Bree #3
“Yeah.” Kayla nodded.
“Kade, Yayo, and Cassian. Probably Cazmir too once he finds out. Them niggas act like they Secret Service whenever one of they women start talking to somebody.”
“That’s because they nosey,” Ysis replied.
“No.” Kayla corrected.
“They’re crazy. There’s a difference.”
“Honestly, I’m not glad they didn't, either. Do I like the way they handled it? No, because I believe there’s a time and a place for everything.
I’m their mother, not some young girl they have to watch over.
However, given the topic in which they wanted to address with him, I also knew now wasn’t the time to raise hell.
But trust, they will see me back at the house. ”
She said it so matter-of-factly, that all three of us exchanged looks. The confidence in her voice made it seem like she knew something nobody else did. Like she had an ace tucked away that she planned on playing when the time was right.
“Now enough about me and what I got going on. What’s going on with y’all?” The table went so silent you could hear conversations from nearby booths. I sucked down an oyster and looked between Kayla and Ysis, silently volunteering one of them to go first.
“Yayo shot up a parking lot because he saw me with another man. Now he’s pissed at me and hell bent on proving a point.” Kayla broke first, saying it so casually you’d think she was discussing the weather. Mama Sina nearly choked.
“He did what?”
“Exactly.”
“I mean...” Ysis shrugged. “Drama with Marius aside, things are surprisingly good in the Myles household.” The way she emphasized surprisingly made all of us laugh.
“Well, Cazmir isn’t speaking to me right now because—”
“Of something he caused.” Kayla finished for her.
“Right.” I pointed at her. “So now I’m just trying to collect my thoughts and handle this the best way I know how.”
Turning toward Ysis, I took a deep breath. “Ysis, I am so sorry for keeping that secret from you and I swear on everything that is true, I will never omit the truth or lie to you again.” Ysis looked at me for a moment before nodding.
“I was pissed,” she admitted honestly. “But I understand the position all of this put you in. I understand how it happened and why it happened. It doesn’t make it right, but I understand it. And I forgive you, friend.”
Her eyes misted. Mine did too. Before either of us could start crying in public, she leaned over and hugged me. Relief washed over me so hard I almost started crying anyway. Mama Sina watched the interaction quietly before setting her drink down.
“Let me give you ladies some advice. I want you to take it from me as a mother, wife, and the ex-best friend of a trifling hoe.”
“Men will come and men will go, but the bonds you build with your girlfriends can last a lifetime. I’m not talking about girls you gossip with every now and then.
I’m talking about real girlfriends. The kind that stand in the paint with you whether you’re wrong, right, or somewhere in between.
Friends that will tell you the truth even when you don’t want to hear it.
Friends that will check you, love you, pray for you, and still show up when life gets ugly. ”
We all listened carefully. “Those are the friendships you hold onto, because I promise you this. Some men become soulmates, but your best girlfriends become that too. They see versions of you nobody else gets to see. They help carry burdens nobody else understands. They wipe your tears when those men act like complete assholes and remind you who you are when life tries to convince you otherwise.”
Her voice softened. “Never take that for granted.”
The table grew quiet again, not awkwardly, but in a thoughtful way because we all knew she wasn’t speaking from theory.
She was speaking from experience. Looking at her, I could see the hurt hiding underneath the wisdom.
No matter how much grace she carried herself with, there was still pain there from everything that happened with Yuki.
Years of friendship. Years of trust. Years of memories.
Gone. That realization made me want to hold on to my friendships with these women even tighter.
As our food and drinks arrived, the conversation shifted into lighter territory.
We laughed. We ate. We talked about books, babies, relationships, work, and everything in between.
For the first time in what felt like forever, nobody was arguing.
Nobody was keeping secrets and nobody was crying.
It was just us, and sitting there looking around the table, I realized how rare that had become.
Life had a way of pulling people in different directions. Careers, relationships, marriages, children, grief, and growth all demanded pieces of you, until one day you looked up and realized how easy it would've been to lose touch with the people who helped you become who you are.
Thankfully, we weren’t there yet. We were still here. Still fighting for each other. Still choosing each other. And maybe that was enough. For now.