“And praise Jesus that teams aren’t chosen by dick sizes or else you wouldn’t wear the same uniform as your boy, StentRo here.” This time Tynisha snorted a laugh and Stenton went for my thigh underneath the table again. “Listen, I get it. I have to prove myself, especially after my cousin...and Alton’s indiscretions, but I’m no doormat. I will not be the butt of your jokes or your maid.” I peered pointedly over to Tynisha. “...or your pledgee to haze. If you think otherwise, there will be eventful crossings every time we meet.”
I made sure to look them both in the eyes. I was prepared for war. I issued warning shots and now I had to be prepared to annihilate. My pulse raced, mouth had gone dry long before, and my palms were painfully gripping the edge of the island top. I was ready. All they had to do was bring it on.
“Okay. Cool. She’s in,” Tynisha quickly shot over to Stenton before returning to her plate.
“Yup! She good with me, bro. Pour me another glass of juice, Ty?” Alton swiftly announced his instant change of heart, too.
I was completely mystified by the change in the atmosphere in just seconds. Was this a game to them? Or were they simply putting up guards they felt were needed for snakes trying to gain access to their hut? Whatever it was, Stenton still wore his scowl as he ate. I could tell he didn’t have a change of heart.
A few hours later, Paul arrived with several shopping bags filled with clothes. Some fit and others, not so much. My size four frame was hard to call. I was so tiny in all places with the exception of my boobs. Stenton swore I had a butt, though no one had ever corroborated that claim. I was able to put together a few outfits to get me through the next few days.
Tynisha and Alton left for home after the first morning. I learned that Alton and sometimes Tynisha, too, stayed in Philly at Stenton’s apartment. The reason was because after so many affairs, Tynisha made Alton sell his apartment and commute back and forth from Wells Fargo Center in Philly to Upper Saddle River, NJ as punishment. She eventually let up and allowed him to stay with Stenton to relieve him of the long drive. It really had to be exhausting trying to keep a grown man faithful.
That afternoon, Stenton took me to meet his mother. It was a weird experience he didn’t actually prepare me for it. We drove up to West Milford to a fancy group home where she had an apartment-like facility. Stenton clearly treated her well. He introduced me as Ni?a to his mother who spoke English well, but was insistent on speaking Spanish to him. It was obvious to me that she wanted to exclude me from their exchange. What shocked me was Stenton’s ability to return her conversation fluently in the same language.
Stenton hardly resembled his mother. She looked fairly healthy, though I could tell she led a hard life. I couldn’t understand why she lived in an assistant living facility. Other than the curly hair and the thick eyebrows he had in common with her, I could assume Stenton was his deceased dad’s twin. Call me saccharine, but my heart toiled at the vision of Stenton as a child with no stable parents.
We didn’t stay long; their talk was brief, but what I could tell was this woman loved her son. She didn’t smile much and I didn’t need that for me to discern her affinity for him. It was the way she looked at him absorbedly and the tone used for her responses to him that told it all.