𝓐𝓼 𝓦𝓮 𝓛𝓪𝔂

Ch.15: F**ked Around & Found Out

The phone rang & rang then went to voice mail so I called Earl's phone & my child answered it, with a bunch of commotion going on in the background.

"Hey, Pooberry. What you doing answering ya Papa's phone?" I asked putting my weight on one hip while I waited for her reply, grabbing a banana to snack on. I listened closely trying to see who voice that was in the background. It sounded so familiar but my baby talking distracted me as I now listened to her.

"He went in the backyard to feed the dogs, then he said we gon have some ice cream with sprinkles and cherries and and..." she went on until I interrupted her.

"Alright now Nevaeh Grace Howard, don't eat too much of that & be bouncing off the walls & running your grandparents up them" I joked & like I knew she would, she laughed. "Where's Nana?" I continued with my fifty lem questions & I heard her laugh in the background while also hearing the faint sound of the TV & two men talking. Sounded like it was getting a little heated too.

"Never mind. Mommy was just calling to check on you. I love you, be good & have a goodnight."

"I love you too Mommy. Goodnight" she replied, then we both hung up. I sighed & started eating the rest of my banana, thinking about nothing in particular as I looked around. Maurice came into the kitchen to grab him a beer & kissed my forehead before he reached the refrigerator.

"Y'all done laughing at me?" I asked with my mouthful.

"Been, we decided to watch a movie in the theater room since SOMEBODY doesn't know how to play shit. Just waiting on you" he smirked as he grabbed the beer & opened it. "What's on ya mind? I seen you in here lookin' like you were thinking of something" he asked as he leaned against the counter.

"Nothing" I sort of lied, because even though I wasn't particularly thinking of one specific thing, I was in my head.

"Lie" he said quickly. I smiled as I rolled my eyes at him knowing me too damn well & he smiled back in return.

"For real it's nothing...It's just...You still haven't talked to your mom & Christmas is coming up" I said as I looked down at the ground before looking at him again. His demeanor changed as he sighed & sipped more of his beer.

"She's the one that hasn't been coming around. She chose that Pickle Rick lookin' ass nigga over us, so it is what it is" he shrugged as he sipped some more and of course our goofy asses laughed at his joke before we got back serious.

"You don't mean that, baby. You're just upset still, which I get, but you gotta talk to her sometime Bae. It's almost Christmas."

"You're right & I'm not gonna lie, it hurts like hell. But I gotta live with the choice she made" he shrugged again.

"That you basically pushed her to..." I added & he cut his eyes at me before he downed the rest of his beer. He twisted the top back on before discarding it in the trash can near the back door.

"I don't see you talking to Senior" he pointed at me as he stood next to the refrigerator again, opening it & taking out another beer.

"That's different" I rebuttal, because it was.

"Oh really, how so? He pissed you off just like my mom did me & we're both not talking to them because of it. Seems the same to me" he replied as he opened the beer with a loud pop. He took a few sips & closed it, putting it back into the refrigerator. He walked closer to me & leaned onto the counter right beside me, his arm brushing against mine.

"No, it's not because your mom was always there. Y'all don't have...Well, didn't have a strained relationship" I grabbed his hand & looked at his finger nails, using my acrylic nail to clean the dirt from under them as we talked.