She pointed her short, manicured fingernail at me. “You better believe it. I don’t play about mine.”
I smacked her on the ass as she slid into the booth. Just as the banter between everyone at the booth started, my phone moved around on the table between me and Hestia from its vibration. My eyes went to the screen that showed a preview of a text message. It was a short five word, all caps text that I was sure would be followed by many more words.
Melanie:
WE NEED TO TALK NOW!
She’s Not Coming Unless . . .
That text from Melanie was the beginning of hell breaking loose. Apparently, before she sent me her yelling text, she’dspoken with Eloise. Our daughter informed her that she would no longer visit her in Atlanta and that she should talk to me.
When I reached out to Melanie, I told her that it was a conversation that we should have in person. I offered to come to Atlanta to sit down with her, but she refused. She insisted that I bring her daughter to Atlanta, which I told her was not an option right now. She called me every fuck nigga in the world that she could utter before she hung up.
This morning, Hestia and I woke up to banging on my fucking front door. Today was normally the day that I would have taken Eloise to Atlanta. Melanie texted me last night and asked what time I would be there this morning. I told her that I had no plans to be there. She didn’t respond, but I knew there would be a response eventually. Eventually was here.
“Would you like some coffee, Melanie?” Hestia asked Melanie after she finally calmed down her antics when she walked into my house. It was eight in the damn morning.
Melanie looked up at Hestia from her seat at my dining room table. Her attitude walked into my house before she did. “Does it look like I want coffee?”
“Melanie, I swear to God. Respect my house and my woman,” I said with intended bass in my tone. “You came here disturbing our peaceful slumber. Be grateful that she’s being hospitable when she could have been cursing your ass out.”
Hestia shook her head before she walked over to where I sat. She leaned down and kissed my lips. “I’m going to give you two some space to talk.”
“You might as well stay since you’re such an influence in my daughter’s life. Eloise all of a sudden is willing to go against me and my word for you, so yeah. Your ass can stay,” Melanie quipped.
Hestia tittered. “See, I’m trying to be respectful because I love your daughter. It feels like you want me to get really disrespectful and really curse your ass out.”
Thank God Eloise spent the weekend with Jessica. They recently declared themselves besties, so now they were always together. My woman’s mentoring group had brought two amazing girls together, and they formed a friendship that I was sure would last forever.
Melanie’s head bucked back. “Look, we had no issues until you went from my daughter’s mentor to her father’s pussy. I tried to be cool, but you’re in my daughter’s ear telling her that she doesn’t have to come see me. What kinda bitch?—”
The sound of my fist hitting the table quieted the room. “Melanie, let me tell you the first place that you got me fucked up at. You coming in my house talking shit like you pay a fuckin’ bill in here is asinine. The second place you got me fucked up at is not taking accountability for your household being the reason that our daughter doesn’t want to come down there. Your fuck ass husband can’t keep his hands off you, and you think I’m going to give him a chance to put his hands on my baby girl? You got me fucked up in a third way if you think that shit. The only way my daughter is coming down there is if I’m with her.”
Be Mad at Your Man, Not Me . . .
This situation was crazy, to say the least. How the hell are you mad at me for something I had nothing to do with? When I told my girls that Melanie was cool with my relationship with Eloise’s father, they all called bullshit. I disagreed with them because I saw baby mamas who were cool. She fell into that category until she let her true emotions come up a moment ago.
“Your fuck ass husband can’t keep his hands off you, and you think I’m going to give him a chance to put his hands on my baby girl? You got me fucked up in a third way if you think that shit. The only way my daughter is coming down there is if I’m with her.” Alexander’s tone was stern. He meant what the fuck he said.
Melanie shifted in her seat. It was clear that she wasn’t prepared for the words that came out of his mouth. It was one thing to think that someone was in all your business, but completely another thing when you knew they were in all your business. “What the hell are you talking about? Lawrence and I are having our issues, but?—”
“Cut the bullshit, Melanie! I don’t have time to play these games when it’s my daughter’s safety. You had enough sense to get your sons out of harm’s way, by sending them to live with your mama, but you want my daughter to be subjected to the bullshit,” Alexander spat.
Melanie’s eyes ping ponged between me and Alexander. “Wow! I see y’all have found a way to make me the villain. I guess now that you can replace me, it doesn’t matter.”
Alexander’s jaw flexed. I put my hand on his shoulder from where I still stood beside him. “Baby, can Melanie and I talk alone?”
“Yeah, you can talk to her. Maybe if she sees how a mature woman should act, she can govern herself accordingly.” He stood from his seat.Yeah, he was upset.
One thing that I could say was that he never spoke negatively about Melanie. We rarely spoke about her. The few times that we did, he was always respectful. After a quick kiss on my lips and a disgusted look at Melanie, Alexander left us. I wouldn’t say that I felt bad for her, but I could imagine how hard this situation was for her.
I clasped my hands in front of me. “I’m going to try this again. Melanie, would you like some coffee?”
Her sigh was deep as if her spirit was tired. “Yes, I’ll take a cup. Thank you.”
The coffee was already brewed. When Melanie arrived, I told Alexa to start the brew.Thank God for smart home appliances.I pulled out a serving tray for the sweetener and creams that wehad. Once that was on the table, I went back into the kitchen and poured two cups of coffee. “Here you go.”
Neither of us said anything while we prepared our coffee. I knew that I needed to drink at least half of the cup before I would be able to have a logical conversation at this time of the morning on my day off. Melanie seemed like she needed the quiet herself.
