Kissing Cousins

talking on the phone.

  “I don’t know about this whole situation with Nyla and Chase. She’s too young to be getting involved seriously so quickly. I know… I know… But that’s my little girl. I’ll do whatever’s in my power to protect her as much as I can…uh huh…..ok….right girl…..you know these kids these days—“

  Nyla didn’t want to interrupt her mother’s telephone conversation so she headed back to her room and began to get ready for tonight. She began to do her hair, and then paint her nails and toenails. She really wasn’t allowed to wear makeup nor did she really want to anyway. Nyla had natural beauty she’d inherited from her mother. She lightly smoothed on a thin layer of lip-gloss with just a hint of color.

  The time had finally arrived. Her mother pulled up to Chase’s house and the two of them looked from the car window at all the cars that were parked in his driveway, on the street, and in the grass. People were all over the house and in the yard, there was beer cans everywhere. Nyla couldn’t believe her eyes. She just knew her mother was going to say “No Way, I’m taking you home.” That would be something that Nyla would quickly agree to at this point. But to her surprise, her mother said, “I’m going in with you.”

  Nyla wanted to ask her mother, “Are you crazy?” her mother got out of the car and Nyla followed. Nyla held onto her mother’s arm as she led her through the thick crowd. As they approached the inside of the house, an older lady walked up to Nyla’s mother giving her a hug and said, “Long time no see, how’ve you been?”

  “I’ve been good and you? You sure have gotten old.” Nyla’s mother wasn’t one for biting her tongue as if her thoughts had a voice of its own and just flowed from her brain instead of her mouth.

  “Girl…these boys I tell you will keep you looking old. This must be your daughter…she looks just like a little you.” The older lady hugged Nyla and told her that if she goes in the other room she should be able to find Chase. And the two ladies walked away into the kitchen.

  Nyla couldn’t believe that her mother just left her in a room full of people she didn’t know. And who was that older lady that knew she wanted to see Chase. Just then a familiar face appeared through a crowd of people and a thick cloud of smoke.

  “When did you get here, Gigi?”

  “Girl I’ve been here.” Gia snapped her fingers and bounced her butt to the beat. She was acting way different. Nyla thought. “Nyla, you know Carter?”

  “No.”

  Carter seemed a little older, his pants sagged, and he wore a bandana to keep his dreads from falling in his face. A total opposite from Chase who seemed to be more clean cut and casual looking.

  “What you mean no? He’s Chase brother.” Nyla was shocked and surprised because she found it hard to believe. “You mean to tell me he haven’t introduced you to his brother?”

  Nyla got close to Gia and whispered into her ear. “We have more things to talk about if you know what I mean.” Gia rolled her eyes.

  “Here you go. You wanted another drink right?” Carter asked Gia handing her a plastic cup.

  “Yes, thank you!”

  “Gia! My mom’s in the other room.”

  “No, thank you!” Just that fast, Gia handed the cup back to Carter. “Why is she here?” Nyla gave her that look as if she should already know.

  “Hey sexy.”

  “Hi.” Nyla grabbed Chase as if she was lost and he had just found her.

  “You want a drink? Chase asked as he tried to hand Nyla a beer.

  “No…Chase. I don’t drink. My mother would kill me.” She looked at Chase surprised that he was drinking.

  “Like she’s gonna know if you had a sip of beer…. She’s in there now getting her drink on herself.

  Nyla peered through the crowd to look into the kitchen and saw her mother sitting at the kitchen table having a drink and a good time. It was as if she came to this party for herself, Nyla thought.

  All of a sudden Chase reached down and started to kiss Nyla. His breath reeked of beer and booze as his tongue searched for hers. She kept using her tongue to put his back into his mouth where she thought it belonged.

  “Just relax baby.”

  “I can’t…all these people and my mother is right there in the other room.” Nyla was more worried than ever.

  “Ain’t nobody even thinking about us. I know I ain’t thinking about them. All I know and see right now is you. He was staring deep into Nyla’s eyes and she melted as if she was the wicked witch that just had water poured on her. “Just let it happen.”

  He reached down to continue where he left off and this time Nyla welcomed his tongue in her mouth to play with hers.

  “Hey C’Don man…Yo, moms want you and the girl to come into the kitchen.”

  Chase hesitantly looked at Carter and said, “Alright man, damn.”

  Nyla had no idea this guy was Chase’s brother. He wasn’t anyone she had seen at school plus he was way older than they were. She was afraid to go into the kitchen for fear that her mother had heard about or seen them kissing. All she knew was that she felt like she had fallen in love with Chase and he was going to be her everything.

  As they reached the kitchen, the two ladies were sitting at the table with their drinks and laughing. Finally the two looked up and told the Nyla and Chase to have a seat. They did.

  Nyla’s mother looked at her and said,

  “Are you having a good time, honey?”

  “Yeah, are you mom?”

  “Yeeeees, girl I am. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. It’s been a while since I’ve been out.” Nyla was glad her mother was enjoying herself because it had been a while for her. By now Nyla had guessed that the older lady was Chase’s mother. She was just wondering about how the two knew each other.

  “Mom…” Nyla leaned over to whisper to her mother. “You know her?”

  “Oh yeah, me and Lydia go waaaay back.” Her mother said without returning the favor to whisper back. Now everyone knew what Nyla was whispering about. She just sunk further down in the chair and wished she could just disappear.

  The two ladies began to explain. They went back and forth about people they knew. A few names here and there Nyla recognized, but she became more enthused about looking into Chase’s eyes. He sat there slumped into his seat with his long legs swinging back and forth staring into Nyla’s eyes as if he were hypnotizing her. Nyla sat there smiling at him allowing herself to be drawn into him. All of a sudden she was snapped back into reality by a word she heard the two women say.

  “Cousins.”

  “Had I known this was the boy you were talking about all this time, I would have told you. Good thing we got to it before something did happen between yall.” Her mother said laughing with the other lady.

  Nyla couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her ears were lying to her brain. Her heart began to ache and her eyes began to swell with tears. There was no way that Chase was her cousin.

  She made sure that no one would see her cry. She looked at Chase and couldn’t believe his reaction. He was still sitting there with his long lanky legs swinging looking at the two women with his signature smile on his face. How could he still be so cool at a time like this? Nyla knew what it was. It was a joke. They were all playing a practical joke on her. Nyla jumped up from her chair knocking it on the floor. She bumped into her mother’s chair trying to get passed her in a hurry. Everything became a blur for Nyla as she headed for her mother’s car. She could somewhat hear a faint sound of her mother’s voice calling her name, but she was too outdone to turn back.