“Hello?” I answered, a little scared of what was about to take place.
“Good morning, Chy. Do you want to tell me what happened at your father’s house yesterday?” She didn’t beat around the bush with this call.
I didn’t know how to feel about it, but I wouldn’t lie to my mother. I gave her a rundown of what happened, not leaving anything out.
“That bitch got me fucked up,” she exploded.
The only thing I could do was shake my head.
“Then, your father got the nerve to downplay what her ass said about me. She called me a bitch, looking like a drag queen ass bitch. I should go to their house and beat her ass,” she spat.
I didn’t know what to do or say in this situation. I was glad I wasn’t the one that had to feel her wrath. My mother could be a force to be reckoned with.
“You did right by punching her in her shit. You should’ve hit her ass two more times.”
I burst out laughing. My mother was a damn fool when she wanted to be. I was glad she wasn’t mad at me about what happened. Sometimes, my mother chose the wrong side. Thistime she took my side, and I was forever grateful. It had me wanting to cry tears of joy.
“I’m glad you approve of me hitting her. I didn’t like that she talked about you. She had no right calling you out your name like that.”
“I bet her ass won’t say it to my face. She’s good to talk about me behind my back. If I see her half-dead looking ass in the streets, I’m going to beat her ass. No talking either.”
I laughed as if it was no tomorrow. “Mama, you a fool.”
“No, your mama just don’t give a fuck. She’s about to fuck around and find out how I get down. That’s all I’m calling for. You did good by me, Daughter. Love you.”
I smiled. “I love you too, Mama.” When the call ended, the only thing I could do was laugh until tears rolled down my face.
Jamari came into the kitchen, seeing me wiping my eyes. "What happened?" He came toward me and caught my chin before it dropped to my chest, and held it in his palm.
I gave him a rundown of what happened. “I wasn’t crying for real. My mother can be a comedian when she wants to be. Just when I thought she was about to get on me for hitting Brenda, she didn’t. I was glad about that.”
He chuckled. “Your mama sounds like someone who doesn’t play.”
I scoffed. “Hell no. She doesn’t play. My mother is old school and don’t mind fighting anybody.”
I could remember when I was younger, my father’s mother got smart with my mama. That was her first and last time getting smart with her. My mother told my grandma off so bad, I felt sorry for her. My mother had no filter whatsoever.
Jamari pecked my lips and hugged me close to him. “Yeah, I bet you used to get a lot of beatings.”
"Whatever," I mumbled and pulled out of his arms. "Are you ready to eat?"
Jamari observed the kitchen until his eyes landed on the food. "Hell yeah. Thanks, baby."
I beamed. "No, thank you for the talk. I'm still not ready to talk to my mother yet. She needs to cool off."
He chuckled. "That sounds like a smart idea. Since you cooked, I'll fix the food."
I stared at him in surprise. "Really? I was going to do it."
Jamari shook his head. "Nah, I got it. You can call the kids, and we can sit at the table and eat."
While he fixed the plates, I went to get his siblings. They were happy to be called to the table to eat. While Jamari put the food on the table, I went to get the orange and apple juice from the refrigerator. When we sat down to eat, Jamari blessed the food, and we dug in.
If I weren't careful with my heart, I could see myself falling in love with Jamari. Truthfully, I was almost there. I didn't know how to feel about that, but I'd welcome it. He was a great, caring man. That was something I needed in my life. I was glad that I could talk to him about my problems. Maybe I shouldn't complain about my mother or my problems when he didn't have either of his parents in his life. Maybe one day, I could erase the pain I saw in his eyes. I knew it would probably take time, but I was in his life. One day at a time, I vowed to keep a smile on his handsome face.
I nibbledon my bottom lip, trying not to show how aggravated I was. It was hard to work when my mind was elsewhere. It was on Jamari. Every time I called or texted him, he didn't answer. What went wrong? It had been a week since I had stayed with him. We had been communicating until two days ago, and then he started ghosting me. Every time I thought we were headed in the right direction, he'd do something that set us back. I wasn't sure how much more of that I should take. I wasn't the problem. Jamari was. The bad thing about this was that he didn't meet me halfway. As much as I didn't want to leave him alone, maybe it was for the best. Since we'd met and started talking, I'd been the one to do the reaching out.
All of this gave me a headache. It was best that I leave Jamari alone. He didn't try, so I wouldn't either. I didn't see the point. At that realization, my eyes watered with my tears. It was hard just to let him go, but I didn't know what else to do. I had feelings too.
