My Phone was ringing, it's my mama.

"Hey Dri."

"Hey Ma what's going on?"

"I know you've been calling, I needed time to process things."

"Process what?" I asked curiously.

"I had that conversation with your father."

"You want me to come over?" I asked.

"I'm actually in your area I'll come over to you."

"Ok I love you see you when you get here."

"I love you too." She said ending the call.

This is a relief I'm finally having that talk with my mama. Her and my dads been acting real funny for quite sometime now. I have my suspicions but I don't want to say or think it. I'll just talk to her and not jump to any conclusions.

I was at home hanging with the squad all except Mike he should be here shortly. He started a study group program after school specifically for his class. A couple of his students were failing consistently. He felt compelled to do something about it.

Troy and Chance were having a cook off. They had a big debate going on about baked mac and cheese. Neither one of them can top mine, so I don't even know why they're in the kitchen.

"Troy you're supposed to spice up you're water while the noodles are boiling." Chance stated.

"Nah, all I need is this, this and this." He pointed to the salt, oil and pepper."

"So you don't use broth or any seasonings in your water? Your shit is about to be bland." He replied to Troy.

"How bout the both of you do what you do and we'll let y'all know in the end." Mike said coming in taking off his jacket to wash his hands.

"Right, and no phone calls trying to ask for help either." I said specifically to Chance. He squinted, making Amina laughed.

"I know you're making Mrs. Shirley's mac n cheese." I was referring to his mother n law, Rita's mom.

"Hey I never said I wasn't influenced."

"Doesn't matter what you use, yours still won't be hittin'. I do this for the culture. You wouldn't understand." Troy playfully stated while patting Chances back.

"We'll see. Oh and I'll pack you up some to go too because I know your pride won't let you admit it." He replied to him.

They went on and on until they got their pans in the oven. I heard a knock at the door and I went to open it for my mama.

"Hey mama." I brought her in for a much needed hug. I haven't seen or heard from her in a few days.

"Hey Dri Dri."

"Come on, the guys are here. We can go upstairs and talk."

"Ok, well let me speak to them first."

She spoke to everybody and I told them I needed to talk to her privately. They understood because they knew I've been worried.

Getting upstairs to my sitting area we sat down.

"Do you want me to get you anything? Something to drink, are you hungry?" I asked.

"No I'm fine baby."

"Talk to me ma what's going on?"

"There is no easy way to say this, —I don't even know how to start."

"Take your time, do you need more time?"

"No." She shook her head. "I wanted to be the one to tell you. I insisted."

She took a deep breath and rubbed her palms against her knees. I waited.

"This is quite embarrassing, I never thought I would be having this conversation with my son." She furrowed her brows.

"Ok, ma now you really need to tell me what's going on?"

"Ok I'm just going to say it."

I nodded.

"Your father was having an affair."

I needed her to repeat it, just in case I misheard. "What?"

"You're father cheated."

"What do you mean he cheated?" I asked getting riled up.

"He told me." She replied in a deadpanned tone.

"I'm gon' kill'em." I stood up quickly making the chair fall backwards. I didn't care to take time to process it.

"Adrian, sit." She demanded with tears now falling down her face. My mama's a small petite woman but she's the strongest person I know. So this shit hurts me to see her this way. I fixed the chair and sat back down.

"The woman's threatening him." She took a breath. "She's seven months pregnant Dri."

"What?" I yelled.

"Yeah, and that's not all."

I looked at her curious to hear what else.

"You know her." She confessed making me scrunch my eyebrows.

"Who?"

My mother took another breath and started shaking her head. She closed her eyes and spoke. "It's Melanie, your assistant you had fired."

Everything got hot all of a sudden. My skin was boiling, my heart started racing.

"Un- fucking- believable." I yelled standing up pacing back and forth. "Where is he?"

"Adrian, stop."

"Where is he?" I pulled out my phone.

"I'm not telling you, you need to calm down first. I don't want you getting yourself in trouble. That's why I decided to tell you myself."

"Man no, how can he do this?" I shouted, punching the nearest wall until a hole formed.

"Adrian, I'm stressed enough I can't worry about you too right now. So please cool off first." She walked over placing her hands on my shoulders, my fist was still plunged into the wall.

The door opened and everybody from downstairs stood at the door.

"Everything ok, we heard a loud commotion?" Amina asked.

I ignored her. "Ma twenty-six fucking years and this is what he does?"

Tunnel vision was in full effect. My mission was to get to my father and that's it. I can't believe he cheated and got this bitch pregnant.

"Adrian calm down. I know you're angry, hell I am too." My mom implored.

I got out of my mamas grasp and headed toward the door.

"Don't leave, not like this." My mama said and Mike, Chance and Troy blocked the door.

"Get the fuck out of my way!"

"Not until you chill out bro." Mike said.

"He cheated on my mom —and you expect me not to do shit about it. Move!"

They remained. The timer on the ovens went off and Amina went down stairs to check on the macaroni.

I went and sat back down and all of us remained quiet for a few minutes.

"What do you want to do ma?"

"I don't know, I'm not there yet. This is the first I've said it out loud." She cried.

She inhaled and exhaled trying to calm herself. I went over to her and held her. She broke down in my arms. I can't think about my pops right now, my mother needs me.

"I'm sorry mama, I hate that you of all people have to go through this. I'm even more disappointed because pops raised me to be the complete opposite of what he's doing right now."

"His words don't mean shit no more." I sat back and continued. "Growing up he told me I could have my lil' fun and be with whoever I wanted to while I was single. He said the moment I get into a relationship cut that shit out and that's what I did."

Everybody remained quiet and Amina came back in.

"I would never disrespect a woman like that, get in a relationship just to cheat. Why didn't he just ask you for a divorce first? I could accept that, but not this."

"The only actual real relationship I've ever been in —I broke it off and I still haven't been able to get passed it." I confessed in front of Mike not caring how he felt about it anymore. He looked at me then looked away but remained quiet.

"Why did he wait twenty six years of marriage later to cheat? Is this even the only time? How do we even know that he wasn't cheating for all these years?"

My mama shook her head and wiped her face. Amina gave her a box of tissues.

"With my assistant." I stated more to myself.

"You're talking about Melanie?" Troy asked.

"Yeah and she's seven months pregnant."

"You said seven months?"

"Yeah." I looked at Troy curious to why he's asking.

"Phew I dodge that bullet." He wiped the non existent sweat from his forehead.

"You slept with her too?"

"Uh— yeah, but that was well over a year ago." He replied glancing down at my mama.

"You remember when I asked you to hook me up?" He asked, I nodded my head yes. "Well I reached out to her that same week."

"This is crazy." Chance added.

"No this is too much." My mama nodded trying to get up to leave, but I stopped her.

"Ma if he's home you're not staying there." I pleaded more than demanded.

"Nobody's kicking me out of our home we built and you grew up in Dri. I'm going home and that's that."

"I'm going with you."

"No you're not. You need to take sometime and sort out your feelings. You're at a very intense emotional state right now and that needs cooling off."

I sighed. I knew I wasn't going to be able to change her mind.

"I'm pretty sure he's not home Dri, I told him to leave."

"Alright. Only because you need to get some rest and I know you won't be able to unless you're home."

My mama and I stood up and hugged each other. "I love you."

"I love you too ma."

Mike and everybody went back downstairs to the kitchen and I walked my mother out to her car.

I watched her drive off and I went and took a seat on the steps. I sat out there for a few minutes thinking and the crazy thing is the only person I want to talk to right now is not here. She'd know just what to say to me.

The guilt from everything resurfaced when she came back in town. I've been wondering how things have been mentally with her. I broke up with her at a time when she was healing from her past trauma. I still feel like shit. I can't do anything about what happened between us in the past. Who knows about the future though, optimistically speaking of course.

I went back inside still pondering my thoughts.

"Look I'm here if you need me, we all are." Mike stated as I walked in the kitchen. The moment he spoke to me it hit me, I thought again about what Chance said to me on the phone. Our friendship will only go so far, Mike and I. We will always have this barrier. Say for instance if I never talk to Rai another day in my life, Mike and I can be as cool as he want us to be. That leaves me broken, but if I try to get her back I lose out on everything I built with him.

This stuff with my dad really puts things into perspective for me.You can't take things for granted, Mike's my brother but Raina's my everything.

"Mike I think you need to know something."

"What?" He raised his eye brows his face filled with extreme curiosity.

"This past year has been kind of shitty. —I miss my girl, Rai."I confessed, and he stood in front of me displaying no emotion. I guess maybe shocked a little.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to get her back. Maybe this time a part was needed. It allowed both of us to get on with the next phase in life."

He continued listening and so did everyone else.

"I don't know where her head space is or what she got going on, but that's where I'll be. —I'm leaving first thing-"

"Look— I haven't had a full conversation with my sister in over a year now and I'm tired of it. I just want my sister back."

"Mike-" I tried to talk but was interrupted.

He held his hand up. "I'm not finished, it took sometime but I see it for what it is now. I'm understanding shit I didn't think was possible. I just don't ever want to see her hurting again. That shit haunts me sometimes. —I see you love my sister that much, to be with just her. I came to terms with this a while ago. I've just been too stubborn to say anything."

"I also saw how much pain my sister was in after the break up. When we celebrated her birthday we went on a safari and flew everybody out. Spent days in cabins and touring. The whole time we was there all she wanted was your ass." He added.

This made me smile.

"Who am I to try and continue to stop this? I've seen a lot of growth in her, she's opening up. Hell she even put a little color in her room." He chuckled. I laughed thinking about all the white she had and I called it plain.

"Yeah and she's wearing bathing suits now too." Troy chimed in with his famous goofy grin.

"Shut yo' dumb-ass up Troy." Mike and I said in unison, which made all of us laugh.

"What, I saw it on insta." He shrugged.

"You better stop lurking on my girls page Troy." I smirked.

"Ohhh so she yo girl again now? Let me find out you can break up with somebody and get back with them without them even knowing. Sign me up."

We laughed and shook our heads.

"So do I have your blessing to try to get her back?" I turned back to Mike.

He looked at me for a second then spoke. "Yeah we're good on that. Just don't fuck it up. Keep her happy."

"Got it." I held my hand out and he pulled me in for a hug embracing me.

"I love you man."

"I love you too bro." I replied while releasing our embrace.

"The gang is officially back together, we can finally get back to business now." Chance shouted, we all stood laughing proudly.

"Now about this mac n cheese." Mike smirked.

"Let's dig in, all this peace and harmony stuff is making me hungry. Lets just pray it's edible." Amina joked.

"Well I guess we can go ahead and trash Chances then."

"Whatever Troy." Chance laughed.

We all went to taste it and surprisingly they were both good, so I'd say it's a tie. Chance was better seasoned but Troys cheese to noodle ratio was much better.

😂

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