"What's wrong with you guys? Can you help me understand? Y'all been doing this since y'all was kids. You and Romeo never got along."

"Dad you was there. He kept pushing me so I snapped. What did you expect me to do?"

"I expected you to ignore him son. You know how he is. He's a hothead."

"That's not gone be an excuse anymore. He's gonna get clocked if he come at me and in front of my girl? I already don't trust him with Khia but y'all sent him with her."

"Romeo is your cousin. He won't harm Khia. She's family."

"Of course he won't but he'll put stuff in her head about me. I turn my head and he'll sleep with her. I see the way he looks at her."

"So that's why you reacted the way you did?"

"Nah. He had it coming. If he try to hit on her, clockin him won't be the only thing I'll do."

"Where is this anger coming from Son? You supposed to be the mature one."

"Yo he be workin on my nerves talkin ever since I got here. For how long am I supposed to ignore this fool?"

"You know Romeo wants what you have. He's jealous of you son",he said as we walked back towards the house.

My pops was right but that ain't gave him a reason to disrespect me like that in front of everybody.

"He wants respect. It goes both ways. I know he's older than me but that don't mean nothin",I said. My dad put his hand over my shoulder and said, "I'm not mad at you defending yourself but Khia is a visitor to our family and this is not a positive look for us. We are not about fighting. That is not what I taught you."

"I know pops."

"So you need to apologize."

"I'm sorry pops but I ain't doin that."

"I know you'll come to your senses sooner or later. But don't embarrass the family like this to Khia please",he said leaving me outside as he walked in the house. I sat out in the porch and enjoyed the breeze and the dark sky. Everyone expected me to bow down to Romeo and let him say what he want to me but I was not gone let him talk down to me like that.

"Hey you",I looked behind me and it was Khia standing by the door.

"Hey. Come here."

"I'm not sure if I can. Don't want to be pushed away again."

I looked at her and reached for her hand.

She sat next to me and examined my hand that was wrapped up in a bandage cloth.

"Are you ok?",she asked me.

"Yeah babe."

"What was that?"

"Just defending my character."

"You don't have to do that babe. Especially not for me. But I get it. He really got under your skin."

"My dad thinks I should apologize."

"That's up to you babe."

"You won't judge me for my decision not to?",i said looking at her next to me.

"No. I won't."

"I promise you we're not this dysfunctional."

"Babe every family has something. No ones family is perfect and I'm not the type to judge."

"That's why I love you."

She kissed me and sat on my lap. I laid back and looked at her. I was happy she was here with me and hope she was too.

We went back in the house and joined the rest of the family who was playing dominoes. Romeo stared me down and I paid him no attention.

"Y'all was out there for a mighty long time. Everything ok?",my dad said.

"Yea pops",I said sitting across from Romeo. He was smoking a blunt as always and had a bottle next to him.

"Anything you wanna say to Romeo?",my dad said.

"No. Unless he got something to say to me."

"Never that cuz not gettin nothin outta me." It got real quiet and I couldn't wait to go back to the hotel room.

Khia

"Yes mom. I'm okay",I said pacing back and forth in the room.

"I miss you too. Love you, bye",I said hanging up.

"You good?",Tiago said coming from the bathroom with his towel around his waste.

"Yeah it's just my mom checking up on me."

"You miss you her huh."

"Yeah I kinda do."

"We only got a couple days left babe. I'll get you home."

"Okay",I said tying my hair into a pointy tail.

"Did Romeo and you get a chance to talk?"

"Nah. He still acting like I owe him an apology."

"Well I hope you guys squash it before we leave."

"I honestly don't pay him no mind baby. Like jenni said, we been this way since we were kids. It just got worse as we grew up."

I looked across from the bed and saw the gun laying on top of the coffee table.

"You ever killed someone with that?",I asked him.

"Not necessarily kill but I shot someone a few times with it."

"Why?"

"Someone tried to rape my cousin Jennifer last year I was here."

"Aww I'm sorry."

"It's cool. Why'd you ask?"

"Romeo told me you have the gun but never use it."

"Rome don't know what he talkin about cause half the time he high",he said laughing.

"I only use the gun if I have to. It's not something I'm proud of but it is what it is in this world we live in",he explained.

"Why is he always high all the time?"

"He chooses to be. I used to talk to him about having a bright future and God but he don't want to listen so I just left him alone cause I'm not gonna help someone that doesn't want to be helped."

"How do you handle it all?"

"I just do what I can babe. I'm always gonna have my family's back no matter what",he said putting a shirt on.

"Your gonna be a great father someday",I said smiling with vivid thoughts of us being a family.

"No doubt about it bae",he said kissing me and laying next to me on the bed. A few moments later, he was knocked out beside me and I could tell he was extremely tired by the way he was snoring. I got up and took a long shower, drowning myself in the drips of clear, warm water. While getting out, I dried myself with my towel and looked at myself in the mirror. Lately these days I was looking at myself and I was beginning to love myself. Love my imperfections. Love my clear skin and chocolate complexion. I'm not sure if they would still call it 'glowing' if I'm not pregnant but I was. I loved myself and I had God to thank and my amazing man to thank. I saw a change in me, in the way I think, the way I talk, the way I analyze situations, I felt like a pure person. Was this what it felt like to be with God ? Is this what it felt like to be happy with someone who saw your worth before you saw it? If it is, then I should've done this a long time ago. I'm saying sorry to myself for putting myself through everything I went through. "I'm sorry Khia",I said touching my reflection in the mirror.