If it Aint One Thing it's Another

Roz came in around seven o’clock and gave Petie the keys to a white Chrysler 300M. It was fully loaded and had a full tank of gas. Petie was straight. Roz gave him the registration and insurance card, and she said she had some people who would take care of the Navigator. Petie told her to do her thing, and she made a phone call to have the ride picked up. They swung an episode, and she hopped in the shower right before Petie left to go and meet Patrice in Manhattan.

Renee and Dante were playing Scrabble when Darnell walked into the living room. He had an attitude, and he rolled his eyes so hard at Renee that she almost thought he was possessed.

”Nothing,” he said and flopped down onto the couch. Renee asked him again, and this time he answered her with even more attitude than the first time. ”I said nothin’. How many times you gonna ask me?”

”Whatever.” Darnell sucked his teeth, got up and went to his room. Then he slammed the door behind him, locked it and turned on some loud music. Renee knocked on the door and when he did-n’t answer, she yelled out loudly, asking him to turn down the music. Darnell acted like he didn’t hear her, and he turned up the music.

Renee never cursed at either of her sons, but she was ready to go ballistic on Darnell right now. He finally opened the door and asked her what she wanted. She looked at him like he was out of his mind.

”No, are you?” he replied. Renee could not figure out what his malfunction was, but she knew it had to be something serious. He had no right to be talking to her like this, and she wasn’t going to stand for it any longer.

”Darnell, please tell me what’s wrong. I don’t like your attitude and your tone of voice is unacceptable. Now what is the problem?”

Darnell started to cry. He turned around to face her and said, ”Why you tryin’ to keep Dad from seeing us? I don’t care what he did; he’s still my father.”

Renee hadn’t seen Darnell cry like this since he was ten years old. She really didn’t know what to say, and she needed to say the right thing now because she didn’t want him to push her away any more than he already had. She understood his pain. Even when he was younger and Petie was locked up, he spoke to him every day. And no matter how far away Petie was, Renee always took the time to visit him with the boys. Darnell was not used to being away from Petie. That was the bottom line.

Renee sat him down and tried to explain that things had changed. They were going to move to Pennsylvania in order to have a better life. That’s when Darnell flipped out.

Renee realized that she had to take control of the situation; it had clearly gotten out of hand. Now it was her turn to flip. ”You don’t tell me what you’re going to do—I tell you! Do you understand me? Don’t you ever think you’re the boss, because you’re not—I am!”

”No you not. My dad is, and don’t you forget it!” he said rolling his eyes at her. Renee lost it and slapped him. She hadn’t hit Darnell in years, and it was the last thing that either of them expected.

Darnell spazzed out and jumped in Renee’s face. ”You can’t be hittin’ on me!” He wiped his tears, trying to be tough and continued. ”Do you know how old I am?”

Dante walked into the room just as Darnell was storming out. He asked Renee what was wrong, and she told him that they were moving to Pennsylvania and Darnell hadn’t taken the news too well. Dante went into the living room where Darnell was and told him to calm down. ”Stop treating mommy like that,” he said.

Darnell spazzed on him. He told Dante that their mother couldn’t wait for their father to go to jail so she could kidnap them and take them far away. They wouldn’t be able to visit him in jail at all either. He said she was a traitor, worse than Benedict Arnold.

Renee had heard everything Darnell just said. She walked into the living room and looked at him in disbelief. She was convinced that he was taking Ecstasy. She knew the pill was popular amongst teens, and now he must have started taking it too.

Renee began to yell, telling them why the police were looking for Petie, and Darnell yelled back at her and called her a liar. He grabbed his hoodie, went to the door and looked back at Dante. ”You coming or what?” he said to him. Dante didn’t move. Darnell told Dante to get his jacket and then he opened the door.

”Boy, you better not step out that door. Don’t make me jump on you, Darnell. I don’t know who told you that you couldn’t get it. Now close that damn door!” Darnell remained standing there waiting for Dante until he finally grabbed his jacket and put on his baseball cap. He told Renee that he was sorry, and he left with Darnell. Renee ran over to Darnell and tried to grab him. He pushed her away like she was a mosquito. Renee fell back onto the carpet and Darnell slammed the door. The two boys ran down the hallway and Renee jumped up and opened the door. She stuck her head out into the hallway, yelling for them to come back.

”Mom is. She just came in and started wildin’ out on us. She was grabbing on me, and I had to push her down just to get out the house,” Darnell said, being sure to tell just his side of the story. It really didn’t matter, because either way Petie would have sided with Darnell over Renee anyway. He told him and Dante to wait right there; he was on his way.

Renee sat at the kitchen table, hoping that the boys would soon return. She started to call the police, but she really didn’t want them in her business. She decided to call Rhonda at work to tell her what had happened.

After hanging up from Rhonda, Renee called Ladelle, thinking that the boys might call him. She could only hope that he would take her call. Renee told Lydia what happened, and Ladelle immediately came to the phone. ”What you mean my nephews ran away? What did you do to them?” he said.

Renee started to ask him why she had to be the one to do something, but she decided against it. She just gave him the details, and he told her he’d take a ride and see if they were heading toward his house. ”Call me if you see them before I do,” he said and hung up.