Read Online Good to Me by LaTonya Mason - Free Book Online Page A

narrowed as he looked at her for an explanation.
    “Yes, Daddy,” she began choosing her words carefully. “Emmitt’s friend, Ms. Shawanda, has a little girl named Destiny.”
    “Is she his?”
    Charity shrugged her shoulders. “And she can sing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle’ can’t she, Zavey?” she said, hoping her father would
     not ask more questions.
    “Does your momma know?”
    “No, but—”
    “Mah Mah.” Xavier ran out of the room to tell her the good news. “I got a new sister.”
    Charity stayed with her father, knowing she would be called for clarification.
    “Charity Lachelle, come here.”
    Her father followed her into the kitchen. “Zavey, go play with the toys in the back. Raquan and Sha-Lai are going to be here
     in a minute. Go get things ready, okay?”
    “Okay, Pah Pah.”
    “What is that boy talking about?” her mother asked before Xavier could turn the corner.
    “Emmitt’s girlfriend—”
    “Girlfriend? You mean he found somebody who’d want his sorry behind?”
    “Lorraine, let her finish.”
    “You shut up. Go ’head, baby. I’m sorry.”
    “All I know is that his girlfriend, Shawanda, has a one-year-old daughter named Destiny. That’s all I know. I don’t know if
     it’s Emmitt’s baby or what. I found out the same way you did, through Zavey.”
    Her parents stood there in silence. Either they did not know what to say, or what they wanted to say would be too ungodly
     to say in front of Charity.
    “And—”
    “There’s more?” her mother interrupted. “You see there, Charles? The boy is still trying to ruin her life. I knew we should
     not have let Cherry—”
    “Lorraine, please.” Her father waved his hand to shush her. He motioned for Charity to go on.
    “He brought her with him to drop Zavey off today.”
    Mama Lorraine held her hand over her mouth. She was glad to be distracted by clumsy knocking on the door.
    “Y’all just in time,” she said, letting Raquan and Sha-Lai in. “How you doing? Give your grandma a kiss.”
    “Hey, Mah Mah, hey, Pah Pah, hey, Aunt Cherry,” they sang as they hugged every one they named. “Where’s Xavier?”
    “Back there in the back waiting on you,” their grandfather answered.
    “What’s uuuuuup?” Iesha asked, walking in the door like a rapper with a limp.
    “Girl, do you have to be so loud? Come on in here and close that door,” Mama Lorraine said.
    “I love you too, Momma,” she said, hugging and kissing all over her face.
    “Go put your coat up so we can eat.”
    “Sis, you chilling?”
    “Hello, Iesha, I’m all right. How about you?” They hugged.
    “Hey, Esha,” her father spoke as he got the plates out of the cabinet. She walked over and kissed him on the cheek.
    “Y’all been talking about me?” Iesha asked. “’Cause y’all mighty quiet. It ain’t been this quiet in here since Cherry broke
     free from Mr. Jail.” She laughed until she realized she was laughing alone. “My bad, what I miss?”
    “It’s okay, Iesha. I was just telling Mom and Dad that Xavier thinks he’s a big brother because Emmitt’s girlfriend has a
     daughter.”
    “Well, is he?”
    “I don’t know yet. I just found out on the way over here.”
    “From Zavey?”
    Charity realized that if Iesha thought the situation was bad, then it was really bad. “May we please eat. I’m starving,” she
     said, attempting to break the tension in the room.
    “We ain’t gone be watching a movie today,” Mama Lorraine said as she sliced herself some butter and passed it to her husband.
    Iesha kept her eyes on her plate.
    “We’re not?” Charity asked.
    “Nope, today we’re gonna talk.”
    “About what?”
    Mama Lorraine looked at Iesha and then at Charity.
    “I think we have a small problem in the Brown camp that needs to be discussed. Ain’t that right, Esha?”
    “I wouldn’t say it’s a problem—”
    “Well, it sounded like a problem on Friday.”
    “You don’t like working at Horizons do you, Iesha?”