Page 16 of Certified To Handle You 2

“That shit ain’t funny,” I told her. “When you start feelin’ bad?”

“Yesterday. It wasn’t that serious at first, but I woke up feelin’ worse today.”

“You take somethin’?”

“Yeah. I took some cold medicine, and I’ve been drinkin’ tea, but it’s not really helpin’.”

I looked down at my empty glass and ran my thumb along the rim while thinkin’.

My mama kept enough herbs in her house to bring somebody back from the dead.

“I’m gon’ stop by my mama crib before it get too late,” I told her. “She got some herbs that’ll open all that shit up. I’ll bring ’em by later.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she replied, but the way her voice softened told me she wanted me to.

“I know I ain’t gotta do it. I said I was gon’ do it.”

She got quiet for a minute, and I already knew what that silence was. Reni had been lookin’ for pieces of us in every lil’thing I did lately, and I ain’t want her mistakin’ concern for me tryna rebuild what we had.

“You still at home?” I asked before she could turn the conversation into somethin’ else.

“Yeah.”

“A’ight. Stay there, keep drinkin’ water, and don’t start movin’ around ‘cause you feel a lil’ better. I’ll hit you when I’m headed your way.”

“Thank you, Renza.”

“It’s cool.”

We got off the phone a minute later, and I stood here lookin’ at the screen after the call ended. I felt for Reni, and I hated knowin’ she had been goin’ through shit by herself, but that still ain’t put my heart back in her hands. I could care about her without lyin’ to myself about where I wanted to be.

The problem was, where I wanted to be ain’t wanna cooperate with me.

I set my phone down long enough to fill the ice bucket, then grabbed another bottle of liquor from the counter and headed back toward the den.

‘Lo glanced at me when I walked in, but he ain’t ask nothin’ until I sat down and started pourin’ another drink.

“Everything straight?” he asked.

“Reni caught a cold. She sound fucked up, so I told her I was gon’ grab some herbs from Ma and take ’em over there.”

Blaq nodded from across the room. “Them herbs yo’ mama got will have her clear by mornin’.”

“I know. Ma keep shit in that cabinet that ain’t supposed to exist no more. She probably got a leaf in there from the Garden of Eden.”

’Lo laughed while liftin’ his glass. “You better not tell her that. Auntie Nyori gon’ make yo’ ass drink somethin’ just for bein’ smart.”

That started another round of shit between us, and before long, the call with Reni had moved to the back of my mind.

We kept drinkin’ while Blaq told us about some woman who had been blowin’ his phone up all day after swearin’ she ain’t want nothin’ serious.

Some time passed while we drank and talked, then Blaq’s phone lit up on the table again. He picked it up, read whatever came through, and leaned forward to place his glass down.

“I gotta slide,” he said. “I told ol’ girl I was gon’ come through, and she already sent me three messages askin’ where I’m at.”

I looked toward his phone. “That the same one who don’t want nothin’ serious?”

“The very same one.”