“I want to sell the house. Or rent it out. But I don’t want to live there anymore.”
Her brow furrows. “Kwame, your mother wanted you to make it yours.”
“It’s so big. It’s got no personality.”
“Have you decorated?”
The empty rooms flash in my head. “No.”
She shakes her head. “Your parents were hoping you could make it your home. Raise your family there.”
“Isn’t that something I should have a say in?”
“Of course.” Understanding softens her expression. “If you don’t want to live there now, I understand, but selling it or renting it out to someone else would feel wrong. He’s done so much so you can have everything he didn’t.”
“Except be a present father,”I mutter.
She slaps my shoulder. “You’re an adult now. You don’t need him for that anymore. Just…get to know him. Try to understand him. Why he is the way he is.”
“I walked away from a career I love and moved here to be close to him. I took this asinine job, I moved into that house, and he took the first chance he had to skip town.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes to try and ward off the headache blooming behind them.
“Oh, Kwame. You know he would have stayed if he’d been able to.” Alice puts a hand on my shoulder.
There isn’t a power on Earth that could have made him leave DC ifhe’d wanted to stay.
I swallow down a flare of irritation. As much as she loves me, Alice is fiercely loyal to my father. When it comes to his character, she may see and hear the evil, but she will never speak of it.
“I know you’re angry at your dad for leaving.”
“I was. I’m not anymore.”
“Then why do you want to move?”
“This has nothing to do with him. I have ambitions beyond his approval you know.”
“Kwame,” she sighs my name before her lips settle into a deep, contemplative frown.
She opens her mouth to speak when the chime of her front door opening interrupts us.
“That must be Oz.” She jumps up from the table and sweeps a critical eye around the room and brushes nonexistent crumbs from the spotless table. “Something was wrong at his apartment so he walked over to use mine. One of the perks of having him next door.”
“Oh, I see.” I can’t hide my lack of enthusiasm. If I’d known there was even a chance I’d see Oz today, I wouldn’t have come.
“Ma?”
“Up here,” she calls out. Her anxious energy is contagious and I find myself itching to leave.
His heavy footfalls hit the stairs and as if on cue, a cloud moves to cover the sunlight that filled the kitchen seconds ago.
“Is there anything to eat, I’m—” he stops speaking when he steps into the kitchen and sees me. “Oh. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
Alice stands, straight and at attention by the sink and beams a forced smile at him as he strolls into the kitchen.
“You said something about a fire alarm when you came in. Is everything okay?” she asks and walks over to greet him.
“It was a false alarm. Waste of time. I’ll eat and go back to my place.” His lip curls in a sneer when he passes me to meet her halfway. He presses a kiss to his mother’s cheek.
Loving Alice is the only thing we still agree on these days. I watch as he gathers his things and studiously ignores me.
