I watched as Devin hauled Mom's second suitcase into the large living room, he set it down with a light thump and then ran back downstairs to get the last bag. The entire time Mom remains seated on the living room couch watching him, brows furrowed with confusion. 

"What's goin on between you and that boy?" She asks. I look at her like she had grown three heads. 

"Nothing."

"Sure look like something. He just drove me to Albany and literally moved me into your house. Something is going on." Ma insists. 

Devin drops the last bag and then politely dismisses himself. 

"Thanks so much Dev, you're the greatest." I hug him before he finds his way out. As soon as I turn my head around, there she is again, staring at me, waiting for an answer she was never going to get. 

"Are you hungry?" I ask as she adjusts her arm and twists her body so that she can see me moving around in the kitchen. 

"Little girl, I am your Mother and you can't tell me if you and that Devon-"

"Devin." I correct. 

"-If Daniel is your boyfriend?" She continues. 

"He's not my boyfriend, Ma. He just cares about me and wants to help with what he can." I assure her. I open the refrigerator and take out the left over pasta with tomato sauce. I then open the freezer and take out the garlic bread. 

"All I'm saying is Darius needs to learn his place. You already have Trev. There's no reason for him to be helping you out like this." Se sucks her teeth. 

I warm up the pasta and toast the garlic bread to a crisp as mumbling and hissing come from the living room where she either knew I wasn't listening or didn't really care. 

I walk out with the plates in my hands and set it down on the table in front her. 

"Chile." She looks at me with empathy. 

"What is this? Why you trying to kill me?" She asks putting her hand to her heart. 

"It's pasta, Mom. It's really good." I explain. 

Ma pokes at it with a fork then swirls the noodles around on the utensil. She puts it into her mouth and I smile, waiting. 

She makes a strange face. 

"Sweetie, let me cook some real food for you. You up here eating the white people food and you not even making it right." She fusses. 

She winces from the pain of her healing wounds and manages to get herself up. 

"You don't need to be cooking nothing, Ma. You just got out." I raise my voice in worry. 

She fans me off and begins the preparation. I hadn't eaten good since thanksgiving realistically. So a part of me didn't mind her cooking. Devin had brought me some groceries while I was in Miami and left them in the refrigerator. Sometimes I wonder if he even has time for himself the way he looks out for me. It could just be Mac telling him to do all this, but it could also just be Devin.  I text him 'Thank you' a dozen times. 

Even though Ma literally just got here, already the place feels more like home. I lay in the couch, cuddled up into my comforter while we talk about back home and how everything has been going. Minutes pass and soon, I can smell the seasoning sizzling in the pot, it wraps itself around me like the blanket I am under and fills my nose. I close my eyes and breathe deeply. 

"Yea, Pookie ain't been around much. He helped me pack up some stuff from the house yesterday but I don't think he stayin by his Aunt's house. I don't know where he stayin, long as he safe and out of trouble." She says. I hear the pot shifting on the stove. 

"How's Flex?" I ask finally. 

"He's doing very good. Still recoverin but he talkin more and more. He's just asleep most of the time." She shrugs. "It's the grace of God that we ain't die. Cause they were aiming to kill us." She chuckles. 

I wipe the image from my head. 

"What did Flex say when he woke up?" I want a better picture in my head. 

"You know." I can hear Mom's mood lift. I know she is smiling now. "He was being his cheesy old self. Smilin at me, looking at me like I'm some Goddess that fell from the sky." 

I laugh. 

She does Flex's voice. 

"Well look at this, ain't this a beauty to wake up to." She mimics. 

I chuckle and pull my covers up to my neck. 

" I'm like man, shut up with your sweet talk, I was bout to kill you if you died." She sounds angry but playful. I can imagine them there. Her sitting on his hospital bed, him not caring much about being in the hospital just cause Ma's in front of him. I can see his cheesy smile that I miss. I wish I was there to actually see this conversation but I know that it gets more private. 

"Then he goes, I'm here because I knew you would be waiting for me. That's the only reason I pushed through. I knew you would be here." She mimics his voice still. 

I raise my head up and look over at her. She places some rice into a pot as she shakes her head.

"I ain't never seen nothin like this before. Somebody wakin up from surgery and turmoil and still spitting lines out easy." We laugh together. 

I wanted to stay with that memory in my head for the rest of the day. I didn't need anything else. 

"They suppose to be letting him out of there in a few more days, said he's healing fast." 

It is quiet for a few minutes as the aroma of the cooking food begins to fill the house. I don't notice how relaxed I am until I stare to doze off. Her soothing voice wakes me back up. 

"How was California? Did you like it?" 

"Yea, it was cool. Me and Trisha got in a fight though." I answer. 

"Ain't nothin new. Y'all been fighting for just about a decade. What was it about this time?" There's humor in her voice. 

"Business related stuff. She ain't like one of the artist I'm suppose to be workin with." I look up at the ceiling. 

"Trisha has good instincts though. If she don't like the artist, there's probably something about the artist not to like." Mom says calmly. 

"Yea, she was acting a little higher than us but I chilled with her and she not bad." 

It felt weird picking up for Mila considering I wanted little to do with her after our first meeting but thinking back to the one night we got to hangout, she isn't that bad. Maybe one day I could get Trisha to notice. But maybe Trish will never like anyone competing for my friendship. 

"I wish I got to stay a little longer though, experience it for real." I say. 

"You'll be back there, don't worry." Mom sings. "The show went good?" 

"Perfect." I answer. 

"Proud of you, baby." She mumbles and I smile. 

"How's Ms. Wallace and Patrice?" I ask. "I wired them some more money. Are they okay?" 

"Yea, they doin real good. It's nice of you sending them that money. It's really helping them. I don't know how much longer Ms. Wallace is gonna accept it though. You know she's a prideful woman." Ma says. 

"Yea, I know. Just want to make sure they all set." I take a breath then let it out in a sigh. "I spoke with her in the hospital. She said that Trevon stayd out of trouble because of me." 

"Of course." Mom says aggressively. "Pookie and Trish stayed out of trouble because of you too. Honestly, it's beause of ME. If we tryna be realistic. Cause I raised all of y'all and beat all ya asses."  

I laugh with her. She is right. It's not me, it's Mom. She raised me well. 

I switch on the TV begin skipping through the channels. It would probably be smart to take some time and learn what stations match the channels because I usually spend 10 minutes searching then give up on watching TV all together. As I am flipping, the TV lands on a news looking channel with my face in the background. I am posing with a fan at the meet and greet. 

"Woah, Mom look." I say as I leave the channel on the station that I realize is 'E! News.' 

"I'm on TV." I say when Ma is taking too long to come over. She drops the spoon in the sink and walks over as quickly as she can with her injuries. 

"Aw look at me baby." She smiles. "Turn it up." 

I do as told. 

"Many of Chanel's fans believe she is truly down to earth and did not disappoint during her live performance after the meet and greet." The news reported with brown hair says. 

The picture in the background switches to another picture of someone with curly hair and a hat at my concert. Mila. 

"It seems that Chanel's new best friend made it to her Cali show at Roosevelt Center. What are friends if they show no support? Right Jim?" The blonde lady speaks to the other reporter. Who nods in agreement. 

"Exactly." Jim says, his eyes bright and almost too excited looking. 

The picture in the background switch to the selfie of Mila and I and then to the bar pictures. 

"It seems that Chanel and Mila have truly been connecting. Maybe this means that a collaboration is on the way." Jim winks at the camera and the blonde lady laughs. 

Our pictures disappear from the screen. "Let's hope so." The Blonde lady concludes. 

"In other news, Michelle Obama was seen wearing a dress made by designer-" 

"That was the girl?" Mom asks. "The one with the curly hair?" 

"Yea, that's the girl Trish didn't like." I answer, 

"Ahh. She's pretty." Mom says as she heads back to the kitchen. 

"Pretty people can be evil." She finishes. I roll my eyes. 

"What?" I ask as if Ma is ridiculous. 

"Yea, people with light eyes. My grandmother used to call them demons." She points the spoon at me warningly. 

"Mom, you know my eyes are kind of light right?" I ask annoyed.

"You got ya Father's eyes, you probably a demon too." She chuckles. 

I shake my head. 

"You guys went to the bars? Did I say you can go to bars when you're not 21 yet?" She is serious now. I hear it in her voice. I see her facial expressions change as I look up from the couch to her. 

"It was just to bond with her, Blaco told me I should go out and get to know her." I respond quietly. 

"I don't want to see another picture of you in any bars until you hit 21." She finishes. 

"Okay, Ma." I say rolling my eyes. 

"Don't Okay Ma nothing. These Hollywood kids grow up too fast. I'll allow you to enjoy this fame thing but you be careful. You stay grounded."

"I will, I will." I repeat just wanting her to shut up. 

"Okay, come make this salad." She insists. 

I get up with the covers still wrapped around me and begin walking to the kitchen, the covers pulling on the carpet.Ma gives me a death stare and I drop the covers and walk to her, a smile spread across my lips. I kiss her cheek as I pass to open the refrigerator. 

"Good to have you here." I say lovingly. 

"Mhmm." She stretches it out.