Snow Place Like Home

Chapter Four

Shonna

"Well, well. If it isn't her royal highness calling to check in on the little people." Leigha Jackson never ran low on sarcastic zingers.

At least her remarks were enough to assuage Shonna's guilt over not speaking with her mother more often. She was content with speaking to her only when it was necessary. Shonna had called her mother first thing in the morning to break the news about her grandmother's passing since she hadn't the nerve to do it yesterday.

"Morning, Mom."

"What do you need?"

"Are you sitting down?"

"I'm on my way to the salon. What is it?"

Classic Leigha Jackson. She had a standing appointment at the same hair salon every Saturday morning for the last twenty-five years. She always had to look her best. Shonna could remember going to the grocery store with her mother dressed like it was Easter Sunday. Her makeup was always flawless, and she kept her nails done. No hair was ever out of place, even on the windiest of days. She had raised Shonna to be the same way, so perfection was ingrained in her, and now, she didn't know any other way to be.

"Maybe you should pull over."

"Just tell me what you need to tell me, Shonna. I don't have all day."

"YoYo is dead."

The phone went silent.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Her mother exhaled loudly. "Oh, Jesus. Don't scare me like that. I thought you were going to tell me you were pregnant."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes. Yes, I know. She called and told me a while ago when she caught pneumonia. I tried to convince her to come back home, but the stubborn old woman refused."

"You knew she was sick?"

"She assured me she was getting better, so I didn't fight her on staying there. Then a few weeks ago, some man called me and told me she had died. I told him to deal with it."

What the hell?!

Shonna was livid. "Why didn't you mention YoYo was sick? And how could you not tell me she died?!"

"Well, you never answer your phone."

"Seriously?"

"Don't get your little panties twisted. I would have told you, eventually. Besides, with the holidays coming up, it wasn't the right time to bring it up. How'd you find out, anyway?"

"I'm in Blackstone. At her house. Does anyone else know? Does Dad know? What about Uncle Tracy or Veronica or Reggie?"

"Your Uncle Tracy knows. He works with your father, so I'm sure he broke the news to him. I'm not sure about Veronica, but Regina isn't technically family."

"She's still my cousin."

Veronica and Regina, or Reggie, were fraternal twins. When their mother, Shonna's Aunt Sylvia, got pregnant, two eggs had been fertilized, one from her husband Tracy, the other from a man no one in the family had ever met. Because Reggie had such different looks from her sister and father, Uncle Tracy had her tested and found out for certain she wasn't biologically his. He divorced his wife, and Veronica stayed with him. Reggie grew up with her mom, who the family had turned their back after learning of Aunt Sylvia's infidelity. Although she and Veronica were thick as thieves growing up and still saw each other often, Shonna rarely, if ever, saw Reggie.

"Whatever you say, dear. Why are you in Blackstone?"

Shonna explained to her mother about the letter but didn't get into much detail beyond that.