Blended Souls

fourteen.

Knocking on the door for the third time Eric waited for Emani to answer, he had just got back and Hassan let him know she locked herself inside ever since she got home from school the day prior. Shaking his head he wasn't in the mood for all this, but he also knew that when it came to his luh baybeh he would give however much time it took.

"Ezz baybeh open dah door nah, come on" he knocked again, the door swung open with Emani sporting her famous pout.everyone knew he fell for.

"Aww baybeh wazzam" Eric asked, closing the door behind him, pulling Mani into a hug he ruffled her hair causing Mani to suck her teeth.

" Staht Babba, I'm not playing, what took you so long to get home? I called you and you..you just hung up on me why you do dat we ion hand up on each other " she complained trying to hold back tears, it was rare to happen but Emani feelings was really hurt by Eric hanging up and it only made it worse when he didn't call back. After everything with her mom yesterday the only person she wanted to be around was her Babba, so for him to completely ignore her for the first time Emani wasn't sure how to feel.

"I'm sorry Ezz ya already know i'm always always hea' nah come on,  I'a was in the middle of some important business that needed my attention. I should have put that on pause to make sure ya was okay baybeh I'a apologize but i'm hea' nah so wazzam baybeh, tell me what happened." They sat on the small couch placed in the corner in front of a large bay window, Emani just shook her head thinking about it all over again made her angry.

" Yesterday when practice was over I was gettin ready to call mama to make sure she was on her way right, you know everytime she picks me up on Friday she always runs late and I was so tired Babba and I had a test to study for. All of a sudden this black truck pulls up and she rolls the window down telling me come on. I jump in the back and plug my phone up and when i asked her where Tootie and Boog was she was like giving the weird driver some look , we took a picture together then sh-

"aye back up..weird driva?'' This peaked his interest.

" oh the guy driving he was new or whatever cause i don't really remember seeing him before but he just idk didn't look like a driver' Emani shrugged not understanding why that mattered

"Anyway we took a picture and I asked her to send it to me then I got on my phone. She kept staring at me looking like she was about to cry or whatever then told me to get some food while she took a phone call. So I go inside right and I'm waiting in line when Sanni calls me. I get excited cause it's been so long since I talk to him and he asks like where i'm at cause they are at the school and I'm like getting food or whatever by the outlet and when he repeats it back I hear mommy in the background going crazy. So I walk out the line and I ask Sanni if he is with mommy and when I walk outside the black truck is gone and she comes speeding into the parking lot in the Range like a crazy person. I swear I'm all confused like what's going on and she just flips off on me about leaving the school without calling her and asking who I left with just screaming the whole way home and I'm legit laughin at her Babba ya know cause now i'm thinking they was tryna prank me. I'm like yo just stop ma like you can't be serious right now and she really lost it after that and I could tell she wasn't playin. When we got home I just jumped o.ut of the car and ran up here, I don't know what her problem is Babba I didn't do anything wrong" Throwing the pillow on the bed Mani got up stomping her foot, the more she thought about it the angrier she got. Why should she have to lock herself in her room all because her mom was acting crazy

" It's not fair and I want to know why I got yelled at for nothing" storming towards the door, Eric had to jump up and grab her before she got to the doorknob.. After what she just said there was no way in hell he could let Emani confront Charlie without talking to her first, especially since he could almost bet she had no idea what was going on and he had to gauge her reaction