I exhaled slowly.
Ajori had already told me enough about her mama, and let’s just say she definitely doesn’t deserve the Mama Of The Year award, so I didn’t rush to disagree with her.
“She’s hurt,” I corrected gently, recognizing the complex emotions at play. “Hate and hurt look the same, but they ain’t.”
“How do I fix it?Us?” she asked, as if I had the slightest fuckin’ clue or held the key to their reconciliation. “I don’t want to die one day with my daughter still looking at me like I failed her.”
I really didn’t want to get tangled in their personal business, but since she asked and I didn’t want to come off as rude to my “potential” future mother-in-law, I gave her my advice.
“First thing… don’t think shit is going to get fixed overnight.”
She frowned slightly.
“That’s where people mess up,” I continued. “They want forgiveness ontheirtimeline instead of earning it on the other person’s.”
Vanessa listened closely, her eyes wide and hopeful.
“You hurt her… and not just with what you did, but with a pattern. And until she sees that pattern change, your words ain’t gon’ really mean much.”
“I still don’t know where to start to fix us, though,” she admitted, desperation etching deeper lines into her face.
“You stay consistent… even when she doesn’t answer… even when she shuts you out… even when she acts like you don’t exist.”
“You really think that will work? I really don’t want to mess this up again,” she whispered.
“Then don’t. Be better. Not perfect… just better. Even if it doesn’t work out for y’all, at least you can say you tried.”
She nodded slowly.
I observed Vanessa for a second longer, and I could tell she was truly sorry; and not the kind of sorry people say when they’re caught, but the kind that makes a person want to do right even when nobody’s watching.
I’d dealt with enough “I’m sorry” situations to know the difference.
People mess up… that’s life. But it ain’t the mistake that defines you, it’s what you do after. Some people apologize just to clear their conscience, and others change. And Vanessa looked like she was ready to change. Still… convincing Ajori to forgive her? That was a whole different story. Because hurt like that doesn’t just come from one moment; it builds over time. And from what Ajori shared with me, her mama ain’t just slip once.
I exhaled quietly, glancing back at Vanessa.
Yeah… she might’ve been ready, but earning that forgiveness? That was gonna take more than words. And I already knew, Ajori wasn’t the type to give in that easy
