“Can I come in?” Janelle asks.

“No, stay out there and talk to me through the door.”

She eases it open and the phone rings at the same time. I hear Mama yell, “I got it!” from the kitchen. I look at the clock. It’s just barely eight-thirty.

“What’s up?” I ask. Janelle looks sullen, despite the white sweatsuit. Her hair is in a ponytail and she’s got on dark-pink lipstick. With that against her dark skin, she looks like a Somalian Barbie. If I’m not mistaken, it also looks like she could stand to lose a few pounds. I dare not say anything or she’ll freak out. “Sit,” I say. “No, wait. Come on into the bathroom while I brush my teeth.”

“Dingus!” Mama yells. “A girl name Meagan is calling you!”

I stop dead in my tracks and Janelle bumps into me from behind. Her boobs feel bigger.

“Paris, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Just a second.” I go over to the door to see if Dingus is still asleep. He is. Lewis is nowhere in sight. If I didn’t have an audience I’d get on that phone and put this little bitch in her place and then maybe kick the hell out of my son for putting us both in such a precarious situation. On the ride here I was too busy worrying about Mama to bring the subject up, and even though it was taking up a big chunk of my mind, I decided to wait until we leave to deal with this issue. Now is not the time or the right circumstances to mention it, because not only would Mama be heartbroken, but this kind of news could put her back in the hospital. I still give him a stiff kick in his ass. “Ouch! Ma, dag! What’s wrong?”

“What’s so important that this girl has to call you here?”

“Who?”

“Meagan. That’s who.”

“I don’t know.”

“You and I both know you know. And I suggest you handle it now or suffer the consequences.”

“I don’t have a clue about what you’re talking about, Ma. Granny, would you ask her if I can call her back later, please?”

“You ain’t making no long-distance calls on this phone. Period. Paris, come talk to this girl, would you?”

“No!” Dingus says. “Never mind. I’ll talk to her.”

“What we doing today, Paris? Wanna go to the mall?”

“Mama, are you supposed to be walking and doing stuff already?”

“I feel good. I don’t wanna sit in here all day looking stupid. We need to do something. What time y’all leaving?”

“My plane leaves early tomorrow morning.”

“Please get a seat on it for your brother.”

“Where is he, by the way?”

“Said he went to work. And don’t ask.”

I shake my head and head back toward the bedroom, but stop at the door when I hear Mama say, “All I know is, he better bring my damn car back in one piece.”