"You're not mine and I'm not yours
But I wish you were, and I wish I was
Turn back the clock, baby I'll be so much better
We could be better"
We Could Be Better - Janine and the mixtape
September
Janae
"Mama?" I walked through my grandmother's apartment door. I was finally off from Clinical and decided to pay her visit.
We hadn't really spoken since the last time I spent time with her but I couldn't go to long without seeing her. She poked head out from her room and smiled.
"Give me a second, there's food on the stove go help yourself" she laughed.
"Okay, is it something good ?!" I asked.
Going into the kitchen and realizing she had made lasagna, rice and peas and baked chicken, I knew something was up. She either had some good news for me, or she was expecting someone other than me tonight. I decided to just cut my self a piece of the lasagna being that I couldn't wait any longer. As I sat the plate on the kitchen table, I heard a knock at the door. Sighing to myself because I was hungry.
"I'm coming" I shouted to the door, thinking this hungry ass guest had to be Lisa.
Not bothering to look through the peep hole, I opened the door only to be caught completely off guard.
"You got to be kidding me" I said out loud as I was faced with Dave and his daughter.
"Hello to you too" he rolled his eyes.
"What are you doing here?"
"Your grandmother invited me over for dinner"
"For what ?"
"To eat duh, now can we come in or nah?" he looked down at me.
"Yes"
I stepped to the side, here I stood in fucking scrubs and he popped up at my grandmother's house looking like a snack, meal and dessert. I shook my head of my thoughts.
"What Mama Gee made?" he asked me as he sat down at one of the empty chairs at the table.
He started taking off Kaiya's track jacket off and helping her get situated. I walked over to where he sat and put my hands out to see if Kaiya will go with me. She smiled at me and lifted her arms, letting me know she wanted to be carried. I smiled at her and Dave let her go to me.
"Mama made Lasagna and Moro y pollo" I spoke to Kai in spanish, as I showed her the food on the stove.
"Oh it's lit" he responded to us.
I held Kai in one arm and grabbed a plate with my free hand.
"Can she eat any of this?" I turned to look at him.
"She can have some chicken and lasagna, the pasta part you know" he smiled.
I turned my attention back to the task at hand, I cut up a piece of chicken and lasagna for Kaiya. I walked back to the table with her plate and a little fork for her.
"You ain't going to serve me?" He looked at me.
"You can help yourself, children eat first here" I sat down with Kaiya in my lap.
In that very moment my grandmother came out from the back and walked into the kitchen.
"Oh David, you're here. Como estas mijo?" She walked over to him and gave him a hug.
"I'm good, hanging in there"
"Oh look the baby, pero que grande"
My grandmother looked at me then to Kaiya, she pinched her little cheeks. I was feeding Kaiya some chicken from her plate.
"David you know my grand baby Janae?" My grandmother tried to fake introduce us.
"Yeah, uhm we've met" he said a little hesitant.
"I'm sure"
"Y tu con la nina?" [Why you holding the baby?] she asked me.
"So that I can feed her" I responded looking at Kai, not wanting to look at Dave nor her.
"You're not going to eat Dave?"
"Yeah, was waiting for the okay" he said making me roll my eyes.
"Come, come!" [Eat!Eat!]
"I am, just pass me a plate" he laughed, getting up and following Mama to the stove.
Mama came back and took the seat directly in between us, I watched as Dave took his seat opposite of me. My grandmother said grace and we all began to eat our food. I had no clue he was going to be here and why the hell was he even here. Kaiya sat in my lap munching on a piece of chicken as I ate some of my lasagna.
"So, I called you both here tonight for a reason" Mama spoke, causing us both to put our forks down and pay attention to her.
"It has been brought to my attention" she sighed.
"That you two are an item, were an item or trying to be" she continued and I inwardly groaned.
Dave sat back in his seat, there was no way we both of us could bold face lie to my grandmother.
"We're not an item, never was one" I eyed him.
"But you do know him" my grandmother looked at me.
"Yes" I said looking at him.
"So why when I asked you over a month ago if you knew him and what was going on you sat here and lied to me" she asked.
"I didn't lie Mama, I really didn't know him like that"
"I am sitting right here" Dave laughed a little as he interjected.
"And you" she pointed to Dave.
"Yes mam"
"I didn't bring you here to scold you or remind you of who you" he nodded his head listening to her.
"I am here as a person who has seen you both grow, don't be running around your back yard and act like people do not see you two. And this aint even your neighborhood" she turned to me.
"So one of you or the both of you are going to tell me what is going on"
"Me and David, were talking in the last couple weeks, as for the last two weeks in half we're no longer seeing each other" I spoke up.
"What the hell is talking? Either you were dating or not"
"We were dating" Dave eyed me.
"No we weren't" I rolled my eyes.
"Which one was it?" Mama was getting annoyed.
"Your granddaughter won't admit it but we were dating, seeing each other from time to time. We're no longer on that" he rolled his eyes at me.
"He wasn't my boyfriend if that's what you want to know" I reassured Mama.
"I'm sure I knew that" she gave me a look.
"So why are we here, well him. This is practically my house" I looked at both of them.
"Because when the streets talk, I want to know" she looked at me.
"To walk around my neighborhood and someone is telling me they saw my granddaughter with a drug dealer" she looked over at Dave who looked down at his food.
"If you both telling me this is nothing than I have nothing more to inquire about" I looked at her.
"You don't" Dave said, and the way his tone was I knew he meant that shit.
"You didn't tell my parents" I looked over at Mama.
"I don't interfere like that, that's why we're here. And Dave I didn't mean to make you feel any way with what I said. I'm repeating what's been told to me."
"I hear you Mama" he looked at her.
"Why do you both look like someone died ?" She looked at me.
I looked at Dave than to her, I didn't really know what to say.
"It's better to get it out now than live with regret" she looked over at me.
"I don't have anything to say" I looked down at Kaiya.
"It was fun while it lasted" Dave admitted, looking at me and than to Mama.
"Don't be over stepping your boundaries with my baby" my grandmother laughed.
"Oh no, not at all. I just learned a lot" he smiled at me.
"Mama, why we really here?" I asked not buying this whole thing.
"I just want you to know, that you can't lie to me. I'm gonna always find out the truth. I wanted you both to sit down with me. Cause I knew Dave wouldn't lie to me"
"Are you giving us your blessing?" Dave asked and I shot him a look.
"Even if I was David, I could tell you two don't even know how to communicate with each other" she eyed me.
Dave sat back in his seat, this was clearly making him uncomfortable.
"I'm not here to point out what is wrong with you two, but listening is key, and communication is an even bigger key. Clearly that's the issue here since ya two been sitting here rolling eyes and undermining each other. I suggest if you can't work on that, then you two should go your separate ways"
I looked down at Kaiya, I just continued feeding her this was awkward as fuck.
"Dave you wanna go ?" I looked at him and Mama looked at me with a surprised look.
"Say no more" he got up, picking up his plate and mine.
Excuse the mistakes ...
Drop your thoughts ...
Mama Gee thoughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
xoMissGabyGee