Onika Kravitz
I sighed, kicking off my shoes at the front door. It was about 7:30pm and the kids should be arriving from Sandi's at any moment now. Today was a very hectic day, and I couldn't wait for it to be over.
After stopping by all three of my boutiques, I had a nail appointment. In the middle of my nail appointment, someone side-swiped my car, knocking my mirror off. I was forced to call my dad, so he could take me to Enterprise to get a rental car after my car was towed. Once the car was towed, we were literally in Enterprise for four-fucking-hours. Then after that, I had go back to get my nails finished because there were only three nails done.
Pissed wasn't a great enough word to describe how I was feeling, but I guess it could've always been worst. I hadn't even had time to worry about grabbing anything to eat, and I knew that the kids would probably want something before the headed to bed for school.
As I looked through the fridge, I made a mental note to go grocery shopping in the morning. "Mommy open up". I could hear Asani's sweet voice coming from outside, which was mixed with light knocks and doorbell rings.
I slowly walked to the door, opening it. Ace and Asani walked in, with Aubrey following them. As usual, Aiden slept peacefully in his car seat as Aubrey carried him.
"Why didn't your mother drop them off"? He looked up at me, sitting Aiden's car seat on a chair that rested in the foyer. "Ace and Asani, go and get your things ready for school".
"You got a problem with me dropping them off now"? I rolled my eyes, "I don't give a damn about that Aubrey, but I do care about your consistency in their lives. You missed Ace's tournament, he waited for you to show up".
"I was busy, I took him to breakfast this morning to make up for it. So what's your problem now"? I smacked my lips, "You shouldn't have to make up for anything, you should've been there. I feel like I'm raising OUR kids ON MY OWN"!
"Onika what the fuck do you want from me? You do this everytine I come over here. I try to be a family, you leave me and go to your parents. I try to be in their lives and you complain! What do you want"?
I rolled my eyes, "That's what you will not do! You will not sit here and blame everything on me, as if I'm the cause of all of this! You decided to step out on me, you're the reason I left. You acted as if you didn't want this family, so why are you complaining now? All I want is for you to actually spend time with your kids, come to their events, come to Aiden's doctor appointments. SHIT! It's not hard, but you don't give a damn. You're out here living like you don't have three children yearning for you attention everyday. Then you expect me to settle for a fucking breakfast date once a month, no! That's not how you raise children".
I remembered everything like it was yesterday. It had been a few years since Asani was born and we were living in a condo together, engaged and everything. I thought that everything between us was finally coming together, we seemed to be happier than ever. I don't remember the exact day, but it was sometime in the winter. Atlanta isn't too big on snow, but it was raining really bad. At this time, I didn't have a car due to mechanical issues and Aubrey was driving me around. Asani was really sick, she'd been having on and off colds and fevers for weeks, and seemed to literally be giving me hell. She had been up the entire night crying and her temperature didn't seem to be budging. Aubrey had been out all night so I was home alone, dealing with Asani's sickness and Ace impatient attitude. My mother had given me a few home remedies that only seemed to last for a few hours. At about 3:00am, I had finally got Asani and Ace to go to sleep and made a promise to take Asani to the hospital in the morning if she felt any worse.
When I woke up to the sobbing of Asani at about 8:00am, Aubrey still wasn't home and I had no way to the hospital. I called and texted him, but got no response. Like usual, my parents were always there whenever I needed them and took me to the hospital. After sitting at the hospital with Asani for nearly five hours with my father and mother, Aubrey decided to call. Aubrey insisted that he'd gotten drunk and stayed at a friend's house. I gave less than a fuck about his excuse and put all my focus on Asani, making sure that she would be okay. A few days later, the stripper ended up contacting him and I found out about everything.
Not only did he leave his fiancée and two kids alone the entire night, he was out cheating while his daughter suffered. I was past upset and hurt, and disregarded any excuse or apology he thought he could give. I gave him the ring back, 'telling him he could stick it up his ass' and moved out of that condo. I packed all of our things up and moved into one bedroom at my parents' home. Soon after, I found out about Aiden. Aubrey became a whole new person, the new 'it' man of Atlanta and I hated it.
"I'll just leave before we turned this into something bigger than it has to be. If it's not a problem with you, I'd love to pick them up on Friday and take them out". I rolled my eyes, "My parents already asked for them. Why can't you actually get them on a week day? Help them with their homework? Take them to school and make sure Aiden gets to daycare on time? Why are you making me do the hard work alone"?
"Like I said, I'm not about to argue. I'll pick them up from your parents house on Sunday and keep them until Tuesday, I have a flight to catch Tuesday night so make sure you pick them up from school". Without saying anything else he left my home and walked out of the doors.
At times, he could be so nonchalant and so inconsiderate. I couldn't make a man be a man, and sure as hell I couldn't teach him to be a father.
Taking Aiden out of his car seat, I carefully carried him upstairs, placing him into his nursery to finish his nap. After making sure Aiden was okay for the next for hours, I went to check on Ace and Asani. I started with Ace first since his room was closer to Aiden's.
"Is everything okay baby"? He nodded his head, "Well why aren't you getting your things ready for school tomorrow"? He pouted, "Mommy, I heard you and daddy arguing. I don't like when you argue because he's yelling and you're yelling. It makes me mad ma, I don't like it".
His words made my heart melt. "Baby no matter how much me and your dad argue, we both love you unconditionally. I'm sorry that we argue, but there's just somethings that grown-ups go through".
After talking with Ace for a little bit more, I made sure Asani and him were showered and had everything ready for bed. I picked out their uniforms for school tomorrow and made sure to pack their lunches. They'd already ate with Aubrey, so I focused on finding me a quick snack and showered. After showering, I bathed Aiden and fed him for the night. Finally, my entire house was at peace and all of my munchkins were sleeping.
••
After dropping the kids off at school, I decided to go and visit my parents. Even though I'd saw my dad yesterday, I could never get enough of seeing my parents. As I carried Aiden's carseat up the steps, my dad seemed to open the door at the perfect time.
"Let me handle that baby". I sighed, handing Aiden over to my dad. "Thanks dad, he's been killing me". My dad laughed, closing the door as I walked in.
"Where's mommy and Zoe"?
"Mom is on her way back from the grocery store for Ms.Pedwin. Zoe had to work today".
Now, Ms.Pedwin was literally that neighbor from hell while I growing up. I couldn't do shit without her snitching on me. She sat in a her window everyday, watching my every move. My parents, they loved her though. Now that she's older, my parents usually go grocery shopping for her and make sure she has everything she needs.
"I thought her granddaughter was helping her out now". He nodded his head, "She is, but she was busy today so her grandson should be coming over very soon".
"I never even knew she had grandkids, she was so damn mean". My dad laughed, "Ms.Pedwin was a sweet lady, you're just mad because she always caught you doing things you had business doing".
As me and my dad continued to laugh about Ms.Pedwin, someone knocked on the door. I told my dad that I would get it, figuring that it was just my mom. When I opened the door, a golden angel stood before me. I looked him into the eyes as he stared into mine, for a moment, I was actually speechless.
"This is the Kravitz home, right"? He asked, breaking the silence. I nodded my head, "Yes, you must be Ms.Pedwin's grandson". He nodded his head, "Yes, I'm Travis. You must be Ms.Lisa"?
I laughed, allowing him to step in. "No that's my mother".
"Zoe"? He asked, trying again. I shook my head, "That's my little sister, I'm Onika". I reached out for a handshake, but he pulled me into a hug.
"Oh yeah, my sister told me about you guys. She said that your parents had another daughter that doesn't live here, so I'm guessing she was referring to you". I nodded my head, "Yes, that's me".
I watched him as he ran his fingers through the tip of his beard. "So, I came by so your mom could give me the groceries".
"Oh, she's not back yet but my dad is here if you need anything else". As if he knew we were speaking of him, he met us in the living room. "You must be Travis", my dad said as he reached out for a handshake. "Yes, nice to meet you Mr.Kravitz".
"Nice to meet you too son, I'm Lenny. My wife should be back any minute now, she loves to take her time with things so sorry if she's taking a little bit too long". He laughed a little, "No she's fine, I've been next door to check on my grandmother and she's watching some show on television, not really caring about those groceries".
My dad nodded his head, "Well do you want a beer or something while you're waiting"? Travis shook his head, "I only drink Heineken or Modelo, you got that". My dad nodded his head, "Most definitely, be right back".
My dad walked away to go and get the beers, leaving Travis and I alone. Travis looked at me and I looked at him, but neither of us said anything. "You said your name was Onika, right"? I nodded my head, "Yeah, why"?
He shrugged, "Its different". I laughed, "Its African, meaning warrior. As you can see, my dad is a 'different' kind of man". I said, taking a quick glance around their home that was decorated with so many different type of things.
As soon as my dad walked back into the living room, Aiden began to cry which meant that he woke up from his nap. "I'll be back", I said while walking away to check on Aiden.
Travis, he was a very handsome man. He looked to be in his early to mid twenties, but still very handsome. The way he looked into my eyes was different, it gave me a vibe I'd never felt before. Now, I know it may seem like I'm being a little thirsty or just need some sexual attention but I'm serious. When we locked eyes, it felt like that man had snatched my soul from my body and we'd never even had a conversation.
After getting Aiden and making him a bottle, I walked back into the living room. Aiden squirmed around in my arms, trying to find the most comfortable spot. I sat down on a couch across from the men as they watched some shit that played on ESPN.
"That's your son"? Travis asked as I fed Aiden his bottle. I nodded my head, "Yeah, his name's Aiden. You have any?". He shook his head, meaning no.
My dad excused himself for an important phone call, which left Travis and I alone once again.
"He's your only child"? I shook my head, "No I have a 10 year old son and a 5 year old daughter, then there's Aiden, he's 3 months".
He looked at me, with a shocking expression written across his face. "So you're telling me that you're a mother of three"? I nodded my head, "You don't believe me"?
He laughed, "I mean you look really young and you damn well don't look like you've carried three babies, let alone one". I laughed, "Well I'm 30 to be exact, and I'm most definitely a mother of three".
He look at me, not saying anything for a few seconds. "How would you feel about talking to a man that's under thirty, let's say about twenty-five". I shrugged my shoulders, "Love has no limits, but it all depends".
"Well would you allow me to take you out? Get to know you a bit more"? I looked at him, "What would a man like yourself want with a woman like me? How do you know that I'm not married"?
"For one, you don't have a ring on your finger so I figured you wasn't. And what do you mean by a man like me"? I looked at him, "I'm guessing you're 25, no children as you say. I just don't see what you would have in common with a 30 year old who's a mother of three".
"Well we can find something in common and your children aren't a problem, they're apart of you, so that's something I'm willing to accept". I smiled, hearing his sweet words, but I was knocked out of my thoughts when my mother walked through the doors.
••
I'll do Aubrey's POV next chapter ☺️
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