“You tell her about your place?” Joker asked and I turned my eyes back at him to see he was addressing Tack and Tyra.
“Yeah,” Tack replied. “She’s movin’ in at the end of the month.”
I opened my mouth again and again didn’t get anything out before Joker spoke.
“Good. It’s safe, Carrie, and clean. It’s also close to LeLane’s.”
My body locked.
Carrie?
I stared at him and the ache was gone.
Then something he said hit me.
“It’s close to LeLane’s?” I asked.
“Your store. Only maybe five, ten minute drive away,” Joker answered.
In my life, five, ten minutes was a far sight better than twenty. Not to mention, I’d save on gas money. Not thousands of dollars, but every savings meant something to me.
Further, I absolutely intended to pay Big Petey something for looking after Travis, but I knew whatever that was would probably not come close to what I was paying my daycare center. Travis’s center was awesome, but it was expensive.
My current rent was super cheap. But paying whatever I was going to pay Big Petey, which would be less than what I was currently paying for daycare, would more than likely cover the additional it would cost to live at Tyra’s old place.
And bottom line, where I lived was noisy. It wasn’t safe. It wasn’t attractive. It wasn’t well kept. It was too small. And I lived on the third floor. Since I was no way in heck going to leave my son in my apartment while I carried up groceries (or whatever) that meant I had to climb two flights of stairs repeatedly, carting up whatever I had to cart up along with Travis. And that was a pain in the behind.
All this meant I had no choice but to accept their kindness.
Again.
Maybe, when I became a stylist, Tyra would let me do her hair for free and let me do this for eternity.
I looked from Joker to Tack and Tyra. “Can we arrange for Travis and me to look at it tomorrow? Say, after I get done with my shift?”
Tyra’s face lit up. “Sure thing.”
“Notice today, though, babe,” Tack ordered.
I nodded.
“Yo,” we all heard.
I looked the other way, leaning to the side, and saw Snapper in nothing but long shorts and gym shoes, carrying a ribbed white tank top in his hand, his rather well-defined chest on display (and covered in a sheen of sweat). He was heading out of the doorway that led to the side hall and also to what I’d learned on cleaning day was a meeting room, a workout room, some locked doors I didn’t know what they were, and a laundry room.
“Hey, Snapper,” I called and his eyes came to me before he smiled.
“Yo, babe.”
I reached and grabbed Travis from Joker (doing this avoiding his eyes). Travis latched on to my hair right away but I didn’t feel it (I had a tough scalp seeing as he did that a lot and my scalp had no choice but to toughen up). Once I had him, I walked to Snapper.
“This is my son, Travis,” I declared and looked down to Travis. “Travis, this is Snapper. He took Mommy on a ride on Saturday and it was really nice.”
Travis gurgled, staring at Snapper while trying to eat his own fist.
“Yo, little bro,” Snapper said quietly, lifting a hand toward Travis, which meant Travis lost interest in eating his fist, wrapped his baby fingers around Snapper’s index finger, and yanked that into his mouth.
He barely got it wet before Travis was no longer in my arms.
He also no longer had hold of Snapper’s finger.
He was held high against Joker’s chest.
Travis didn’t mind, and I knew this when he commenced slapping Joker on his bearded cheek then fell forward and licked black whiskers.
That made the ache come back, but through it, I felt surprise at Joker’s maneuver.
In fact, I was surprised he’d done it the first time with Big Petey (though not as aggressively).
And I was so surprised, I was about to say something.
But then I felt it.
The tenseness in the room.
It was then I saw it.
Even with a baby sucking on his beard, Joker had his eyes locked to Snapper and he was not looking at him with motorcycle brotherly love.
I wanted to take a step back.
I wanted more to snatch my son and then take a step back.
But the heaviness of the situation was not lost on me and I sensed any movement would not be a smart idea.
So I stood still and waited.
Luckily, the wait didn’t last long.
Strangely, it ended with Snapper saying low, “I get it.”
To which Joker rumbled lower, “Good.”
I felt my eyes get big even if I had no earthly idea what was happening.
Travis gave up lapping at whiskers, declared, “Bee, bo, bah,” and yanked Joker’s hair.
Joker ignored it and kept scowling at Snapper.
“Brothers, last day of the month, clear it. Need men to move Carissa into Tyra’s old place,” Tack announced through the thick air.
Snapper stepped back, glanced at me, and said, “I’m in.” He lifted his tank top my way. “Good to see you, babe. Your kid is cute.”
After that, he strode off without me being able to say anything.
I looked up to Joker, not knowing if I wanted to yell, stamp my foot, demand an explanation, or laugh hysterically.
I did none of these things.
Joker still had Travis held high but now he had his head turned to him.
“Know you don’t got any, little dude, but it’ll grow and I kinda like my hair where it is.”
Travis emitted a “Dee dah,” and slapped Joker on the mouth.
That mouth twitched.
Okay.
Enough.
“I’m going to the mall,” I announced.
I mean, when your life was in turmoil, what else did a girl do?
I had no money to get anything at the mall, but Travis loved it. He was social and was dedicated to charming anyone who came within two yards of him. He needed those opportunities, and they weren’t afforded when we were stuck in our tiny apartment.
So the mall it was.
I reached toward Joker and quickly averted my eyes when his came to mine.
I grabbed my boy just as Tyra declared, “Awesome! Ride and Cut and I’ll come with. I’ll call Elvira.”
I settled Travis against my body as I turned to her. “Doesn’t Elvira work?”