What Lucious Doesn't Understand

Chapter Three

A week later, Shia was busy picking out new stuff to remodel her guest room. She was making a baby nursery with all these vintage stuff. Stacks of catalogs and magazines surrounded her as well as a paint pallet.

A knock on the door broke her concentration and she closed the robe that she wore over her pajamas.

It was 9am.

'Hello...'

'Excuse me...Is my son, Jamal, here?'

'No, but...'

'And who are you? The new maid?!'

Shia raised a perfectly arched brow and placed a hand on her hip.

'Excuse you? This is my house! Mine... Shia Gisele Moore. Who are you?'

The woman spun around in her leopard print dress and pumps. She reminded Shia of someone in love with zoo animals.

'My name is Cookie Lyon.'

That made her really understand why a complete stranger was walking through her home. It was his mother, though. They had never talked about meeting the family. What would Jamal say?

'Oh, you're his mom. I am his roommate.' She shrugged with a convincing smile on her face.

Cookie looked her over before taking out her phone.

Shia hurried to pick up the catalog turned to nursery items before Cookie could see them. She was lucky enough. But now she heard what Cookie was speaking about on her phone.

'You got some freeloading heifer living in your condo! Get over here, Jamal! Now, I'm not playing...we need to talk.'

'I'll just put this stuff away. Do you need anything to eat or drink?'

The sickly sweet smile she gave Cookie had the older woman glaring. It was a mother's intuition to know when someone was playing in the wrong garden. Not that she knew this beautiful girl all that well but she sure as hell knew it distracted her boys like nothing else.

'No, I'll just wait for Jamal.'

Shia nodded as she hurried to get into her room and change into something more approriate then boy shorts and a tank.

When Jamal did show, Cookie gave him a lecture about letting some five dollar ho stay with him. Shia didn't have the time or the patience to have a screaming match with that woman. She was still a little shaky about her whole pregnancy factor.

'Mom, she's not a ho. Her name is Shia. She's my girlfriend. Why you bugging?'

'Your girlfriend?! When did you start pitching for the other team? Is this to gain your father's respect?!'

'No! I am doing what makes me happy and she does. She understands more than you do or used to. This relationship between us has shifted every since you got out and want me to stomp all over my brother/your son's career.'

Shia didn't want to interrupt but her stomach was growling and she had yet to eat breakfast or lunch.

The pair of them were standing on opposite ends of the living room. Cookie looked pissed and Jamal looked frustrated. She could only imagine what was going through his head. Maybe they should go away for some time or something.

She cleared her throat to get their attention.

'Anyone hungry?' Her appearance only softened Jamal's expression but Cookie's grew more sour. 'Yeah, babe. I was just about to walk my mom out.' Shia wanted to stop him because Cookie was just being protective and it was understandable.

Jamal came back with an annoyed look still on his face. She put down the fixings for fried chicken and walked over to massage his shoulders. It usually settled most of the tension from his mood.

'Don't think that was the biggest of our problems, Mal. We still have Lucious, Hakeem, and Andre to face. Are you really ready to let them know that you don't just love men?'

'There is a special place in Hell for homophobes, but I don't need anyone coming in here making our life Hell. You make me happy...you make me feel like being gay or bisexual isn't a sickness. When we get to that hurdle, it will be you and me.'

'OK then. Come help me fix this chicken and pasta.'

She kissed him on the lips before heading back into the kitchen.

He followed a minute later and started up the fryer as she rolled the dough for her pasta.

'Hook it up!'

'You know it!'

They were too silly.