Chapter 6 Bread
A Very Short Time Later
Time To Open the House Door . . .
My eyes had been on my baby girl more than they ever had before. I thought boys would be my issue in her teenage years. A part of me wished that it was. More and more it seemed like Eloise’s relationship with her mother was the overarching issue that was there.
After Eloise found a bogus reason not to visit her mother the other weekend, I asked Hestia to talk to her.
I knew that she wouldn’t talk to me as freely as she would Hestia.
Melanie engrained in our daughter since she was old enough to understand that what went on in her house stayed there.
My daughter stood ten toes down on that indoctrination, so I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get anything out of her.
Hestia was hesitant when I asked her to talk to Eloise, but I was happy that she did.
Their conversation led to the conversation that we just had.
My blood boiled past the eruption point, but I tried to remain calm as my daughter gave me an update about her mother’s situation.
My baby girl had never seen me in any other light than her loving father, and I wanted to keep it that way.
I never had beef with Lawrence. What he and Melanie had going on in their household was truly their business.
That was until it affected the well-being of my daughter.
When my daughter told me that she had to step in between her mother and stepfather during a fight, that was when beef was officially put on the grill.
Melanie wanted all their business to stay in the house.
Well, she had better open the fucking door because I was coming in.
“So, that’s why I really don’t want to go down there anymore. She keeps saying that she’s gonna leave him because she knows he’s cheating on her. It doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen though,” Eloise said with a dejected tone.
Hestia sat next to Eloise with her arm wrapped around her shoulders. When I watched her with my daughter, I knew that one day she would be a great mother to the child that we would have together. I couldn’t wait to put a baby in her.
There were points in the conversation when Eloise became emotional. Hestia was right there to comfort her. “Did your mother tell you that she was going to leave her husband?”
“No. She tells him that all the time during their arguments that they have in the dead of the morning. I guess they think that I’m sleeping. She’s not going to leave him though,” she said matter-of-factly.
We were in Hestia’s living room. Ever since Eloise spent time in my baby’s LEGO room, it was like she forgot where home was.
Last week, Hestia suggested that I use one of my extra rooms for Eloise’s LEGO room.
I didn’t even know that I planned to give her a room until my baby suggested what room to use for it.
I offered my baby girl a warm smile. “I don’t want you to worry about that situation anymore. I’ll talk to your mother. You don’t have to go back there until we’ve all sat down to talk. It’s my job as your father to make sure that you’re safe, happy, and protected,” I assured her.
“I know, Daddy. I just want the same for my mama. Lawrence wasn’t always like he is now. It’s like something flipped, and he decided that he rather be a fuck boy.” Eloise slapped her hand over her mouth, and her eyes widened. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
I tittered lowly. I knew all too well that my little girl cursed almost as much as me.
I appreciated her respectfulness to not talk that way in my presence.
“It’s alright, baby girl. Based on what you’ve told me today, your description is correct.
How about you go get your things? Melissa and Jessica will be here soon to get you. ”
Eloise would be with Jessica and her family this weekend in Florida. My baby girl smiled before she hugged me and Hestia, then left to go to the room that she slept in when we were here.
Hestia got up and moved to the seat next to me. She looped her arm into mine before she laid her head on my shoulder. “Tell me how you’re feeling or what you’re thinking.”
I kissed her forehead. “I’ll tell you both.
I’m feeling hurt for my daughter, disappointment and pity for Melanie, and rage toward Lawrence.
What I’m thinking about is how I will successfully have a calm conversation with Melanie about this situation that will not result in me cursing her the fuck out behind my daughter, or driving to Atlanta to fuck her nigga up. ”
With her head still on my shoulder, she tilted her head back so that her eyes caught mine. Her cheeks rose after I kissed her forehead. “I know this is hard, but you know I’m here for whatever you need to support you.”
“I know you are. Thank you for being you. I love you.” I leaned my face down and placed my lips on hers for a quick, passionate kiss.
When I released her lips from mine, I tittered lowly. She had a tear in her eye. My woman was soft as hell when she was with me, but in the streets, you would see a brick wall. I loved that she felt safe enough to be soft with me. Eloise told me that I had put Hestia in her soft girl era.
This was the first time that I told her that I loved her verbally. I showed her daily in different ways, but now I needed her to hear the actual words. Some felt that as long as they showed a person love that the words didn’t matter. I was not one of those people.
Hestia smiled, lifted her head, then softly kissed my lips. Her lips were soft all the time. Even in the morning when her morning breath met me before her smile did. “I love you too.”
Sometimes You Just Have to Check a Bitch . . .
It was the KOKs and Mt. Os’ monthly, midweek kickback.
From what I had been told, since Dindi came into the fold, the two clubs had tried to be more collaborative.
Those efforts intensified after Aaron and Gracie married.
The other clubs considered it a sort of merger between the two clubs, but no one from KOK and Mt. O saw it that way.
Our clubs partnered a lot more on events and things that we did throughout the community. Our monthly, midweek kickback was one of those events that was established to provide a space and time for our members to network and just chill.
The location for our kickback was always Basil Leaf Lounge.
The entire lounge was shut down. What I thought was honorable of the Basils was that 60 percent of all proceeds made that night went to a local charity that both clubs jointly selected.
They could have easily kept the profits in house, but they didn’t.
“Baby, um, can I eat my last lamb chop? I just want to make sure it was cool.” My brow tried to kiss my hairline while I asked for permission to eat my own damn food.
I’d eaten here a couple times, but it was the usual burger type meal.
When we got here tonight, Hestia told me to try the lamb chops, and she ordered a steak.
Had I known the only reason that she told me to try the lamb chops was so that she could have steak and lamb chops, I would have ordered . . . the lamb chops. Who am I kidding?
“Don’t do that, Bread. I haven’t stopped you from eating any of your food.” She said that with three lamb chop bones on her plate. I only received five chops. I ate one, she ate three, and there was one more left. She was right. She didn’t stop me; she just ate them before I could.
I leaned to the side, then kissed her neck. My lips went to her ear. “Bread, huh? Tell me I’m getting on your nerves without telling me I’m getting on your nerves.”
That was the only time she called me by my nickname. Well, not the only time. When I was in that pussy in a special way that she liked, she called me Bread.
“Don’t feel bad. I don’t think I’ve tasted lamb chops here again after Dindi started eating them. If I want some, I have to come alone,” Zeus confessed. He side-eyed his wife, who sat beside him in the long booth that we were in.
I laughed because she was in her own world with a plate of chops in front of her.
Either her cochlear was off or she chose to ignore him, because she didn’t miss a beat because of his words.
An interesting fact that I learned tonight from the menu was that when you ordered their chops, there was a regular portion and a Dindi portion.
The regular portion was five chops while the Dindi portion was eight.
I was told that it appeared on the menu when she was pregnant with Zoren.
She always asked for three extra chops and told other people it was the perfect portion.
“Don’t do my baby girl like that, Zeus,” Aaron said. He sat next to his wife further down the long family booth that we sat at. “The same way she is about those chops, you are about wings.”
Dindi’s fork paused in midair, and she looked down at her father. “Thank you, Daddy. He always has something to say, but I’m cool when I blink and my wings are gone.”
That answered my question on whether she ignored him or her cochlear was off. Since I was around more often, I saw her turn it off mid-conversation with no regard to the other person’s feelings or leftover words.
Everyone in earshot of the conversation chuckled.
Zeus and Dindi’s relationship was like watching childhood best friends be in love.
They had a mature love that allowed them to be comfortable enough with each other to be childish in a way that wasn’t negative or toxic.
From watching my parents and their relationship, that was one of the best ways to be.
We sat, ate, and talked about different topics. My attention was pulled from conversation when a person came to the table and stood there. My eyes tightened when I realized who it was.
“Hey, Bread. You look handsome tonight.” Sweet Thang didn’t try to hide her flirtatious nature. “I haven’t seen you around as much lately. Seems like you’ve gotten caught up with Olympus pus—”