in your dreams

making a list, checking it twice

I heard him sigh. "You don't gotta be so hard on her, she just 4," he replied. I sauinted at him to make sure I heard correct.
"Me telling her to clean her room is being too hard on her?" I ask with a raised brow.
"You know what I mean A. Come on," he looked at me.
"Nah I don't. Why don't you explain it to me?"
Crickets.
"Yeah I thought so. You just a pushover cause that's your lil girl. We don't whoop our kids but Soleil need one."

He laughed at me before crossing his arms and tilting his head.
"What?" I questioned.

"You really don't think I can put my foot down when it comes to her?" I could tell he was being dead serious. I sighed before answering.
"It's not that I don't think you can, you just won't."
"Aisha man, you trippen."
"Am I? How about I go finish Christmas shopping and the twins stay here with you."
"Pshhh I can do that. You acting like I'm not they daddy."
"Yeah, they daddy who a pushover."

"Kids come say bye to your mama," Dre yelled out. "Mama, where you going?" I could hear Salem yelling out as he walked back into the kitchen.
"Ima go out with Auntie Imani and Auntie Rayven. I'll be back later on."
"You gotta promise to come back," Salem said with a pout.
"Of course I'ma come back Shy," I replied giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Bye mama!" Soleil yelled, wrapping her arms around me. "Bye Rain. Be good for your daddy."
"I'm always good," she said with a frown.

I looked at Dre and he waved me off. "Hurry up and get a move on so we can have a daddy and kids day."
Salem and Soleil both cheered at that, making me roll my eyes.
"Fine, I'm going. I'm going."
As I gathered my stuff, I could hear Soleil already starting up. "Daddy can we make cookies?"
"Soleil it's 10 in the morning."
He was finna go through hell.

                                 ________________

We were walking around a store when my phone rang for what felt like the millionth time and I had only been gone for half the day.
"Girl just answer. He not gone stop calling until you do."
I rolled my eyes before picking up.

"What Dre?"
I could hear a sniffle before a small voice started talking. "Mama," Salem whined.
"Hi Shy."
"Mama come back."
I laughed a little, shifting the phone in my hand.
"You not having fun with daddy?"
"No."

I let out an even bigger laugh, making my friends look at me crazy.
"And why not?"
"Cause ..."

I let out a sigh before turning and going down a random aisle, walking away from the girls.
"Okay, tell me why you not having fun."
"Cause daddy let So-yay do anything and she keep coming in my room."

Salem was so particular about his space, he hated when anybody would come in. It took him awhile to start letting me and Dre come in, and his sister was a definite no. He must've been real mad to say her full name instead of the nickname he gave her.

"And he made a fire in the kitchen," he added.
"A fire?!"
"Yeah and our food was all black."

I blew out a breath trying to remain calm.
"Salem Shyne! Who you calling?" I could hear Dre yelling in the background.
"Mama please come back," Salem whispered and then I heard the line beep, letting me know he hung up.

I walked back over to the girls and continued looking at things on the rack like nothing even happened. I could feel their eyes on me so I looked over and they were all staring at me like I was crazy.

"Can I help y'all?"
Imani was the first to respond. "You not gone tell us what happened?"
"Salem want me to come home cause Soleil doing whatever the hell she want to."
They all laughed at that. "Awwww Say-Say miss his mama," Rayven said with a fake pout.