I answered as soon as I saw Aaron’s beaming face appear on the cell phone screen.
“Hello, Aaron, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, calm down Ma.”
“I’m calm.” I wasn’t sometimes. I had a bad feeling and this was one of those times. I noticed Jason watching me. He wasn’t even pretending not to listen to my conversation. “So you’re good?”
“Yes, I am great. How you doing?”
“I’m okay.”
“Cool.” I heard reluctance in his voice. “Ma, I have to tell you something about Dad.”
“What he do this time? Is there any real food in the house?”
“Yeah, he gave me money for groceries.”
“When are you supposed to shop for your own food?”
“Ma.”
“Did he think you were supposed to eat fast food three times a day?”
“Ma.”
“Yeah, what’s up?” I was talking instead of listening, something that I needed to work on.
“I want to tell you this before you hear it from someone else.”
“Go ahead, tell me.” I shrugged even though Aaron couldn’t hear or see my body movements.
“Dad has another kid.”
Oh my god! Seriously? I knew I heard that hot mess. I took a deep breath. “When is this baby coming?” I steadily asked.
“It’s already here.”
“His girlfriend LaTasha had a baby?”
“No, this is another lady named Stephanie.”
I was confused. I looked over at Jason. He was still watching me. “What happened to LaTasha?”
“She’s still around. He got his current girlfriend LaTasha and a baby mama named Stephanie.” The line went silent. I believe Aaron was waiting for me to say something. So I did. “Did you already know this?”
“No, I didn’t know about a Stephanie. Did he tell you this?”
“No, he didn’t tell me shit. I just found out.”
I let his little curse word slip up go. “Well, I guess you have a half brother or sister, great.” I didn’t think it was great. I thought it would’ve been great if my kid’s father had all his kids with the one woman he'd been married to for twenty years. Me.
“It’s a girl.”
“Well, that’s great.” I fake smiled through the phone.
“Great for who? I’m not claiming this random kid.” I could hear the agitation in his voice.
“Aaron, me and your dad are divorced. You don’t have to pick sides,” I said those lies through gritted teeth. Of course, I wanted him to pick me.
“Ma, I know I don’t have to pick sides. You say that all the time. But this kid, Ma, this kid is three years old.” My son’s revelation made me numb. “Ma, did you hear me?”
“Oh yeah, you said she’s three?”
“Yeah Ma, I’m sorry. She’s three. Can you believe it?”
I could believe it. “Boy, it’s okay. I’m fine.” It wasn’t okay. Erik and I had only been divorced for two years. My son could count. This three-year-old was proof that my ex-husband was a piece of shit.
“You still here? Ma?”
“Your dad can have as many kids as he wants. We’re divorced so he’s free to live his life and do whatever pleases him.” I tried to steady my voice.
“I didn’t want to give you this news but I didn’t want you to find out from someone else. Grandma Lottie knows. Aunt Shay knows.” My mother-in-law and my sister-in-law, two people I don’t have kind words for.
“Does your sister know?” I asked.
“I told Kennedy yesterday and she’s not talking to Dad anyway so she’s definitely on your side.”
“Why aren’t they speaking? What’s happened now?”
“She asked him for some money.”
“Why does she need money? She has a job this summer.”
“I don’t know. She didn’t tell me. Dad said no to her because she never returns his phone calls.”
“That sounds like his petty ass. Why didn’t she ask me for the money?”
“Ma, you know you make considerably less money than Dad, right?”
“Yes, I know but—”
“Kennedy snapped and told him he must be spending all his money on his hoes. Now they’re not talking to each other.”
“Is he paying child support for this other kid?” Not my business, but I was curious.
“He probably hitting her with a few coins. I don’t think it’s court-ordered. The baby mama is young and probably dumb.”
“How do you know this? Grandma Lottie watches this kid so this Stephanie can go to work. You know if you give Grandma Lottie some wine she tells all her business and everybody else’s business.”
“Well, that’s true.” My ex-husband’s mother was a raging, functioning, motor-mouth of an alcoholic— if that’s a thing.
“But you shouldn’t get your grandmother drunk.”
“All I did was get the bottles, plural, from the fridge and a glass out the cabinet.”
“Still.”
“Stephanie, she works at the mall. Grandma Lottie can’t stand her. This kid is three and still wearing pampers.”
“The shopping mall? No, no, I don’t want to hear anymore. This is your father’s life. It looks like he has two girlfriends.”
“That we know about.” My son had a sharp tongue like me. He was always good at getting information for me. His loyalty was always with me and I couldn’t lie. I loved it. He was my baby.
“I shouldn’t be surprised about this. What else is new?” I wanted to change the subject to something more pleasant, something I could deal with.
“Ma, don’t let it upset you.”
“I’m not upset.” That was a big ole lie.
“I promise I will not grow up to be like him.”
“Of course not. I raised you with feelings.”
“You sure did. I’m going to go hoop at the park district. I promise not to get any of these nappy head little girls pregnant.”
“Thank you. That’s cute but that goes for the stringy head ones and the mixed curly-headed ones too.”
“Okay, the Becky’s, the Mariah’s and the Keisha’s gets no love from me.”
“Oh boy, be good. Go straight home afterward. You know I don’t feel good about that night gym mess.”
“Five-0 is there and some of them even hoop with us.” His words didn’t make me feel better. But if Aaron felt safe with the police around and not scared for his life I wanted to be supportive.
“I love you,” I mumbled into the cell thinking about what he told
