Alexander “Bread” Conners II #2
Alexander sat there in silence so they could let their words sink in with each other.
He stood resolute in his decision. As quiet as it was kept, if she made it an issue, he would have to get the courts involved.
Not because he was an asshole, but because he wanted what was best for his daughter.
He busted his ass so that he nor his daughter had to struggle.
That was a big part as to why he freely gave her mother $4,000.
“Melanie, look, at the end of the day, we both want what is best for Eloise. Now, let me be honest. I am planning a move to Charlotte, North Carolina, very soon which means Eloise would move with me. This does not mean that you will not see her. We can meet halfway like we have it now, every other weekend,” I told her.
Melanie’s thoughts went a mile per minute. “Maybe she could stay with your parents. They love her.”
That was true. Alexander I and Doris loved their granddaughter immensely. She was the light of their lives.
“That would work, but they are making the move to Charlotte with me. I was able to snag me five acres. Both of our homes are currently being built,” I informed her.
Melanie felt worse with that news. She hated to admit that if she could go back in time, she would do things so differently. Slowing her ass down would have been the first thing.
After she had Eloise, she broached the idea with Alexander about a committed relationship.
He told her flatly that he was not interested considering the manner in which they met.
How they met was not her finest hour. A satisfying one but not the finest. All that needed to be said was the combination of a party, alcohol, fine ass niggas, and a ho phase was a lot to go together.
His rejection of her made her feel small, while Lawrence’s acceptance of her validated her.
The validation caused her to move faster than she should have.
Lawrence was a hard worker, but his felony record limited his career progression.
“Oh, that’s nice. Congratulations, I guess.” Melanie was in every one of her feelings, and she hated it. She had completely lost control of her situation if even her husband felt that her daughter should stay with her father.
Lawrence heard the twinge of jealousy in her tone.
That shit bothered the fuck out of him. He knew his pockets weren’t heavy like her daughter’s father, but he did what he had to do.
When he met Melanie, he was in the streets, but he got out for the sake of his kids.
He had only been out of jail for a year when he met her after a four-year bid.
“How about we have a conversation with Eloise and see what she wants to do? If she wants to stay here, then we will buckle down. We’ll just have to make it do what it do,” Lawrence suggested.
Melanie sucked her teeth, then chuckled. “You think that she’s gonna wanna stay here with us struggling when her father is about to move in what I know is about to be a house with all the works? Yeah, this is going to be a short fucking conversation.”
Alexander felt bad because he didn’t want her to feel small. That was never his intent. Although that was never his intent, it also wasn’t his responsibility to manage her feelings of inadequacy. Since it wasn’t his responsibility, then he wasn’t going to acknowledge her statement.
“Let’s just set up a date that we can talk to baby girl. Once we talk to her, we can go from there. Lawrence, I hope shit works out on the job front. Let me get out of here. I got some work to do,” he told them.
A Few Days Later
Let’s Talk . . .
Eloise was so happy to have dinner with her father in the middle of the week.
Usually, she was at home with her younger siblings, while their mother was at work and Lawrence was wherever he was.
Since he lost his job, he spent less time at home, which meant Eloise had more babysitter responsibilities than she liked and should have.
She heard her mother and him argue about where he would be while she was at work.
Lawrence would tell her that he was either on the search for work or handling business.
Melanie didn’t believe him, because for as much business as he claimed he did, she never saw the fruits of the labor.
Her heart wouldn’t be able to take it if she found out he’d cheated.
At this moment, ignorance was truly bliss.
“Daddy, I love your seafood lasagna. I haven’t had it in forever,” Eloise told her father.
She was surprised when her father picked her up from school. He picked her up from school often, but rarely on his motorcycle. She couldn’t wait until she could get her own.
Alexander smiled at his baby girl. She had the beauty of her mother and his skin tone. “Well, I’m happy that I could put a smile on your face.” He picked up his phone that vibrated on the dining room table and looked at the screen. “Your mother is on her way here.”
He watched Eloise’s smile fall. “I have to leave already? It’s not even seven o’clock.”
“No, baby girl. She’s coming over so we can talk,” he told her.
Now Eloise was worried. Her parents never talked to her together. At least, she couldn’t remember the last time that they did. “Is everything alright? I’m not in trouble or anything?”
“You haven’t done anything wrong,” he said with a chuckle. His hand covered hers.
He got up to go to his door when the doorbell chimed. “What’s up, Melanie?” he greeted after he opened his front door. He stepped to the side so that she could enter.
“Hey,” she said after she walked past him. She worked tonight, so she had on her uniform. “It smells like you cooked. What you cook?”
He passed her to lead her to the dining room. “I made seafood lasagna. You’re welcome to have some.”
“Thank you. Eloise raves about it. It’s about time that I tasted it. I thought I would have tasted it by now,” she said.
His face scrunched for a second before he caught himself. He could have said something, but he refrained. He didn’t understand why she would think that she would have tasted it by now. This was maybe the fifth time that she’d been in his house in over ten years.
“Eloise, your mother is here, “Alexander announced. “Let me fix her a plate, then we can talk.”
He watched his daughter and her mother love on each other.
For all intents and purposes, they had a good relationship.
At fourteen, Eloise started to smell herself like most fourteen-year-old girls did.
They bumped heads on the usual teenage girl bullshit, from what he was told by either of them.
His daughter’s newest unpaid position as the house babysitter might have been a strain between the two of them.
Alexander placed a plate of food in front of Melanie. When she reached out to put her hand on his, he discreetly moved it out of her way. “There you go.”
She snickered before she rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Melanie knew about Alexander’s silly decision not to touch or be touched by her.
She thought it was stupid as hell. Yes, they had their little fun when she first got married.
It was what it was. She had to get her baby’s father out of her system.
When she found out she was pregnant with Lawrence Junior and didn’t know who the father was, Alexander was officially out of her system.
Melanie took a bite of the lasagna, and her eyes lit up. “Oh my God! This is amazing! If I knew you could cook like this, I really would have bagged you.”
Eloise’s face tightened. She’d never heard her mother allude to wanting her father. “Ma, that’s nasty, and you’re married to Lawrence. You’re bagged.”
Out of the mouth of babies. If anyone could get you together, it would be them. Melanie recoiled slightly at her inner thought that slipped between her lips.
Yeah, this was not what she was here for. Alexander wanted to get this conversation started. The faster it was started, the faster it could end. “Eloise, your mother and I wanted to talk to you about you coming to live with me for a little while.”
Melanie cleared her throat, which brought the attention to her. “You know that Lawrence lost his job, so things have been a little tough. We all talked and thought that it would be best if you stay with your father.” Her hands rose with her palms faced outward. “It’s only if you want to.”
“I want to,” Eloise blurted out.
Alexander closed his eyes. He wished that she would have taken a second to think about it.
Her quick response to the proposition was guaranteed to add to the inadequacies that Melanie already had.
When his eyes opened, like he guessed, he saw the hurt that radiated in Melanie’s eyes.
He also saw the joy that was in his daughter’s.
“Eloise, you know that I’m moving to Charlotte in the next couple of months.
That means that you will be uprooted out of your school.
You will have to go to a new high school, learn a new area, and make new friends.
I want you to think about that before you make your final decision, baby girl.
” She needed to know everything that encompassed her decision.
Melanie sat there frozen. She prepared herself for her daughter to want to stay with her father, but she never thought that it would be with so much enthusiasm.
Had the turmoil in her household been more noticeable than she thought it was?
Lawrence and she had been at each other’s necks more than normal since he’d lost his job.
Now that he had idle time, he filled it with bullshit.
She questioned how hard his job search was.
Eloise looked between her parents. She didn’t want to hurt her mother’s feelings, but she didn’t want to live there.
She loved being with her father. Yes, he spoiled her, but he still kept her in line.
Her brothers were a handful, and she hated to deal with them.
A lot of time she still sacrificed things that she wanted so there was enough money to go around for her brothers.
With her one-year-old brother there now, it was worse.
“Um, I don’t have a problem making friends. I’m fine changing schools. Um, can I move in when I come on my next weekend?” She wanted to be here permanently as soon as she could.
Her request was another blow to Melanie’s heart. “Yes, I don’t think that will be a problem. We’ll still do every other weekend. The only difference is now you will be here permanently instead of with me.” Her hand covered Eloise’s. “You know that I love you, right?”
“I love you too, Mommy. Thank you.” That was a loaded thank you.
Melanie finished her food. “Well, let’s get ready to go, Eloise. Go get your things.”
“Mommy, can I just go to school from here tomorrow? I wanted Daddy to help me with my math homework.”
Melanie didn’t really mind, but in the same breath, she knew that she needed Eloise to come home to watch her brothers. Lawrence was there now, but he had something to do, or so he said. “Um, I wish you could, but Lawrence has something to do.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened then twitched. “Oh, did Lawrence find a job? Does he have a job interview tonight?”
She knew that Alexander would call it out. He made it clear at their last meeting that Eloise was not their babysitter. Melanie hated it herself, especially with her one-year-old. “Um, now he doesn’t, but—”
“Then he can cancel his plans. If his plans do not pertain to bringing money in your house, then it’s not that important.” Alexander turned his head to his daughter. “Go get your homework so we can get it done.”