10. Trench
Trench
As I sat across from Harli, I was all smiles until I felt the wind get knocked out of me.
I had to pinch myself because I truly thought I was dreaming as I noticed my parents headed towards us.
The closer they got, the drier my throat became because I’d been trying to keep them separate from each other.
Not because I was ashamed of Harli, but to protect her from their ways.
Plus, I figured a nigga wouldn’t have any chances because of the parents I had.
They made it to the table before I could tell Harli, and I prayed that this didn’t become a shit show.
“My, my, my, if it isn’t my long-lost son,” my mom shook her head in disappointment. “Where are my manners? I’m Travis’ mother, Tiffany, and this is his father, Bruce.”
“Um, nice to meet you guys. I’m Harli,” Harli smiled before she wiped the corner of her mouth. “Will you be joinin’ us?”
“I will just keep you company while Travis and his father run to the car,” my mom answered. “Travis be a dear and help your father grab the stuff I had for you in the truck.”
“I can come by and get it tomorrow because I’d like to finish my date,” I countered.
“Date?” Her head popped hard in my direction. “You’re on a date with this young lady? That’s funny because you’re supposed to be dating that CEO’s daughter, but I guess you’re experimenting with a DEI program.”
“Oh, wow,” Harli gasped at the underhanded jab that just flew from my mom’s ignorant throat. “Tren… Travis, I’ll leave you to finish dinner with your lovely parents.”
“Harl…”
“Son, if she doesn’t want to be kept, you let her go,” my mom hissed as she pushed me down by my shoulder.
The death stare I gave her when I looked up not only silenced her but made her snatch her hand off of me.
Harli was already out the door by the time I was able to leave the table.
As my biggest fear became my reality, I prayed like hell I could fix it.
Scanning the parking lot, I spotted Harli and took off.
I needed her to know how sorry I was for my mom’s behavior, and how much she meant to me.
She’d just opened her door when I finally made it to her.
“Harli, wait,” I pleaded as I closed her door by stepping in front of her. “I’m sorry for my mom. I didn’t know they were gonna pop up.”
“Tuh, but she isn’t sorry for her behavior,” she rolled her eyes as she created some space between us. “I already felt like you were usin’ me for some ghetto chick fetish you had.”
“Man, Harli, you know that ain’t it.”
“Do I? I peeped a while ago that you had money, so I figured yo’ folks would be uptight.
Even after I peeped that, I never once fixed my mouth to ask you for money.
Which is something I’m sure they would expect somebody like me to do.
Just like I’m sure yo’ mama probably thought I was gonna behave like a hoodrat after she was disrespectful to me for no reason.
I should’ve given her just that, but I didn’t want to step out of my character!
So, just focus on datin’ the daughter of a CEO because it fits yo’ aesthetic. ”
“I don’t give a fuck who she thinks I’m supposed to be with. You’re who I want to be with. Me knowin’ yo’ character, I know you weren’t after my money. Hell, I have to fight with you to pay for shit, so you weren’t on that type of timin’.”
“Uh huh. I need you to move so I can leave, Travis.”
“Don’t call me that. I don’t want to leave, Harli.”
“Travis is the real you, and Trench was just a character.”
“Oh, damn. You can’t believe that.”
“But I do. You don’t have to keep hiding me in hotel rooms, so you can play that character. You’re free to be the real you. Now, move so I can leave, Travis.”
Her words cut me deep because we’d talked about how much I felt like an outsider in my family.
I stepped out of her way as I looked at her in pure disbelief.
There was a slight look of regret on her face before it turned cold as she looked past me.
I turned around and noticed my parents walking over to us.
Looking back at Harli, she was in her car when our eyes connected again.
“She was no good for you son,” my mom had the nerve to speak.
“Are you fuckin’ serious?” I fumed as I turned to face them. “She’s no good for me? No, you’re no good for me, Ma! I can’t believe you were not only disrespectful to someone who showed you nothin’ but respect, you lied about me dating one of yo’ friend’s daughter. That was foul as fuck.”
“Travis,” my dad stepped in.
“Don’t say shit to me when you don’t check her when she behaves like that,” I barked.
“I’ve respected y’all and stayed quiet when I shouldn’t, but that ends today.
She was important to me, and y’all just fucked that up in less than five fuckin’ minutes, man.
You thought I was a long lost son early, I’m ‘bout to disappear like Houdini from y’all lives. ”
“No, Travis, I’m sorry,” my mom apologized.
“I’ll be movin’ out by the end of the month,” I announced before I made my way towards my car.
The next few weeks, I did everything I could to get Harli to talk to me.
I called and texted until she blocked my number.
When I popped up to her spot, nobody ever came to the door.
She blocked me on all social media the night my mom showed her ass.
Hell, I was even sending handwritten notes like a school kid by way of ‘Scoe.
The reality of her being done with a nigga was a hard one to face, but eventually I had to.
As I packed the last box of my room, I was flooded with so many memories I shared here.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about growing up with money, but once I realized it couldn’t buy happiness, that’s when it became useless.
I was never happy despite getting everything I wanted and needed.
It wasn’t until I started kicking it with Harli, that I experienced true happiness.
That was a true feeling I was trying to hold on to for longer than a few months.
Staying in this room the past few days as I finalized everything with my condo reminded me of that.
I’d been giving my parents the cold shoulder at the house and at the sneaker store.
A nigga was going through it on all fronts, and the only time I felt peace was on my bike.
At first I was going to the races with the hope of seeing Harli but came up empty there too.
So, I made a bag off my pain by dusting every person I raced.
“Travis, again I’m sorry,” my mom apologized for the millionth time as I came downstairs with my box. “I promise I’ll stop being so overbearing and controlling if you just tell me where you’re going.”
It hurt me to treat her this way, but I had to really stand on business.
I’d let her control enough of my life and not say nothing to the point where it has cost me my happiness.
She had her life and lived it as she saw fit, and now it was time for me to do the same.
As I made my way back towards the house, I was removing their house key from my keychain.
“Here,” I finally spoke to her after days of silence.
“Travis, you don’t have to go,” she pleaded. “I’m so sorry. I’ll apologize to the young lady too.”
“Her name is Harli. She doesn’t want to hear from me, and I know she ain’t gonna wanna hear nothing you gotta say.
As a parent, all I’d want my child to be is happy, ya know.
And I was happy with her, ma. And you took that away from me.
So, I do have to go because it’s time. I’ll still work my shift at the store, but treat me like a regular employee because once I find another job I’ll be quittin’.
This is something I need to do because I can’t keep livin’ the life you want me to.
I still love you, but you gotta do better, ma. ”
“I love you too, son.”
I kissed her forehead before stepping back as my eyes shifted to my dad standing behind her.
He gave me a head nod before I returned the gesture and left.
I’d used all my winnings from racing on the condo I now own and returned every family credit card I had.
As I headed to Magnolia Towers, I was excited for this next chapter because this go around I was doing it all on my own.
The first person I wanted to tell about moving out was Harli, but I couldn’t, and that fucked with me the most.
The pain I felt to go from hearing her voice almost every day to not hearing it at all was the hardest part.
It had me feeling like Ghost in Power when Angela got shot right in front of him.
I felt like I’d lost the love of my life at the hands of family, and that’s not a pain I’d wish on my worst enemy.
After I’d unloaded all of my boxes, I stepped into my fully furnished condo proud of the achievement I’d accomplished.
My mind drifted to Harli because when I’d pictured this moment in my head she was standing next to me.
“Damn,” I cursed as I shook my head. “I guess I really gotta let her go.”