Chapter 16 #2
“She gon’ be so mad. I heard her on the phone at three this morning,” whispered Gabe as we headed down the hall towards Aubry’s bedroom.
The next day was Aubry’s eighteenth birthday, and we were getting ready to surprise her with the usual morning, happy birthday song.
It was a tradition. I cooked a big breakfast and woke the birthday person up to a song and balloons.
Aubry knew what it was, and how we would come so her having an attitude about getting woken up an hour before her alarm mattered none!
Today was a special day! Eighteen was a big deal.
Not just for her, but for me too. She made it.
We made it. I was just as excited as she was.
A little heartbroken but excited and proud still.
Not of Aubry—she got praises for other things.
I was proud of me! I’d like to think I got her here.
To eighteen. In one piece. It was a monumental time for me.
I had her at fifteen. Didn’t know a lick about motherhood.
Learned what I could from my mother but took parenting in a completely different direction.
All I knew back then was that I did not want to raise my daughter the way my momma raised me and my sisters.
Taking that route was scary because I didn’t really have a role model for what I wanted to do.
I looked over at Gabe and shrugged. “You know I don’t care. Should’ve had her butt sleep, knowing what the tradition around here is and it was a school night. As a matter of fact, what were you doing up?”
He smiled and looked away. “Nothin. Using the bathroom.”
“Mmhmm,” I responded with pursed lips.
“You want to give her another thirty minutes?” Duke whispered.
I sucked my teeth. “No super dad. Breakfast is done and she need to get ready for school.”
I twisted the doorknob to her bedroom door and wasn’t surprised to see it was locked.
“Here, hold these. Don’t let them go, Spark,” I told Sparkle, as I handed her the big bouquet of pink and white balloons.
I put my nail in the little slit on the doorknob and twisted it to unlock it.
Slowly, I opened the door. She was sprawled out on the bed, lights still on, music steady playing at a low level, snoring, knocked out.
Honesty cupped her hand over her mouth and giggled.
I shushed her. Duke held up his fingers, counting down from three. Once he got to one, we started.
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Aubry! Happy birthday to you!”
She squirmed, had a little tantrum, and snatched her pillow up, covering her head with it. When I got to the bed, I laughed and grabbed the pillow, steady singing happy birthday. I didn’t give a damn about her being tired. Should have had her little ass sleep at a decent time last night.
I climbed into bed with her and wrapped my arms around her. Singing close to her ear, I said, “Happpppppy birrrrrrrthday to my girl! Happy birthday to you!”
She tried to wiggle out of my grip, but I held on to her tighter.
Even placed a big kiss on her cheek that drove her damn near up the wall!
I wasn’t the most affectionate person but when it came to birthdays I was.
Especially Aubry’s. I know it might seem like I had a favorite, but nobody knew what it was like raising her at fifteen by myself.
Yes, Duke was active, but we were children, and he didn’t live with me.
You think my momma got up in the middle of the night with me when Aubry woke up crying?
You think she gave her them nightly feedings and changed diapers when I was too tired to think?
No. Nobody did. I mean… let me not lie… my sisters helped every now and then.
Daddy too but for the most part it was just me.
On school nights and all. I was in the field.
Me. It took a lot to make it through school.
Some nights we would be up at four in the morning, crying together.
Shit, I used to be exhausted, but I made it.
We made it. So, if I wanted to climb in bed and plant kisses on my baby’s face, that’s what I was going to do despite her hating every second of it!
“Okaaaaay!” She complained. “Okay ma!”
I loosened my grip and gestured for Sparkle to hand the balloons to her. “Happy birthday, big sister,” Sparkle said, handing the balloons to Aubry.
“Thank you baby sister,” she said with a crooked smile, eyes partially closed.
“Happy birthday, ugly,” said Gabe. “Can we eat now?”
Aubry sucked her teeth. “Ma, he can’t have none.”
I laughed. “Be nice, G.”
He rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Happy birthday, Bry.”
“Bry-Bry!” Honesty yelled, jumping on the bed. “Happy birthday!”
Aubry was over it at that point, but she didn’t protest when Honesty wrapped her arms around her neck for a hug. Duke did the most as usual. Reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box neither of us knew about. Handing it to her, he kissed her on the forehead and said happy birthday.
When Aubry opened it, she gasped. “Daaaad!” She whined. “A Cartier Love braceleeeet? For meeeee!?”
I looked up at him with raised brows, head tilted to the side, surprised. “Well damn, where that come from?”
He held his hands up. “Surprise, surprise.”
Duke had been full of surprises lately. Expensive surprises which to me meant he’d been dipping in the savings. We weren’t rich by far, but a Birkin and a Cartier Love bracelet purchases back-to-back?
After everybody gushed over Aubry’s birthday gift, we finally headed down to the kitchen.
As usual, the house was chaos. Sparkle and Honesty didn’t waste any time getting into an argument.
Gabe tried to get back to that game, and Aubry was glued to her phone, recording her bracelet, showing her friends.
“A Cartier bracelet?” I asked Duke as we stood at the stove, making plates.
He glanced over at me. “She deserve it.”
“I know. But you should’ve told me. How much money yo ass been spending?”
He scratched his head. “Not that much. You know I got that bonus. We good, baby, I promise.”
“Mmhmm. I’ma check the bank statements, keep playing,” I joked. “Savings probably damn near wiped out.”
Was it bold of me? To be complaining about a Cartier bracelet when he’d just dropped five figures on a bag for me?
Not at all. I got on him about that too.
I was frugal as hell. Might’ve owned a few designer pairs of shoes and things but I made more.
I didn’t mean it in a disrespectful way, but I did.
I was the breadwinner. Duke wasn’t broke.
Not by a long shot but the purchases he’d made were far out of his tax bracket.
The bracelet, maybe not but after dropping five figures on a bag… ehhh… yeah.
But because it was my baby’s birthday, I kept it light.
Didn’t want any friction today. Especially because it was Aubry’s birthday but partially because I’d decided to choose my battles wisely.
Duke and I had been good. Very good. Surprisingly good.
Sometimes I thought we were so good because guilt had been eating me up but then I’d think about it, and I’d know that wasn’t the case.
For the first time since this whole ‘let’s try again’ thing came up, I actually had my entire body in the ring with him.
He sucked his teeth. “Man what?” Pausing he said, “You ain’t even gotta do all that Ne.”
With furrowed brows, I sized him up. “Ugh nigga. I was just playing. Maybe I should. You out here funding another bitches life off the savings or something?”
Again. I was joking but he took me seriously.
“Here we go,” He shook his head. “Bae—”
“Duke,” I paused. “I swear to God I’m just playing.”
He sighed. “Too soon baby, too soon.”
He thought I was on insecure shit again and technically…
I couldn’t blame him. We were fresh into therapy again and I’d just accused him of cheating.
I understood his frustrations, and I apologized for triggering him.
I didn’t blow up like I would have in the past. Didn’t accuse him of lying or hiding something because he’d blown up.
Didn’t do any of the things I would have done a couple of weeks ago.
I stayed calm. However, I did make a mental note to check the bank statements for real.
“What all you gotta do before the party? You sure you don’t need me to stay home?” Duke asked, changing the subject.
“I just have to pick her dress up from the seamstress and check in with everybody. The decorators get to the venue around one. I’m not going to be doing much but checking in,” I told him as I piled skillet potatoes on Gabe’s plate. “You just have to make sure you’re home by three.”
We had to be at the venue by seven. I hated that Aubry’s birthday fell on a weekday.
If it weren’t for her having plans with her friends this weekend, I would have had the party on Saturday.
But because my baby was a young adult, I let her have her way.
All I wanted to do when I turned eighteen was hang with my sisters.
The fact that she’d even allowed me to throw her an eighteenth birthday party with family and friends said a lot.
“Alright, cool. If you need me to stay home I—”
“I don’t need you to stay home, silly,” I interrupted with a laugh. “SiSi and Hazel are running around with me anyway. So, I’m good.”
I was looking forward to the afternoon. It’d been a minute since I hung out with my sisters, so hell naw I didn’t want Duke to stay home. We had a lot of catching up to do.
Once everyone was fed and taken care of, Aubry went off to school, and I took the other three.
When I made it back home, Duke was heading out, and I sent him off with a kiss.
Today was a beautiful day. I wasn’t excited about seeing the family after the disappearing act I pulled on my birthday, but I was excited still.
I just knew Duke and I would be getting funny looks all night, but I didn’t give a damn about that neither.
At least tonight, when he grabbed my hand, it wouldn’t be forced.
At least tonight, we’d be in a good space where we wouldn’t be putting on.
That felt good. Had been a minute since we had a function we weren’t pretending at.
Once the house was empty, I turned some Summer Walker on and jumped in the shower. Since it was early, I opted for a pair of biker shorts, and a simple t-shirt to run my errands in. By the time I was finished getting dressed, Sienna was calling.
“Hey ho,” she spoke. “You ready?”
I plugged my flat irons up and sat them on the bathroom vanity. “Yeah I’m ready. I’m about to flat iron my hair really quick but I should be done by time you get here. You talked to Hazel?”
“Hell naw. You know her ass probably still sleep. Don’t even know why you asked her to come out. She’ll probably end up meeting us somewhere.”
“Right,” I said as I passed the flat iron through a piece of my hair. “I’m about to call her. See you in a few.”
“Okay. Love you,” she said.
“Love you too.”
We hung up and I scrolled my call log to call Hazel.
After the fifth ring she answered and told me she would meet us at the venue.
Sienna called it. I told her okay and went back to flat ironing my hair.
While I was busy doing my hair, I got a call from Tami.
She knew today I was busy and just wanted to call to brief me on a few meetings scheduled for the day.
I asked if Shardae mentioned anything about Mr. Carter contacting her and she said she hadn’t.
I was looking forward to that being a disaster and planned on checking in with Shardae often.
After I flat ironed my hair, I hurried down the stairs to do a little picking up before Sienna arrived since she only lived about fifteen minutes away. The house wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t presentable neither. The kitchen, however, was a complete mess.
I was about ten minutes into picking up before the doorbell rang.
I made my way from the kitchen to the foyer.
When I opened the door, I was surprised to see that it wasn’t Sienna, but some man and a little girl wearing a backpack and two pigtails.
My eyebrows furrowed a bit, and I tilted my head to the side.
She was damn near a splitting image of my baby Sparkle at that age.
From the big doe eyes to the button nose, and the little pouty lips.
The only difference was, she was about a shade lighter.
I was stuck there for a minute, confused because…
Sparkle didn’t look like me. She looked like Duke and if…
I looked past them at the idling Ram truck in the driveway with dipped brows. Before I dropped the kids off, I noticed it parked across the street and again when I made it back home.
“Hey, can I help you?” I asked after swallowing, running a hand across the back of my neck.
The guy glanced down at the little girl before looking back up at me with a deep breath. “Hey good morning. Duke live here, right?”
I just stared at him with a half smirk in disbelief. I was no fool. Had two working eyes and a brain that worked. What the fuck did he want with Duke? Hm? With this little girl that looked like him? What could he possibly want? What could this have possibly been about? Hm?
“Ma’am?” Called the man. “Does Duke live—
“Yeah… Who’s—who are you?” I asked, as I noticed Sienna pulling into the driveway behind the truck. Shit. My heart raced and tears built behind my eyes.
He looked down at the little girl again and then back up at me before pivoting to turn to face her. Crouching, he kneeled in front of the little girl, said a few whispered words to her, and kissed her on the forehead.
Standing, he turned his attention back to me and said, “I’m Justin. Her name is Diary. And she’s Duke’s daughter.”
TO BE CONTINUED