Encino-M.J

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Althea slipped on a pair of jeans and a blouse and packed away her vanity before going to the bathroom to freshen up. To her surprise, Michael was packing away their toiletries.

"Mind if I brush my teeth before you pack everything away?" She quipped.

Michael grinned as he tossed a bottle of his aftershave into the box.

"Don't be long, baby. I wanna get out of here by lunch. Feelin' okay this morning?"

Althea grinned and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm fine, Mike," She replied. "I can't wait until we get to the new house,"

He bent down, kissing her lips.

"Me too, Thea,"

After Althea had gotten herself ready for the day, they paused on the packing to join the rest of the family for their last breakfast at Hayvenhurst.

The table seemed to overflow with food. A platter of pancakes served as the centerpiece while bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns, and ham accompanied.

"Good morning," Kathrine spoke, breaking Althea's attention away from the food.

Joseph sat with his usual newspaper, sharing another section with Tito while T.J piled up his plate and Hazel helped Stacy reach for a piece of bacon her short little arms couldn't reach.

Althea refused to look at Jermaine. Even if it was her last day at Hayvenhurst, she couldn't gather the strength or tolerance to face him.

"Good morning," She greeted the family as she took her seat next to Michael. "What a lovely spread,"

Her mother-in-law flashed a tight-lipped smile as she brought her cup of coffee to her lips.

"Opal thought that you two might need extra energy for the big move," Kathrine replied.

Althea smiled as she helped herself to a few slices of ham. She owed her life to Opal.

"We haven't got too much to move, Mother," Michael replied. "We're not keeping any furniture,"

"I can't believe you're really moving out, Uncle Michael," T.J sighed. "You've always lived here. You've lived here since I was born,"

Michael chuckled as he placed a pat of butter on his pancakes.

"A man has to leave the nest someday, T.J," He shrugged.

The teenager shook his head as he sunk his fork into his eggs.

"But we've got everything you could want here, plus a maid. I don't think I'll ever leave,"

Jermaine nodded as he sipped his coffee.

"You can't satisfy everyone, T.J," He replied. "Some people are so ungrateful,"

His gaze settled on Althea and she instantly felt enraged. Wasn't the night that he attacked her enough? Would he keep bothering her until she was dead?

"You don't get to determine who's grateful and who's not," She retorted, slamming down her glass of orange juice. "I am beyond grateful for having lived here for the past few months but Michael and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives. We don't need your permission either,"

A hushed silence fell over the table and Michael smirked, satisfied that his wife could stick it to his condescending brother.

Patting the corner of her mouth with her napkin, Althea pushed herself away from the table.

"I have some more packing to do if you don't mind," She spoke politely.

Jermaine sent her a venomous gaze and she didn't hesitate to return it before pivoting on her heel and heading upstairs.