Broken Mirrors | All American

nineteen

Lauren fiddled with her fingers as she stared at Tyrone. He paid her awkwardness no mind, eating the pancakes.

"You need anything?" The waitress asked.

Tyrone declined, telling Lauren to eat once she'd walked away. Lauren continued to stare, taking in the delicious smell of the food.

"I'm assuming you won't eat so let's talk. Why don't you tell me exactly how it happened?"

"What?" She questioned.

"I wanna know what went down the day you left me."

"Not this."

"Yes. I deserve to know."

"What we can talk about is your criminal record. And who is this Monique girl?"

Tyrone clenched his jaw upon hearing the name.

"That ain't got nothing to do with you. We're here to talk about you."

Lauren scoffed.

"Did your therapist tell you to do this? This is harassment."

Tyrone chuckled at her statement.

"Why is it so hard for you to just tell the truth? You should eat. Don't want your food getting cold."

Lauren huffed, picking up the fork. She wondered if telling him would make him disappear.

"Screw it. You really wanna know what happened?"

"That's what I've been saying the whole time."

"Your father died, okay? He was murdered but it seems like he's sitting across from me. I was a new mother, you were only-"

"I know how old I was."

She scoffed, continuing.

"Your father was murdered doing the exact same thing that you're doing."

"And you don't think that if you took care of me, maybe, just maybe, I would've turned out different? I could be in the NBA or an artist.."

"I know.."

"Do you? Go on, continue." He chuckled.

"I did this so you could have a better life. I knew that I would have trouble facing you everyday. I left you outside the bar and... didn't look back."

Tyrone laughed.

"You real funny, mama."

"Can you, please, not call me that?"

"You're my mother, aren't you? Isn't that what this paper says?"

He placed his birth certificate on the table, pointing to her name.

"I found out about the old man, too. He wouldn't have gotten killed if he listened to you and stayed home, right?"

Lauren gripped the handle of the fork as the memories overwhelmed her.

It was true. She hadn't felt right that day and made sure it was known. He simply ignored her, leading to his death.

Tyrone put the paper in his pocket, sipping his water. Lauren blinked away tears, shaking her head as she stared at him.

"What happened to you?" She lowly inquired.

"You mean when you left? I opened my eyes to these white men. They were standing over me talking about the cops. I couldn't even tell them where I lived and you were nowhere to be found."

"What do you want from me?"

"Nah, I know where you were. You were sleeping with that married dude, right? Your man wasn't even dead for a month and you were in another nigga's pants." Tyrone laughed.

Lauren stared at her son, feeling nothing but shame. He was a psychopath and she blamed herself.

At Essence Park, Dillon ran around, playing with his friends. Many people attended his birthday party, bringing gifts and food.

Sydney giggled just as Spencer and Dillon tackled her to the ground. Spencer groaned, receiving the harsh pain as he shielded Sydney's body with his.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Dillon yelled, running off.

Sydney laughed, trying to calculate what had happened. She turned to Spencer who laid on the ground, groaning from the back pain.

"Need a hand?"

He nodded, grabbing her extended hand and getting up. He pulled her in, kissing her cheek.

When his eyes landed on Corey approaching, he quickly pulled away.

"Oh, babe, I forgot to tell you-"

"Hi!" Corey interrupted Spencer, smiling at the teenager.

Sydney looked to Spencer who shook his head.

"My dad is back."

"Yeah, uh, I'm Corey."

"Sydney." She smiled, shaking his hand.

"Dad, this is my girlfriend."

"I knew there was something going on between you two."

Corey smiled. Spencer cleared his throat, not wanting to be fake.

"Hey, uh, I think mom still needs our help." He said, pointing to Grace organizing her son's gifts.

"Well, I can help." Corey offered.

"No, we're okay." Spencer declined as he and Sydney walked away.

"Is everything okay between you two?" The girl asked.

"Nah. He leaves eight years ago then come backs last year.. and still doesn't call. Now he wants to act like everything is fine? I'm good on that."

Once the gifts were organized, Spencer excused himself, making his way to Coop. He glanced to Preach who was nearby.

Sydney stared at Preach as he leaned against the fence. She could feel eyes on her which had started to become annoying.

Preach simply confirmed who she was. Tyrone's instructions were to watch out for Coop and the teenager whom he had a mysterious connection with.

Once the party came to an end, everyone cleaned up, going into their homes. Spencer carried an exhausted Dillon in the house, lying him on the couch.

Sydney covered him with the blanket, tugging on Spencer's shirt once Grace shut her bedroom door.

"Is everything okay with Coop?"

Spencer looked to her unsure of the right answer.

"I don't know.."