Chapter 14

Trigger

Riding in the back of Razz’s Prius is the biggest fucking joke ever. I decided to be the gentleman I was raised to be and let my mom ride shot gun and ended up with my knees to my chin sitting slanted on the seat. But you know what I enjoyed the most out of this uncomfortable ride, the joy in Razz’s eyes looking at me through the rearview mirror and the continuous banter between the three of us.

We pull up to Razz’s grandfather’s house and my mood darkens. Otis was a big part of my childhood and he was a good man. I feel like shit because when I became a hormonal teenager, I became an asshole to the little people that had always been a part of my life. Otis and Razz were the first to be dismissed and I’m sure there are others.

Razz opens her door and my mom follows. I slink out of the back seat almost falling on my face. Stretching out my body to work out the kinks, I take in the enormous farmhouse. It hasn’t changed except maybe for all the girly flowers that Otis definitely didn’t plant.

I quickly follow my mom and Razz up the walkway and before Razz can put the key in, the door opens and a young girl with a toddler on her hip smiles brightly at Razz.

“Hey, Nicole.” Razz greets and holds her arms out for the baby who giggles and dives for her. “Hey baby girl.” She kisses the baby’s temple and I watch with amazement.

“Hey Razz, Queenie.” She spots me and her smile dims.

My mom touches her arm to get her attention. “Nicole, this is my son Trigger.”

The smile returns and she shakes my hand. “Hi, Trigger.”

“Nice to meet you, Nicole.”

She steps back and we walk through the front door. I take in the foyer and the living room to the right. It’s all been updated and modernized from Otis’s taste of brown, white and black to bright yellows, blues and greens. The further we get into the house, the memories of Razz and my laughter floating through the house as children reverberates through my head. There were some good times held in this house.

Coming to an abrupt stop in the kitchen, there are four more women with a couple of kids sitting at the table. I watch Razz go to each of them with warm embraces and forehead kisses for the kids. My mom does the same and I still can’t figure out how she knows all of these women.

Razz hands the baby back to Nicole and brings her attention back to the women. “I’ll be leaving on Friday and will hopefully be back on Sunday or Monday. If you need anything, just call Queenie. Greer will be with me so she won’t be available.” The women nod. “We’re going to take the Tahoe, so I’m going to leave the Prius here as an emergency vehicle.”

The women are silent and I have an odd suspicion that it is because I’m here. I back step out of the kitchen and back to the foyer trying to figure out why these women are living in Razz’s house and how my mom and Greer fit into the equation when my mom and Razz round the corner heading towards the front door.

My mom yells over her shoulder, “I’ll be back on Saturday for pizza and movie night.” There is a chorus of ‘see ya then’ and squeals from the kids’ excitement.

When we get outside, Razz calls my name and tosses me her keys. “Can you back the Prius up?” I nod. “Then when I pull out the Tahoe can you pull it into the garage?” I nod again.

Before even sitting, I pull the seat back as far as it goes and it still isn’t enough room for my long legs. Jesus, I’m packed in here like a sardine. I turn the key in the ignition and look up to see my mom laughing her ass off at my big ass in this compact car.

Backing out of the driveway, I watch Razz drive out of the garage in a brand new navy blue Tahoe. My mom crosses in front of it and gets in the passenger seat. I steer the roller-skate into the garage, open the door and force my legs to unpretzel.

Getting into the Tahoe, I sigh. It’s a beautiful SUV with tan leather seats with all the bells and whistles. I lounge back and ask the question I’ve wanted to ask since Nicole opened the front door.

“Who are those women?”

Razz looks up from the road and peers at me in the rearview mirror. “Two of them are from Nevada. They were in Dimitri’s basement. The others are single mothers who had nowhere else to go.”

“Well shit. I just figured the women in Nevada had been sent to their families.”

“Nicole and Jenna were of age and their families sold them to Dimitri. There was no way I was going to let them go back to that or live on the streets. Beanie called me when ya’ll were there after the raid and told me about the girls. I flew into Nevada the next day and when they were released, I brought them here.”

“That’s awesome Razz.”

My mom butts in. “That’s not the only house Razz has like that, Trigger. Our girl is somewhat of a miracle worker.”

Just then we turn into the driveway of a two-story house with an older gentleman on the porch that reminds me of Otis. Razz gets out, but my mom doesn’t budge so I stay in the truck.

I watch Razz approach the man and he wraps her in his arms. She steps back and pats him on the arm and they disappear into the house.

“Who’s that?” I question my mom.

“That’s Rodney. He’s a Vietnam Vet that was homeless until Razz found him in Atlanta. She brought him here, gave him a place to lay down his head and food in his belly. He runs the house for her.”

“What do you mean ‘runs the house’?”

“Well, Razz has always had a good heart and people took advantage of it for so long. When she got the inheritance from her grandfather it got worse, so Razz started investing so even if people were after her money she couldn’t touch it. Last year, she started TNB House. It’s a place where veterans can come and get back on their feet. She has connections that help with getting them a stable job and then eventually they move out. Some pay it forward, while others end up coming back. Rodney has been around a long time and he’s experienced a lot, so it was only logical that Razz let him run and help out. Plus it gives him a place to live and some pocket change.”

“TNB?”

“You shouldn’t even question that. You were her best friend and then you went off to the sand pits. It was only fitting that it be named after you or so it was in her eyes.”

“Fuck.”

“Yep, fuck. Don’t screw her over son. She has the biggest heart and deserves more than to be a spare.”

I agree because the more time I spend with her, the more I know how wasted my time with Sadie was. I never felt this undying need to be close to Sadie the way I do with Razz. Yes, I was stuck up Sadie’s ass, but it makes me wonder if I wasn’t just trying to hold on to the fantasy of her. Sadie never got me like Razz always has.

“She’s definitely something else.” I rasp.