Tyrell by Coe Booth

then change her mind. “You hear from your father?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œI just hope he’s not stuck out there in that snow.”
    Novisha roll her eyes. “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”
    She get up and go back to the computer to finish her homework. I stay on the couch and start watching the news, but the weed is still messing with me. The apartment is warm, and I’m all comfortable and shit. Next thing I know, my eyes is closing.
    My stomach wake up before me. The apartment smell real good, and I can tell them turkey wings is gonna be slamming. By the time me and Novisha get married, I hope she know how to cook like her moms, ‘cause if she do, I’ma be one happy brotha.
    The guy on the news is talking ‘bout the snowstorm and how there’s gonna be ‘bout twelve to eighteen inches before it stop. Shit, ain’t no way I’ma get to Bennett now. I’ma hafta go back to Cal apartment ‘cause I ain’t sure Ms. Jenkins gonna want me to stay here.
    My cell ring. I can’t tell who it is from the caller ID, but I flip it open anyway. “Hello.”
    â€œWhere you at?” It’s my moms, probably on that pay phone at Bennett. And I can tell she wilding out.
    â€œAt Novisha house.” Novisha look up from the computer when I say her name. She look like she wanna ask who I’m talking to, so I cover the phone and tell her who it is. I ain’t the kindaguy who gonna conversate on my cell when I’m with my girl. That shit just ain’t right.
    My moms start screaming at me. “Well, you got me and your brother here with no money, waiting for you to bring your ass back with some food and shit.”
    â€œHow I’ma get there in this snow? You see what’s going on out there?”
    â€œWell, what the fuck we s’posed to do? Starve?”
    I can’t stand when she be making me feel responsible for her and Troy. I ain’t her husband, and I ain’t Troy father. I wanna curse her out too, but I’m in Ms. Jenkins house and I don’t curse in front of her or Novisha. “I can’t do nothing,” I tell my moms, but the truth is there is something.
    So while she cursing and screaming, I’m trying to decide if I should tell her where I keep my emergency money ‘cause the second I tell her, I ain’t gonna be able to stash nothing there no more. She forever looking though my stuff trying to find money. But, damn, Troy don’t got no food, so I don’t really got no choice. “A’ight. You know that little black case where I keep the keys for the storage place? I think it’s at the bottom of one of the garbage bags. Look in there. I got some dimes and quarters in there, pro’ly a couple dollars’ worth. Buy some chips and stuff from the machine on the first floor, and I’ll buy some real food on my way back in the morning.”
    â€œMs. Jenkins gonna let you stay there? Do she know you screwing her daughter?”
    I just ignore her ‘cause she think she know everything when she don’t. “I’ma go back to Cal apartment and sleep on his couch.”
    â€œYou get money from him?”
    That’s all she care ‘bout, but she ain’t getting no answer from me. And she ain’t getting no money from me neither, not ‘til after I make money from the party. “What’s Troy doing?”
    â€œDriving me crazy, what you think he doing?”
    â€œYou take him out to play in the snow?”
    â€œHe went out with them other kids. He don’t need me watching him every second of the day.”
    Damn. She can’t do nothing.
    â€œDon’t let him out no more,” I tell her. “The snow getting too deep, and he don’t got no boots. Get him some chips, and tell him I’ma be back in the morning.”
    â€œYou ain’t answer my question,” she say. “How much Cal give you?”
    â€œMy minutes