“Titi Yaisy. Titi Bossom,” Bliss cooed.
Blossom was a few steps behind Daisy, and they both headed straight to kiss Mama Rush’s cheek. After kissing the top of Bliss’s head, they sat across from me at the table, and it took a second for them to notice I’d been crying.
“Sissy, what’s wrong?” Daisy asked as they both came to the other side of the table to wrap me in a hug.
As I was about to respond, Rue entered the kitchen.
“There you are, little girl,” Rue said, reaching for her daughter.
“Mommy, I pay with Nani and Titi Wose.”
“That’s good, baby girl. Did someone forget to tell me we were having a meeting?”
“We aren’t having a meeting,” Blossom told her.
“Titi Wose cry, Mommy,” Bliss said.
“Why were you crying?” Rue asked as she sat next to me.
“Your daughter is a snitch,” I said, squeezing Bliss’s cheeks.
“She tells us what we need to know. Why were you crying?” Rue asked again.
“I finally told Russell, and I was sharing how our conversation went with Mama Rush.”
“I know my brother-in-love is a real man and loves you more than life, but I’ve been dying to know how it went,” Rue admitted.
“It went well. He said he was disappointed in himself because he didn’t communicate his love for me well enough for me to know that nothing could come between us.”
A round of ‘awws’ filled the kitchen.
“I knew Russ would be understanding,” Daisy said.
“Yeah. It seems I was worried for nothing.”
“I understood your concern, but I wish you had told him sooner,” Rue said.
“Me too. Y’all wasted a year being miserable,” Blossom added.
“I don’t think it was a waste. We all wish you hadn’t waited so long to tell him, but maybe that time apart was what you needed to work up the courage to tell your truth and see that you gave up a good man,” Daisy reasoned.
“You’re a smart woman, Daisy. I pretty much told her the same thing,” Mama Rush commented.
“I guess that means it’s true. I tried to move on from him, but it was impossible. My heart wouldn’t allow it.”
“Because he’s your soulmate. You weren’t meant to be with anyone else,” Blossom said.
“He wants me to move back toThe Compound.”
“You don’t sound like you want to,” Rue concluded.
“It’s not that I don’t want to because I’m definitely not going back to that apartment.”
“What is it then?” Daisy questioned.
“I don’t know. I never thought I’d get to this point with a man.”
“Umm, newsflash. Ninety percent of the time, you spent the night with Russell before you moved. What’s the difference now?” Blossom asked.
