Remember the Time

Chapter 80

Noah peered up at his mother, curiously. It wasn’t quite clear what he was thinking.
Mariah snickered. “Ah- he’s getting so big.”

“I know! Everyday I look at him I notice something different.” Nina replied. She didn’t quite know what else to say to Mariah since the two had never been extremely close.

“That’s how it is with the girls. They just get-”

“Here.” Michael said, interrupting the two women. He held a plate filled with chicken wings in his hand, shoving them toward Mariah.

“Ooh, this looks good.” Mariah said.

Nina smiled. “Yeah, my mom made them. You can have as many as you want.”

Mariah took a huge bite of the wing. “Mhm, I sure will.”

Michael snickered.

“Don’t you even say anything.” Mariah commanded.

“I didn’t-”

“Michael. Do like you been doing and stop talking to me.” She interrupted.

Michael took a deep, agitated, breath, and walked away.

Nina’s eyes widened.

Was that really necessary?

January 22nd, 1999

While Nina and Mariah awkwardly talked, Noah escaped out of Nina’s grasp. He toddled into the next room with his other mother, Dawn.

“What you want, man?”

Noah pointed toward a half-eaten hamburger.

“You want your food?”

He nodded, prompting Dawn to hand him a piece of the patty.

He shoved the hamburger patty into his mouth, not even really chewing it before gulping it down and asking for more.

Dawn laughed. “Nah your mom’s gonna be mad at me if I keep feeding you this mess.”

Noah whined at his mother. Dawn was the one who spoiled him more than anything. He knew that if he couldn’t get his way, all he had to do was start hollering.

“More!” Noah shouted.

Dawn shushed him. “You can’t be hollering like that. We got comp-”

“Hi!” A tiny voice shouted from behind.

Dawn turned around and-

“Twin! What’s up baby Jackson?”

The twin smiled. “Hi!”

“You hungry too, sweetheart?” Dawn asked, kneeling down to the kids’ level.

The twin nodded her head.

“Okay, now, which one are you?”

“You?” The twin responded.

“Yeah, what’s your name?”

“Huh?” She asked.

Dawn giggled. “Do you know your name?”

The twin shook her head ‘no’.

“Okay, baby, let’s go ask your daddy which one you are, then see if we can get you something to eat.” Dawn stood up and grabbed the twin’s hand and her son’s hand. “Come on, Noah.”

They walked into the private room, now without Nina but with Mariah and Michael, who seemed annoyed with each other.

“Mike!” Dawn called out, trying to get Michael’s attention.