Page 31 of A Don & His Doll

Sienna sat her mother’s plate in front of her, then doubled back to grab her own. “Thanks for cooking, ma.”

“Anything for my favorite girls,” Symie replied, taking a sip of the wine she’d already poured. “You two can stay in the spare room for as long as you want,” she offered.

“Mama Macie got us a house already. She showed me pictures on the plane,” Monae revealed. “She said I’ll get to meet my dad soon too.”

Symie’s eyes shot to Sienna, her eyes searching her face for answers she hadn’t been given yet. She needed to understand why the sudden change of heart, because while being reunited was an answered prayer, something felt terribly off.

“That’s wonderful news, Muffin. I love that for you,” Symie replied, then quickly took a bit of chicken because she didn’t want the wrong thing to come out of her mouth. She knew how sensitive the subject was for Monae.

“I can’t wait to meet him. I picked out the perfect outfit, and Mom said she’d flat iron my hair,” Monae said, taking a sip of her juice.

“I know you’ve been waiting a long time for this day, Muffin. I pray everything works out perfectly,” Symie said honestly.

“Me too,” Monae agreed, lifting her crossed fingers in the air.

“If you want to go in the living room and watch TV you can,” Sienna told Monae, then took a sip of the wine her mother had sat out for her as well.

“Ok,” Monae said, before getting up to put her plate in the sink.

As soon as her granddaughter was out of earshot, then Symie’s eyes snapped back up at Sienna as she waited for answers.

Sienna shook her head and downed the rest of her wine. “Monroe has moved on with another woman, and now Macie wants me to show up out of nowhere and make him mine again,” Sienna revealed dryly. “Now she suddenly cares about Monae meeting her father.”

“This isn’t going to end well,” Symie read through the smoke screen immediately. “How…What are you going to do?” She questioned, floored by Macie’s request.

Symie lost her appetite trying to wrap her mind around how Macie was moving. She wasn’t surprised or disappointed, but this was a new low for her.

“I have to do what she says, or she is going to kill us,” Sienna revealed. “I love Monroe and Monae so much it hurts. I’ve given up everything for them. For love. But, I have to come real when I see him again. I’m gonna risk it all, and tell him the truth about everything… even his evil ass mother,” she said with tears streaming down her face. “I just pray he believes me. Pray he chooses us.”

Symie sighed.

“I need your help,” Sienna told her mom seriously, taking another sip from her wine flute. “Do you still have his number?”

Symie nodded. “I do,” she answered, still processing the whole situation.

“Good… What time does your restaurant close tonight?” Sienna asked, getting up to reheat her food in the microwave.

“Ten o’clock the restaurant is usually cleared, cleaned, and prepped for the next day,” Symie confirmed.

“I need you to call him,” Sienna said, taking her plate out of the microwave. “Ask him to meet you at the restaurant at 10:30 tonight. I can’t wait any longer, ma. I need to see him. I need him to know I’m alive.”

“And what about, Muffin?” Symie quizzed. “You just gonna creep your little ass in my restaurant with his daughter after being dead all these years? I know damn well you have a better plan than this.”

“No, Ma. I’m not gonna introduce him to our daughter yet. He’s gonna need time to digest all of this first,” Sienna yelled in a hushed tone, on the verge of losing her shit. “If anyone understands the pressure I’m under, it should be you. My heart, motives, and who’s best interest I have at heart isn’t in question here. Our lives though…All of our lives are riding on the decisions I make moving forward. One mistake and Macie’s crazy ass will kill us without a second thought.”

Symie hated the way Macie controlled them by throwing her weight around, and pulling the death card every time she wanted to use them. The fear they lived in was insane. Symie grabbed her phone off the table, scrolled to Monroe’s contact, and hit send.

“Ms. Davis?” Monroe answered his phone like it was a question. “Everything a’ight?”

Symie placed her phone on speaker before answering. “How you doing, Monroe? I know it’s been a while since we last spoke. I wanted to know if it was possible for you to come to my restaurant tonight. I wanna talk to you face-to-face.”

“What time you need me to be there?” He replied without hesitation.

“10:30. Everyone will be gone by then.”

“I’ll be there,” Monroe confirmed before walking into his home.

“Thank you so much. I’ll see you then,” Symie said before concluding the call.