Nasty Grind

65

Zana

A few days later I had found myself in Brownsville, standing in front of a two story brick house. I opened the white picket fence, and walked up the porch. I swung the screen door open and knocked softly, taking deep breaths before a white woman appeared in the doorway.

"I must be dreaming right now." Ms. Sara said smiling with her arms wide open for a hug. "Tarzana Andrews, how are you beautiful?"

I hugged her tightly. I hadn't seen Ms. Sara in over a year, and she was still a beautiful spirit. "I'm good, Ms. Sara, how are you?"

"I'm doing okay, I finally retired. Come on in."

I walked inside of her home, and looked around at all the pictures of her family on the wall. Her old furniture with flower patterns printed on them, and the wide screen television was on a talk show. I set on her sofa and she set next to me.

"Last I've heard, you've gotten yourself married." She said patting my lap, "congratulations."

"Thanks, but it's not a happy ever after, I always dreamed about unfortunately." I sighed.

"How so?"

"My marriage may be over, and my friendship with Kiara too."

Ms. Sara wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "Oh child, let me tell you something, there will always be hardships in any relationship. You have the good, and the bad, but as long as you fight for the ones you love, there will always be room for growth. I know you love that man, and I know he loves you too. Don't give up if he's the one for you."

"I don't want to give up on Chris at all. But he was right when he said that I had skeletons in my closet."

Ms. Sara laughed, "who doesn't have skeletons in their closets? When I got married years ago, I kept my marriage a secret. Marrying a black man was not at all what my family ever dreamed of me doing. When they found out about us, they cut me off completely. But you know what?"

"What's that Ms. Sara?"

"I wouldn't trade my life with Curtis at all. We have two beautiful girls, and forty beautiful years."

"Wow." I smiled and hugged her. "I'm so happy for you and Mr. Curtis."

"It was a hard journey, but we made it as one. Now you don't give up on Chris, I don't know what's running through that boys head, but I do know you could change his mind."

"Thank you."

"Now," Ms. Sara stood to her feet, "I'll make us some tea, and we can catch up on a few things, and the reason I wasn't invited to your wedding."

I followed Ms. Sara to her kitchen, and set down at the table. We caught up with each other's lives. I really missed her, she was like a second mother to me, and I appreciated all her wise words.

After an hour or so, I got in my car and headed back to the city. I had missed a call from a unrecognizable number, and called it back.

"About time you called back." I knew that voice anywhere. Maria, why the hell was she calling my phone?

"What do you want, Maria?" I asked turning on to my parents street.

"Look, no hard feelings, Zana, but I really did want you to come clean to Kiara. She deserved to know before she walked down the isle. You can be mad at me all you want, but I just wanted to let you know that at 5pm today, we'll be at Decor Cakes downtown."

"Kiara doesn't want me there." I sighed.

"Make her want you there. I don't want to break up you two friendship, but I know she wouldn't enjoy herself if you wasn't at her wedding standing beside her. Now, bring your ass to Decor Cakes, and talk to her." She said.

"Okay, I'll be there, but I'm telling you, she doesn't want me there." I still couldn't believe Maria was trying to mend me and Kiara's friendship. She was right about one thing, Kiara deserved to know the truth.

"Oh, and Zana."

"Yeah?"

"I still don't like your black ass." Maria said before hanging up. I sighed, and threw my phone in my purse, getting out of the car.

Mama was sitting on the porch with a newspaper in her hand. Daddy was next to her on the swing on the porch. I set down next to mama, and set in silence. I wanted what my parents had; everlasting love.

"Have you talked to Chris?" Daddy asked me.

"Nope." Was all that I had to say.

"I have." Daddy smiled at me.

I looked confused. "Why are you talking to him, after he has broken things off with me?"

"Because my baby girl, you are the one in the wrong. You don't keep secrets from your significant other."

"Easy for you to say."

"What do you mean Zana?" Mama asked.

"I'm just protecting the ones I love." I tried beating around the bush, but my parents caught on.

"Carson?" Daddy asked.

I nodded, it had always been hard keeping things away from them, they knew everything.

"Carson's a big boy, you can't protect his dumb ass forever."

I sighed, "but he had done something bad to protect me. I couldn't tell Chris."

"Carson's out here living his own life, while fucking up yours. You rather be unhappy and keep him happy?" Ma asked me. "I love my son, and I would go to the ends of the Earth for him, but if that meant risking my own marriage for my son, that's a big fat no from me."

Daddy chimed in, "and that should be a no for you too."

I nodded, I understood where my parents were coming from, it just breaks my heart that I was dealing with Carson's aftermath in my own marriage.

"Go and talk to that boy, and be completely honest with him." Daddy said to me.

I got up and decided to leave and talk to Chris. I needed to talk to my man and be honest with him about everything. I was going to fight for my marriage until I had no fight left in me.