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    Ms. Pat went into the kitchen and popped open her deep freezer, where there were several cartons of cigarettes packed in with the food. She put one of the frosty packs of cigarettes in his hand, but held it for a minute and looked into his eyes. “I’m serving you this time, but if you ever pop up at my door again without an invitation we’re liable to have a misunderstanding”—she patted the pistol in her duster—“ya dig?”
    “My fault, Ms. Pat, I didn’t know,” he apologized.
    “Don’t worry about it, baby. Next time just hit me on the chirp.” Ms. Pat waved her Boost phone. After giving the boy her information she ushered him out and relocked her door. “Some of these boys ain’t got the good sense God gave ’em when they slid they black asses into the world,” Ms. Pat said to no one in particular when she came back into the living room.
    “Grandma, you better be easy with having people knock on the door like that. You know we already got issues with the city,” Jada reminded her.
    Ms. Pat looked at her seriously. “Child, I been getting it how I live for longer than you or ya daddy been alive, so don’t come around her trying to tell me how to conduct my business, ya hear? And if we got any problems with the city it’s because you brought them here, so don’t get me started, Jada Butler. I’ve been in these projects for forty-six years and ain’t ever had so much as a complaint filed against me with housing or nobody else.”
    “Because there isn’t anybody bold enough to want a problem with your crazy self.” Jada laughed.
    “Call me what ya want, but you won’t never call me no punk-bitch. I know you looked at ya granddaddy and my boys as theheads of the Butler family, but don’t never forget it was the Butler women who gave them power.”
    Jada sucked her teeth. “Listen to you, like you were out there popping your guns with the fellas.”
    “Not at all, but I was sure the one getting rid of them when they came home dirty,” Ms. Pat shot back.
    Before the argument could go any further the sounds of tiny running feet filled the hallway. Three faces that looked much like Jada’s came rushing into the living room and swarmed her. “Mommy!” they screamed in unison.
    “Thank the Lord,” Ms. Pat said under her breath.
    Jada ignored her grandmother and hugged her kids. “Hey, I missed you guys.” Jada beamed as she kissed each one of her kids on the forehead.
    “It’s hard to tell. The way you hang out all night you would never know that you were a mother, let alone had three of these little devils,” Ms. Pat said.
    It was true; Jada partied like a rock star while her kids spent most of their time with Ms. Pat or other relatives. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her kids, but she didn’t know any other way to be. She had always watched her mother and father party while leaving her with Ms. Pat so she ended up repeating the cycle with her own kids. Ms. Pat was a godsend as far as keeping the kids out of harm’s way, but with all the stuff she had going on out of the house she hadn’t set the best example for her kids either.
    “Where ya been, Mommy? We missed you,” Jalen asked. She was the middle child and Jada’s baby girl.
    “Mommy was out with some friends,” Jada told her.
    “Grandma says you were out sacking,” Davita capped. She was Jada’s oldest, fourteen years of pure attitude.
    “What’s sacking?” Miles asked. He was Jada’s youngest and the one who looked the least like her.
    Jada cut her eyes at her grandmother, who was going about herironing as if she hadn’t heard a thing. “Sacking is just another word for partying,” Jada told the little boy.
    “When I get older I wanna go sacking just like Mommy,” Jalen said proudly.
    “And I’m sure you will,” Ms. Pat offered.
    “Okay, you kids go play while Mommy gets in the shower. When I come out I’m gonna make your breakfast,” Jada told the kids.
    Ms. Pat put her iron down again.