“Girl, let me finish. So, he thought he was getting close to finding ole boy, and it seemed like he was in the streets more than at home. Your Auntie Kamilla forced me to go out with her one night, and we ended up seeing your father coming out of a hotel room with some model looking bitch.”
“Figures.” Yanna scoffed.
“Same shit I said. Anyway, me and Kamilla beat the hell out himandher, right in the middle of Broad Street. Getting that wreck off felt good in the moment, but it wasn’t enough. I was devastated. So… after I dropped Kamilla back at home, I went to the after-hours spot. There, I met this fine, tall ass guy. With allthe alcohol in my system, I didn’t even need time to think when he asked me to go home with him.”
“If Jaivion could do it, so could you, shit.”
“Hmph, I’m starting to see how much like me you truly are. I was thinking that same way, went home with that man, and tried to fuck away all the pain and sorrow I felt. That man had me in his house for two whole days. Then, on the second night, niggas came through guns blazing. Shot his ass up while he was in the shower.”
“Damn.”
“Yep. I was so caught off guard the most I could do was hide under the damn covers. That’s when I heard one of the niggas say,Aye Jai, it’s a bitch in the bedroom.Instantly, the hair on the back of my neck stood up because I knew who they were talking to.”
“Jaivion.”
“Jaivion Priest… and he’d just caught me in the bed of the nigga who killed his brother and his best friend.”
“Ma, you lying.”
“I wish I was making the shit up. Your father never laid a hand on me before, but he choked the hell out of me that night. Made his little flunkies put my ass in the trunk to take me home. I sat in the house with you for three days, wondering what he was going to do to me. He eventually showed up with proof that he wasn’t having sex with the lady I saw him with. She was the private investigator helping him find the man he killed.”
“Wow. So…”
“Yes, he left me… left us, because I slept with the man who murdered his family. He just couldn’t get over it, kind of like I couldn’t get over him leaving us. And hell, if Jaivion were to walk in here right now, I’d probably flatline. That’s just how painful his presence would be. But you see… this is all my fault, babygirl.Idid this to me, and I’ve been too focused on the bottle all these years to correct you for giving Jaivion such a hard time.”
Yanna's breath quickened as the room seemed to shrink around her, the walls pressing closer with every second. Her eyes darted frantically, seeing the truth for the first time. Her hands trembled, memories flashing by, revealing the painful reality that her father had always been the one suffering. All these years, she’d directed her fury at him, unable to see beyond her own anger. Now, a cold realization gripped her heart… in her desperate attempts to avoid becoming her mother, she had unconsciously mirrored her every flaw. The quick assumptions that lead to snap decision making not only hurt herself, but the people around her. Using liquor to cope with even the most minuscule inconveniences in her life. She was Janis. Finally able to uproot her feet from the spot she’d planted herself in, Yanna backed away from her mother.
“Jaiyanna---”
“No, Ma, I--- I have to get out of here.”
“Yanna, wait a minute!” Janis called for her daughter, but she ignored her, running out of the room and hospital in search of remit.
Yanna gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white as tears blurred her vision. Half-million-dollar homes breezed past, each one looking painfully similar, yet none of them the one she was looking for. Her heart pounded as she struggled to remember the house she’d only visited thrice in the past two decades. Finally, she spotted the familiar 760i BMW parked in the driveway of a massive home with an immaculately manicured lawn. So she wouldn’t block the Lexus parked in the driveway,she pulled her Jeep to the curb. She stumbled out of the car and jogged to the door, her breath catching in her throat. With trembling hands, she frantically pressed the doorbell. The sound of footsteps approaching the door synchronized with the rapid beating of her heart. Seconds later the door opened, and Yanna came face to face with her father. Jaivion seemed temporarily stunned by the presence of his only child. More shock set in when the daughter, who usually detested being in the same room as him crashed into his arms, sobs racking her body. His wife, Tanya, witnessing the rare moment, slipped her feet into a pair of house shoes and subtly maneuvered out of the house to give father and daughter some privacy.
“This whole time… all these years it’s been a big lie, and she—she let me be mad. I—I – I can’t---” Yanna’s breathing swallowed as the weight of being mad at her father for years for no reason settled on her shoulders. The heaviness of it all sent her to her knees, Jaivion going down right along with her.
“Jaiyanna, tell me what’s wrong.”
“Janis told me everything. She told me about the man that killed your brother and Troi’s dad… about you catching her with him. It was all her fault, and I’ve been mad at you all this time, thinking you just decided to abandon her. H- how come you didn’t tell me?” She panted.
Jaivion released a heavy breath, relieved that his daughter finally knew the truth but upset at how bad she was feeling. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you thinking ill of your mother. The fact remains that I did leave, and you were there with her. So, if not saying anything meant me being the bad guy, then I didn’t mind playing that role.”
“But I’ve been horrible to you for years. I’ve been trying so hardnotto be like Janis, but she’s exactly who I’ve become.” Yanna spent the next few moments on the floor of her father’s foyer, nestled in his embrace, while she explained the entiresituation with Kas. Saying it aloud, she realized it was almost identical to her mother and father’s story. Except, instead of her being the child caught in the middle, it was going to be her own baby. “Now, I’m sure I’ve lost him, and my baby… I don’t even know who the daddy is.”
“Oh, baby girl.” Jaivion was shocked, but not so shocked that he’d judge her. He could only assume that Yanna coming to him meant she wanted his help, and he was going to be there for her through whatever she needed. “I know it probably doesn’t seem like it right now, but everything is going to be okay. Your mother will be okay; we just have to trust God. As far as your situation, you’ll get through it, I promise. I’ll be there for you every step of the way. Tell me what you want to do, and I’m going to help you.”
“I just don’t want to feel as pitiful as I do right now. I’m disgusted with myself, disgusted with Janis… I feel lost. I want to be okay, better, if not for me than for my baby.”
“Don’t worry, I got you. We gone get you on the right track, for my grandbabyandfor you. Do you trust me?”
“I do.” Yanna nodded. “And I’m sorry for how I’ve been to you. You didn’t deserve it.”
“Baby girl, you don’t ever have to apologize for standing up for what you thought was right. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters to me. Now come on, I’ll fix you something to eat while we talk.”
Allowing her father to help her from the floor, Yanna followed him to his kitchen where they talked for hours, coming up with a plan to fix the mess she’d made of her life.
Kas stepped off the elevator onto the third floor of theEmbassy Suiteshotel and found room 322 at the end of the hallway. Heknocked on the door and waited for an answer. Moments later, he was greeted by Nouri, who smiled at him brightly.
