“I knew something was up. Shit been weird as hell between the two of y’all,” he said as soon as Diary was out of the door.
“Yeah,” I said, scratching at my cheek.
“Fuck happened to you? NeNe whoop yo ass?” Deante asked before sitting back on the couch. “You walk in here with a whole ass child, arm broken and shit. Fuck goin on?”
I chopped it up with him for a minute. I didn’t want to but I felt like shit… what else was I going to do? Not talking about it wasn’t going to make any of it go away. So, I said fuck it and told him the truth. I told him about Erika and about the divorce too. He couldn’t believe it. A lot of muthafuckas weren’t going to believe it. Hell, I couldn’t believe it.
He asked me the same question my ma asked about the papers. When I told him I hadn’t been served with any, he sucked his teeth and said something along the lines of what ma said. That maybe Mahogany wouldn’t file. Said because shit wasn’t in stone, it wasn’t in stone. Hearing it for a second time had me thinking maybe they were right. Maybe there was a fighting chance. It was all hope though for real, because deep down inside, I knew things were over between us. However, that inkling of hope had me like... shit maybe it wasn’t over. Maybe I did still have a chance.
I stayed at ma’s house for a little while. Chopped it up with her and told her when I’d be back to get Diary. She was supportive as fuck and told me I could keep her there for as long as I needed. I appreciated my ma more than she would ever know.
When I pulled up to the house, I was surprised to see Sienna’s car parked in the driveway.
“Appreciate it,” I said to the Uber driver before getting out.
I couldn’t wait to get back on the road. Riding in Ubers, borrowing ma’s whip and shit just wasn’t for me. I missed my independence. More than anything, I missed being at work. Staying at the crib, especially going through the shit I was going through, wasn’t cutting it. I didn’t like it. I needed to stay busy. I thought too much at the crib. Had too much time on my hands. I had a couple more weeks of recovery though and couldn’t wait for it to come to an end.
The smell of fried chicken hit my nostrils when I walked into the crib. Because Mahogany was still at work, I knew Aubry had to throw something on. My baby girl had been stepping up in a major way since her mother stayed out late as hell damn near every night. I told her she didn’t need to cook but she insisted.
After coming out of my shoes, I followed the smell to the kitchen. Sienna and Aubry were standing at the island, laughing when I walked in.
“Wassup Si,” I spoke, chucking my chin.
Her laughter subsided a little and she gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Hey Duke.”
“Hey dad,” Aubry said, wrapping one of her arms around me.
I kissed her on the top of her head. “I told you, you didn’t need to cook.”
“It’s cool. Mom called a minute ago and said she would be working late. So...”
I nodded, glanced at Sienna, and sat at the island. “Oh, word?”
“Yeah...” She paused. "Oh shoot. I got my pictures back. Let me show you. Auntie, can you watch the chicken?”
“Yeah, I got you,” Sienna said before Aubry ran off to get her school pictures.
The kitchen went quiet for a bit. It was awkward. She knew what was going on and I didn’t know what to say. I didn't knowfor a fact, but I felt the shit. She’d been acting weird toward me since Aubry’s party. She had to have known since then.
“You been alright?” I asked, after clearing my throat, trying to get rid of the awkwardness.
She rubbed her lips together and sat her purse in front of her. “Yeah... You?”
I nodded. “I mean...” I lifted my slinged arm. “Alright as possible, I guess.”
She nodded, said nothing and went to rummaging through her purse. A second later, she pulled a thick yellow manilla folder from it and slid it across the island to me.
“What’s this?” I asked, glancing up at her from it.
She sighed. “Sorry.”
Sorry? Sorry for what? I picked the envelope up and tore into it. As soon as I pulled the papers out, I knew exactly what it was. Divorce papers. So much for hope, right?
19
CRESCENT
Mahogany giggled.“No, seriously.Stop. We’ve been here for almost an hour, and we haven’t gotten much work done Crescent. There are deadlines we have to adhere to.”
