Zuria
1 hour later
Finally getting over to Ms. Gladys's house, I let Mars go in first as she zoomed in.
"Girl, don't you be running in this house." Ms. Gladys fussed as she did anyway and I couldn't help but to laugh.
"Hi, Mama Gladys." I spoke as she pulled me in for a hug.
"Hi, baby. How are you?"
"I'm doing fine." I spoke with a sigh as she closed the door behind us.
"Is that my daughter who never calls me?" I heard my mom's voice, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Mama?" I called as I walked into the living room and she was sitting on the couch with a smile, holding Marley in her lap.
"Hi, honey." She spoke as I came in and sat down beside her.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" I leaned in to hug her as Ms. Gladys sat on the opposite couch across from us.
"Well I'm spending time with the only friend I have, now that you don't call me." She exaggerated, making me smile.
"Right. She don't come see us nomore." Ms. Gladys shook her head as Mars got up from my mother's lap and ran over to her.
"Aw, my sweet baby." I watch as her and Ms. Gladys hugged each other tightly.
"Can I watch TV mom mom?" Mars ended up asking and Ms. Gladys nodded before she ran out of the room and made her way to the family room to watch the big screen that was in there.
Once she was gone, the room went silent a while as I picked my brain from all of the thoughts I had in my mind. That didn't last long though because they both began to bombard me with questions.
As usual.
"So where's my crazy son? Working?" Ms. Gladys asked and I nodded slowly, pushing my thoughts to the back of my mind.
"Yeah. He's at the shop right now." I looked down at my hands, mentally preparing myself for their questions.
"And how about you? Did you start working yet?" My mom asked, making me look over to her.
"Well me and Mitch haven't talked about it, things have been pretty hectic."
"Marley is in school now and-"
"She got a mama." Ms. Gladys sassed, cutting me off.
"I know but-"
"So that ain't no reason for you to still not to be working." My mama butted in as they now double teamed me.
Sighing deeply, I sat there trying to keep my composure. It's just been a lot for me these days and I honestly didn't need them grilling them right now.
"Yeah, well Mitch and I haven't had the chance to talk about it. You know how he is about me working." I expressed to them.
Mitch did not want me working at all. He was a firm believer of the man paying all the bills in the household. But I'd told him that wasn't what I wanted and he told me that he understood. So he said he would figure something but we never got around to it, of course.
"Oh so he's still intent on this no working thing?" My mama asked, looking over to Ms. Gladys while she shook her head.
I knew they were judging me, they always did but that was simply because they didn't understand our relationship. Over 10 years in and they still didn't get us.
"Well how about these babies Mitch keeps mentioning every time we're on the phone?" Ms. Gladys went on, questioning me.
"Are y'all trying now?"
"No." I shook my head quickly. Mitch and I were not ready for children right now. He had Marley, he'd be alright.
"I don't even know where that came from. I'm not worried about kids right now." I made it clear as they looked at each other.
"Well why not? Y'all aren't getting any younger.." My mama trailed off.
"23 and 25? Y'all should be getting started some time soon."
"And that's not what Mitch said on the phone with me yesterday morning." Ms. Gladys went onto say.
"Listen, I don't know what he's been telling y'all but I've already made it clear that I'm not worrying about kids right now. He has Marley, he doesn't need another kid right now." I spoke sternly and they both looked at me while I sat there with a scowl plastered on my face.
"Hmph." My mama said, looking to Ms. Gladys and they both looked at each other.
"Hmph what?" I asked, slapping my thigh. I was becoming fed up with them and their judgmental asses, this was exactly why I didn't come around as much as I used to.
"When are you going to stop pretending you forgive him, baby?" My mama spoke up as I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Excuse me?" I asked appalled.
"You know exactly what we mean, honey." Ms. Gladys said to me as I fumed, trying hard not to lose it in here.
This is why I hated being around the two of them together, they continuously judged and grilled me about Mitch and I's relationship and never stopped talking about the past. But they never did this to Mitch though, only me. It was like they wanted to get under my skin about this.
They never wanted to let it go.
"I did forgive him and that's why I'm still here." I rolled my eyes as my leg began to shake from frustration.
I was fed up.
"We don't want to upset you baby but I really think if you're still not happy with the circumstances you should talk to him or some one about it."
"For your own closure at least." Ms. Gladys said and my mama nodded agreeing with her.
Sitting there, scolding them both, I bit my tongue so that I wouldn't say anything that I could potentially regret.
"Look, it's been six years. She's here and I love her. Now, I don't want to talk about this no more, change the damn subject."
"Please and thank you." I rolled my eyes hard.
"Fine. Let's talk about something else." My mama tried to change the mood but I was already upset honestly and now this would be on my mind for the rest of the day.
Listening as they tried to talk about something completely different now, my phone buzzed in my hand and I couldn't help but to sigh in relief once I realized it was Mitch.
"Yes." I answered the phone for him and he sighed deeply.
"Baby, take her home. Her mama a fuckin' nut."
"What happened?" I asked and he refused to tell me.
"Just take her home, ma. We gon' talk later."
"Alright." I huffed, standing to my feet.
"I love you." He reminded me and I nodded slowly.
"Okay. I'll see you later." I told him before I hung up the phone.
"You getting ready to leave?" Ms. Gladys and my mama asked me.
"Yeah. I have to take Marley home." I spoke softly and they both nodded as I decided to give them both hugs. Despite their judgmental ways.
"And we're sorry again baby if we made you upset."
"That was never our intentions." They said to me and I nodded.
"It's fine." I smiled small.
"I'll see y'all later." I waved them off, making my way out of the living room.
"Mars, come on!" I yelled to her before she came running.
*
An half hour later
Mars cried her eyes out as we pulled up to her mother's house, I couldn't help but to look at all of the guys standing outside of the run down place.
"Mars, we'll be back to get you next weekend. Okay?" I reassured but she continued to cry her little eyes out while I turned around to look at her.
"I want my daddy." She sobbed and I sighed deeply, looking at all the guys on the step.
I knew if Mitch was here he would not be okay with any of this but there was nothing I could do. We had to listen to her mom right now because Marley wasn't mine even if I felt as if she was.
"You want to call him before you go in?" I asked and as soon as I did, I heard a loud tap on my car window.
Turning around, Porsha stood there with a green scarf on her head, pink tights and a smile on her face. I couldn't help but to roll my eyes.
"Hey." I kept it cute, rolling my window down.
"Hey, Z. Where's my baby?" She spoke puffing on a cigarette, opening my back door.
"Hi, baby." She smiled at Mars.
"Hi, mommy." She spoke lowly as she scooted out of the car. I watched as Porsha picked her up and held her tightly on her waist.
"Thank you for bringing her back. I would've let her stay had her trifling ass father not cursed me out." She went on, gossiping to me about Mitch like she usually does.
I'd checked her plenty of times about it but she'd made it her job to do the exact opposite of what I'd told her. It was like she wanted to be friends with me and she thought the only way to be was to talk shit about Mitch. She wasn't stupid though, she knew that would never happen. Simply cordially was all we'd ever be.
"Alright. Well I guess we'll see her next weekend?" I asked, dismissing everything else she'd said, just trying to keep my promise to Mars.
"Maybe if his Mitch's ass learns how to stop calling me all kinds of bitches and hoes." She went onto say and I couldn't help but to look at Mars when she did.
"Wait. What did he say to you?" I asked for confirmation, reverting my eyes back to her.
"Right before I was going to tell him I would let her stay another night, he got upset and called me all kinds of bitches and hoes." She trailed off with a light chuckle.
"But that's your man for you, Z." She shook her head, taking a drag from her cigarette.
"Your disrespectful ass man." She went on and I nodded slowly.
"Right." I shook my head, pissed off at the both of their childish asses but more so Mitch because he always fed in to the shit. Now Marley had to stay here in this mess.
"Alright, well it won't happen again. I'll talk to him about it."
"I'll see you next weekend, baby." I waved to Mars, just trying to solidify her stay next weekend and she waved back to me with the saddest face.
Saying nothing else, I got off that block all together and made my way home. This was too much right now. I needed to clear my mind before I snapped out on everybody.
*