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Shiloh

The air conditioner blowing on my face at full blast did little to cool me off as I pulled my third pan of cinnamon rolls out of the oven. Business had picked up significantly, but that didn’t come without a lot of hard work. In a few months, I had gone from being a home-based baker to having my own food truck that served breakfast and pastries until lunch.

“Those smell so good.” My best friend, Rhonda, grinned as I placed them on a rack to cool.

It wasn’t quite six in the morning. I had been up since four thirty, mixing, prepping, and baking to prepare for the day. Any minute now, we would be flooded with customers asking for our infamous honey butter buns and caramel pecan cinnamon rolls.

Those menu items had allowed me to buy A Little Bit of Sweetness Food Truck. With hard work and dedication, I built my business from the ground and created a steady flow of income after being laid off by my previous employer. It felt good to have something of my own.

Thank goodness, I had been able to find a day care that opened at five. I was able to drop my sons, Theo and Trey, off by five thirty and get to work without having to worry about if they were OK. It wasn’t like their daddies were so busy. All Trey’s dad had was time on his hands. I was pretty sure he didn’t have to clock in and out of the trap. My oldest son Theo’s dad had been in prison for the past four years, so at least there was that.

It was a good thing that I quickly learned just how much I couldn’t depend on Greg. He was a lying-ass bitch. When Theo’s daddy, Maurice, revealed what he did for a living to be able to shower me with gifts and trips all over the place, I let him know how much I didn’t like it. I had lost family members and good friends to the street life. Even my own father overdosed on drugs when I was a little girl. I didn’t deal with street dudes as a rule.

Years later, I met Gregory at the car wash he claimed to own. He came over talking all sweet and offering to take me out on the town. After giving him my number, I allowed him to take me out and show me a good time. For months, he wined and dined me and made me feel like the prettiest girl in the world.

By the time he told me that the car wash was really his brother’s, and he only used it as a front to unload his drugs, I was already in too deep. I loved him. His promise to get out of the game at the end of the year was good enough to get me to stay. A year and a half later, I was pregnant, and he was still lying about how he just needed a few more months before he could get out.

He’d portrayed himself as such a good man and role model. He showed an interest in both me and my son, making sure to include him in our plans. He did everything in his power to play Mr. Nice Guy and keep me from realizing that he was just as much of a street dude as the man who got arrested and abandoned me and my toddler son. Now I was a single mom of two, doing what I had to do to make sure my boys and I were straight. I would rather be alone than put up with nonsense.

While Rhonda prepared the sausage, egg, and cheese croissants, I piped the honey butter glaze over the buns that were already cool enough for the final step. My phone rang, and I craned my neck to see who could be calling at this hour. Most people knew that I was working by now. Even if they didn’t, anyone I knew wasn’t up at this time of morning calling people. They were at work or getting ready for work.

I rolled my eyes when I saw Greg’s name. Not that I hated him, but I was sick of his shit. Every time he opened his mouth, lies just seemed to fall out. I finished my task before washing my hands and walking over to pick up my phone.

“Damn, you can’t answer your phone? You don’t know what I be having going on, Shy.”

“I’m working, Greg. What is it?”

“All you care about is working. What if it was an emergency?” he asked.

“You’re not my responsibility. Our son is.”

“There you go with that shit.”

“You got about five seconds to tell me what the hell you want before I hang up this phone. I just told you I was busy.”

“Chill, ma. I just needed to tell you I can’t pick Trey Trey up today,” he revealed.

“What do you mean, Gregory? You know I depend on you to get him so I can finish up for the day.”

“I know, but I got to make a run. Something came up at the last minute.”

“Something more important than your son?” I questioned.

“Don’t start with that shit, Shiloh. You know nothing is more important to me than you and my son.”

“You damn sure have a funny-ass way of showing it.”

“You should be able to step out for a minute and get him. It’s not like you gotta beg your boss to let you off. It’s your business.”

“Yeah, but I can’t leave in the middle of the rush. That defeats the purpose of even putting him in day care.”

“I don’t know why you won’t just let my mom watch him for you.”

“Don’t even go there. You know damn well I tried that. She let me down too many times and left me looking stupid. I need someone dependable that can get him on the days that I’m open. Ms. Joann won’t even watch him for a couple of hours when I’m off.”

“You’ll do anything to keep him away from my damn family. You know my mama can see that shit, Shiloh.”