❝SHANTEY❞
That same Thursday, into the afternoon, Shantey and her kids joined Amanda in San Diego at Sesame Place theme park for Kareem's two-year birthday. Instead of inviting an entire crowd, the Booker kids—that's became Amanda's family—joined the two best friends and Anicia. She went against inviting Kareem's father just so vibe's wouldn't get ruined. Sino provided the security detail to keep everyone protected. They all spent a long and fun four hours at the theme park before gathering in the sprinter and heading back on the four hour drive.
The kids were exhausted after playing around and the sprinter's lights were dimmed very low so the sleeping ones could rest peacefully. Azoni was resting beside Shantey while Seona laid her head on her lap, getting her braids taken down that she planned to redo before heading back on tour.
She was in the midst of unbraiding when her phone rung and picked it up to see a contact flashing across her screen—one she didn't would've expected. She answers; once it connects the Harlem native pops on her screen. "This... Is a surprise."
"Tried to call Twin, he ain't answer." His accent gets the attention of Amanda that sits beside her and holding her sleeping two-year-old.
Shantey looked to the next seat where Cru sleeps. "Yeah, he's sleep. Want me to wake him up?"
"Uhh, na, you straight. . I actually called to wrap witchu."
Shantey brows lifts in surprise. "Really? What about?"
"That therapy shit you suggested; I'ma rock wit it. I ain't gonna be back in Cali till a few shows, so I'll have my assistant get wit yours."
"... Okay, uhhh, great. That's what we need."
"Mmhm, yeah. Tell Twin to get back at me."
"Will..." the phone hung up before she could finish, "do."
"At least he comin around." Amanda states as Shantey placed her phone back in her purse.
"Yeahh. One session I'm not ready to have." Shantey exhaled, continuing to take down Seona's hair. "But anyway, you talk to Keyon?"
Amanda baby father's name got a eye roll out of her. "Yeah. The clown been callin me with No Caller ID cause I blocked him. I finally answered and let him talk to Stinka while you were at your session. He was happy to hear from his Dad, so I agreed to let him come by only and play with him in the backyard. I don't trust my son's safety with him."
"Which is very valid. You taking it one step at a time."
"The only amount of steps I'm taking with him. How's Che doin on tour? She not causing problems?"
"None. She's been staying focused for the most part. Our show in Atlanta she invited some of her little Easton entourage but they were respectful, so that was cool. Mo even brought the girls by."
"And how's she doing?" Amanda asked about Monae.
"Girl, being Mommy, wife, and running ALiGN. She told me she's been talking to Kory and Kendra's grand-mother Gloria. She told her Kory's not doing good down there. Gloria's talking about sending him to foster care—"
"Foster care?"
"—if neither one of us doesn't take him."
"Foster care not gonna help him."
"That's exactly what I said. Monae talked her down until she discussed it with me. Now... it's left in my hands to figure out what to do."
"Well...?" Amanda wonders what her decision was.
"You know me, Ams, I cannot have one of my nephews in the system. The system will not help him. If anything it will make him worse. We both know how it feels to be abandoned."
"Yes we do. But he's obviously acting out because his parents are gone and if he's doing that to his own Grandma, then what make you think he not gonna act out with you? He'll get a better living, yes. But what he's need is a man to guide him. A woman can't raise a boy into a man, especially a troubled boy. He's gonna need a male influence."
"I'm gonna figure that out. But Kory's not going to foster care."
"Then I'm wit you."
Making it to their Long Beach home in the gated community, a known blacked out Challenger was parked out front, awaiting their arrival. Everyone filed off, carrying the young sleeping bodies. Keyon was climbing out the Challenger and his now awake son was ecstatic to see him, rushing over to him and Keys lifted him up. Shantey gave Amanda a comforting rub on her arm before Amanda took a deep breath and made her way over to Keys.
Troy was the last one to climb off the sprinter, nearly falling and snickering under his breath. Shantey noticed looking him over, "You okay?"
Troy inhaled sharply, nodding his head. "Yup, yup, yup. Perfect." he sticks up his thumb, making his way over to Tyson's sports car that Avant was currently climbing in the back of. "Had fun at the li'l spot doe. Real nice."
"Lap up, Guppie." Tyson instructed Hendrick.
"Hendrick fat ass not sitting on me, bro. No." Gabe complains.
"Nigga, who fat but you?" Hendrick retorted as it turns into a full argument between brothers...
"Troy, hurry up, bro." Tyson rushed. "You taking kiddy steps. See y'all later, Shantey."
"Y'all drive safe, even if the drive isn't that far."
"Yes ma'am." Tyson says before he sat in his started car and Troy sits in the passenger seat. As he sped off down the road in the sports car, Shantey eyes was stuck there sensing a feeling travel through about Troy.
"You gonna redo my hair too?" The question pulls her gaze forward and to Romeo that has his individual braids in a ponytail.
"Yeah. I'm doing all of y'all's hair." She was taken under her sons arm, walking into the house. "Don't lock it, Ams still out there. I want to talk to you about something. Come here."
Romeo follows his mother upstairs in confusion. They went to Azoni's bedroom to be laid down in his bed so he continues to sleep. "What's going on, Momma?"
"Kory, he's gonna have to come stay here."
"I kinda expected it." Romeo confessed as he folded his arms, "We all talk all the time on our cousin's group FaceTime—Malorie and them, Kory, and Kendra—and we sometimes hear the arguments between him and his G-ma."
"Does he... start it?"
"I mean.. based off what I hear on our calls; she starts it." Romeo reveals. "I don't know what goes on once the phone hangs up. But she definitely starts with him. He always telling us he sick of being there because she talks down to him and say he nothin but another version of his Daddy. She even went as far as talkin down on him with her Cambodian family. She think he don't understands what she says, but he do. One thing they Daddy did do was teach em to understand the language."
Shantey hates to hear that, exhaling and folding her arms. "And Kendra?" She asked.
"Kenny do what little sisters do and take up for her brother. Plus she's a teenage girl and have the blood of a Washington. She gotta smart mouth and honestly for good reason."
Shantey nods, and Romeo could tell she was in deep thought making him say, "If you do take Kory, you might as well take Kenny. One thing I do know is he's not gonna leave his sister. He'll deal with any bashing he have to if it means staying with her."
"Then... I'll have to take in them both." Shantey concludes.
Throughout the rest of the Thursday, Shantey focused on braiding her kids hair in new styles for school in the morning. She was on the final head of the night—Cru—who was dodging getting his hair done. He slept deeply, across her lap with his mouth open as Shantey continues on the braids. Her phone rings beside her leg, making her pause and hold the hair in place before answering her phone with her hand.
"Hey, Jas." She greets her manager, "I was just about to call you. I gotta meet y'all in St. Petersburg tomorrow before soundcheck. I gotta family thing I have to handle in Orlando. Yes, Sino and TD will be with me. I don't need you thinking I'm on bullshit."
"Family comes first. But I actually called about Che."
Shantey parted another piece of his hair to braid. "What's going on?"
"She flew to Easton earlier. Didn't tell nobody. I had to ask shady Sevn and he told me her grandmother's in jail. I just wanted to let you know just in case Amanda wanted to know."
"Doubt she does," Shantey mumbles. "I'll let her know. Just stay in contact with her."
"I got you. See you tomorrow and hope everything goes right with the family."
"Me too. See ya."
Once Shantey finishes Cruz's braids, Romeo was walking in with his own bonnet protecting his fresh braids. "Came to lay dude down before I crash. Got the mornin shift tomorrow."
"Thank you baby." Shantey appreciated as Romeo grunts lowly, raising his heavy brother up into his arms. "I'll be gone by the time y'all wake up. So I love you."
"I love you, too. And good luck getting Kory and Kendra."
"Thanks."
"Night, Aunty Ams." Romeo spoke to Amanda, whose presence entered while he was leaving.
"Night, Romy Rome." Amanda responded as he ascends the staircase.
"Janis is in jail. ."
Amanda shrugs, "Good for her."
"I think Che went to bond her out. Jasmine called and told me she flew out there earlier."
"If she wants to rush off her tour to bond out the woman that's gonna keep doing the same shit. Let her." Again, Amanda shrugged. "I been over her. Che's got it handled." she went in the kitchen which was her route.
-
The following mornin, Shantey flies to Orlando with Sino and TD to chat with Gloria face-to-face. The home was a nice-size single family home painted a flamingo pink. A silver Hyundai was backed in the driveway in front of the garage door. TD opened the back passenger door of the full-size SUV for Shantey and she stepped out in her tour merch sweatsuit with low dunks. The morning was warm with a wind and strands of her ponytail blew with the breeze. She approaches the white door, knocking her fist on it.
Standing for a little minute and knocking a second time, the front door was pulled open by the short and thin Cambodian woman. She had her hair a light brown now and cut short. She expected a Washington sister to show up at her door sooner than later and if Gloria was being honest, she would've much rather the sister been Monae because Shantey was intimidating to her.
"Sh... Shantey," she clears her throat, "hey. Want to come in?"
Shantey nods, walking in as Gloria shut the door behind her. "Want anything to drink?"
"Uhh, no. I'm not here long, and this isn't really a social visit." Shantey cuts the small talk, getting Gloria to look her way. "Mo told me about you tryna send Kory to foster care."
"Oh that's happening if you or your sister doesn't take him." Gloria responds quickly, "I cannot deal with him. He's like his father—very disrespectful. I'm not gonna have another person put their hands on me that I basically brought on this earth."
"He's hit you?"
"No. . But I know he will. He's very aggressive with me. That's how it started with his father."
"Sometimes when you constantly compare someone to a negative, that's what you receive." Shantey states, "Kory talks with his cousins all the time and his story's different. They even hear you starting with him and they talk on the phone very often. I could imagine how many times a day he gets reminded that he's someone so negative."
"Th... That's because—"
"Saying that to say," Shantey interrupted her, "they are the last people on earth that's apart of my sister and I'm not gonna bury neither one because you pushed them away due to the hatred you have for your son. So, I'll take them."
"Them?"
"Yes, both Kory and Kendra. Where are they?" Shantey asked.
"Walked to the store. Kendra's doing fine."
"And you and I both know Kory's not bouta leave without his sister." Shantey lets her know, "Look at it as a get-outta-jail free card. You can know travel, see the world without having to take care of two teenagers."
The front door and talking walked inside the house, making Shantey pivot and turn that way. She looked gazes with her niece and nephew that had honey tanned skin with light brown eyes. Kory was tall, skinny, with his jet black hair curly and undercut. Kendra was short like her aunty, but blessed with a thicker frame. She was in her age where everything was filling out.
"Aunty!" Kendra rushed over to Shantey, hugging her.
"Hey, girly face!" Shantey smiles, holding her face and kissing her forehead. "You look gorgeous. Hey, Kory."
"You comin to take me?" Kory asked, brass in his tone due to going through his puberty.
"I'm... actually coming to take you both." Shantey enlightens, "I don't want to separate you two. Think we give your Granny a break."
"I want to go, but what about my dance team? I really love to dance."
"You don't have to stop," Shantey told Kendra. "We'll find you a dance team in Long Beach. You might be the new girl but you show em how us Washington girls get down."
Kendra grins, high-fiving her aunty as Shantey set her gaze on Kory who kept his straight face. "What about you, Kore? You want to come?"
"What choice I got? It's either that or foster care." Kory shrugs, "I'll go pack my stuff."
Kory walks away down the hall and Kendra steps out of her hold. "He's happy it's just... a lot. I'll talk to him."
Kendra goes the same way and Shantey faces Gloria with a reach in her shoulder bag. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and pen. "Sign this."
Gloria eyebrows furrows, grabbing the paper and unfolding it. "What is this?"
"Just a form saying you are to never try to gain custody of Kory and Kendra." Shantey walks up in her space, "And you're gonna sign it. I trusted you with them, Gloria. And the way my nephew is lookin really makes me want to go off because I don't trust a lot of people with my family. He was born into hurt and you just hurt him even more. Sign.. the fuckin paper, Gloria."
Gloria swallows, signing the paper with her shaky hand. "I really tried."
Shantey takes the paper back. "The wrong way. I won't keep you outta their life. If they choose to have a relationship with you, they can. But they'll never be in your custody again."
Gloria nods just as the two teenagers returns with their luggage.
"Can we at least go to school tomorrow so I can say bye to my friends?" Kendra asked.
"Of course. I have to pull you two off anyways. But before that, how would y'all like to come to my show?"
"Heck yeah!" Kendra walks over to hug her grandmother, "I'll come by before we leave. Now you can go on your cruise," she kisses her on the cheek before racing out the front door to the SUV.
Kory just looked at his grandmother blankly before taking he and his sister's luggage out.
"Kendra loves you," Shantey recognizes. "So, don't not answer her calls. Go on your cruise, live life."
Gloria nods, ".. thank you."
Shantey gives her one last nod before exiting and getting in the SUV; TD closing the door behind her. Kendra was in the third row rambling excitedly about the move to California...
"So, Aunty, this mean we can stay witchu foreva?" Kendra asks, leaning forward between the seats.
"Absolutely. For the rest of your lives if you choose to."
"It's lit!" Kendra applauds, getting a small smile outta her brother.