“Hey, we’re here,” Meela announces, concern evident in her voice. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I don’t have a choice,” I whisper brokenly.
“You do—”
“Be right back.” I stumble from the car as more tears roll down my cheeks, but I come to a dead stop when I spot Keith’s truck in the driveway.
Great.What’s he doing here? I hurry inside, making a beeline for the basement door, but banging in the kitchen piques my curiosity. I creep past the basement door, quiet as a mouse, and glance around the corner.No, no, no, no.
“What are you doing?” I shout, stepping into full view. “Have you lost your mind?” I place a hand just below my throat, disgusted by the scene in front of me.
Keith leaps away from my mother, who he had bent over the table. His erection stands straight out, glistening with my mother’s juices.
I clutch the wall for support. “I’m going to be sick.”
“You’re supposed to be in school,” she admonishes, pulling on her bathrobe. “What are you doing home?”
“That’s all you have to say?” I ask incredulously. “What are you doing fucking Sheila’s husband?”
“We love each other,” she declares with a haughty tone. “We’re going to be together.”
I laugh mirthlessly. “You’re kidding me, right? You’re just an easy lay for him.”
“That’s not true,” Keith chimes in. “I’m going to leave Sheila for your mother.”
I look at him, thanking the heavens that his male part is back in his pants. “You know their history. How could you do this to your wife? She’s pregnant with your baby for God’s sake.”
My mother struts over to him and curls herself against his side. “The heart wants what the heart wants.”
I roll my eyes. “Momma, you can’t be serious. We’re on the streets as soon as Sheila finds out. And what about Grandma? Don’t you care about her at all? Her last wish is for her daughters to get along before she dies.”
“Keith will take care of us,” she remarks confidently and places a lingering kiss on his cheek. “And we all can’t get what we want. Doesn’t my happiness count?”
I throw my hands in the air and walk away. Talking to that woman is like talking to a brick wall.
“We’re going to get married,” she calls after me. “You just wait and see.”
“He already has a wife!” I yell over my shoulder. I hurry into the basement and find my wallet on the floor next to the air mattress. I practically run back to Meela’s car.
“Everything cool?” she asks once my seatbelt is secured.
I slump against the seat and squeeze my eyes shut, attempting to calm my racing mind. I fucking loathe my mother with every fiber of my being. How can someone be so selfish? Sure, Sheila is a bitch, but she doesn’t deserve this and neither does my grandmother. She’s too old and fragile to deal with this bucket of bullshit.
I can’t tell them. My aunt would throw us out on our asses in a heartbeat. I don’t have as much faith in my mother’s lover “taking care of us” as she does. Doesn’t every married man make the same proclamation to their mistress to keep getting the goods? Rarely does a cheating man leave his wife. What the hell was she thinking? I can’t afford to take care of us on my own.
I sigh and pry my eyes open. “Not in the least.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
I shake my head. “Not now.”
Meela doesn’t push for details, which I’m extremely grateful for. I’m just so tired of it all. We barely speak as the miles pass us by, and soon I drift off to sleep.
“Hey girlie.” I hear Meela call out to me. “Wake up, we’re here.”
I blink my eyes open.Why couldn’t this all have been a bad dream?We make our way into the building, neither of us saying a word. I just want to break down and cry.
“Hi,” I whisper to one of the women at the front desk. “I have an appointment. Zilphia Kensley.”
