The Artist

Chapter 12

"Hey how's it going?" Leona asked Layla cautiously as she stood by her bedroom door.

"Fine" Layla muttered as she kept flipping through her book.

"May I come in?" Leona asked unsure.

"OK" Layla mumbled again.

"Sweetie please, you have to talk to me" Leona said as she approached Layla and sat beside her on the bed.

Its been over a week since Andre had dropped the bomb on them. And Leona couldn't forget how harshly Layla had behaved that night. Also ever since that night all Leona has gotten from Layla were monosyllables, she's being pretty much ignoring Leona.

Flashback

"Hey baby whose that at............ the door?" she trailed off once she saw it was.

"Mom its..." Layla began but was cut off.

"Andre" Leona said shocked. She have no idea what he was doing there on her doorstep.

"How did you find out where I live? How did you....? Wait don't answer that. What are you doing here?".

"Uhm hi" Andre answered nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?".

"Look, Andre I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean its kinda late and Layla and I were..." Leona started to say looking at her daughter before Andre cut her off.

"Leona please, we need to talk" he said seriously.

"Talk? Talk about what?" Leona asked slowly allowing him to come inside.

"Mom I'm gonna go to my room OK" Layla announced as she began walking off.

"No wait... She can stay" Andre said slowly.

"What!? Why?" Leona asked freaking out.

"This involves her and us" Andre said as a matter of fact.

"Mom what's going on?" Layla asked.

"Nothing sweetie. You can go" Leona said. What the hell was Andre doing.

"Leona she deserves to know" Andre said.

"Andre what are you doing?" Leona asked, her voice getting louder and angrier.

"Know what?" Layla asked looking between the two.

"Do you know who your father is?" Andre asked.

"No mom said he didn't care or believed she was pregnant with me. And throw her out" Layla confessed.

"Omg, oh no" Leona whispered putting her head in her hands.
"Andre stop you are way out of line!" She yelled at him.

"I thought you'd want to get it out..." Andre started but Leona cut him off.

"You thought wrong!" She yelled at him. "You can't come her and drop something like this".

"Mom! Please! What's going on? Who is he? And what is he talking about?" Layla asked.

"Sweetie I..." Leona began not sure how to break the news to her, but she knew she couldn't lie to her.

"Mom please..." Layla began but was stopped by Andre.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, and you probably hate me but I'm sorry I really am. But I am your father".