in your dreams

making a list, checking it twice

"Quit calling my baby Say-Say. You know he would pop you in the mouth if he heard you calling him that."
"Yeah cause he mean as hell," Imani said sitting back in her chair.
"He not mean. He just has boundaries."
"Aisha he's 4."
"So. My baby can have boundaries however old he is." I closed my eyes once again and got comfortable.

"Oh and Dre made a fire."
"A fire?!" Rayven yelled. I waved my hand at her letting out a little laugh.
"Knowing Dre, he probably burnt something up tryna get Soleil under control." They both laughed at that. "I'm not going home until I feel like it. Maybe Dre will learn that he can't keep giving Soleil whatever she want."
"And what about Salem?"
"I'll make it up to him later," I mumbled. "But they'll be fine."

Dre's POV

"Soleil please just get down and eat."
"NO!"

She was currently standing on top of the counter with her clothes on backwards and arms crossed. I shook my head and looked down at my son. He was eating slowly, eyes moving between me and Soleil, seeing what was gone happen next.
"I guess when Santa come he only leaving presents for Say."

Soleil gasped, before stomping her feet. "That's not fair!"
"What's not fair is you throwing a fit and not sitting down and eating your food. Now get down."
She stared me down, giving me the same mug her mama do when she mad at me. "You eat it."

I could feel my patience wearing thin and I knew Aisha was right. I was letting Soleil get away with too much.

"Soleil Rain Benjamin," I said through gritted teeth. "I'm not gone tell you again to get down."

"NO!" She stomped her foot again for emphasis.
Without thinking about it, I grabbed her and sat her in the chair next to her brother.
"Eat Now!"
Her mouth immediately turned down into a frown and her eyes got watery.
"I no want too!!" She yelled, while flipping her whole plate over onto the counter.

"I done had enough of this," I mumbled. I grabbed her by both arms, taking her off the chair and putting her in the corner, her nose almost touching the wall.
"Now you gone stand here and think about what you just did."

She turned to look at me and I almost took it back immediately from the look on her face. "I gotta be in timeout?"
"Yes Soleil. You haven't been listening to daddy all day and you just threw your food everywhere. Time-out is the nicest thing I can do right now."
"Am I gone get a whoopin?"
"No, but I'ma have to tell Santa about this. And I don't think he gone be too happy."
She immediately burst into tears and turned back towards the wall. You would've thought I killed her puppy from the way she was crying.

I shook my head before going back to the counter and started cleaning up her mess. After what felt like hours but was mere minutes, I told Soleil she could come out of timeout.
"You can come out of timeout now Rain. And I made you some more lunch."
"I don't want it."
She turned and ran up the stairs to what I assume was her room and I could hear her little cries, breaking my heart.

"Is Mama gone whoop So-yay when she get home?" Salem asked, staring at me.
"Now when have mama ever whooped y'all Say?"
"Well mama said So-yay need one," he replied reminding me of Aisha's comments earlier. We always said we would never put our hands on our kids like our parents did us, and we never had to or even thought about it.

"Your mama was just talking Say. We would never whoop yall."
"Okay." There was a pause before he started talking again. "But if she get one, I think she can be okay after."
I laughed before giving Salem a kiss on the forehead. "I'll remember that Say."

We sat there in silence between the two of us, Salem finishing up eating. Soleil's cries could be heard and my heart was breaking. I took the stairs up two at a time, before getting to her room. The door was open and she was laid across her bed, shoulders shaking with the tears she was crying.