Her head shook vigorously. “No, that is not an option. I just need a little more money to take care of my family.”
He leaned forward on the table, and his focus shifted to Lawrence. “It’s your move, homie. I told y’all my only option. Your wife has made it clear that she needs more money to take care of her family. I am not a part of y’all’s family, so that is not my responsibility. Eloise is my responsibility.”
Pissed! That was what Lawrence was. This whole situation was a disgrace to his manhood, and he knew it. The $4,000 that Alexander gave to Melanie was more than was required. It was clown shit that he allowed his wife to come in here and ask for more. He knew what came out of his mouth next would not be a popular opinion. At least for his wife it wouldn’t be.
“Melanie, I think at this point it might be best if Eloise stays with her father. That would help us out a lot. She just started high school, and there are a lot of things that she wants to do. It’s not fair that she has to miss out on those things because we can’t afford them,” Lawrence said somberly.
His wife’s head snapped in his direction. He must have bumped his head. There was no way that he just said that. There just couldn’t have been any way. “What the hell, Lawrence? Alexander can cover the extracurricular stuff that she wants to do.”
“On top of the four thousand dollars, Melanie? Come on, sweetheart. That’s not fair either. He already does well over and above.” Lawrence needed to take something off their plate. This seemed like the most logical thing.
Alexander sat there in silence so they could let their words sink in with each other. He stood resolute in his decision. As quiet as it was kept, if she made it an issue, he would have to get the courts involved. Not because he was an asshole, but becausehe wanted what was best for his daughter. He busted his ass so that he nor his daughter had to struggle. That was a big part as to why he freely gave her mother $4,000.
“Melanie, look, at the end of the day, we both want what is best for Eloise. Now, let me be honest. I am planning a move to Charlotte, North Carolina, very soon which means Eloise would move with me. This does not mean that you will not see her. We can meet halfway like we have it now, every other weekend,” I told her.
Melanie’s thoughts went a mile per minute. “Maybe she could stay with your parents. They love her.”
That was true. Alexander I and Doris loved their granddaughter immensely. She was the light of their lives.
“That would work, but they are making the move to Charlotte with me. I was able to snag me five acres. Both of our homes are currently being built,” I informed her.
Melanie felt worse with that news. She hated to admit that if she could go back in time, she would do things so differently. Slowing her ass down would have been the first thing.
After she had Eloise, she broached the idea with Alexander about a committed relationship. He told her flatly that he was not interested considering the manner in which they met. How they met was not her finest hour. A satisfying one but not the finest. All that needed to be said was the combination of a party, alcohol, fine ass niggas, and a ho phase was a lot to go together. His rejection of her made her feel small, while Lawrence’s acceptance of her validated her. The validation caused her to move faster than she should have.Lawrence was a hard worker, but his felony record limited his career progression.
“Oh, that’s nice. Congratulations, I guess.” Melanie was in every one of her feelings, and she hated it. She had completelylost control of her situation if even her husband felt that her daughter should stay with her father.
Lawrence heard the twinge of jealousy in her tone. That shit bothered the fuck out of him. He knew his pockets weren’t heavy like her daughter’s father, but he did what he had to do. When he met Melanie, he was in the streets, but he got out for the sake of his kids. He had only been out of jail for a year when he met her after a four-year bid.
“How about we have a conversation with Eloise and see what she wants to do? If she wants to stay here, then we will buckle down. We’ll just have to make it do what it do,” Lawrence suggested.
Melanie sucked her teeth, then chuckled. “You think that she’s gonna wanna stay here with us struggling when her father is about to move in what I know is about to be a house with all the works? Yeah, this is going to be a short fucking conversation.”
Alexander felt bad because he didn’t want her to feel small. That was never his intent. Although that was never his intent, it also wasn’t his responsibility to manage her feelings of inadequacy.Since it wasn’t his responsibility, then he wasn’t going to acknowledge her statement.
“Let’s just set up a date that we can talk to baby girl. Once we talk to her, we can go from there. Lawrence, I hope shit works out on the job front. Let me get out of here. I got some work to do,” he told them.
A Few Days Later
Let’s Talk . . .
Eloise was so happy to have dinner with her father in the middle of the week. Usually, she was at home with her younger siblings, while their mother was at work and Lawrence was wherever he was. Since he lost his job, he spent less time at home, which meant Eloise had more babysitter responsibilities than she liked and should have.
She heard her mother and him argue about where he would be while she was at work. Lawrence would tell her that he was either on the search for work or handling business. Melanie didn’t believe him, because for as much business as he claimed he did, she never saw the fruits of the labor. Her heart wouldn’t be able to take it if she found out he’d cheated. At this moment, ignorance was truly bliss.
“Daddy, I love your seafood lasagna. I haven’t had it in forever,” Eloise told her father.
She was surprised when her father picked her up from school. He picked her up from school often, but rarely on his motorcycle. She couldn’t wait until she could get her own.
Alexander smiled at his baby girl. She had the beauty of her mother and his skin tone. “Well, I’m happy that I could put a smile on your face.” He picked up his phone that vibrated on the dining room table and looked at the screen. “Your mother is on her way here.”
He watched Eloise’s smile fall. “I have to leave already? It’s not even seven o’clock.”
“No, baby girl. She’s coming over so we can talk,” he told her.
Now Eloise was worried. Her parents never talked to her together. At least, she couldn’t remember the last time that they did. “Is everything alright? I’m not in trouble or anything?”
“You haven’t done anything wrong,” he said with a chuckle. His hand covered hers.
