Chapter 6 Raya
Raya
Vanessa,
I’m so glad you reached out. I feel like you and me have always been cool. First off, I want to say I appreciate the invitations. Ace mentioned them to me, too, so I know it means a lot to him to be there.
But I think we need to get a few things straight. We will not be coming anywhere near your family without putting some boundaries in place.
They are as follows:
1) The elder Mrs. Taylor will not be critical of Ace in any way. No snide, backhanded comments about him. No negativity. I don’t even wanna hear her tell him his shoe is untied.
2) The elder Mr. Taylor will not eyefuck me or anyone else in front of Ace, or at all.
3) Kamryn will keep it cute and mute with Ace as it relates to me. It hurts him when people are negative about his wife.
4) Nobody in the family will bring up Ace’s job unless it’s to praise him. Questions about his job are allowed, but only out of genuine interest.
5) Nobody in the family will bring up the wedding unless it is to apologize or express regret that their scary asses didn’t come. Questions about the wedding are allowed, but only out of genuine interest. If Ace shows pictures, there better be praise.
6) If Ace shares news of any kind, there better be genuine interest and excitement. Follow-up questions are appreciated.
7) There will be no questions about children. If/when Ace impregnates me, you all will be notified when we decide it’s time for you to know.
8) All of you need to compliment him at least once.
These are my terms. If I think of more, I’ll email you an addendum.
And I wanna make this clear, Vanessa: you all have allowed the elder Mrs. Taylor to create an environment where Ace feels unappreciated.
He craves his mother’s love and approval, and for whatever reason, she enjoys withholding it.
That ends TODAY. I mean that with my entire being.
If she changes her ways, Ace will be around.
If she doesn’t, he won’t. It’s that simple.
Because I love that man more than I love my own life, and when he hurts, I hurt.
Yall don’t wanna see me hurt. Trust me.
Feel free to relay my terms to the family, and make sure they understand and agree. Me and you are cool, and I look forward to seeing you.
Talk soon,
Raya