"I found a job at Ms. Flora's salon. You know, the one over there by daddy's old house." Trice told her mother as she walked into the house.
"That's nice." Shirley sat at her kitchen table, reading the newspaper.
"Where's Brice?" Trice asked.
"In his bedroom, probably playing that darn video game you got him." She answered, still not looking up.
"Let me go check on him." Trice headed out the kitchen and down the hallway.
Just as she entered her son's bedroom, her cell phone rang and it was Brent.
"Brice," Trice called her son's name to get his attention, "your dad is calling." She put the phone in his face and he grabbed it, pausing his game.
"Hey, dad." Brice answered the phone. "I'm good. Just playing my video game." He paused. "Yes, I did my homework."
Trice towered over her son, listening to his responses, easily making out what Brent was saying to Brice.
"Yes, she's right here." He continued to respond. "You're here?" He sat up to his knees with excitement, finally looking up to his mother. "Mama, daddy's here!" He got up quickly ran out the room.
Trice followed, except at a fast pace.
"Boy stop runnin in this house!" She heard her mother fuss as Brice.
Making it out the door, Trice paused when she saw Brent standing by his car. She watched her son cling on to his father.
Brent picked Brice up and then his eyes landed on Trice.
"Back so soon." Trice stepped off the porch, still keeping her distance.
"How are you?" He asked.
"I'm fine. Just got a job today. Start tomorrow." She said.
"So you're here for good?" He asked.
She nodded her head, just staring at him.
"Me too. I bought a house for us, not too far from here." He said.
She sighed. "Brent..." she didn't know what to say first.
"I know you're here with your mom and I know you and I aren't on the best terms right now, but I want to make this work. No matter what's going on, I still want you by my side. I want us to be together. Me, you, and Brice." He put his down. "What do you think about coming to live with daddy?" He asked his son.
"What about mommy?" He asked.
"Mommy can come too." Brent answered.
"Brent..." her head was tilted to the side. "You're making everything seem like it's easy to do."
"If you need time to really think about it, then I understand. I'll still be here and whenever you're ready, I'm still gonna be here."
"And what about your family back in Tennessee?" She asked, folding her arms.
"I already told them that I was moving. I will go back to see my kids, but that's it." He said. "My life is here now, with you and Brice."
"What about this whole thing with Kayla?" She asked.
"She and I will work to pay you that money back. Mainly me because my daughter was in a very bad situation." He explained.
"I don't know Brent." She look away into the street.
"Listen, if you need time, I understand. I'm willing to give you all the time that you need."
Suddenly a familiar car pulls up in front of the house. Trice's heart dropped when she saw Drew get out the car.
"Drew..." she took a quick glance at Brent. "What are you doing here?" She walked closer to his car.
"We need to talk." He said. He looked at the passenger door and said, "come on, Joy. Get out the car."
"What's going on?" She watched her daughter get out the car. "Hey Joy-Joy." She spoke in a soft motherly tone, extending her arm to get a hug from her daughter but Joy didn't move.
"Joy-Joy!" Brice ran into her arms and Joy hugged him.
"Brice go in the house for a moment, okay?" Trice instructed him.
"Awe, mama, why?"
"Brice, go in the house." Brent ordered, using a stern tone.
Both Joy and Drew looked over to Brent. Not noticing him before.
"Daddy, we didn't need to come here." Joy leaned against the car, folding her arms, glaring at her mom then her eyes spotted Brent holding her brother.
"What the hell?" Drew glared at Brent.
"Trice, I'ma get out of here." Brent back up a little. "Should I take Brice with me?" He asked.
"Yea," she answered. "We'll finish talking when I get home." She said in a tone that he understood which caused him to smile. Drew's glare didn't bother him none.
"Yea, go on and get ya kid and get out of here." Drew waved Brent off as Brent was already in motion to the front door.
"What's going on?" Trice looked between Drew and Joy.
"Your daughter is having some issues and we should talk this out. You and I, as adults, and the three of us as a family." He said. "We are her mother and father, so we are her family." He clarified.
"What's going on, Joy-Joy?" Trice reached for her daughters face to stroke, but Joy move her head away.
"Daddy, I don't want to talk to her." Joy looked away. "Can we go home?"
"I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this." Drew said calmly.
"I don't want to be here."
"Joy, what's the matter? Talk to me." Trice asked, using her same tone, stepping closer.
"No!" Joy back away. "Don't try to act like you want to be my mother now! I don't need you asking me anything!" Joy yelled, catching both of her parents off guard.
"Joy," Drew stood in front of her, blocking the view of her mother. "What's all that about? This is your mother." He kept his voice calm.
"No!" She shook her head, stepping away from him. "She's not. Every time I do something, you try to push me off to her and she does nothing! I'm sick of it!" Her chest heaved up and down from her heavy breathing.
Drew looked to Trice, not knowing what to do.
"Can we go home?" Joy asked in a calmer tone.
Drew shot Trice another look. "Yes," he sighed. "Get in the car and let me talk you your mom for a minute."
She as he said and he and Trice walked closer to the house and stopped just before they made it to the porch.
"What the hell is going on?" Trice questioned with frustration.
"I don't know. I came here thinking maybe you and I can figure this out together as her parents qbut I guess that's not gonna work."
"Why is my child even acting like that towards me?" Trice asked.
"You think she tells me?" Drew questioned her back. "I don't know what's going on, but I'll find out."
"Joy," Trice stepped to the car, knocking on the passenger's window, "sweetie, tell me what's going on."
Joy glared at her mom through the window and then looked away.
"Just give her some time. I'll talk to her and figure things out." Drew sighed. He knew he definitely had to get to the bottom of what's going on with Joy.
Suddenly, the passenger's door swung open almost hitting Trice as she stepped away. "You want to know what's going on?" Joy got out the car.
Both, Trice and Drew were caught off guard.
"You left what I was eight years old. You left me and daddy. You ran off with that man and then had a baby and for the longest it was like I didn't exist to you!" She yelled. Her chest heaved up and down and tears were running down her face. "Now, every time dad feels like he can't deal with me, he ships me off to you and when I'm with you, I get treated like a step-child while your son acts however he wants to."
Drew stood aside and allowed his daughter to express herself. He hated how it's directed towards her mother and hoped that something like this would never happened.
"Sweetie, there was so much going on at the time and I needed to go." Trice stated.
Joy rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh please, mama. I know why you left. And to me it's not a damn good reason to leave your daughter behind." Joy rolled her neck.
"You better watch your language, Joy." Drew gave her a stern look.
Joy cut her eyes at her dad.
"All I'm saying is, I don't get how you leave me for a while, then come back and try to be my mother and I'm supposed to act like everything is okay. It's not. You weren't there for me!"
"Joy, I've always been there for you. I called and kept in touch!" Trice began to argue.
"Yea, as if I were some long lost friend." Joy snapped. "My mama rather be laid up with her man than to be with her thirteen year old daughter when she gets her period." Joy narrowed her eyes at Trice.
Striking her daughter across the face, Trice gasped lightly. "Don't you ever in your life talk to me like that. I don't give a damn how you feel about me right now, I am still your mother." Trice wagged her finger in Joy's face.
Joy's hand rested where she was slapped and she didn't move.
"Okay, okay," Drew stepped in, "this has gone too far." He wrapped his arms around his daughter. "Joy, we're going home. Get in the car."
Trice paced as Joy got in the car.
"Look," Drew spoke to his ex-wife, "this is way too heated right now for the both of you."
"You're probably the reason she feels this way about me. Lord knows how much crap you filled her head up with about me!" Trice fussed at him.
"Don't go turning this over on me. You brought this on yourself. When you left, you weren't only leaving me, you were leaving our daughter. You chose to do that and I warned you not to, yet you went anyway so this is not my fault." He yelled at her.
"You got her on your side. Probably brainwashed her into thinking I'm the bad guy."
"What?" Drew gave her a crazy look. "She picked up on this all on her own. I barely talk about you around her so this is nothing that I did. That girl is sixteen years old and she's a smart enough to piece together what's been going on in her life."
Drew's focus went from Trice to Brent who just walked outside.
"Everything okay, babe?" He asked loudly.
Trice turned her head. "Yes, just go back in the house."
Drew glared at him and shoo his head. "Let me get out of here before I break his jaw like I wished I did years ago." He walked away from Trice, not giving her a chance to say another word.