Page 14 of When I Thug You Like That

“I know dats right!”

While they busied themselves at the sink with a handwashing routine and completely ignored my existence, I slid into the breakfast nook off to the side of the kitchen.

“So?” my mother questioned while pulling out a chair and setting Baby Jay up with his muffin.

“So, what?”

“Boy, don’t play. How was the tour?”

“Oh, it was good. Better than I expected actually.”

“Awww, really?”

“Yeah. He…” I was cut off by my ringing phone.

Pulling it from my pocket, I smirked at the caller ID and held it up with the screen facing her.

“Answer it. Might be important.”

“It ain’t. I know exactly why she calling.”

“Then answer my niece before she tweak out. Wait, did I say that right?”

I chuckled. “Who you been hanging wit’?”

“Don’t worry ‘bout me. Answer the phone.”

Shaking my head, I accepted the call and put it on speaker.

“Another one please,” Baby Jay requested.

My mother got up before I could object. “Mind your business.”

“Ummm, hello,” Key’s voice came through. “I know you ain’t still at the school.”

“Nah, I’m not. I’m at your aunty and uncle crib. Wassup?”

“Why you ain’t call me, nigga?”

My mother chuckled.

“My bad. I was just giving my mama a rundown on how everything went. You on speaker phone by the way.”

“Well, why you just now saying something, fool? Hey, Aunty Jo.”

“Hey, boo.”

“Okay, back to you. How did it go? Did he like it? Did y’all meet his teacher? How big are the classrooms? Do they have a sensory area? Did he talk to the other kids? Was he comfortable? Did yo…”

“Goddamn, Key. How I’ma answer question one if you done skipped to question seven?”

My mother bust out laughing, and Baby Jay grinned.

“Soon as I got on the phone, you should’ve had your listening ears on.”

“Bruh, you didn’t even take a breath.”

“And you still ain’t answered question one,” she fired back.