“Even with that pool party situation. That girl would have never gotten the advantage over us if you had been a woman about your shit. Hell, if you had stayed home, out of respect for me and our relationship, none of that shit would have happened. It’s always been Lyric’s world, but you don’t return the energy you get.”
“Are you saying I’m selfish?” Her tone let me know her feelings were hurt, but it was honestly time to rip the Band-Aid off. Lyric thought the world revolved around her, and she needed to hear the truth.
“You can be. You’re not a bad person, and you’re a great mother, but you can be inconsiderate and immature at times. Whenever you think I’m gonna say no or disagree with something, you sneak off and do it anyway instead of sitting down and talking to me about it. You might love the people in your life, but you’re so used to being taken care of that you don’t think to consider other people.”
Lyric stayed silent for a while, but I could tell by her face that she wasn’t upset. If anything, she hadn’t expected me to call her out on her shit.
“Wow. I guess I’ve never thought about it like that. You and Keynauri have been taking care of me for so long it never dawned on me that I was taking advantage of y’all. I guess I need to start taking care of myself.” She pouted.
“Naw, you’re not understanding what I’m saying. It’s not about taking advantage of us. We love you, so of course we’re gonna do whatever we can to make sure you and baby girl are straight. The issue is the energy isn’t reciprocal. For instance, you’ve been having this one-sided beef with Naiari since she came back into the picture. Now, you’ve put your brother in an uncomfortable position. He loves you, but he doesn’t want to do anything that interferes with his relationship with his kids.
“Yeah, your feelings may be valid, but why sit in it? Regardless of what happened, you can’t go back and change the past. Instead of being a woman and putting on your big girl panties, you choose to have division, which doesn’t affect only you.”
I held my hand up before she could even dispute me because I wasn’t finished.
“When it comes to me, I don’t ask for anything, but ask yourself what you’ve done for me since we’ve been together. Do you think you poured into me as much as I poured into you? Hell, what was the last gift or date you planned for me?” I questioned. “Hell, I gave you an endless supply of money, and you’ve never once used it to do anything thoughtful for me. I don’t need anything, but I was your man.”
I wasn’t a tit for tat type of person, but I wanted her to understand how her actions affected others. Lyric had gone through hell but so had the rest of us. It wasn’t an excuse for her to disregard everyone else’s feelings.
“I guess I never thought about it like that. You’re right, though. I have been so focused on myself and what I wanted that I never considered anyone else. I’m sorry,” Lyric admitted.
My phone vibrated in my basketball shorts, so I retrieved my phone to see who it was. I smirked when I saw it was Montoya. She sent me a picture of the dinner she cooked and told me I was missing out. Lil’ mama could cook, and she had blessed me with a few plates. I let her know I wasn’t eating anybody’s spaghetti, but she knew what to do in the kitchen.
“Is that the girl you were hugged up with at the club?” Lyric’s voice interrupted our convo. I sent a message to let her know her food was good, but it didn’t have shit on the dinner I ate.
“Yeah, it is,” I replied. Lyric already knew I didn’t believe in that lying shit. If she wanted to know something, all she had to do was ask.
“Damn. You didn’t even try to hide it.”
“Why would I? You and I are family, whether we’re together or not. If there’s something you want to know, I’ma tell you.”
“Okay. What did you do with Valor after I left?”
“I lit her ass up like a Christmas tree and dumped her ass in the river.” I shrugged, replying to another message from Montoya.
“Do you regret being with me?”
I looked up to make sure she could see my face when I answered. “I could never regret being with you. Not only did you give me the greatest gift in the world, but you’re also my person. We’re all flawed as fuck, so I don’t want you to take what I said as me tearing you down. I want you to grow into the woman I know you can be, and that means acknowledging your flaws.
“I love you more than I could ever love another woman, Lola. I could get married tomorrow, and you’ll still be the first and only woman to have my heart. Nobody comes before you and my princess, and there isn’t a bitch alive who can tell you they ever had me the way you do.”
She wiped tears from her face, and I allowed her a moment to get her feelings together. “Thank you, Essie. I know I can be a lot to handle, but I’m grateful you’ve never given up on me.”
“Never. We might not always see eye to eye, but that shit is normal. As long as you and Noodle are happy and healthy, I don’t care about anything else.” I grabbed one of the spare chargers from the dresser, then made my way to the other side of the bed. I removed my shirt and shorts, leaving my boxers on.
“Umm, who told you that you could sleep inmybed?” Lyric fussed.
“If we want to be technical, this ismybed. I’m the one who paid for this shit and got the custom mattress top for my back.”
“Yeah, but when you moved out, all of this stuff became mine. You’re supposed to be sleeping on the couch.” Lyric playfully pushed my shoulder, but I paid her ass no mind.
“Yeah, right. I’m not sleeping on that damn couch when there is a perfectly good bed right here. I don’t know why you want to put on a front like you don’t want me in here. You can stop the cappin’.”
“Oh, please. I’m not thinking about your hoe ass. I’m just not sure how my man would feel about my baby daddy sleeping at my house and especially in my bed. It’s inappropriate. Besides, I’m sure your little friend wouldn’t be too happy to know you were in my space like this.”
“I’m grown as hell, and nobody can tell me what to do. I want to be close to my family to make sure y’all are straight. Fuck whoever might feel some type of way about it. Besides, I don’t give a fuck about that lil’ nigga you’re with. I’m being gracious and allowing him his time. He should be grateful.” I fluffed my pillow, getting comfortable in my spot.
It was pretty early, but my body was exhausted. I had a long week ahead of me, so I planned to take advantage of my sleep when I could.
