A Friend in Me

14

It was already two months after the Houston trip and Kimberly was now back in Philly. She was feeling more better since she was nowhere near her mother, Cherry. She had came to conclusion that she needed to start taking responsibility on how she let people treat her.

Forgiveness was a weakness for Kimberly. She forgave her mother so many times only to be betrayed and harmed numerous occasion by her. Kimberly was happy when Cherry showed her real self on Christmas. The whole dispute was Cherry putting Kimberly down for her own mess ups. Cherry had so much of her mother in her— she couldn't see Kimberly as her own child but as a animal.

Yet, Kimberly had her own child to protect and raise. She was over it.

Kimberly rested her head on the back of couch and took deep breathes while Usher's Superstar song played on the television. She was tired. Mackenzie and she went everywhere today to decorate Kimberly's old shoe room into Mackenzie's bedroom. She let Mackenzie get whatever she wanted and she ran Kimberly's pockets up.

Kimberly adored her daughter. She was the brightest person that she ever seen. She was always so happy and giggling, just like Kimberly was when she was a child. Mackenzie was into music and writing stories like her mother. Kimberly loved it.

Being with Mackenzie changed her perspective on life. Kimberly viewed life at a different angle. She saw life a a dark tunnel with no road ahead, but with Mackenzie, she saw a road and sunshine.

She sat down and ask her daughter what she liked and her what she wanted when she grows up. Kimberly knew she had make better responsibilities for herself and fast before it was too late.

Her cell phone began to rang and she picked it up off the coffee and answered it.

"Hello." She grabbed the remote and paused the song.

"Good evening this is Rashad King. My daughter Jayla, she in class with Mackenzie at Bluford." The father Rashad spoke.

"Oh yes—in Miss Carangi's class."

"Yes, Jayla gave all of the girls in her class invitations to her birthday party in three weeks. I just want to know did you receive the invitation from Mackenzie?" He asked.

"No, let me ask her." She put the phone on mute and went to Mackenzie's room. Mackenzie was laying on her bed, playing with the iPad.

"Macky, did you get an invitation to Jayla's birthday party?" She asked. Mackenzie rolled her eyes.

"I threw it away in the restroom at school." She answered.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because she's stupid. We on the same math team and we lost because she didn't know how to add. You told me not to hang around with dumb people." She went back typing on the iPad.

Kimberly turned around and went to her seat on the couch and press un-muted. "She said she lost it. This is my cell —may you send it to me through text."

"No problem. Mrs. Davidson, I will send it in a few minutes. Have a goodnight."

"Goodnight." The call ended.

Her phone rang again and she saw it was Arianna. She let the phone go off three more times before answering it.

"Hello."

"Hey Kimmy. I was just calling seeing how you were doing. Haven't talked to you see the Christmas party and was just wandering if you were doing good. What's going on?"

"Oh,oh, I'm doing fine. Just been busy with a lot of things out here and thank you for checking on me. I should be checking on you — you're the one who's about to pop soon. So how you've been?" She laughed nervously.

"I'm good girl. I had the baby shower two days ago. It was great. A lot of Duke's family from Chicago came for Spring Break and we had a great time. I'm just ready for DJ to come so I can get this wedding ready started."

"Do you have a date yet?" Kimberly asked. She stood up from the couch to check on Mackenzie. She went to her door to hearing her singing Queen Najia's 'Medicine'.

"We've picked December eighth" Arianna said. "I'm sure you can make it."

"You know I'm coming, but why so soon?" She walked into the kitchen.

"Duke job is moving him to D.C. next year in February, so we just wanted to get everything done now. We've been together since we were 14 and 17 and I'm ready to get it over."

Kimberly nodded her head understanding. "Well, that's good. I'm sure you would love it out there."

"Yeah. I'll be closer to we can probably see each other more since we kind of parted ways."

"We parted ways?" Kimberly asked. "Last time I remembered you befriended someone and kicked me to the side."

Arianna rolled her eyes and twisted her lips. "Bitch! Don't tell me you're still butt hurt over that?!"

"I'm not, but learn to choose your words Ari." Kimberly sarcastically stated.

Kimberly did a Arianna on Arianna. She was always correcting people on how to talk since she was a English teacher and she was always like that.

Both women wrapped up the conversations. Arianna sat on her bed bluffing about how Kimberly talked to her on the phone. She looked at best friend Mariah who listened to the call.

"That bitch needs to humble herself. Grew some balls over time. You need to get it out of her." Mariah shook her head at how disrespectful Kimberly was to Arianna.

"I don't know how I'm going to get it out of her. Not over the phone. Fat bitch fucked my fiancé and didn't think I wasn't going to find out." Red face Arianna started shaking. She knew she was going to beat Kimberly's ass after Duke Junior comes.