Page 80 of Certified To Handle You 2
I kissed Isley’s head again and carried her toward the elevator. Her lil’ face was red, and tears was sittin’ around her eyes while she cried against my chest.
“It’s okay, mama,” I told her, rubbin’ my hand over her back as the elevator carried us upstairs. “Daddy got you. Ain’t nobody finna keep all this shit goin’. Daddy ‘bout to get you some peace around here.”
By the time I made it to Zurie’s room, Isley had calmed down enough to whimper instead of scream. I knocked once, then pushed the door open when Zurie ain’t answer.
She was sittin’ in the middle of her bed with her knees pulled up to her chest, and her face was buried in her arms. Her shoulders shook while she cried, and that shit did somethin’ to me ‘cause Zurie could get on my last nerve, but I ain’t never liked seein’ her hurt.
I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed with Isley still against me. Zurie lifted her head and wiped her face, but the tears kept comin’. Her cheek was red where Pluto had hit her, and when she saw me lookin’ at it, she leaned into my side.
“I hate that she adopted me,” she cried.
I looked down at her and felt that shit hit me ‘cause I knew she ain’t mean it. Zurie was hurt, embarrassed, and sayin’ whatever she thought would cut the deepest. Still, I knew where that pain came from. Her and Pluto parents had failed both of them, and Pluto had been the one who stepped up to raise Zurie when she ain’t have no business carryin’ that kind of weight herself.
“Don’t talk like that,” I told her, rubbin’ my hand over the back of her head. “You don’t mean that shit.”
“Yes, I do,” she said, cryin’ harder. “She hate me.”
“Pluto don’t hate you.”
“She hit me.”
“I saw what happened, and I’m gon’ talk to her about that. She was wrong for puttin’ her hands on you like that, but you don’t get to sit here and act like you ain’t have no part in how this shit started.”
Zurie pulled back and looked up at me, and I could tell she ain’t expect me to correct her after what just happened.
“You waited until tonight to tell her what you needed for tomorrow,” I continued. “Then when she got mad, you stood there rollin’ ya eyes and talkin’ back like you grown. You know better than that.”
“I forgot…”
“You forget too much when somebody else gotta stop what they doin’ to fix it for you.”
Her face dropped, and she looked away from me.
“I ain’t sayin’ this to make you feel worse. I’m sayin’ it ‘cause you old enough to start keepin’ up with ya own shit. Pluto got three other kids in this house to worry about, and you can’t keep waitin’ until the last second to throw more on her.”
“I ain’t mean to.”
“I know you ain’t mean to, but that don’t change the fact that you did it.”
Zurie wiped her face and laid her head against my shoulder again. I adjusted Isley in my arms, then wrapped my free arm around Zurie and pulled her closer.
“She really don’t hate me?” she asked.
“No,” I said. “She been lovin’ you longer than anybody else in this world. Y’all both mad right now, but don’t ever let one bad moment make you forget everything she done for you.”
Zurie stayed quiet, and I let her sit there for a minute ‘cause I knew she needed time to calm down before she could hear anything else. I kissed the top of her head and rubbed my hand over her arm while Isley shifted against my chest.
“What all you need for cheer?” I asked once her cryin’ eased up.
She sniffed and sat up straighter. “New shoes, the black practice bag, some white socks, and Coach said we need the warm-up jacket tomorrow.”
“What size shoes?”
She told me, then started explainin’ where Pluto normally ordered everything from. I listened and made sure I had the information right ‘cause whether Zurie waited too late or not, she still needed the shit.
“A’ight,” I told her. “I’ll handle it, but this the last time I’m fixin’ somethin’ you waited until the last minute to tell somebody about. Next time, you gon’ have to walk in there without it and explain to ya coach why you ain’t prepared.”
Zurie nodded, and I looked at her until she gave me more than that.
