Chapter 5 Marsha
I was engaged to the love of my life. Orion and I had come such a long way. I mean we should have since it took us so damn long to get our shit together.
Heartbreak was an interesting thing. You had to be willing to put in the work to heal it. I never went to therapy, but I prayed a lot and did every self-help thing that I could. At some point, it just dawned on me that I was just mad to be mad. It was tiring, and I didn’t want to be mad anymore.
The night that Orion gave me his little deadline when he wanted to know whether we would be together, I could have given him the answer then.
The reason I waited was because I wanted to see if there would be a shift in how we spent our time.
Before the date that he crashed, we only spent significant time together to nut.
After that night, it was like a switch had been hit.
We were together every day. We checked on our businesses together, spent time with our grandbaby together, cooked together, and were just together.
It was the small things like that that made me fall more in love with him.
One night we listened to an audible in bed.
His reaction to the book was more entertaining than the book itself.
He had so many questions that I had to stop the book to answer them.
My ring! For my high school graduation, Orion took me on a weekend trip to New York. We stayed at the nicest hotel, ate at the nicest restaurants, explored the city, and shopped.
I would never forget when I saw the ring in the window of a jewelry store.
Orion forced me to go in and try the ring on.
He was a bully even back then. I didn’t think the store would entertain us, because it was one of those stores that you had to ring the bell to be buzzed in.
They had armed security and everything. I fell in love with it as soon as it slid on my finger.
I told him that one day, I would own it, and now I had it.
I couldn’t believe he had it all these years.
Those were the thoughtful things that he always did.
There was never a lack of love between the two of us.
Hell, he was my medical emergency contact and power of attorney.
He knew my deepest desires and had access to all the things in case of death, as I did for him.
Orion and I had a family dinner planned in a few days to announce our engagement officially.
After I accepted Orion’s proposal, he told me to plan my wedding.
There was no real need because it had been planned since my early thirties.
All I needed to do was give my planner everything and have her book, rent, and purchase.
My dress would be designed by Femi Mercer!
The date had already been locked in as well.
With awesome often came bullshit. I was convinced that it was the universe’s way of keeping the balance in this fucked up world.
Karla stood in front of us with a damn newborn baby in her arms like the shit was cool.
I just saw this little girl two days ago, and there was no baby, pregnancy, or none of that, so the question remained.
“Karla, what do you mean, that is your sister? Where did she come from?”
“Go ahead and tell them, Karla,” Aaron blurted. Out of all my babies, he had the hottest head. I believed a lot of it came from the loss of his mother. His fucks died with her.
Karla’s head snapped in his direction. “Shut up, Aaron. I know how to talk.”
When her attention came back to me and her father, I saw that little girl that didn’t want to upset us. She was a meek woman with a little sass to her.
“Um, around five this morning, I got a text that I had a package at my front door. I looked at the camera and saw that it was a baby carrier.” She glanced down at the baby in her arms. “She was in it with a note.”
The creases on my forehead were so deep to the point of physical pain. “What the hell do you mean someone left a baby on your fucking porch? Karla, that doesn’t make sense. Let me see this letter.”
She reached into her back pocket, pulled out a folded piece of paper, then handed it to me. I opened the paper and scanned down to the bottom to see who sent it. My blood lavafied. I didn’t even think that was a word, but it was to-fucking-day. I commenced to reading the fuck ass letter out loud.
Hey Sweets,
I know it’s been a long time, but what is time among mother and daughter.
I don’t really have much to say, but I need you.
This is your little sister Maddie. I recently had her.
She’s a part of the reason my hubby left since he was not her father, but such is life.
Wait, I’m not even sure if you knew I was married.
Since Maddie wasn’t his, clearly, he didn’t want anything to do with her.
Well, her birth father is married and wants nothing to do with her too.
I don’t want to be a single mother. If I wanted to do that, I would have kept you instead of letting your dad and his bitch have you.
I wanted to put her up for adoption, but I thought this was better.
At least she would be around her big sissy.
Shit, the way your daddy’s bitch takes in kids that aren’t hers, this is right up her alley.
Anyway, all of her papers are in her bag.
I already signed over my rights, and it’s notarized and all that shit.
You’re young so you’re a better fit for her than me.
I was gonna bring her clothes, but I figured you had it.
You can change her name if you want to. She’s too young to know any difference. Take care of her and you.
Toodles
-Kim
“I know like shit this is a joke,” Orion roared. “There ain’t no fucking way that bitch left a baby on your fucking doorstep like a food delivery. Tell me that’s not what the fuck she did.”
Karla rocked her sister. “Daddy, it’s alright. I’ll just, um.”
“You’ll just what, Karla?” Euri asked her. “Sis, I know your heart, but come on. This is a baby that was dropped off on your doorstep by your flawed ass mama. You don’t deserve to have to shift your life to adjust for someone else’s irresponsibility.”
A tear fell from her eye, and she snickered.
“I’m happy no one felt like that about me when she didn’t want me anymore.
She basically dropped me off, too, but it took her six years.
At least Maddie doesn’t have to be subjected to what it feels like to be hungry and not loved for five fuckin’ years.
I don’t care what any of you say. She’s my sister, and I will raise her! ”
My heart broke for my baby girl. When Orion stepped forward to follow her, I put my arm up to stop her. “Leave her be for now. Bruqlyn, please go up to sit with her and the baby. Boys, leave her the hell alone. Y’all go about y’all day. Euri, where is my grandbaby?”
“Mama Norma and Pop Grant have her for the day. Majesty has a field trip, and they are taking Bridgette with them,” Euri informed as he watched his wife walk up the stairs like she would disappear forever or something.
The way my boy was obsessed with his wife was cute and scary all in the same hand.
I smiled. “Good! That means all y’all can move on with your day. Your father and I will handle it from here.”
They knew better than to say shit back to me. One by one, they came over to dap their father and kiss my cheek. Aaron lingered for a moment. “Ma, that shit ain’t right. How can someone just be like they don’t want their kid and drop them off at someone’s house without warning?”
I cupped his handsome face. “I know, baby. It’s not right, but we will handle it. Yelling at Karla is not going to make the baby go away. This is not her fault.”
“I know, but when she called me over here, there was so much panic in her voice. She was so scared. That bitch left her when she was six and hasn’t been around Karla since she was a teenager. Now she wants to drop a baby in her lap!”
Orion squeezed Aaron’s shoulder. “I know, man, but we got it. Trust me, Son. We’re going to do everything we have to so that your sister and her sister are fine.”
Aaron’s eyes bounced between the two of us before he nodded. With his mother’s death, he had abandonment issues. They weren’t like Karla’s, but they were abandonment issues, nonetheless.
He knew he could trust me and his father because we had always been there.
Even when I was at my most broken about Orion cheating and having two children, I never took it out on the babies.
I knew for a fact that Kisa and Kim were trifling.
Gia had hurt feelings about the situation, but she was never really a problem.
Her health was bigger than all the bullshit.
Once Aaron left, I moved and plopped down on the couch. “Orion, out of all the whores that you could have picked from, Kim was who you thought it would be good to stick dick to. That bitch is a waste of a whole person.”
He stood there in a daze for a beat before he looked at me. “I don’t understand that bitch. Why would she do that shit to her daughter, both of them?”
“Orion, that’s like asking a dog why they hump legs. It’s in the nature of a dog,” I said with a turned-up lip. “Sir, it’s in the nature of Kim’s fuck ass to be a fuck ass. Now, where does she live?”
His eyes tightened. “Why the fuck would you think that I know where she lives? I don’t fuck with that bitch.”
I raised my hands. “Orion, I know that. Let me say this so we can move on. When I ask you a question about a female, it is not in an accusatory manner. I trust you and know that you would never hurt me like you did in the past. Your heart, happiness, and life depend on it. Now, I know you don’t fuck with her or Kisa, but I also know you.