I nod and don’t answer the phone.
“You didn’t answer it?” Pri says. “So you cuttin’ off Kasim and Imani? Too much Detroit drama for you, huh?”
“No,” I lie. “It’s just . . . I want to eat, that’s all.”
“That’s right, Fabiola,” Matant Jo says, smiling. “You see, she has manners. No talking on the phone while you’re out for brunch with your family, right, Faboubou!”
“Get outta here with that, Ma!” Pri jokes. “You stay talking on the phone, and chewing with your mouth open, and cursing at the table. Don’t let your aunt fool you, Fab.”
Everyone is all smiles. Donna is happy, too, even though she’s not with Dray anymore. And Chantal is having small talk with her mother about the weather, the food, and her classes.
I can’t finish my meal. The syrup is too sweet and there’s more oily skin on the chicken than actual chicken. But my cousins and aunt devour it as if it’s their last meal.
My phone rings again. It’s Detective Stevens.
“Answer it!” Pri says.
I start to get up from my seat, but Pri grabs the phone from my hand and answers it for me.
“Hello?” she says, and my insides turn to ice. “Hello?”
Then she gives me the phone. Detective Stevens hung up, and I exhale.
“We need to upgrade your phone” is all Pri says.
Aunt Jo pays for the meal with cash. I can’t help but stare at the three twenties and one ten, and remember the pile of cash that she gave me. When the waitress comes back with the change, Aunt Jo hands it to me. I shake my head and don’t take it.
“Your whole life I’ve been sending you and your mother money, and it’s now you want to reject it?” Matant Jo says.
Pri takes it for me instead. My aunt stares at me as if I’ve just offended her.
As we’re leaving, Kasim walks in with Dray. My heart skips. I don’t want to see him. I can’t see him. He’s not supposed to be here. There is no room for him in my heart right now.
He greets Aunt Jo first, reminding her that they’ve met a few times already. Dray does the same, but my aunt shoos him away as if he’s just a vagabon. She stares him in the eye. “You took my baby girl from me since she was twelve. You got into her head and made her think she was in love. She fought me for you. And now you think I’m going to let you win, again?” Matant Jo says.
Donna walks to the car, opens the back door, and gets in without saying a word to Dray.
I want to applaud Matant Jo. Here is where I see a lot of my own mother in her. If Manman was here, she would cut Dray down to a billion pieces if she knew how he treated her niece. And now Matant Jo has come alive.
“Donna, come on!” Dray calls out, ignoring what my aunt has just said. Each time he tries to take a step closer to the car, both Pri and Chantal get in his way.
As I’m watching all this, Kasim takes my hand and asks if he can call me tonight.
“I don’t know” is all I say.
He reaches over to kiss me on the cheek, but I stop him.
“I miss you,” he says.
“It’s too much,” I say.
“Too much? What’s going on, Fabulous? You know I can see when you’re looking at my texts.”
“I’m busy.”
“Busy? I done seen all your cousins, Imani, your other friends . . . But you just straight up disappeared. Every time I ask for you, they give me some bullshit answer. ‘Oh, she’s studying, she joined a club, she went home . . .’ What’s up, Fabulous?” He holds out his hand, but I don’t take it.
“Things are complicated now, Kasim,” I say. The words are stuck in my throat.
“Complicated? Don’t tell me you’re going back to Haiti.” He keeps trying to take my hand and I keep pulling away.
“No, just . . . I have to help my mom. I like you, Kasim. But I have to focus. . . . Too many things happening now.” I cross my arms and look every which way. I don’t want to see his face. I can’t look into his eyes.
“For real, Fab? What you sayin’?”
“I . . . I can’t . . .” I shake my head. I inhale deep because this is all a lie. But I have to do this.
“You can’t? We didn’t even get started yet. What about saving a little bit for tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day after that?” He keeps trying to look into my eyes. I keep turning my head.
“There’s no more left,” I say.
“For real, Fab? You serious?”
“Yes.” I walk away.
He reaches out and the tips of his fingers brush against my shoulder. I don’t look back as I open the car door and slide into the backseat.