Chapter 18 #2
“I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.”
“It’s good, as long as we can keep up. Your sister stays on top of things.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“Are you serious about this one?” he asked, and I knew he was referring to Ginae.
“She’s the only one I’ve ever been serious about. She is why I refused to marry Kavia.”
He turned and looked at Ginae and Phoenix, who were still wrapped up in their conversation. When he turned back to me, his eyes were glazed over as if he’d been in deep thought or something heavy was on his mind.
“The fire still burns after all this time, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope it works out.”
He walked away, leaving me to sort out my feelings about the exchange. It was the most we’d spoken in over a decade, and it was definitely the most civil conversation we’d had.
“That was unexpected,” Kevin said.
“Very.”
I reflected on the short conversation with my father. He was respectful, and I matched his energy. I couldn’t pat myself on the back because I wasn’t truly tested, but I’d still count it as a win.
“Shit! Here comes Kavia,” Kevin warned.
I braced myself for her bullshit because she’d definitely be the one to test me.
“Hey, Kevin, Phyre. Y’all remember Ethan.”
We exchanged greetings and handshakes before Ginae and Phoenix informed us that they were going to the bathroom. Neither of them addressed Kavia but politely spoke to Ethan as they disappeared in the crowd.
“That was rude,” Kavia said.
“That was probably as nice as they could be. Consider it a blessing,” I responded.
She rolled her eyes. “I guess you forgave her for her indiscretions. How noble of you.”
“Kavia, don’t start with your shit,” Kevin warned.
“What? I’m just making an observation. Phyre’s been holding a grudge against me for all these years for sending a text message, and she aborted his kid, and he forgave her in no time. Make it make sense.”
“Why do you care so much about his forgiveness?” Ethan questioned.
“Huh? I don’t care about—”
“I’m no fool, Kavia. Just because I didn’t bring it up doesn’t mean I didn’t notice how you goaded that man at the gala.”
“All I did was share some information that I thought he should know about his beloved Ginae.”
“Information that you completely misconstrued,” Kevin added.
“Ethan, I’m not sure if you’re planning a future with her, but before you get too involved, you should know that Kavia is obsessed with me.
She goes out of her way to do and say things to piss me off.
Besides the pure hatred I feel for her, there’s nothing else on my end, but you might want to reconsider getting serious with her. ”
“He’s lying, Ethan. I couldn’t care less about Phyre. He—”
“Let’s go, Kavia,” Ethan said with his teeth clenched before walking away.
“Ethan! Wait!” she called out, rushing behind him.
“That was smooth. I think she might actually like Ethan, but she can’t let go of her obsession with giving you hell. Maybe he’ll get her together,” Kevin said.
“I hope so. My therapist told me not to feed into her antics, and she’ll likely get bored when she sees she has no effect on me.”
“Only time will tell.”
At about 6:25, someone from the band announced that dinner would be served in five minutes and asked everyone to be seated.
The ladies had returned from the bathroom, and we took our seats next to them, while they continued to converse.
My mother arrived seconds later and immediately noticed her husband was missing.
“Where’s your father?”
“I think he went to the bathroom,” I said, but I actually had no idea where he was.
“He needs to hurry. He’s supposed to give a speech about me before dinner.”
She was doing too damn much, but since it was her birthday, I offered to help.
“I’ll go find him.”
I kissed Ginae’s lips before pushing back from the table and standing. Unsure where the bathrooms were located, I headed toward the vestibule. The area was empty, and the lights were dim. I looked to my left and saw a sign for the men’s restroom and headed in that direction.
“You’ve been promising the same thing for over thirty years, Brad.”
“It’s not that simple, Linda.”
Linda?
“I disagree. Phyre and Phoenix are grown. You have nothing keeping you there unless that’s where you really want to be.”
“I want to be with you, but this is much more complicated than you’ll ever understand.”
“Try explaining these complications to our son. Do you think Brady will understand?”
Son? Brady? What the fuck?
“Brady’s an adult, so stop using him to convince me to rush this process. Linda, please. Can we talk about this tomorrow? It’s almost 6:30, and Clem is probably looking for me.”
My father had been sleeping with the help for more than thirty years, and they had a son together. A part of me wanted to confront them, but now wasn’t the time, so I hurried back into the banquet hall and to my seat.
“Did you find him?” my mother asked.
“Yeah. He’s on his way.”
“Are you okay?” Ginae asked, rubbing her hand over my thigh.
“I’m good. Why do you ask?”
“You’re sweating and breathing heavy. Did you and your father get into it?”
“No. I’ll tell you later.”
For the rest of the night, I couldn’t stop replaying the conversation I’d overheard between my father and his mistress, a woman who had worked for my family since I was a child and someone we thought of as family.
My mood shift was triggering for Ginae, so I had to assure her it had nothing to do with her.
“I promise it has nothing to do with you, baby, but I can’t talk about it right now. There are too many ears around, and honestly, I need some time to process,” I told her when she asked again if I was okay.
“I’m ready to leave when you are,” she said, and I nodded.
I couldn’t leave without confronting my father. He’d been getting away with cheating on my mother, right under her nose, for over three decades, and even had a child. My mother was far from perfect, but she didn’t deserve this.
“I need to talk to my father for a minute. We can leave after that.”
Her eyes showed concern as I kissed her forehead before going in search of my father. I found him not too far from our table, talking with a few of his friends.
“Gentlemen, it’s good to see you all. I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I grab my father for a few minutes?”
“Of course,” one of them said. “We’ll be here when you’re done.”
My father followed me to a corner, and I didn’t waste a moment’s time.
“Linda? Of all the women to have an affair and a child with, you chose Linda. A woman who works for our family, but who Ma views as family, and quite possibly a friend.”
“Son—”
“Does Ma know?” He shook his head. “You’re disgusting.”
I started to walk away, but he put his hand against my chest.
“Wait. Let me explain.”
“As if anything you say would make this okay.”
“It won’t, but I need to say this.”