fight. He told her she needs to mind her business when we were walking past Miss Delilah’s house.”

“Naya, what have we told you about being WGN News?” I asked, trying like hell to not laugh at her face scrunching in confusion.

“But, Uncle Lij, they were talking about you and the pretty lady. So I’m just telling you your own business.”

“What Pops and OG discuss, even if it is about me , isn’t my business, Lady Bug. And you shouldn’t be tuned into what they got going on either, aight? Mind the business that pays you.”

“But nobody ever gives me any money,” she said with a pout.

I let go of my chuckle then, shaking my head.

“Maybe if you weren’t too busy in other folks' business, your pockets might get lined.”

“Whassup, Pops?” I said when he approached, his gait a little slower than usual.

“Hey there, son. Not sticking around for dinner tonight?”

I shook my head. “Gotta go see a man about a dog.”

The sly grin he gave me in return let me know he was in his old mind. I’d stolen that line from him when I was younger and would question where he was on his way to every time he left the house. Got to the point where he thought OG was putting me up to it, but I was honestly just a nosy ass lil kid, much like my niece now.

“That young lady of yours, tell her I said hello.”

“Will do, Pops.”

He trailed Anaya into the house with OG not too far behind them. She passed me cautiously, since I’d been handling her sparingly over the past couple of days.

“You still call yourself upset with me?”

“You still think I got mommy issues?”

OG sighed and shook her head. “Peanut…” she started.

I cut her off before she could get going. “See, that’s your issue. You still see me as that almost eight year old who lost his mama to drug overdose. It’s been more than two decades since then, OG. And don’t get me wrong, I love and appreciate everything that you and Pops have done for me and Sha since then, but I’m a grown man now. One who is capable of making his own decisions for his life. And my decision to date Winifred is solid, unchanging, unmoving, unless she decides we’ve reached our end. And even then, I’ma have something to say behind it. So you either have to learn to accept that and we move forward or…”

I let the alternative linger because I really didn’t want to be beefed out with my damn grandma over this. Especially since her ass was the one so gung-ho on me introducing her to my damn girl.

She sighed again, looking pitiful as all hell, but I wasn’t gonna fold that easily. She needed to know that I meant what I said.

“Okay, Pean… . I never doubted you, by the way. I was just… unsure of her.”

“Only after you learned her age. Before you were Team Winifred!” I pitched my voice up to imitate her tone. “ Did you tell your lady friend that pound cake was my favorite? Was that or was that not you less than a daggone hour before you went off the rails.”

“Okay, boy, now that’s enough.” She tried to sound gruff, but the smile she fought to keep off her face let me know she wasn’t all that upset still.

“Nah,” I said teasingly. “I ain’t letting up on you this time, ol’ lady. You know you were wrong.”

“I may have jumped to an unnecessary conclusion.”

“Aight that’s probably the best I’ma get to an admission of guilt. But say, next time you see Winifred, you know you owe her an apology, right?”

“Let me get on in here and feed that old man before he gets to fussin’,” she said, pushing past me.

“I mean what I said, OG,” I said.

“I know you do, baby.”

I didn’t let her get more than a couple steps by me before pulling her into a tight embrace and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I love you, stubborn woman.”

“Love you too, Peanut. You gone for the evening or should I leave you a plate in the microwave?”

“I’m actually on my way to grab something to eat right now.”

“Oh you don’t have to do that, baby. I’ll be done in just over half an hour from now.”

I shook my head. “Grabbing dinner for me and Winifred.”

“Oh. Okay, well enjoy your evening.”

“Aight, OG. I’ll see you later.”

By the time I turned onto Winifred’s block with takeout from her favorite Mexican spot, she was pulling into her driveway. I pulled in right behind her, smiling when she stepped out of her car and that sparkle was back in her gaze when she spotted me.

“Got birria from Chico’s,” I said, holding up the bag.

She said nothing in response, just sauntered up to me, peering at me for a few moments before she leaned in and connected our mouths. It took nothing for me to fall into the kiss immediately, stashing the bag of tacos I held atop my car as I settled my hands on her ass, pulling her close to me. The necessity of breathing was the only thing to break us apart after a few minutes and a slow smile unfurled across her face.

“Let’s get inside before those get cold,” Winifred said, walking around me toward her front door.

I grabbed the bag and followed, entering, kicking my shoes off near the door, then making a beeline for the dining room table. Winifred relieved herself of her work bag then headed toward her room. Having been in this position multiple times before I knew she was going to change into something more comfortable, so I went into the kitchen and peered into the fridge, hoping the beers I’d left the last time I was over were still there. Thankfully, they were so I grabbed one for me and one of the little wine spritzers she loved for her. By the time she resurfaced, I had our meals out of the bag and settled next to one another.

“Is it too headass if I tell you I missed you the last few days?” I said once she sat.

She lifted a hand, pinching her thumb and index finger, leaving a tiny amount of space between them. “A little. But I’m also a headass because I missed you too.”

I smirked at her. “Oh yeah? Why you stay away so long then?”

She rolled her eyes with a giggle. “Oh my goodness, two days is not an eternity.”

“It was almost three for your information. And that’s not an answer to my question.”

“I needed a little bit of breathing room. I didn’t wanna say some out the way shit to you about your granny,” she confessed with a little grin.

I shook my head. “Nah, she earned that shit, baby.”

“Even if she did, we aren’t in a place where me talking shit about your people is appropriate, . Besides, her intentions were good even if her assumptions and approach were god awful.”

“It’s appropriate if she started it though,” I shot back.

Winifred gave me a soft smile. “Babe, we’re barely a few months into trying to go from fucking on the regular to building something here. Now you mean to tell me if we don’t make it, the first thing out of your mouth to your granny wouldn’t be ‘you were right. I shoulda known it when she was comfortable talking down on you when y’all got into it’?”

I ignored all that other shit she was talking and focused on the first word she’d uttered. “What’d you just call me?”

Her brow wrinkled as she tried to recall what she’d said before she softly rolled her eyes. “What? You can baby and love me down, but you can’t get the same in return?”

“Ain’t nobody said all that, woman. Matterfack, say it again.”

“You know, maybe your granny was right,” she sassed.

“Chill,” I said, laughing at her silliness. “For real though, she was out of line and I’ve told her about herself behind it a couple times.”

“.”

“Nah, don’t me, baby. Wrong is wrong.”

“True, however, like I said. She was coming from a good place, even if she was totally off base. Hell, I wasn’t even tryna give your young ass any play.”

“Yet here we are,” I boasted.

Winifred said nothing more, just smirked and opened her container of tacos, immediately digging in. A few moments passed with us just smashing the food before I spoke again.

“Hey, does this count as our first fight?” I asked.

“Technically, you and I were never into it. So not to me.”

“Damn,” I replied, snapping my fingers. “Was looking forward to the make up milk.”

Winifred snorted a laugh, then turned and leaned closer to me. “Guess you’ll just have to settle for some regular milk, huh?”

“Nothing’s ever regular with you, baby.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere with me.”

“Oh this I know.”

While we finished eating, I caught her up on the latest conversation I had with OG. She was insistent that I take it easy on the old girl since the offense was minor and she seemed apologetic. I needed a little more time to get there, but knew I would eventually. I couldn’t stay upset with my OG for too long. After dinner we retired to the couch where Winifred lay with her head in my lap as I absentmindedly ran my fingers through her hair as we watched some ridiculous reality show she loved.

“?” Winifred said suddenly.

“Yeah, baby?”

“You wanna go to DC with me in a few weeks? Since it’s just me and him, for the most part, Jae and I have this little tradition where we spend our birthday with each other every year, no matter what else we have going on.”

Inside I was jumping for joy, but I kept it cool on the outside.

“Oh shit, I’m meeting your boy? Shit must be for real for real with us now,” I teased.

“I mean it’s only right since your granny accused me of robbing the cradle. Might as well introduce you to Jae and let him wild out on you.”

“That’s how it’s finna go down? Damn, maybe I gotta work that weekend.”

“I haven’t even said what weekend, fool! Besides, my birthday is on a Thursday this year. So not the weekend.”

“I’m just playing with you, love. Just give me the details, I’d love the opportunity to meet your son. I didn’t even know you’d told him about us.”

“I’ve slyly slid it into conversation that I’ve been seeing someone the last few times we’ve spoken on the phone. Now just seems like the perfect opportunity to make that happen since it appears you’ll be around for a while.”

“Forever,” I corrected immediately. “But I’ll give you some time to get used to that.”

She gave me nothing but a playful eye roll in response as she fought valiantly to hide her grin. Winifred probably thought I was talking just to talk, but something about her, our circumstances, this connection made me think that we weren’t some fly by night type of thing.

And from here on out, I’d do whatever was necessary to ensure her place in my life.