Chapter 13
Glow
“Get up.”
Bright light flooded my room as my mother opened the curtains. Lifting my hand above my eyes to block the blinding sun, I pressed my back further into the headboard.
“I’m up. I’ve been up since my niece decided to exercise her lungs at five a.m.”
My mother walked around the room, picking up dirty clothes and tossing them in the hamper.
“Well, let some light in here,” she replied, not stopping in stride.
I held my iPad up in response, though the screen was set to the lowest brightness.
“Light from an electronic device isn’t enough, Charisma. You need some sunlight. You ’bout pale as hell and look like a walking corpse!” She fussed as I grinned.
My mother stood up straight after picking up the remote that had fallen, and when she noticed my facial expression, she scoffed, making me drop my grin.
“Ain’t shit cute or funny about that, Glow! You nearly died in that hospital.” My mother crossed her arms, dropped them, and then ran her hand through her short hair. “Do you really think you’re not perfect the way you are, baby?”
Sitting up in bed, I set the iPad beside me and swung my legs over the edge.
I’d been home for less than a day. My mother and I arrived to my townhouse last night, and although I missed my own bed, home is not where I wanted to be.
Glee needed me—she needed my presence. But I was forced to come home on doctors’ orders.
Apparently, I was making myself sicker, and stress was causing me to lose my appetite. At least, that’s what they believed.
“Mama, I know I’m pretty. I… I don’t want to talk about it.”
Sighing, my mother’s eyes glossed.
“Mama, I’m—”
“Charisma.” She took a seat on the bed and held my left hand in hers. “This isn’t your fault. It’s mine. I should have left your father the first time we fought.”
She sighed, and I swallowed down a thick stream of saliva.
I didn’t want to listen, but I knew I had no choice.
“He’s a good man, but he wasn’t a good man for me.
Our toxic ways triggered something in you.
It’s my biggest regret… Seeing both of you in the ICU has done something to me.
It was like I had an awakening. I’ll never disappoint y’all again.
Without my girls, I’m nothing. So, please, whatever it is we need to work through, let’s.
I just want to see you healthy. You have so much to live for.
You’re beautiful, successful, loved, and adored. I don’t want this for you, Glow.
“When somebody comments on you resembling a skeleton, that’s nothing to celebrate.
Anytime a person mentions weight loss, your eyes shimmer, and when they mention weight gain, you look as though you’re about to vomit.
We have to change the narrative. We must change your thought process.
It’s okay to have weight on you… It’s okay on anyone.
It’s okay to gain a healthy amount of weight and sustain it, baby. ”
Removing my hand from my mama’s, I grabbed the back of my neck. It felt unnaturally warm, and my chest felt as if it was about to explode.
“I’ll try, Mama. I’m happy you’re here.” I gave a lopsided grin.
“And don’t try to get your own place. This one has three floors.
If you want space, you can have the basement.
I can have a kitchen built, and you can do whatever you want with it.
You can even lock us out sometimes. If you leave, Glee leaves. Glee leaves, the baby leaves.”
The thought of my sister lying in that hospital bed, all banged up and bruised, made my fingers tremble.
If I could switch places with her, I would in a heartbeat.
I nearly had. The good news was that she was recovering well, and today they were removing her from the coma.
The swelling in her brain had gone down, and there were no signs of damage.
I had been thanking God for sparing my sister since I woke up, and I never would stop for the years to come.
“If you want me here, I'll be here. But I don’t know how your husband will feel about that.” Her sculpted brow rose, but the teasing grin had me pressing my back further into the headboard.
“Tunan?” I asked, dumbfounded like I’d married someone else. He was my husband, and I had the memory of the haunted house and the marriage certificate to prove it. “He doesn’t live here, Mama.”
We hadn’t discussed my “husband,” but I knew it was coming.
When I was discharged the day after I woke up and told him I wasn’t leaving the hospital, he left.
I hadn’t dwelled on it because I’d been surrounded by the mob wives and my parents’ support.
My mother had to shoo the ladies home, and even though they’d gone, I appreciated them for being by my side up until that point.
It meant a lot, especially when they had just forgiven me for disappearing on them.
I had a newfound respect for them because they had even been there for Glee, making sure her room was stocked with fresh flowers and that she was comfortable.
Don showed his face to tell me that both of our medical bills were covered, and that felt new.
Glee was on my mom’s insurance, and I paid my premium every month, but it was good to know neither of us would have a co-payment to cover. The intensive care unit wasn’t cheap.
“I know he doesn’t live here. But”—she grinned—“He’s fine as hell!” she blurted out, and her light cheeks grew rosy.
“Mama!” I screeched.
“What? I’m old, not blind.”
“You are not old.”
“I’m old enough to be his mama. That’s old enough. Where his daddy?” She was as serious as a heart attack with her eyes waiting for my answer.
“Mama, I don't know. I think he’s dead. I used to talk to his brother, and I know for a fact his father is dead. So yeah, he’s dead. But I think he's Italian, the dad, I mean.”
“Ew! A white man produced that fine Black king? And brothers?! Charisma! Well, excuse me, Mrs. Payne. You did not—” She leaned in, whispering like we weren’t the only ones here outside of the baby who was napping.
The monitor was on my nightstand, and my mom had been given the other.
“You did not sleep with two brothers, did you? Oh God, my daughter is living the life of my favorite FMC.”
“FMC?” I asked, ignoring the fact that she'd given me Tunan’s last name.
“Yes, the main female character in the romance books I like reading.”
“Mama, when you start back reading?”
Cathy Glory used to have a dresser full of books when we were kids, and we weren't allowed to touch them. But when my dad started cheating, she gave up her hobby, spending all her spare time trying to keep up with what my dad was or wasn’t doing.
“I was on your TikTok page one day, and when I scrolled by mistake, I saw a BookTok recommendation. I’ve read fifteen books so far this year.” She beamed.
“That’s so good, Mama. Send me your Kindle wishlist, and I’ll buy some physical copies for you. It’s a built-in bookshelf in the basement too.”
“I would decline, but reading is an expensive hobby, so I sure will allow you to spoil me! I like reading on my Kindle, but I’d love some in paperback.
I’m sure I'll put that bookshelf to good use with the few I already got. I just may set up my camera and do a few reviews too. Since I’m not going back to work, I think that will be good use of my free time. ”
“I think doing book reviews is a good idea, Mama. You’re so aesthetically pleasing.
The community would love watching you. Where do you think I get it from?
” I winked while she rolled her eyes in response.
“Plus, I can get my followers to support. I got the bookshelf done because they begged me to do book content, but I don’t think that’s my lane. ”
There was so much money in social media, and often I explored other avenues when food became too overwhelming.
My core audience loved it when I reviewed food, though.
They watched almost anything I posted, but my food videos always had the most interactions.
I thought my mama would do really well on BookTok, being that it had grown tremendously over the last few years.
All it took was a few likes on the ones that popped up on your feed, and then you were thrown into the world with every four scrolls.
“I’ll think about it, baby. Now back to you and these two brothers. Do they look alike? Oh, you’re not going to let them train you, are you?” Horror flashed across my mother’s face.
“Mama, what? No!”
“Oh! Thank God. It’s cute when it happens in a book, but I can’t imagine my baby girl being hammered from both ends at the same time.”
“Yeah, we may need to switch your genres.” I shook my head, looking over to the monitor to check on Baby Leader.
My mama kissed her teeth. “Girl, how do you think you got here?”
“Not by being tossed, I hope.”
“Tossed?”
“It’s the same thing as trained.”
“Oh.” She waved. “No, but all the shit your daddy done did, I should have let his homeboys have a turn or three.”
“Oh God! Mama, please… Let’s not keep that portion of this convo going.
But, no, I have not slept with Shio, that’s Tunan’s brother.
We didn’t get far, and I married Tunan before I knew they were brothers.
And I’m not being disrespectful when I say this, but I can’t give you the details of our marriage, Mama.
Just know it isn’t typical, and we both benefit. ”
“Unlike you, I know how to mind my business. I also understand everyone has to make their own choices in life and live with their own decisions. I like Tunan, and y’all can keep screaming that bullshit about it being fake, but you didn’t see the way he watched over you in that hospital. But you’ll see. Time reveals all.”