As I spoke, my mother made a little sound like she was trying not to cry. “Rhythm, I am so proud of you. I remember you atfive, drawing cartoons on the back of junk mail. Your father used to hang them in the house like they were masterpieces.”
I felt that ache in my chest again at the mention of him. My father had been gone a year. He had a heart attack out of nowhere, and my world hadn’t been the same since. Watching my mother bury the man she called the love of her life did something to me. Life suddenly felt shorter. My patience for halfway love got thin. That was part of the reason I finally left Kodi. I watched my mother mourn the love of her life, and then I looked at me and Kodi and thought, ‘This is not it.’
“I hated that I couldn’t afford art classes or fancy programs for you. I knew you were special, but I couldn’t get you in the rooms you needed to be in. Now God has sent the room to you.”
Tears burned my eyes again. “I hope I don’t mess it up.”
“You won’t,” she said confidently. “You’re ready. And you are not alone. Now you have people who see your gift.”
As she was talking, I heard a hard knock at my front door. I froze.
“Ma, someone is at the door. I will call you back.”
“Okay. Call me later. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I hung up and let out a low curse under my breath. Then there was another louder knock. I hated that this building did not have a working security door, no front desk, nothing. Anybody could walk right up to your unit.
I peeked through the peephole and saw Kodi.
Of course.
I cracked the door before he could wake the kids. “Why are you banging on my door this late?” I hissed.
He pushed it open with his hand, stepping inside like he paid the rent. “So, you just not answering your phone now? You didn’t see me calling you?”
“I saw,” I quipped. “And I ignored it.”
He blinked like I had slapped him. “Wow. That is how you moving?”
“That is exactly how I’m moving since you tried to sabotage my meeting today.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You forgot to pick up your own kids on the one day you know I had something important to do!”
His frown deepened. “What are you talking about?”
I didn’t believe his obliviousness for a second. “You know my meeting at Voss Contemporary House was today!”
He sucked his teeth, waving a hand dismissively. “Man, you acting like this gallery thing is a real job.”
Anger rose up so fast I had to take a breath before I woke my kids up. “Do you hear yourself? For years, I supported your little hood dreams. I was there for every scheme, every play that ‘was about to hit.’ And what did we get out of it? Nothing but stress, arrests, and you maybe getting money that didn’t last long.”
His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer. “Those ‘hood dreams’ kept you and the kids straight for years.”
“If me and the kids were really ‘straight,’ I wouldn’t have to sit in a cubicle every day. I wouldn’t have to choose between paint or groceries.”
His nostrils flared. I saw that switch flip on in his expression. His energy got dark.
But I scoffed, waving him off. “I’m done, Kodi. Completely this time. You can stop coming over expecting anything but time with your kids, and even that can be achieved outside of my home.”
“So, what, you think you too good for me now? You get one meeting with some rich lady and now you done?”
“It is not about being ‘too good.’ It is about you not even being willing to support or celebrate my wins. We are over, Kodi. For real this time.”
He stared at me like he did not recognize me. His hand flexed at his side, and I could see his jaw working. He looked past me toward the hallway where the kids slept, then back at me.
