Chapter 15
Angie's Perspective
"Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from making bad decisions."-Mark Twain
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RUNNING water and soap bubbles filled the tub as I folded up a towel and washrag. As I was placing the towel next to the tub I witnessed Jamal's feet running back and forth throughout the hallways. This little boy could never sit still. I turned off the water walking out of the bathroom to find him.
"Jamal stop running before you fall and hurt yourself."
"It's okay mommy I'm not going to fall."
"What did I just say? Matter of fact come in the bathroom and sit on the toilet while I finish running your bathwater."
He sighed stopping his actions following me back into the bathroom.
As I started running the water again Jeremy came into the bathroom handing Jamal a few toys for him to play with when he takes his bath. We had both decided that it would be a good idea to spend the whole day with the kids, especially Jamal. He had been acting out recently which only meant he desired attention. Jeremy wanted the family day to be at his house, so this was actually my first time over here since our separation.
I stopped the water making sure the tub was filled with enough colorful bubbles to entertain Jamal before drying my hands. Jamal threw the toys into the tub after jumping for joy, he always got excited about the smallest things.
"Alright, Mal remember to scrub yourself good and don't stay in the tub too long daydreaming and stuff."
"Yes, I know mommy I won't!"
Jeremy and I left out the bathroom closing the door behind us giving Jamal some privacy. I followed him downstairs to go sit in the living room. Things had been super awkward between us considering the last time we actually were around one another involved conflict, but when was it not like that?
Being in this house was bringing back so many memories both negative and positive, but I wanted each one of them to disappear.
"I already changed Jayla's diaper, she's becoming a little less fussy." Jeremy brought up sitting down next to me on the leather sofa set.
"That's good, thank you."
There was a long moment of quietness because neither one of us knew what exactly to say.
"So I was thinking about taking Jamal and Jayla to do something fun today, like to an entertainment center or a theme park," Jeremy said.
"Yeah that's a good idea, he'll like that."
As Jeremy looked around trying to occupy his eyes with something other than me I took the time to bring up another subject matter that had crossed my mind briefly.
"I apologize for the way I acted a few weeks ago, you were only trying to be a concerned and caring father and I degraded your character... like I always do."
When he jumped down my throat a few weeks ago about Jamal almost burning down my condo I had no choice but to snap, especially when it involved my parenting skills. I was doing the best I could so he offended me, but I shouldn't have reacted so fast. I was trying to work on having mature discussions with Jeremy instead of arguing but that rarely happened.
"It's okay I understand, I crossed the line too."
His reply was short and sweet leaving me confused. Maybe he just didn't feel like dealing with this topic at the moment.
Before I could continue the conversation Jamal yelled from upstairs notifying us that he was done in the tub. I got up from the sofa after telling Jeremy that I had it under control. When I got in the upstairs bathroom Jamal left water and soap bubbles on the floor with water still in the tub. I sighed bending down to pull up the drain.
"Jamal I thought I told you to start letting this water out?"
"Sorry mommy I forgot." He yelled from his bedroom.
This boy was going to have to learn to clean up after himself.
Once I was done cleaning up the bathroom I walked into Jamal's room to find him in a pair of boxers playing the game Roblex on his iPad wasting time.
"Jamal do you want to go to have fun today or not?" I asked while picking up a few toys from his bedroom floor.
"Yes!"
"Then get up and get dressed or we're staying here for the day."
Without a second thought, he jumped up off of his bed running over to his dresser to find some clothes.
"And make sure your clothes match boy." I closed his door heading back downstairs.
Before I could make it to the staircase I caught Jeremy in Jayla's bedroom rocking her back and forth in his arms. I entered the room quietly so that he wouldn't notice my presence. Moments like this barely happened and when they did I never saw them. Jeremy hadn't quite built up a bond with Jayla yet I guess because she was still so young. Jeremy looked up catching a smile on my face while I was watching the two of them.
"She looked so beautiful laying in her crib, I had to pick her up." He whispered.
I chuckled, "the best time to hold her is when she's asleep."
He held back his laugh trying not to wake her up. We stood basking in her tiny face as Jamal busted into the room fully dressed.
"I'm ready!"
I quickly put my finger up to my mouth instructing him to hush. His face read confusion until he looked up into his father's arms before smiling.
"Jamal go get your bookbag together downstairs. Pick out some snacks to take with you too, your father and I will be down there in a minute."
He nodded his head before rushing out of the bedroom.
I could admit sometimes I missed times like this with my family, but being separated had its pros and cons and I was willing to accept the fact that things happen for a reason.
Owen's Perspective
My focus was on the television set in front of me as my fingers moved at a fast pace on the lime green controller. Though I wanted to give up because there was no chance of me actually winning the game my ego got the best of me. I was a competitive man by nature. Andre shouted out unnecessary bullshit still receiving more points than me. When the game was over I threw down the controller laying back on the couch to cool down.
"Nigga don't take yo frustrations out on my controller," Andre said picking up the device off of his floor, "you break it you buy it nigga."
I ignored his comment.
"Let's play again, I bet I win this time."
"O you been sayin' that shit for the past hour it's my turn now." Twon replied from the kitchen.
We were all chillin' at Andre's place not really doing shit but playin' 2k. I needed to chill with my niggas today because it had been a while, plus I needed a break from Tiana. I had accepted her apology but mentally I wasn't in the right space to be around her at the moment. Things were different and although I knew I couldn't always have things in my favor a part of me wanted to.
"Nah we gon have to hold off on that for a lil while this girl I met last night hittin' me up," Andre said stepping out of the living room.
"Nigga what? I'm ready to play now you niggas been hoggin' the PlayStation since I got over here."
"Play with O," Andre replied ignoring Twon's comment.
"Oh I'll wait, no disrespect but my nigga trash."
"Fuck you," I chuckled.
"So you almost done at that center for badass lil boys?" I asked as Twon came and sat on the couch.
"Man almost, but they want me to mentor some of them lil niggas," Twon said shaking his head.
"Damn, you gon do it?"
"I guess so, I need the money for rent this month."
"Aye Twon man if you need somethin' just let me know I always got yo back."
"Nah it's cool man I don't think it'll be too bad."
Twon had a sense of pride out of this world and no matter how hard you tried to help him out he just wouldn't take it.
"Aight man," I dropped the subject staring back at the tv screen.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you man I didn't know if you wanted to hear about it from me or not but Trey hit me up the other day and told me that Robyn's back down here."
Little did he know we had already had a small reunion. Here I was thinking that coming over here would help me escape my life and its problems for a moment but I guess there was no escaping reality.
"I know I ran into her the other day at the grocery store, kept it dry and short she ain't movin' me." I shrugged.
"Aight just givin' you a heads up nigga because her lil evil ass used to be wrapped so tight around yo finger. Pussy whipped to the highest level." He joked as I flipped his ass a bird.
"Yeah well that was years ago, I'm a changed man and I'm happy with Tia now."
"That's what I wanna hear."
Andre came back into the living room quicker than usual sitting across from Twon and me.
"Man you niggas won't believe who just hit me up after I got off the phone with Lexi."
"Who?" I asked answering a text from Sixty on my phone.
"Fuckin' Kenny," I looked up from my phone nearly dropping it as Andre's seemed highly upset.
"What he wanted?" I asked.
"Talkin bout wanting to meet in person and finally apologize about some shit that happened over a year ago. I'm not one to hold grudges but with the shit he pulled I had every right to cut his off for good."
Twon and I paid attention to our phones trying to dismiss the conversation.
"You niggas must still keep in touch with him or somethin? I don't care if you do just know I'm not fuckin with him."
"Man you right the shit he did was file but if you could forgive Ally after all of that shit you can forgive Kenny and move on. He fucked your baby sister but he didn't do it alone Dre. In other words, Ally's grown she allowed him to take it that far with her. I can't tell you how to feel dawg but we supposed to be niggas."
I tried getting him to see another point of view but Andre was stubborn, yet again so was I.
"Owen this ain't your place and I don't remember asking you for yo opinion on the situation. I don't wanna deal with the nigga and I'm not lettin' what he did slide, end of discussion."
"Nigga I was just givin' you a piece of advice to lead you in the right direction. It's up to you to take it or not, I'm just sayin' maybe it's time to let the shit go for good, its dead weight."
"Oh, really it's time to let some shit like that go?"
I shrugged picking back up my phone.
The feud was childish and all of us were close. Besides Andre needed to admit that he was extremely overprotective when it came to Ally, I even knew my limits with Sixty. At the end of the day, she's my baby sister and I'd do anything for her but she still had to make her own decisions.
"Maybe if I fucked Tiana good once you'd finally feel where I'm comin' from my nigga."
Before I could control my reaction I had snatched Andre up by the collar of his white shirt crinkling it up putting him in a chokehold against the nearest wall. I wasn't aware of how much pressure I applied to his neck but right now I could kill him for the low down bullshit he had just said.
Twon yelled back and forth trying to get me up off of him but the look in Andre's eyes only made me more upset because he looked as if he didn't care. I finally let Andre go as Twon separated us pushing me in my chest forcefully to move back. Once Andre was free he snuck in a sucker punch hitting my right jaw making me react instantly.
Before we knew it we were throwing blows swinging on each other showing no mercy.
Andre was my best friend but he had hit below the belt out of anger and there was no time to think only do. Twon had finally broken us apart for good as we tried catching out breath saying shit in the heat of the moment that we would regret in the morning.
We were both beyond upset and our faces portrayed it. Andre lashed out at me with a bloody nose and busted cheek as his white shirt depicted a new design, spots of dried blood. I spit blood from my mouth yelling back twice as harder with a leaking mouth and bruised eye. Twon could barely keep up trying to get us both to shut the hell up. We were fighting like two little boys on the playground over some stupid shit.
"Man fuck this shit!" I yelled out suddenly growing tired of it all.
I grabbed my phone and keys spitting out blood on his floor one last time, "fuck you nigga."
Andre tried coming at me again as Twon pushed him back. I turned away from them storming out of his apartment slamming the door after me.
All of my pent up anger and frustration from the past few weeks had been taken out on Andre. It was an explosion waiting to bowl over out of the pot and his fucked up comment about Tiana took it too damn far. These days peace seemed to be hard to find.
15
KelisAjanee
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