“Why’d you say that, Ma?” Janelle asks.

“None of your business.”

“I haven’t seen Gramps since last year,” Dingus says, and gets up from the floor. I see Lewis shake his daddy’s hand from the top step, and then Cecil pats him on the shoulder while he moves toward the door. When he comes inside, you’d swear he was Santa Claus or something, the way his grandkids rush over and give him big burly hugs. Dingus is taller than Cecil, of course, and Shanice ain’t too far behind.

“Hello there, everybody,” he says.

“Hi, Daddy,” Janelle says, and gives him a kiss.

Here come Paris. She stands on a spot and don’t move. “Hi, Daddy. Glad you found time to stop by.”

“Stop by?” Janelle says.

I forgot she don’t know.

“I wanted to make sure the old gal was all right, and not over here by herself.”

“By herself?” Janelle says.

“I told you Lewis was here, didn’t I, Cecil?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Did I miss something?” Janelle asks.

“You didn’t tell the kids?” Cecil asks me.

“Not all of ’em.”

“Tell us what?” Janelle says.

“Isn’t it obvious, Ma?” Shanice says. “Gramps doesn’t live here anymore. Hel-lo.”

“Since when?”

Poor thang. She looks so confused. “Around New Year’s.”

I don’t think this house ever been this quiet. Everybody just kinda don’t move, and Cecil look like he wish he could disappear. But ain’t nowhere to run. Serve his ass right.

“Daddy, did Ma put you out, or you left?”

Cecil just kinda look Southern pitiful and say, “Talk to your mama about that.”

“Well, when are you coming back home?” Janelle still don’t get it.

This time he don’t even bother to answer.

“Why don’t you tell them when George is coming back,” Shanice blurts out.

“Where’s George?” I ask.

“Where’s Charlotte?” Cecil asks.

Paris grabs the phone and starts dialing her number. This is getting too deep for me. “Where’s my inhaler?”

“I’ll get it, Granny,” Dingus says, and heads for the bedroom. Cecil still don’t know what to do: you can see he trying to decide if he should sit or keep standing. “And bring me that brown envelope from off the bed, too, would you, baby?”

“The one that says IRS on it?”

“That’s the one,” I say and eyeball Cecil. It’s easy to see now that he wished he hadda come another time.

“Charlotte?” Paris says. “Yes. We’re all here. At Mama’s. She got home today, but I guess the fact that she almost died doesn’t seem to faze you all that much, does it?”

This is a big mistake: calling her, and using that tone of voice. She ain’t gon’ like it. Knowing we her audience, too?

“Yes. And what kind of vacation is Al going on? I figured as much. You don’t have to raise your voice, Charlotte. I did not. And stop swearing at me. All I’m saying is that Mama could’ve died and you should have your selfish ass here like the rest of us!”