“Serenity! What the hell?” Charity stood up from the table and walked over to her siblings.
“Yeah, sis. Uncle Truth was downstairs telling them that Daddy had outside kids and Momma knew about it. He said that she told him to walk away from them. They want us to believe that our father was a deadbeat and that Momma was jealous of a child. I don’t care what lies you tell, but you better keep my momma’s name out of your mouth.” I wasn’t sure who Serenity was directing her anger towards, but there was nothing anyone could say to calm her down.
“Is this true, Uncle Truth?” Charity inquired. I peeked at the look he gave Granny, which confirmed what I suspected earlier. She knew.
“Yes, Charity. All of it is true. I understand that it doesn’t feel good to hear something negative about the person you love, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Knowledge had a choice to make, and he chose to stay with your mother, you, and your siblings. Renay lost the second baby, packed her things, and left town. Knowledge loved Peace, and he didn’t want to walk away from her, but things were complicated.”
“Dreaux, get me out of here now,” Peace demanded.
“Peace—”
“Don’t! I trusted you. You knew more than anyone how much I’ve been through, and you blindsided me without even so much as a heads-up. I thought you cared about me.”
“I do. You have no idea how much.”
“No, you don’t. Because if you cared about me, you would have never put me in this position.” Her voice cracked, and I made another attempt to reach for her.
“Do you have any idea what it feels like to go through your whole life missing a part of who you are, only to find out that you were never wanted in the first place? No, you don’t, huh? It’s just me.” Peace covered her face with her hands as her tears dropped. Truth stepped forward, his face somber.
“I apologize that you had to find out this way, sweetheart. I promise our family is loving and loyal to a fault. Your father was a flawed man, but he loved all of his children, including you. When you’re ready to talk, I have some things I need to show you. There’s no rush, though.” He offered. Peace took one last look around the room before she focused her attention on him.
“I don’t want it. I obviously didn’t mean much to him if I didn’t even know he was dead. I didn’t come here to tear apart his image or cause pain to anyone. Trust me, if anyone knows what pain feels like, it’s me. Just forget you ever saw me and go back to living as if I never existed. I won’t bother you again.” Peace declared, then walked out of the room. I assumed she was headed to grab Promise. I got ready to go after her, but Ciyani stopped me. She gave me a sympathetic glance, then followed after Peace.
Multiple conversations started around the room, and I needed to get some fresh air. I noticed a few others following behind me, but I never slowed my stride. Once I reached the front porch, I sat on the steps. Guilt overpowered me, and I felt like the biggest asshole. Peace was right when she said Iblindsided her. I thought it was a good idea, but the pain in her eyes was etched into my brain.
“Damn. I didn’t see shit playing out that way,” Loyal remarked.
“I feel bad for all of the siblings, but especially Peace. We all knew how Unc got down, but we’re on the outside looking in. I can’t imagine how she feels right now,” Justice commented.
“I feel like shit. She had been going through a rough time, and I thought this would lift her spirits. I should have told her what was going on and let her decide for herself. Fuck.” I buried my face in my hands, trying to figure out how I could make things right.
peace graham
. . .
Five days had passedsince the dinner disaster, and I still hadn’t fully processed everything that happened. Ciyani and Janae had been calling and threatening to pull up on me for days, but I didn’t even know what to say. Right when I thought things were starting to look up for me, I was hit with an Uno reverse card.
I went to work every day and came straight home. Home. It felt good to have a place to call my own. Dreaux made sure to have my signed paperwork to transfer the lease into my name. Promise, and I were still receiving packages and gifts for our new place courtesy of him.
“Hey, boo. You’ve been quiet lately. Is everything okay?” Maliah probed. Trust wasn’t something that came naturally to me, so it took a while for me to feel her out. She seemed like a sweet girl, and she took her job seriously. Whenever we were in the office together, she greeted me and asked how my day was going. Her energy always seemed inviting.
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks, but things are looking up. I’m just grateful to have a job and be able to provide for myself, you know?”
“You’re preaching to the choir. I recently broke up with my boyfriend after 5 years together. We lived together and everything. It’s been a crazy adjustment because I never thought I would be on my own, but here we are. This job pays very well, so financially, I’ve been able to maintain the same lifestyle I was used to,” she admitted. There was a smile on her face, but I could tell the breakup hadn’t been easy on her.”
“It sounds like we’re living similar lives. I moved back here after a disastrous breakup, if that’s what even the proper word for it is. This job and my daughter are the only things holding me together.” I shared. Outside of Ciyani and Janae, I hadn’t shared much about my past with another woman. It was hard to trust people, plus, my story was so embarrassing I was ashamed to tell anyone.
We talked for a little while longer and exchanged numbers, planning to meet for drinks after work one day. After we closed up shop, she locked up, and we both walked outside together. Living on the property had its benefits because I didn’t have to drive home.
Dana sent me a message to let me know that I would not be getting my baby back until tomorrow. She attached a picture of Promise lying in her bed, wearing her princess pajamas and a pink bonnet. There were alphabet cards and a little pink tablet sitting next to her.
Me: Y’all are going to spoil her rotten!
Dana: And that’s our business!
Dominique: You might want to have another one, because this one no longer belongs to you.
Danae: Let her know.
