Hey Moonbeams! I just changed Rico's side chick's name in the book 3 to Ruby, so I'm updating it in Kenney, too ❤️

Friday night. Jazz and Rico's.

Jazz and Rico used to have the best parties, every Friday night. The whole neighborhood would be over there, music blasting, red light on in the front, black light on in the back. The kids would have to stay in the back. All the grownups would stay out in the front room dancing, smoking, getting high, getting drunk, everyone just having a real good time.

Rico was like a superstar in our neighborhood.

Everybody loved him.

All the ladies were in love with him.

I wanted to be just like him.

Rico used to have girls around all the time, but my Aunt Jazz was his lady. She was so beautiful and so in love with him. All the guys were jealous of him when it came to her, and probably wanted to be just like him, too.

Aunt Jazz was "the baddest bitch," he used to tell people. "Fine as wine." He loved her. Everybody knew whose lady she was, too, and nobody tried to cross Rico when it came to her. Or when it came to anything else.

Ever.

But the men would look.

All the men would look.

Except daddy.

He was so in love with mama, it was like there was no such thing as any other woman in the world. He would stare at her when she walked into a room, he would stare at her when she walked out.

And she loved it.

She loved him.

Especially when he would sing to her. She would just watch him and smile like he was Keith Sweat, Make It Last Forever. Daddy was her star, and she was his moon.

No one in the neighborhood tried to get in between them. Ever. But they tried to get in between Rico and Jazz all the time. Especially this one lady, Ruby, who would always do little things to piss Jazz off. Like sit on Rico's lap, or follow him in and out of the room. Jazz would never say anything about it, but you could always tell when she was mad. And she looked so scary when she was mad. I hated Ruby for making her look like that.

My Aunt Jazz looked exactly like mama, only she had grey eyes like Sammy, and mama's eyes were brown-grey like mine and Charity's. Mama and her sisters were Creole, and they looked it. They all had the same wavy hair and creamy skin, and they all looked like they would slice you up if you crossed them.

Especially Jazz.

I had seen many women back off of Rico with just a flash of the eyes from Jazz, but the difference between Jazz and mama was that Jazz probably wouldn't cut you. She might, but most likely wouldn't. Mama most definitely would. Every time when it came to us and daddy. Every time. And everyone knew that about mama. Most people didn't know that about Jazz, though. Even Ruby was kind of scared of Jazz, but Rico would put her up to a lot of things just to test Jazz.

I guess.

I really didn't ever fully understand what would go on at those parties when I was a kid. All I knew was that Friday night was my favorite night of the week.

It was everyone's favorite night.

All because of Rico.

Rico was the man. He supplied all of the drugs in the neighborhood, and his friend Remmey made moonshine at his house. Everybody called it oil, and everybody drank it. Everybody. He would make lean sometimes, too, and they loved that even more. I liked to look at it because it was purple, but us kids weren't allowed to drink it.

Jazz didn't really drink, but she would drink Remmey's lean. It would make her act weird. Like...she would move slow and wouldn't talk right when she drank it. I didn't like when she acted like that. Especially since Ruby would always start messing with Jazz more whenever she knew Jazz was drinking lean. Ruby knew it made Jazz react slow to everything that happened. Rico would start messing with Jazz more when she was drinking lean, too. Him and Ruby would do stuff like flirt with each other in front of Jazz and then look over at her to make sure she was watching, or Ruby would sit on Rico's lap and run her fingers through his hair.

Rico looked Puerto Rican, but it was only because of his light brown skin and black curly hair. He was tall and slim, like daddy, and all the ladies loved him. They especially loved his hair. But Ruby was the only one bold enough to run her fingers through it.

Mama always hated when they started messing with Jazz. Sometimes, when she got tired of Jazz not sticking up for herself, she would take the girls and go home. Sometimes she would leave me and daddy there if we weren't ready to leave yet.

And I was never ready to leave.

Never.

I loved it at Jazz's. I wanted to stay there all the time. Daddy liked it over there, too. Sometimes he would stay there all night. Rico would give him stuff to make him sleepy. It was kind of scary because he would have to put a needle in his own arm, and then he would start nodding and fall asleep on the couch. But he would always wake up, so I guessed it was ok. Mama wasn't mad about it, so I wasn't either.

Daddy wouldn't do it all the time. Only when he couldn't sleep. Mama wouldn't say anything about it because she knew that daddy sometimes still had nightmares about Vietnam, and what Jazz and Rico gave him helped him. I was good with anything that helped daddy, so I didn't have a problem with it either.

Daddy was real calm and laid back all the time, like Sammy. He loved to dance, too, just like us. He would stand there and watch mama from across the room until she finally looked back at him, and then he would hold out his arms and sing to her.

And she would go to him.

Every time.

It was like he was a magnet, and once he started singing she couldn't help it.

We all loved when he would sing and when he would dance. He would get every party started as soon as he walked through the door. Everybody loved to see him coming, just like they all loved to see Rico coming.

At one party, Rico and Ruby were at it, picking on Jazz even more than usual, and mama was staring at them hard from across the room. Jazz just looked like she was about to cry, but she didn't say anything and didn't get up from where she was sitting, watching them, either. Remmey went to sit next to her, and it wasn't long before he had her laughing and smiling again. That's when Rico started putting his attention back on Jazz. But he was also still paying attention to Ruby.

Daddy was only paying attention to mama, and when she finally stopped giving Ruby the evil eye, daddy opened his strong arms wide and started singing to her.

"Goodbye...doesn't mean a thing with you and Iiii..." Mama smiled. She loved that song. Atlantic Starr was one of her favorite groups. "Our love is good through all the tests of time..."

She went straight to him.

Daddy and mama stopped paying attention to anything but each other then, but I was still watching Jazz. Other than Sammy, Jazz was my all-time favorite person. And whatever Sammy or Jazz felt, I felt it, too.

"See you're my everything, sweet bay-beigh...my whole world revolves around yooouuu..." daddy kept singing and everyone was watching him. No one was paying attention to Jazz but me and Remmey. The ladies were all staring at daddy, like always, with his deep mocha skin and broad, easy smile. But that's all they ever did was stare. Daddy didn't even notice those other ladies. His eyes were locked on mama. "Nothing is what I am...without you here in my liiife..."

Rico looked like he was trying to talk Ruby into doing something that she didn't want to do, but she finally agreed and went over to sit on the other side of Jazz. Remmey watched her walk over and sit down, and then he looked over at Rico. When he saw the way that Rico was staring him down for talking to his woman, Remmey just stood up and went to talk to another lady who was standing by the door instead.

Daddy pulled mama to him, and they both closed their eyes and started swaying to the music. He was whispering in her ear and she was giggling like Sammy and Charity did whenever a boy they liked walked past. Then he started singing again.

"If you ever need me baby...send for me. I'm just a telephone call away..."

Jazz was watching Remmey talk to the other girl, looking even sadder than before, and all of a sudden Ruby reached out and put her hand on Jazz's thigh. Jazz's eyes snapped over to Ruby real fast and she looked like she was about to hit her, but she didn't.

Ruby kind of jumped when Jazz looked over at her, and pulled her hand away. Then she looked back at Rico. Jazz could look scary when she wanted to. Rico gave Ruby a look like he was about to hit her if she didn't do what he said, and then he nodded his head toward Jazz. Ruby reached out and touched Jazz again, this time on her arm. Then she reached up and ran her hand lightly over Jazz's hair. Jazz slapped Ruby's hand away and jumped up.

Jazz didn't like girls the way Ruby did. Jazz only liked Rico. She only loved Rico. Even I could see how much Jazz loved Rico, and I was just a little kid. But Ruby liked everybody. Including Rico.

Daddy opened his eyes and looked over mama's shoulder just in time to see Jazz slap Ruby's hand away and jump up. He looked over at me, and then past all of us down the hall to the room where he knew the other kids were playing. I was still out there in the front, though, because I liked to stay where the real action was, with the grownups.

Daddy looked over at Rico after that, and then his eyes went to the door where Remmey was still standing, talking to the lady. It was like he was checking to see where everyone was in the house. Then he looked back at mama and held her closer.

"Put a message in a bottle beigh-bay....send for me. Girl it'll be alright..." He kissed the top of her head, but he was still watching Jazz. "If you ever need me beigh-bay...I'm just a telephone call away..."

Ruby stood up when Jazz did, and tried to reach out and put her hand on Jazz's face. Jazz backed up and looked over at mama, who still had her eyes closed and her head on daddy's shoulder, like there wasn't anybody else in the room.

All of a sudden, Ruby grabbed Jazz by both arms and tried to pull her to her and kiss her on the mouth. Right in front of everybody. Everybody started laughing. Rico was sitting back in his chair grinning like a Cheshire Cat, like he was watching his own private show. Remmey was watching, too, but he looked like he felt sorry for Jazz. He didn't try to help her, though.

When Jazz pushed Ruby away from her and screamed "Get off me!" you could tell she was really scared. I didn't understand why she hadn't hit Ruby yet. I had seen Jazz fight Ruby plenty of times before, and Jazz always won. But this time was different. I couldn't tell why, though.

I guess mama could hear the fear in her voice, too, because as soon as Jazz screamed...it was like I blinked and missed something. One minute mama was in daddy's arms with her eyes closed, the next minute she was beating Ruby's ass.

Mama was a terror. She was nothing nice when you crossed her or crossed Jazz in front of her. She was crazy, like Charity, and could for real for real fight, like Sammy. It was like...every single fight, she would try to dismantle that person. Rip them apart, from head to toe, piece by piece.

She was all over Ruby.

Mama had her pinned to the ground and was punching her in her nose and throat like she was trying to beat Ruby to death. Daddy let them fight for a little while because he knew mama would win and because he knew Ruby deserved it, and then he tried to pull mama off of her. But it was like she was blacked out or something and wouldn't let Ruby go.

"Kenney, go get your sisters."

Daddy said it real calm, like all that wasn't even going on around us, and I went to the back to get them. Daddy never had to tell anyone to do anything more than once.

When we came back out, daddy had his arms wrapped tight around mama, and Remmey was holding Ruby back. Mama was still trying to get at her. She looked like a wild animal. Ruby was stupid to put her hands on Jazz period, but especially in front of mama. Everybody knew mama didn't play. Jazz was her big sister and the only family she had in Houston. Everyone else was still in Baton Rouge, so when it came to Jazz, mama fought for her like Jazz was the only thing she had left in this world.

Jazz was just watching them, and I think the lean had already kicked in, because it looked like she didn't fully understand what she was looking at. Eventually she looked over at Rico, real slow, and all of a sudden she looked really, really scared. Daddy caught that, too, and also looked over at Rico.

Rico stood up and walked over to us. We were all crowded around daddy, trying to get mama to calm down. Daddy still had his arms wrapped tightly around her and Sammy was standing in front of her with her hands on mama's face, trying to get her to look at her.

"Ma...look at me, mama...it's ok..." She kept repeating that softly, and stroked mama's face until mama finally stopped struggling to get loose.

When mama calmed down enough, daddy let her go and went to stand directly in front of Rico. He looked Rico dead in the eye and said "Jazz, you with us tonight."

Jazz looked like she didn't want to move at first, but then mama went to help her stand up and put her arms around Jazz's waist, walking her towards the door. Me and my sisters followed. On the way past Ruby, mama shot her an "I'ma fuck you up some more later" look. Ruby just looked at Rico like "I told you I didn't want to do that shit."

Rico was too busy staring daddy in the eye to notice. Rico backed down first, though, and looked over at Ruby. Daddy was the only one in the whole neighborhood that wasn't afraid of Rico. He wasn't afraid of anyone. Daddy didn't give a fuck and Rico knew it.

He respected it, too.

And they both stayed out of each other's way.

Rico never came inside our house, either. So we all knew he wouldn't follow us and try to take Jazz back that night. Even Jazz knew.

Ruby knew it, too, and stared at Jazz like she may have caught a beat down, but she still won. I didn't understand it at the time, because I was too little, I guess, but I was still so mad at Ruby for being mean to my Aunt Jazz that I spit on her when we walked past her. Mama didn't even see it. She just heard me spit on Ruby and spun around and slapped the side of my head.

Hard.

It felt like she had just rung my bell.

"No." Mama put her finger in my face. "Or you will have me to deal with. Understand?"

I nodded and straightened up quick. Mama was crazy as shit. I didn't want nan part of what she had just served Ruby. Mama put her arm back around Jazz's waist and kept walking. The girls followed.

Daddy, who was bringing up the rear, walked up beside me and put his arm around my shoulders as we followed the girls out. "Son, we don't put our hands on women. And we certainly don't spit on them. Duvalle men don't treat women that way. We protect the ones we love, and we disregard the ones that we don't. But we are never cruel to them either way."

I nodded. "Ok, daddy." Then I turned back to Ruby. "Sorry Ruby."

But I wasn't sorry. I hated that bitch for always messin' with Aunt Jazz.

Fuck Ruby.

Rico watched me for a minute, thoroughly amused. He knew I wasn't sorry, and daddy knew it, too. Then Rico grabbed Ruby by the face and kissed her in her bloody, swollen mouth. After that, he looked over at Jazz and walked Ruby toward him and Jazz's bedroom.

Jazz started crying when she saw them walk down the hall, but mama kept her moving out the door.

Remmey just watched us leave and shook his head.