Read Online Mama's Boy by Reshonda Tate Billingsley - Free Book Online

strutted her petite frame into the kitchen.
    Gloria shook her head. Unfortunately her mother wasn’t joking. She didn’t play when it came to the law. She turned her own brother in when he robbed a bank saying she had “no tolerance for criminals.”
    â€œWell, it’s not all that it seems,” Gloria said.
    Her mother reappeared in the den, a glass of tea in her hand. “Seems like to me he shot a cop.”
    â€œNo. On the video, you heard some ruffling and you heard a gunshot go off. But you don’t know who shot whom.”
    Erma sat down across from her daughter. “I’ll take the dead cop as the one who got shot for one hundred, Alex.”
    â€œThis isn’t funny, Mama. It was an accident.”
    â€œI’m not laughing, Gloria.” Erma sipped her tea. “And how you know what happened? Were you there? No, you weren’t. The only way you know what happened”—she stopped, studied Gloria, then slowly went on—“is if you talked to him.” She peered at her daughter again. “Gloria Hurley Jones, you know where that boy is, don’t you?”
    Gloria looked away. “Mama, I went to the jail to talk to Jamal’s friends, the boys that were with him that night. They told me it was an accident.”
    Erma cocked her head, studied Gloria for a minute. Finally, she said, “Then why couldn’t you look me in my face and say that? Why’d you have to walk away?”
    â€œI don’t know what you’re talking about.” She busied herself by opening her curio cabinet and straightening her Annie Lee figurines.
    â€œI bet you don’t,” her mother replied. “That’s why at this very moment, you have to adjust your dolls instead of look me in my face and talk to me.”
    â€œThese are not dolls, Mama.”
    â€œAnd you’re not being truthful.”
    Gloria sighed, closed the cabinet, then turned around. Even though she was almost fifty herself, Gloria still had a hard time lying to her mother.
    Erma stood, walked over, and took Gloria’s chin in her hand. She looked her daughter straight in the eyes. “You never was a good liar. Look here, I know you love that boy from the bottom of your soul, but don’t let him ruin your life.”
    Gloria pulled her chin away. “Mama, you don’t know what you’re talking about. And you’re the one always talking about how you’d do anything for your kids.”
    â€œI sure would, except break the law. I’m too old and too pretty to be in jail. Now those folks are going to string that boy up and if you get in the way, they’re going to string you up, too.”
    â€œSo, Mama, what am I supposed to do? Just hand Jamal to them?” Gloria whispered. She didn’t believe her house was bugged, but she could never be too sure.
    â€œI can’t believe that Reverend Do Right, I’m sorry Do Right Now, is going along with this,” Erma said, going back to her seat.
    Gloria didn’t reply.
    Erma stopped just before sitting down. “Holy Mother of Mary. He doesn’t know, does he?” That made Erma laugh. “It took your son killing a cop for you to finally stand up to that man.”
    â€œMama, me keeping a secret from him doesn’t mean I’m standing up to him.”
    â€œWell, at least you aren’t being his puppet for a change.”
    That was another discussion she wasn’t going to have with her mother.
    â€œI’m just trying to figure out what to do.”
    Erma threw up her hands to stop Gloria from talking. “You know what? Don’t tell me nothing else. I don’t want to have to testify against you. So, I don’t know nothing about nothing.” Erma picked up the remote. “I wonder is Jeopardy! on yet.”

10
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    T here was something about family dinners that brought Kay joy. Probably because it was something she didn’t have growing up.