“I ain’t gettin’ it. What if that’s the popo’s?”

“No, it’s Ma,” I said. I just knew it, as if I had been on my way to dreaming it and someone suddenly woke me up before I got to the good part. I threw him off of me and carefully paced toward the back of the apartment, as if she could hear my footsteps on carpet through several feet and a heavy wood door. I feared if I could sense her, she could sense me too, sniff me out. I remembered watching a show about lionesses protecting their young in the jungle. Cats can’t count, so they keep up with each and every newborn by scent. I was sweating before I reached my hiding place, and knew Ma could smell the sin between my legs if she was that determined to find me.

“Who is it?” Rasul shouted deeply, trying to sound in charge and grown up. By the time Ma answered, I was already on the other side of the bathroom door, shutting it so quietly it barely clicked. I pressed my ear against the door trying to hear, hoping Rasul would be smart enough not to let her barge in, although a Black woman on a mission was a force he might not be able to reckon with. I couldn’t hear her voice, only his.

“Yes. Uhh huh … man, I’m sorry to hear that. Unh huh … oh, okay.”

I giggled in spite of myself, trying to hold back from bursting through the door and letting my mama know I was okay. I knew she really loved me, despite. I heard another voice that I couldn’t make out. It sounded like a man’s. I thought Rasul had been right about the police. I thought about perjury, and how I had pulled Rasul into my mess of lies and he had only known me for a couple of days. He wasn’t going to want a thing to do with me once he got me out of his apartment, was probably only being nice now just because he had too much heart to tell me to get the fuck on.

“Sir, I really don’t pay attention to people in this building … you know I just go to school and work and go home … Well, it really ain’t no point ’cause I’m sure I ain’t never seen her … I mean, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t remember ’cause I kinda be in my own world … Well, okay, I guess I could take a look … I guess she look kind of familiar, but I don’t know. Like I said, I really don’t pay that much attention … okay, alright. No, no, ma’am. I ain’t never seen her before.”