Chapter 14 Neha
It did my heart so much good to see Nayelli with friends.
She’d been coming home from school and her self-defense class with the biggest smile on her face.
We spent car rides and dinner with her telling us all about them.
Aside from the little girl threatening to fight her bullies, they seemed like good kids.
My heart melted watching them on FaceTime together, showing each other their toys and gadgets.
Things were finally looking up for her, and I couldn’t have been happier about it.
Today was Saturday, and she had a play date with one of the little boys from her class.
She’d begged me to go, and after speaking with his mother on the phone, I agreed.
She said it would give us a chance to get to know each other since her son talked about Nayelli all the time.
Currently, we were on our way to their house.
Baby girl thought it would be nice to take flowers for the woman of the house, and I thought it was sweet.
She picked them out and paid for them, with her own money.
When we pulled into the neighborhood, I was shocked to see how grand it was.
I’d been to a couple different sides of town since moving here, but this was new to me.
The two-story brick home we pulled up to was absolutely stunning.
“They got money,” Nayelli said in awe as she looked up at the house.
“Don’t say that when we get in there.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
We climbed out of the car and headed up to the front door where Nayelli rang the doorbell.
A few seconds later, we saw her little friend peeking out the window.
I could hear his feet on the floor as he ran to open the door.
The cutest little guy stood there with a big smile, ready to greet us.
He was dressed in shorts, with an anime T-shirt and a cape around his neck.
“Hi, Nayelli!” he said excitedly.
“Hi!”
“Is this your mom?”
I smiled. “Yes.”
“Hi, I’m Jaiden. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
He extended his hand, and when I took it, he kissed the back of it.
I blushed. “It’s nice to meet you, Jaiden. Nayelli has told me so much about you.”
“All good things, I hope.”
I chuckled. “Only the best.”
“Come on in. Mommy! Nayelli and her mom are here!”
We stepped into the house, and I was floored by how beautiful the inside was as well. Everything was so tastefully decorated, organized, and clean. Nayelli and Jaiden were chit chatting as I looked around the entry. When my eyes landed on the picture above the mantle of the fireplace, I froze.
No, . . . this couldn’t be right. My eyes had to be playing tricks on me. There was no way I was staring at a family photo of Kerrion. My gaze traveled from the photo to Jaiden, and it was only then did I realize the similarities in their faces.
“Oh my God . . .” I mumbled.
Both he and Nayelli looked at me.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Nayelli asked.
I didn’t get a chance to respond before approaching footsteps came to a stop.
When I looked up, there stood his mother.
I’d never met her, but I’d seen pictures, and I’d always complimented him on how beautiful she was.
She stared at me, and I stared at her. There was no doubt she knew who I was, but there was something else in her eyes . . . Surprise, maybe?
I swallowed hard. “H-hi,” I said. My voice came out barely above a whisper.
“Hello. You must be Ms. Malone. Tavia Jenkins, Jaiden’s mom.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” She turned to Nayelli. “And you must be Nayelli,” she said with a smile. “Jaiden and Kerrion have told me all about you.”
Nayelli smiled. “These are for you,” she said, handing her the flowers.
“For me? Why thank you, baby.” Mrs. Jenkins pulled her in for a hug. “That’s so sweet!”
“Thank you for letting me come play with Jaden. Did you say you know Mr. K?”
His mother smiled. “Very well.” She pointed to the picture above the fireplace. “He’s my son.”
Nayelli’s eyes widened. “That means . . . you’re my grandma!”
“I am.” She cupped her face. “I am so happy to finally meet you, baby.”
Nayelli broke into tears, and she wrapped her arms around her grandmother. Ms. Tavia picked her up and hugged her tightly. They both cried as they embraced each other.
Jaiden grinned. “It was so hard not to tell you I’m your uncle at school. KD said even though I’m your uncle, you don’t have to listen to me.”
Nayelli and her grandmother laughed.
“MaMa!” A cute little girl ran into the room. She latched on to Mrs. Jenkins’s leg and looked up at me.
“Yes, Emmy?” Her mother placed Nayelli down and picked her up, then kissed her cheeks.
I was surprised to learn she had another baby. This one couldn’t have been more than a year old. A man I recognized as Kerrion’s stepfather came waltzing into the room. I only remembered him because he, too, was a fine man. He looked at me with a soft smile.
Ms. Tavia turned to Nayelli. “Baby, this is your aunt Emelie. We call her Emmy.”
Nayelli giggled. “It’s so weird having a baby for an aunt. Hi, cutie pie!”
Emmy grinned at her. “Hi!” She turned and pointed at me. “Who?” she asked.
“This is Neha,” Mrs. Jenkins said. “Can you say hi?”
“Hi!”
“Hey,” I said, giving an awkward smile. She reached for me, not giving me a chance to protest before falling into my arms. “Oh! Well, aren’t you friendly?”
“She’s never met a stranger,” her father said with a chuckle. “Hershel,” he said, extending his hand. “Jaiden’s dad.”
“Neha.”
“Neha . . . Malone? Neha Malone?” He looked at his wife. “That Neha?”
“That one.”
“Maybe I should go—” I started.
“No, no,” Mrs. Jenkins stated. “You’re here, and we are going to have a little chat.”
Mr. Hershel turned to Nayelli. “You must be Nayelli.”
“Yes. You’re Mr. K’s other daddy. That makes you my grandpa.”
He smiled big. “That’s right. It’s so nice to meet you, princess.”
She went to him for a hug as well. It was clear that Kerrion had been telling her about her family. For his mother to know who I was, he must have told her about us too.
“Did Mr. K tell y’all about me?” Nayelli asked.
Her grandmother nodded. “He did. He thought this would be a great surprise for you today. He’s on his way back.”
Mr. Jenkins slowly took Emmy from me. “I’m gonna go put Emmy down for her nap.”
“No nap!” Emmy said.
“Yes, nap,” her father said, kissing her cheek before kissing his wife’s. “Be nice.”
“I hear you, my love.”
He nodded at me before heading upstairs.
Mrs. Jenkins turned to Nayelli and Jaiden. “Sweetheart, take Nayelli upstairs for a little bit. Me and Ms. Neha need to have a talk.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The two of them took off upstairs, leaving me alone with the woman of the house. I didn’t know what to expect. She was smiling, but she could very well be plotting on my ass. Turning, she motioned toward the kitchen.
“Come on.”
She walked ahead of me, and I had to will my feet to follow her.
I wasn’t so sure that this was a good idea.
I knew how mothers could be about their sons.
She could take me in this kitchen and beat my ass, stab me, or anything.
When I stepped in, she was filling a glass vase with water for the flowers.
I took a seat at the kitchen island, nervously rubbing my hands together.
For a while, I watched as she cut and arranged the flowers in the vase.
“Neha Malone,” she finally said. “I always wondered when we would get to meet you. You’re just as pretty as the pictures he showed us.”
“Thank you . . .”
“So,” she said, resting her hands on the counter, “tell me the real reason you left all those years ago and broke my baby’s heart.”
Finally, somebody wanted to know my side of things.
I sighed. “Mrs. Jenkins, . . . I loved your son with all my heart. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“That-that he would hit me one day.”
She frowned. “Kerrion is a lot of things, but he would never put his hands on a woman. Ever.”
“You didn’t see what I saw that night. He was somebody else, and I never wanted to be on the receiving end of that. Not again.”
“Again? Somebody put their hands on you?”
I nodded as I hung my head. “My father. He was an abusive drunk. He used to beat my mother, my sister, and me. We dealt with that until I was twelve. That’s when he almost beat my mother to death.
My sister and I found her clinging to life after she told us to hide.
Watching Kerrion beat that man the way he did took me back to that night.
All I could see was my mother lying there bloody with life slipping away at the hands of the man who promised to love, honor, and cherish her. ”
Her face softened. “So you were triggered?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Did you ever tell my son about this, baby?”
I shook my head. “That’s a moment in my life that I never want to relive. We don’t talk about it. He’s the whole reason I don’t like violence. It goes too far. I’ve tried to talk to him and tell him my side of this, but he’s so angry that he won’t hear me out.”
She shook her head as she came around to sit beside me.
“Baby, . . . we can’t heal from things we don’t talk about.
I’m not saying broadcast your pain, but given the situation, that’s a conversation that needed to be had before things got to this point.
My son isn’t a saint, but he’s not the devil, either.
He was raised to protect the helpless and those he loves by any means.
I think you two need to have a conversation so he can explain a few things to you about who he is and what he does. Maybe then you’ll understand.”
“Understand? Is there something I’m missing?”
“A lot.” She took my hands. “Make no mistake, though. My son loved you with his entire being. He cherished you. Your breakup changed him and his view on giving his heart away. He hasn’t loved another woman since.”
“What about his son’s mother?”
She smiled softly. “That was different. They wanted a child, not a relationship.”
“So they were never a couple?”
“No. Unfortunately, she passed away in childbirth.”
My hand flew to my mouth. “What?”
“Uterine atony. She ended up bleeding out.”
“That’s horrible! So he’s raising his son alone?”
“He’s a single father, but never alone. The family helps take care of KJ. He’s his father’s pride and joy.”
She pulled out her phone to show me pictures and videos of Kerrion and KJ. My heart swelled at how adorable they were. It was clear now why he always had him. I remembered all the conversations we had about kids, and to see him be a father like he always talked about was beautiful, even from afar.
“Does this look like a man who would hurt you like your father?” Mrs. Jenkins asked. “He’s so full of love, Neha. He’s a good man, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my son.”
Again, she stared at me with that same look from earlier.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, quietly.
“Nothing. It’s just . . . my son has a type.”
Just as I went to open my mouth and ask what she meant, the front door opened, and in walked a young girl carrying KJ, with Kerrion right behind them, hands full of shopping bags.
“I’m not taking your lil’ ass nowhere else,” he fussed. “How you ask for shoes and then spend two racks on clothes?”
The young girl rolled her eyes as she turned to face him. “Because you got it like that, so I’ve got it like. I’m not understanding what you don’t understand about that.”
“What job do you have?”
She pointed to the baby. “Being the best TiTi and sister in the world. That’s a lot to handle, and you stress me out.”
“Kalia.”
“KD.”
Mrs. Jenkins shook her head and chuckled. “It never ends.”
They were fussing the whole way into the kitchen. When Kerrion saw me, he stopped.
“Neha,” he said, placing the bags on the table.
“Kerrion. It would have been nice not to be ambushed, you know.”
“Do you wanna talk about being ambushed?”
“Kerrion,” his mother said firmly. “Don’t start.”
“Ma—”
“What did I say? You two need to go have a talk, and by talk, I mean she’s gonna talk first, and you are gonna listen.
My granddaughter is here now. I don’t care what went on between you two in the past. Have the conversations that need to be had so you can co-parent in a healthy manner. You understand me?”
He kissed his teeth. “Yeah.”
“What was that?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips.
“Yes, ma’am.”
It grew awkwardly quiet. The young girl cleared her throat.
“Well, since nobody introduced me, I’m Kalia,” she said, extending her hand.
I shook it. “Neha. It’s nice to meet you, beautiful.”
“Is my niece here?”
I smiled softly. “She is.”
She quickly handed KJ off to his father and grabbed her bags from him. Before she left the room, she turned to me.
“You know, you look just like—” Her sentence trailed off. “Never mind. Anyway, I don’t like how you did my brother, but I want to know my niece, so y’all better get it together.”
“Girl, take your ass upstairs,” her mother scolded.
She took off for the stairs. I stared at Kerrion, and he stared at me.
“I have a question,” I said, quietly.
“I might have an answer.”
“Did you push Jaiden to be friends with Nayelli?”
He smirked. “I might have sent him her way.”
“And the little girl that threatened her bullies?”
Mrs. Jenkins gasped. “Kerrion, I know you didn’t sic those kids on somebody!”
He shrugged. “They made a new friend, so it all worked out.”
His mother grabbed a dish towel and smacked him repeatedly with it. I tried to stifle a laugh. As she fussed with him, all he could do was laugh. I smiled to myself. It was always nice to see him smile because all I got from him was coldness. I’d always loved his smile.
“Ma, stop!”
KJ was laughing up a storm, watching his grandmother beat his father.
“Give me my grandbaby and take your ass outside so you can talk to this girl. And you better listen, or next time, it’s gonna be my belt.”
She grabbed KJ up and went back to cleaning up her mess from the flowers. Kerrion stood there staring at me and me staring at him.
“I don’t hear feet moving,” his mother said.
I guess we both knew not to play with her. He headed for the back door. I sat there for a moment before following behind him.
Here goes nothing.