Lasagna, Macaroni and cheese, collard greens, candy yam's, Barbeque Ribs, baked chicken, rice and beans oh yes and potato salad. Loretta was putting Deanna to work as if it was Thanksgiving morning just so could impress the daughters who barely stopped by to see her even when she was sick and needed them the most.
"Deanna did you start on the cake?" Loretta asked coming into the kitchen. A smile turning up on her face the moment the smell of Deanna's cooking came into contact with her nostrils.
"Mama you didn't want cake." Deanna told her.
"No, you just up and assumed I didn't want cake. Regina is bringing the kids and you know Vita has a sweet tooth." Loretta said and Deanna couldn't stop her eyes from rolling. Thinking back at all the times throughout the week she asked her mother if she wanted cake and the lady said NO every time.
"Deanna go run to the store and get a box of cake mix, I'll keep an eye on the food until you get back." She snapped her fingers giving Dee the sign that she needed to hurry.
Deanna had been practicing her deep breaths. Breathe in breathe out find your happy place. But her patience was wearing thin and the happy place she was so desperate to find just wasn't letting her in. 'I better hurry before the food burns and this damn woman blames me for that tragedy' Deanna thought to herself.
~~~~~~
"Niya I'm not giving you no more money!" Trey was serious this time. Last week he gave her damn near everything he had and Lay-Lay was still without a new pair of sneakers, her hair wasn't done and she was growing fast.
'If I see my baby girl in that fuckin jacket that is two sizes too small again I'm going to lose it' Trey thought to himself. Niyah didn't have bills to pay she lived in her grandmother's basement apartment rent free. Trey told Niyah time and time again that she needed to work on her money management skills and while she's at it to re-evaluate her priorities, as always his words went in one ear got mixed up in that crazy head of hers before logic spilled out of the other.
"I should have known." She rolled her eyes flipping him off. "You can get the fuck out! You mutha fucka!" She screamed. "No good bitch ass nigga! I bet you out spending your money on them bitches you running around sticking yo dirty dick in ugh I HATE you!" She shouted loudly. Niyah's beauty was undeniable shit she still looked as good as the day Trey met her but her attitude the person she became made him look at her disgusted.
"You ain't shit!"
She continued to curse him out and Trey said nothing. Sure he could tell her how much of a half ass mother she really was but he knew even though Layla was pretending not to she could hear everything and he wasn't about to let her hear him degrade her mother. Niyah on the other hand never missed a chance to make a scene no matter who was around to hear it. If Trey didn't know any better he'd swear she wanted their daughter to grow up hating him.
"I'm going to take Layla to get some things tomorrow when she gets out of day camp." He told her in the calmest tone he could manage.
"You're NOT taking her anywhere!" Niyah shouted mushing him.
"You're gonna stop putting your hands on me." Trey pointed a warning finger at her.
"Or what?" Niyah challenged him by munching once again. "What you gon do Trey? Hit me!"
"You two hush." Niyah's grandmother was struggling to get down the basement steps. "All this arguing can't be any good for Layla. Niyah you stop being so difficult Trey you will pick Layla up tomorrow and return her here an hour before her bedtime."
