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“Who is that?” I asked.
“Shh,” she said harshly.
Rae tugged me into a neighboring yard before we crept closer. We stayed in the shadows, hanging out as Rae’s mother stood on the porch. I narrowed my eyes. The man looked familiar, but I couldn't place him or his voice. But, my question was answered by the next thing that flew from Rae’s mother’s mouth.
“D.J., you’re not coming inside. I’ve already told you no.”
He snickered. “Come on, baby. It was just a stupid fight. We have them all the time.”
D.J.? This was the fucker Rae always complained about?
Rae’s mom sighed. “I know we do. But we’ve had our last fight. This isn’t happening anymore. It can’t. I can’t do it anymore with you, D.J.”
“You’re being unreasonable. Why don’t I take you out? You love that wine at that little Italian place—”
“I’m not going anywhere with you, either.”
He took a step toward her. “You’re not done with me. I’m not done with you, either. I’m not giving up on this. On us.”
“Well, good thing you aren’t the only one who can make decisions around here.”
He paused. “Did your daughter get under your skin? You know she doesn’t like me. But she won’t be around for much longer. She’s off to college soon. Or wherever. Then it’ll just be us, baby. Like we always wanted.”
“Like you always wanted. It’s not my fault you were a jerk to my daughter. You had your chance. And now, I want you to leave.”
He took another step toward her. “You'll never be done with me, Lucy. We still love one another. There’s still love here between us.”
I went to step out of the shadows and confront this asshole. Because he was already pissing me off. But Rae slipped her arm in front of me, stopping me in my tracks.
“Hold on. I want to see how she handles this.”
So I held my ground. Even though I wanted to jam my fist into that fucker’s face.
“You know, Deej, I never thought I would be, either. You’ve been a big part of my life for a long time. And at one point in time, I thought maybe you were the one. That we just had some kinks to work out and struggles to work through.”
He sighed. “See? I knew you still loved me. Just let me come in. We can talk rationally about this.”
She shook her head. “No, Deej. You’re not welcome any longer. It takes more than love to make something like this work. And we don’t have it.”
He pointed his finger. “You don’t get to tell me that. You’re not the only one who dictates what happens here.”
“And neither are you. But this is my home. Not yours. And I don’t want you here.”
“I’m coming in.”
She lifted your chin. “If you push past me, I’m calling the police. I won’t repeat this cycle with you anymore. It’s amazing to me that you haven’t already replaced me with some young, dumb, perky little thing. I don’t know why you keep coming back, either. Why I keep letting you treat me like shit. But I need to grow up. And so do you. I need to be the mother my daughter deserves, and you need help. Just like I do.”
“I’m not fucking crazy like you and that spoiled bitch are. Where the hell are you gonna be without my money, huh? How are you gonna eat? Pay your bills? Remember what I do around here, Luciana. Remember it before I walk away. Because if I walk away, I’m not coming back.”
She sighed. “Good. Now, get the hell off my lawn before I call the cops. And don’t you dare step foot on my property again.”
I felt Rae sigh with relief. I looked over at her and saw happiness fill her eyes. They sparkled in the darkness. The pride that washed over her made my heart soar. We watched D.J. walk away and get in his car. And as he peeled out of the driveway, I heard Rae’s mom sniffle before heading back inside.
“Go see your mom. She needs you. And I’ll see you soon, okay?”
I gave Rae a kiss on the cheek before I watched her head for the front door to go take care of the mother she deserved.
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