“You’re not wrong, Yaya. Loyal came home from work the other day, and I pounced on him as soon as he set his things down.” Ty fanned herself as she spoke about her husband.
“How do y’all handle it? Having men who other women lust after.”
“I keep a blade on me at all times. They can lust from a distance, but it’s best to play with something safe,” Janae threatened.
“To be honest, I don’t think about it. It may sound cliché, but Justice makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world. When we first got together, I dealt with insecurities because we were from two completely different walks of life, but he shut all of that down. When I’m with him, I feel lucky, and while I understand there are women who may desire him, I have confidence that I’m enough for him.” Ciyani elaborated.
“You all seem so perfect, and the way you speak about your men, they seem perfect too. I have no idea what that’s like.” I acknowledged. From the little bit of time I spent with them, I could see their men were their protectors. Something I desired to have in a partner.
“Girl, please don’t let us fool you. There is no such thing as a perfect relationship. We all have flaws, and you better believe our men do too. What happened between you and your ex may have hurt, but if I’ve learn nothing else in life, it’s that there will always be a real man out there ready to give you everything you desire.”
I nodded my head as Janae spoke. They all gave me insight and advice I would carry with me. It was encouraging to be around women who seemed to have life figured out while I was finding myself all over again.
“How are you holding up since Sunday dinner? I’m sure that was a lot on you.” Ciyani addressed the elephant in the room. I sat there trying to find a way to put my thoughts into words.
“I feel lost. Displaced. Unwanted. Both of my parents are dead, so I don’t have anyone to answer the questions I have. I guess I created this fantasy in my mind that he was somewhere out there looking for me, so the truth stung more than I realized.”
“Are you open to getting to know the family? I can tell you from experience, the Grahams are some of the kindest souls you’ll ever meet. I grew up with very little love or family, but they have filled the void in my heart in so many ways.” Ciyani praised.
“No offense, but none of my siblings seemed interested in getting to know me. I’ve been through too much to put myself out there only to be rejected. I don’t want to be an outsider or a burden.”
“They need time, that’s all. What happened at dinner had more to do with their parents than it did with you. No one wants to find out that the people they love have lied to them. I think once they’ve had a chance to deal with their feelings, they will come around. In the meantime, you have us. I already claimed you as my new friend, but now we’re technically cousins, so you’re stuck with me.” Ciyani beamed, and I could no longer hold in my tears. I buried my face in my hands and broke down at the table.
A few of the ladies rubbed my back while encouraging me. I hated that I ruined the mood with my emotions, but I was struggling to deal with it all.
“I’m sorry for fucking up the vibes. Life has been so hard, and I’m trying to hold on as best as I can. It feels like I’m being punished and I can’t for the life of me figure out why.” I used a paper towel to wipe the rest of the tears from my face.
“You didn’t ruin anything. Our hearts broke for you, and we wanted to come check on you and let you know that you aren’t alone. Families aren’t perfect, but you couldn’t be a part of a better one. I was in the same place as you, wondering why the man upstairs seemed to have a vendetta against me. At one point, I wanted to end it all so I could finally stop suffering, and then I ran into Justice.”
“Not only did I find the love of my life, but I gained a forever family. As much as it hurts us, I believe pain has its purpose. Itteaches us patience and gratitude because once your life begins to fall into place, you’ll remember everything it took to get there.” I listened intently as Ciyani spoke.
Life had given her wisdom, and I was grateful to be on the receiving end. It frustrated me not having my mother around to talk to or get advice from. I found myself making dumb decisions to keep the people I loved around, but it always backfired on me.
The rest of the night was spent drinking and playing card games. At some point, they talked me into playing Truth or Dare, and things took an unexpected turn.
“Alright, Peace. It’s your turn. Truth or Dare.” Yaya probed. Since I already picked truth the last time, I decided to switch things up.
“Dare,” I said with uncertainty. Yaya seemed like the wild type, so I had no idea what she was going to dare me to do.
“Hmmm, let me see. I dare you to send Dreaux your location and tell him to let you know when he’s on the way.”
“Wait, I don’t understand. He already knows where I live.” Her dare wasn’t making sense to me, but the other ladies were giggling, so I must have missed something.
“Girl, give me your phone,” Yaya demanded, holding her hand out. I relented and handed her my phone. She typed a message, and my phone chimed to alert me that there was a response. She went back and forth for a couple of minutes before a devious smirk appeared on her face.
“Here you go, boo. You wanted to know if that man was interested in you, and now you know.”
When she handed my phone to me, a FaceTime call from Dreaux appeared.
“Don’t be scared. Go ahead and answer. We need to hear this.” Yaya snickered while I swallowed the lump in my throat. They cut the music down the moment I accepted his call. Thefirst thing I noticed was the deep frown on his face. He appeared to be in his car, but it wasn’t moving.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked calmly. Even though I was freaking out inside.
“What’s up? What was that bullshit you sent to my phone?” The ladies were covering their mouths to stifle their laughter while I put on my best poker face.
“I’m sorry about that. I was changing into my pajamas and clicked your contact by mistake. Is Promise okay?”
“Peace, don’t fucking play with me. Whoever you invited over, you need to tell them you’ve changed your mind.”
