Tahani's Reality (Urban)

|Distance Is Better For the Heart|

He points his finger in her face stepping towards her. "Who got you pregnant? Tell me right now I swear to fuckin' God I ain't playing with you." He says seriously. I've never seen him this upset before. He literally looks like he wants to kill someone.

To make a very long story short for the past couple of months I've healed. Some scars are still there and won't leave. Most of them more internal than external. Each night nightmares fill my mind and some days memories almost come to me. I hide it from Taj not wanting to say anything until I remember everything that's happened to me. We've gotten so close. He basically stays over to make sure I'm okay and only goes to work for a couple of hours. I wouldn't let him spend every day with me usual because my brace got taken off and my cast was removed so now I'm fully able to get around normally. Even though I'm liking him being around me 24/7 I have to be cautious about the fact that he has a life of his own. One that can't constantly revolve around me.

As far as the whole pregnancy thing? Basically everything was going good today up until he got a text that I'm pretty sure was accidental of Monroe texting him her ultrasound pictures and appointment dates. From what I'm guessing she meant to send it to their mom but he was the last person she texted and she didn't check to make sure she was sending it to the right person. As soon as he got that text he threw on some clothes and practically dragged me out of the house to come with him.

And that's how we ended up here.

"Boy stop cussin' in my house!" His mother shouts at him.

Taj laughs right in her face. "I pay bills in here, remember?" He looks around the room at his mom and sister. "I pay the bills and get all the shit that's in this motherfucka. And ya know what else I bet y'all expect me to do? Fanatically take care of that damn baby."

"You don't have to do anything it's my baby-" he cuts Monroe off.

"What?" He scoffs. "You sound fuckin' stupid Monroe. You ain't had a damn job ever in life so how do you expect to adjust to having one on top of having a baby? I mean is the dad even in the picture? I bet not. I'm gone end up taking care of that baby just like I'm taking care of y'all asses. Making sure shit straight in this bitch as alwa-" the sound of his mom smacking him across the face sounds throughout her living room.

Out of protectiveness I stand up coming towards him standing beside him to make sure he's okay. He's holding his mouth that now has a cut on his bottom lip and his mom is staring at her with sadness and regret in her eyes.

This time when he speaks he doesn't address his mom but instead addresses Monroe. "I do what I do for y'all. Doing the shit I did in high school wasn't easy but I did what I had to do to take care of y'all. Pops been walked out and I knew I had to be the man and help out the household. You think I wanted to do that shit? No but I did it because we was struggling. And now you got the nerve to look me in my fuckin' face and tell me that even though you're young, unemployed, living off of me and baby farther not in the picture that you got it? All by yourself?" He questions.

In this moment I see the true Torin. The one that from what he's told me used to wake up in the am everyday just to go to the company and work for Issac. Then have to leave just in time to make it to school, juggling homework on top of working for a large international company. Doing things he didn't want to do always because he knew they need it. Even after the way his mom spoke to him he still comes by just to make sure the bills are paid and the lights are on. I watch on a daily as his family doesn't even call and check up on him. They know the dangerous life he lives yet nobody around him cares. It's like everybody wants something for him and he's willing to give it out of love. But in the end he always looks like the bad guy.

Monroe sniffles finally looking her big brother in the eyes. "I'm sorry Taj." And we all knew what that meant. It meant that she did in fact like always need him.