Page 15 of Certified to Handle You
I swallowed, tryna get the words out without fallin’ apart. “Somethin’ wrong with Grandma Glo.”
Toni went still, and My’Love slapped the water with both hands, mad that the playin’ had stopped.
“What you mean somethin’ wrong?” Toni asked.
“I don’t know,” I said, shakin’ my head while tears started burnin’ in my eyes. “I was on FaceTime with my mama while she was over there oilin’ Grandma scalp, and Grandma started stutterin’ like she couldn’t get her words out. Then she just wentquiet and almost fell out the chair. Mama hung up to call the ambulance.”
Toni stared at me for a second like she was tryna understand the words, then she moved.
“Shit,” she said, grabbin’ My’Love and liftin’ her out the pool.
My’Love immediately started hollerin’ like Toni had ruined her entire life. Her face balled up, and she kicked her feet while Toni wrapped a towel around her wet body and held her tight against her chest.
“I know, baby, I know,” Toni said, but her voice was already shakin’. “Hold on.”
She hurried toward the lounge chair where her phone was, and I stood there with my hands pressed together, tryna stay calm even though my mind was already goin’ to the worst place. I kept seein’ Grandma Glo’s face, the way her words got stuck, the way her body leaned, and the way my mama screamed.
Please God,I thought, blinkin’ fast while Toni grabbed her phone with wet hands. Please don’t let that be the last time I heard my grandma talk.
Toni looked at me while My’Love cried against her shoulder, and… we ain’t have nothin’ to say.
It was just fear sittin’ between us while the phone started ringin’ in Toni’s hand.
Later that night…
Tonight, me and Kelli was just vibin’ in his car with the top pushed all the way back.
He had found this spot earlier and ain’t say too much about it but just told me to come ride with him and trust him.
I should’ve known it was gon’ be somethin’ like this, though, ’cause Kelli always had a way of findin’ spots that made you forget everything else for a minute.
We was parked up high, damn near sittin’ on the edge of the world, lookin’ out over the city while the lights blinked below us like somebody scattered diamonds across the dark.
The sky above us was wide open with stars all through it, and the music played low through the speakers, real smooth, settin’ a vibe that had me sittin’ back for once instead of feelin’ like I had to say somethin’ just to fill the space.
Kelli cracked the windows just enough to let the breeze come through, and I leaned my head back against the seat while we passed the blunt back and forth.
“I ain’t gon’ lie,” I said after a minute, lookin’ up at the sky, “you snapped with this one.”
Kelli glanced at me with a smile like he wasn’t tryna make a big deal out of it. “You like it?”
“I do,” I said, turnin’ my head toward him. “It’s calm out here. I needed this.”
He nodded like he already knew that before I said it.
That was the thing about Kelli. He listened in a way that made you feel like you ain’t have to explain yourself twice. He wasn’t the type to interrupt you or try to fix everything you said. He just sat there, took it in, and when he did speak, it actually meant somethin’.
I reached over and took the blunt from his hand, lettin’ my fingers brush his for a second before I brought it to my lips. “You always know where to go when somebody need to breathe.”
“I pay attention,” he said real simple.
I exhaled slowly, watchin’ the smoke disappear in the night. “Yeah… you do.”
For a while, we just sat there, passin’ the blunt back and forth, lettin’ the music play and the night settle around us. It wasn’t awkward either, and it never was with him. Silence with Kelli ain’t feel empty. It felt full, like everything that needed to be said was already understood.
I let out a light breath and looked back up at the sky. “Today was a lot.”
Kelli moved in his seat, turnin’ his body a lil’ bit toward me so I knew I had his attention without him sayin’ a word.
