Aphrodite #2
“You’re right but you were states away and you had your own life. I loved when you would drop everything and come when I needed you, but I also knew that I couldn’t keep that up. Especially when you needed to focus on you and your family.”
Billy's face shifted to a softness that was reserved only for the people she truly fucked with. “I still would’ve come.”
“And that wouldn’t have been right of me to even ask.
I’m a lot like you but I think it was born out of necessity just like you.
You’re tough because you had to step up for yourself and your family.
I’m tough because I’ve had to carry the weight of everyone in my life.
It’s frustrating because I never had a person but he seems to be that.
He wants to be that and it’s so odd to me. ”
“Odd?”
I toyed with my fork the heavy weight a welcomed but momentary distraction.
“Billy, you might have had some shit happen but you know what it’s like to have your parents love you.
I don’t. I’m a product to them. A trophy.
And a protégé they can trot out when they want to show off what their perfect genes and bullshit marriage accomplished.
Anthony makes me feel safe and not in the crazy ‘I’ll die without him way’.
He just makes me feel like…how I know Coby makes you feel.
I remember at the wedding when you looked at him like he hung the moon in the sky and he looked at you like you were the stars.
You were both beautiful in your own right but together you made something even more exquisite.
That’s how I feel with Anthony. Not complete, because I’m good on my own.
But with him, I’m an even better version of the person I was and want to be.
” My throat was tight with emotion and I knew I had teared up because even Billy was dabbing at the corner of her eyes.
“That’s probably the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard said about us and I’m glad I don’t have to hit Ant in his kneecaps cause he’s treating you right.”
Oh, we couldn’t have Billy being emotional like this. It would have both of us in here bawling our eyes out. I picked up my fork and playfully pointed it toward her.
“Not too much on my baby.”
She cackled as she tilted her head back to prevent her tears from falling. The soft green that was within her romper highlighted the green in her eyes, which were extra bright from the tears. “Okay lil sis is ready to rumble for her man! You house shopping yet?”
“I’m staying at his place before the house in Jersey is put up for sale.”
“Are you sure about selling your childhood home?”
I’d talked to Billy about the next move that was going to happen with my parents.
Besides being close to New York, there was nothing keeping me in Jersey.
I could train anywhere and I traveled so much throughout the year that the only time I got to be at home was short stints in between travel or when it was too cold for me to want to explore.
“That place is a museum of terrible memories. It could burn for all I care and I could just collect the insurance.”
“Yikes, but I understand. Whatever you need from me you know I got you. With the way people always need somewhere to stay, it will sell quickly. You could also rent it out. Do I need to handle the paperwork and notify them of being removed or will you do it?”
“I’ll do it. I need to speak with them eventually. Might as well rip off the bandaid to have them super mad with what I tell them.”
“Girl, let me order you another drink. I know you’re not driving and you need to be good and tipsy to have that conversation.”
Billy wasn’t wrong about my needing to be tipsy to talk to my parents.
I’d had a few more drinks and she’d brought me back to Anthony’s condo.
It was quickly starting to feel like home and I loved how he didn’t mind me settling into his space.
Anthony was training with Money and his brother and sent me a link to some dance battle they were having on social media.
The man was the epitome of joy and I couldn’t believe how easily and quickly stuff between the two of us seemed to happen.
I felt like I’d just closed my eyes to take a nap when my phone rang, disturbing my peace. When I looked at who was calling, that sentiment increased.
“Hello.”
“Have you come to your senses yet?”
I rolled my eyes as I stretched out on our bed and stared at the ceiling.
Between lunch with Billy and Anthony folding me into a pretzel half the night, I wanted to sleep.
When we first got here from the trip to Trinidad, he carried me over the threshold and let me know that no matter how long I was here I needed to make myself comfortable.
He continued to prove that in his mind whatever was his was ours with every move he made.
Anthony assured me he wasn’t about to mess up his position and my being around was actually helping him focus.
My plan had been to get my own place but here I was staying with a man I’d only known for about six months.
It seemed crazy when I thought about it, but being in the middle of it all, being with him made sense to me.
He feels like home .
“Hello, mother. I’m fine and you?” I didn’t move from the comfort of the bed as I was hoping she would say what she needed and I could get back to sleep.
“Don’t sass me, Aphrodite. You are behaving like a spoiled brat. I can’t believe that you let this go this far. You’ve got to get yourself together and come home.”
“No.”
My eyes went to the posters on the wall. They weren’t sports or music themed like I thought, they were actual quotes and framed poetry he liked. This was clearly another glimpse of the sensitive side displayed only in his sanctuary. It made me hate my mother was messing it up.
“No?! What do you mean?” My refusal to give in and her outrage at it wasn’t surprising. But what I had to reveal to her before we got off the phone would be.
“I mean no. I’m sure you haven’t taken time to go into my suite but all of my stuff is gone.”
“What?”
She seemed genuinely surprised that I would do something like that but I could at least give her credit for not snooping through my space when I wasn’t home. Of course, I kept it locked up and she didn’t have access to the key so the credit really should’ve been mine for my forethought.
“I had the house staff pack them up—”
“Oh, they will all be fired—”
I rolled over and chuckled as I hugged Anthony’s pillow. On a deep inhale, I filled my nose with his scent to regain my calm.
“How are you going to fire someone you don’t pay mother?”
She was silent and I knew the reason for that. She was shocked. Probably dumbfounded at my pushing back at her for the first time.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Mom, I had a forensic accountant go over everything. I know that you and Dad are running out of money, which is why he’s been acting the way he has.
I know that since I started winning you all have been siphoning funds out of my accounts.
I stayed home and I stayed silent because I thought you all needed me, but that’s over. ”
“Aphrodite—”
Her voice was tight and I knew she didn’t expect me to reveal anything that I had.
It was too easy to set a trap for my father to see if he would take advantage of my keeping extra money in the account.
Like clockwork, he would pay his personal bills out it and then use up whatever was left at the end of the month.
That didn’t even account for the credit cards I knew he was using but thankfully were not tied to my credit.
“No, mother. It has been almost a week and the only time I hear from either of you is for you all to berate me for not doing what it is you want me to. I’m sick of it.
I was more than happy to help but you guys couldn’t just be satisfied with that.
You all wanted total domination of me and my life so that you could continue to dip into my funds. That’s all been shut down.”
I could’ve sworn I heard her gulp over the phone but I couldn’t be sure. “What do you mean shut down?”
“Dad has been removed from my team and so have you.” His position was honorary and hers was too but I felt like putting them on payroll would have them trying to get their shit together.
I was wrong.
“We are your parents—”
“Yes, and now maybe you’ll treat me like your kid instead of a product for you to peddle to ensure your future!
I know that neither of you really wanted kids but after Daddy’s side chick got pregnant you couldn’t be the odd one out.
And every time he strayed you did something more drastic to get his attention. ”
“You know nothing about love.” Her voice sounded strained and I didn’t know if her jaw was clenched or teeth were gritted but she was pissed.
“I do. And it shouldn’t be anything like what the two of you have going on.
You both hurt each other for sport and keep me in the middle of it.
It’s a game I never wanted to play and neither of you cared.
But I’m old enough to bow out of it and that’s exactly what I’m doing.
You both have put me in situations that I didn’t ask to be in and it took a complete stranger to show me how fucked up that was. ”
“You think that boy cares about you? He just wants you for your money.” And she wanted to pretend to be a loving mother talking to me like this.
The modicum of sympathy I used to have for my mother continued to shrink the more I spoke with her. Just like I said to Billy, nobody was going to tell me about a man who moved heaven and earth to show up for me and then acted like it was a regular Thursday.