Needy Little Things(50)
“It’s difficult for me to ignore needs, Jude. They pester me until I deal with them. On any given day I have a rotation of at least five unfulfilleds that I sit around worrying over. I don’t want to do that with your family.”
He shifts uncomfortably from one foot to the other, rubbing his arm. Thinking. “Right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
I sigh heavily and dig around in my bag until I come up with a clown wig and squeaky red nose. “Forget plan low-key.” I pass the wig to Jude. “You’re helping me.”
* * *
Jude bursts through the front door of his aunt’s house with Santa Bag tossed over his shoulder. “Heard it was somebody’s birthday!”
“The hell you got on your head, cuz?” a girl with long twists and a Solo cup in hand asks.
“Magic cap.” Jude opens Santa Bag so I can search inside.
“For you,” I say, presenting her with a packet of morning glory seeds. “From Random and Ratchet Gifts Emporium.” I squeeze my big round red nose until it honks.
“Thanks?”
I elbow Jude hard in the ribs and whisper, “Your family is going to think there is seriously something wrong with me.”
“Random and Ratchet was your idea.”
“Shut up.”
He grins and points across the room. “There’s my grandma. Big Mama!” He waves at an old woman sitting in a recliner, casually observing everyone else. A tiny old white man wearing a kippah and huge Coke-bottle glasses sits next to her, holding her hand.
We walk over to them, and Jude gives the old man’s shoulder a squeeze. “Hey, Saba.” He kisses Big Mama’s cheek.
“Hey, baby.” She smiles at him, then looks me up and down. “Now, who is this here?”
“Big Mama, this is my friend Sariyah.”
“Sariyah?” She sucks her teeth. “You sure got a bunch of little girlfriends, don’t you?”
“Nah, Big Mama, you’re thinking of Cousin Drew, not me.” He points at a guy in the corner with a girl hanging on each arm. He does resemble Jude—if he were six inches taller and fifty pounds heavier.
Big Mama adjusts her glasses. “Is that right?”
“That’s right, Big Mama. I am not good with girls at all.”
She points at me. “You got one to come here with you, didn’t you? You’re doing all right, baby.” She takes his hand in hers. “Just keep out of trouble.”
Her words are suggestive, and I can imagine how Jude would feel if she’d said that before he got to share what he did last night.
“For you.” I give Big Mama a shiny black pen.
“Well, it’s about time! I asked somebody to bring me a pen for this crossword about an hour ago. Thank you, sugar.” She slips on her reading glasses. “Now, y’all go on and say happy birthday to Naomi. She’s out back.”
Jude kisses his saba’s forehead and we go out into the yard. His aunt is far from the noise of everyone else, pulling a few weeds from her garden. I take a random business card from my bag and pass it to Jude. “Give her this.”
“Juju,” she drawls. “Good to see you.”
Juju? She pulls him into a big hug and I stare at him impishly from behind her head.
“Hey, Auntie. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you!”
“This is my friend Sariyah.”
“What a pretty name!” She gives me a once-over. “And a pretty person!” She points a finger back and forth between me and Jude and raises her eyebrows.
We both stammer and laugh awkwardly.
“Oh, I see.” She winks. “To be young again! Y’all enjoy it while you can.”
Her words snap me back to reality. The reality where not all young people get to enjoy their youth. I think his aunt catches her error because she lets out a small gasp.
“I’m so sorry. I heard … I know. Wow. All this must seem…” She looks around at everyone lounging, drinking, and talking. Not a care in the world.
Jude squats a little so his eyes are in line with hers. “It’s okay. We contain multitudes. Isn’t that what you always say?”
She pats his cheek. “That’s right, baby.”
“Well, we aren’t staying long, just wanted to say hello.” He passes her the business card. “Put this somewhere safe.”
She reads it, flips it back and forth a few times. “What’s this?”
“Don’t ask questions because I don’t have answers,” he says truthfully.
“Strange as that mother of yours.” She slips the card into her pocket. “Well, I don’t want to hold y’all up. Thank you for stopping by. And, Juju, you know I’m here if you need me, right?”
“I know, Auntie.” He squeezes her hand. “Bye.”
I give him a playful shove on our way out. “Juju? Jojo is going to love that.”
“I’m sure he will. You should go home and tell him all about it right now. And after that, you should call Malcolm.”
I agree, and he takes me home. But I don’t do what I said I would. Not right away. I stall by cleaning the apartment from top to bottom. When I finally sit on my bed with my phone, it rings. Malcolm got to me first.