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“Oh, please. I might be spoiled, but don’t make it seem like I ask for anything. You and Rule send me money without me asking, and even when I told y’all to stop, the deposits still kept coming. The way my bank accounts are set up, I don’t ever have to work if I don’t want to. If you’re ready for me to stop spending your money, you can cut me off at any time.” I called his bluff.

“Aye, I didn’t say all of that. I’m not gonna cut you off because anything could happen, and I would rather make sure you have everything you need.”

I smirked with my arms folded. My brothers were softies, and nothing had changed over the years. They made sure our family never wanted or needed anything. My sisters were married and in relationships with men who did well for themselves, and my brothers still sent them money.

“Yeah, I thought so. Now come and look at my new pieces. I’ve been tweaking some of my previous designs now that I’ve taken some classes over the years to enhance my skills. I hesitated on whether I wanted to put them on my site, but Serenity cussed me out about it.” I admitted.

“I don’t know why you were nervous about it. We’ve been telling you to share your work with the public. Of course, we’re grateful to have exclusive access to you, but it’s time to spread your wings.”

I appreciated all of the love and support I received from my siblings. We fought and argued like regular siblings, but there was no jealousy or hate within our circle. We all support each other and did whatever we could to help one another.

“My clientele has grown tremendously, and now I have my own boutique where I can showcase my pieces. It took a while, but I’m glad I finally took the leap.”

As soon as my business started to gain traction, Solomon pushed me to secure my own building. I was terrified, but he reminded me that there were no rewards without risks. When I found a building I liked, he wasted no time getting it for me.

“Exactly. It’s about time you stopped sleeping on yourself. It’s time for you to get serious about what you want in life. I talked to momma the other day, and she’s thinking about moving. Moe’s security business has taken off, and he has a lot of high-profile clients who need him and his company. He’s been traveling nonstop for years, and they're both tired. They are thinking about moving to LA in a few months.”

Messiah revealed some news I hadn’t heard before. My mother had lived in the same house since I was born, and she had never lived outside of Jonah Hills. I never even knew it was something she wanted to do, and it made me realize how disconnected we had become. Between her traveling with Moe and me always being gone, we hardly ever saw each other. We had even stopped having our morning talks, and it bothered me how much I missed them.

“Wait, momma is really gonna move away from the family?” I asked in a frustrated tone.

“Yeah, it’s what she wants. The only reason she hasn’t made a move is because you live there, too. She doesn’t want you to feel like she’s forcing you out.”

“Wait. Why does she have to sell the house? I understand if she wants to move, but why not keep the house for when she’s ready to visit? I don’t understand.”

“If we’re being honest, the only reason momma stayed in the house for as long as she did was for us. The house held a lot of sentimental value for us because we grew up there, but it’s different for her. Daddy has been gone for years, and she’s married to someone else now. I’m sure she's ready to move on and create new memories, you know?”

I probably was being a brat about the situation, but I couldn't understand why she wanted to sell the house. Not only did I grow up in that house, but my nieces and nephews were also raised there. For some reason, I always assumed it would stay in the family, and we would come there with our growing families and make new memories. To hear that she wanted to get rid of it hurt my feelings, but the idea of her moving across the map made it ten times worse.

“The only reason I’m even bringing it up is because they plan to start looking for a house soon, and I’m more than happy to have my agent find you an apartment. I’m sure now that you and Solo are official, you’ll want to be close to him, and I think it will be good for you to have your own space.”

“Damn, I don’t get a say in any of this, huh? Everyone gets to have a say in what happens, except me.” I hissed, growing more and more frustrated as I thought about it. Big Moe was cool and treated my mother like a queen, but I couldn’t understand why she would want to leave all her children and grandchildren behind to follow a man.

* * *

“Hey, baby. I’m surprised to see you. I feel like it’s been months of Sundays since I’ve laid eyes on you.” My momma greeted me as soon as I walked into the kitchen. She was too busy singing while she cooked dinner to notice the scowl on my face.

“Yeah, we’ve both been busy, I guess,” I replied in a whispered tone. I wanted to say more, but I decided to wait until she brought up the move.

“Well, you’re just in time. Cherish, Deuce, and Khalil are here for the night, so I decided to whip up a meal, and I got some snacks and popcorn so we could watch some movies together. You’re more welcome to have dinner with us, although I’m sure you won’t be interested in whatever kiddy movie we pick for the night.”

The happiness in her voice pissed me off because it was like she was already plotting and planning this new life she was about to go live.

“Hmm, it does smell good in here. I’m surprised you still know your way around the kitchen with the way you’re hopping on flights every other week.” I spat. My tone was laced with so much sarcasm that even I couldn’t hide it.

She froze for a moment, and then slowly turned around. The two of us locked eyes, but I could feel her staring through me as she assessed my demeanor.

“I’ve been cooking for over forty years. I could do it in my sleep if I needed to. Besides, I still cook when I’m away. My husband works hard for me, so the least I can do is fix him a home-cooked meal. Let’s not forget, you’re hardly here yourself, so you’ve missed quite a few home-cooked meals as well.”

The room went silent for a moment as the two of us communicated without words. At one point, my momma used to be one of my best friends, but things hadn’t been the same between us for a while.

“You know I’m not the one to bite my tongue, so whatever chip you have on your shoulder, I would suggest you shake it off. I plan to have a great night with my grandbabies, and I won’t let anyone disturb my peace.” She scoffed and turned back to focus on her meal.

I thought she would bring up her new move, and it irritated me more and more that she still hadn’t said anything about it. My internal thoughts got the best of me, and I could no longer hide the way I was feeling.

“Yeah, well, I’m sure you’re trying to get all the time you can with them before you abandon them to chase a man across the country.”

Outside of the typical rebellious teen years, I never spoke to my mother in a disrespectful tone. Even during those years, I never got loud with her or spoke out of turn, so I wasn’t surprised by the shocked expression on her face.