o say that the day had been an emotional rollercoaster would’ve been putting it mildly. I’d gone from thinking that Tera was a no-good deadbeat to truly empathizing
with her. What was even more fucked up was how she’d described Face back then, and he hadn’t denied it.
That means that not too long ago, my man was an asshole, to the mother of his kids, no less. What was also alarming was that it wasn’t because he didn’t want her, anymore. It was because she didn’t want him! That made me wonder what position I could find myself in, if we didn’t work out.
Of course, one could argue that perhaps me and Tera hadn’t gotten the same version of Face. But I also didn’t have the same history with him. Didn’t know him through every season, but I’d walked away from a man that I knew like the back of my hand. In hindsight, I couldn’t even safely say that Face wasn’t a cheater, becausewehadn’tbeentogetherthatlong.Thiscouldstillbe
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considered the honeymoon stage, and who knew who he’d be once the newness wore o"?
Then I also couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room. I had no idea that Tera had been the one to end their relationship. And that changed a lot in my eyes. I’m sure that her pulling back from the girls had its influences on him letting go of the idea of reconciliation. However, the very thing that had put a rift between them was now disproven. So, he had no reason to feel a way about her. And perhaps those old feelings would resurface, as she gets reacclimated into him and the kids’ lives.
I was sure that Face would be much more agreeable now, since he saw the whole picture. In fact, his whole tune had changed, and he’d allowed her to take the kids to her mama’s house. He’d also apologized profusely, as I tried my best to be supportive, while letting them have their moment.
And now, we were tucked away in the bedroom for the night. I was rocking Christian, while Tristain had already fallen asleep. Face had been on the phone pretty much since Tera had left with the girls. He’d told his mama, sisters, and auntie about Tera surviving breast cancer, and how she was now in remission. Natu-rally, every one of them was in complete shock, and vowed to call her directly.
“Alright, mama, I’ma call you tomorrow,” Face spoke into the phone, as he rested his back up against the headboard. “Wait, huh? You said that Mattie’s new boyfriend busted out her window?”
I arched a brow, as my interest was piqued. Face’s baby sister was a wild one. Since I’d known her, she’d been in three different relationships. This last one being the longest. Frankly, I felt like she just needed to get her head right, and have those men sponsor her lifestyle while she establishes that she belongs to nobody. Because with all that sneaking and freaking she was doing, a nigga was bound to hurt her one day.
“Alright, well, I’ma just sit this one out. I done knocked too many niggas sideways over that girl, only for her to double back and deal with the niggas again,” Face pointed out. “What is her and that nigga beefing about, anyway? Oh, yeah? Who is the other nigga she’s fucking with? She won’t tell you? That’s weird within itself,” he lightly chuckled. “She treating you like she treats them niggas.”
Smirking, I shook my head.
“Alright,mama.I’llcallyoutomorrow.Loveyou,oldgirl.
Alright.”
“What she said about Mattie?” I nosily questioned, after he ended the call.
He yawned. “She said that Mattie’s boyfriend called her, because she’s been disappearing for days at a time. My mama said that she’s dealing with a nigga who already got a girlfriend. It’s just always something with that girl, man.”
“Right.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Now, how are you feeling?”
He took a deep breath. “Honestly, overwhelmed like a mutha-fucka. I’m fucked up. I fucked up. Was kicking her while she was down. I can only imagine the ways that I made her feel.”
I sighed. “Yeah, you did fuck up. And I don’t wanna pacify you about that. You could’ve done better. You should’ve done better. But you can’t take back what already happened. Moving forward, I feel like you should just focus on being the best daddy for the kids, and a good co-parent for her.”
He nodded. “Right on.” He licked his lips, as he locked eyes with me. “But listen, I don’t know what’s going through your head, right now. Because this is a lot to process. Since you came into our lives, it’s just been me and the girls. So, you never had to deal with my BM, and I appreciate how you didn’t get in yourfeelings, when Tera showed up. I have so much respect for how you handled the
situation. Which tells me that us getting together was no mistake. Cause there’s so many women from my past who wouldn’t have been able to handle that situation with the same grace. This is gonna be a weird time. Kinda like a transition. And I’m just hoping that you can be patient with me. But also, don’t mince your words, or let shit fester. Always say what’s on your mind. In the mean-time, just keep rocking with a nigga how you rocking with a nigga, and I promise, the world is yours, Babi. On me.”
AfterseeingthatTeraandthegirlswerestandingonthe porch, I headed to answer the door. The girls had been gone for four days straight, and I was excited about them finally coming home. Face was a silent investor in a new lounge in midtown, and he’d gone there to handle some business. So, he wasn’t there to receive the kids, which I hoped that Tera didn’t have an issue with. “Hey,” I cheerfully greeted them, as I pulled the double doors
back.
“Babi!” Shi and Aspen sang in unison, before rushing me with hugs.
“We missed you, girl,” Shi smiled, as she released me.
“And I missed y’all too,” I smiled, as they both skipped past me, traveling through the house.
Tera remained on the porch. “Is Chrisitan here?” I shook my head. “No, he’s not.”
“Oh. I guess that I’ll just call his phone.” “Yeah, that’s probably the move,” I agreed.
She squinted. “It…it was pretty shocking to find out how close you are with my kids. It made me a little jealous, because I’ve missed so much. And it’s crazy to see that my girls have a whole life that didn’t include me. So, excuse me if I’ve come o" as standoffish. That’s not usually me. But I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it all. Either way, I hope that you don’t take it personal. And eventually, I’d like to get to know you. In the meanwhile, I would like to thank you for treating my girls like your own. I can tell that you treat them right, because they speak so highly of you. And I noticed how you allowed me and Christian to hash out our differences, without interfering. I appreciate that.”
