“And you seem to feed off attention. What is that display you were putting on out there? A woman doesn’t move in such?—”
“I’m sorry, let me stop you right there. I don’t care what you or anyone else thinks about me or what I do. You don’t know shit about me, and I know even less about you.” Harbor cut her sharp gaze toward my father. “And what I do know about you, I don’t like. Do us all a favor and keep your rocks in your hands. You know what they say about throwing them at glass houses.” Her tongue pierced them both, leaving them glaring speechlessly back at the both of us.
Listening to her give them a tongue lashing left me wanting her ass even more. Nobody had ever spoken to either of them like that before either. My mother’s expression was full of offense, and she tried to hold it together and not reveal emotion in that moment.
“Frequency, you should tell your… acquaintance that she needs to learn to speak with a little more respect.” Her mouth tightened with rage as Celine sailed into the room.
She read the energy almost immediately and stopped at the counter.
“Karrin, in here trying to bring misery to your party of one?” She kidded, reaching for an unopened bottle of champagne.
My mother rolled her eyes and Harbor chuckled with Celine.
“How about you stick to being the help around here,” Karrin chimed in curtly.
Celine paused, but didn’t speak. Her bright eyes bounced from Kutlass to Karrin, and shit felt off. The entire vibe in the kitchen changed and Celine set the bottle on the counter. This wicked smile spread across her lips and she laughed a little to herself.
“Always such a bitter Betty. Why did you even show your face this year?”
“This is my son, you remember that!” My mother grew instantly irate, and it sparked curiosity as Kutlass rested a hand on her shoulder. “You might get to cater to his every whim, but don’t get it twisted, he is mine! All these years all you ever wanted was to try to establish some kind of place in his life, like you can replace me!” My mother ranted, and Celine shook her head in disbelief.
“Unbelievable. You ungrateful ass?—”
“Celine!” Kutlass barked, and an ear-piercing silence filled the vast room.
I watched Celine’s mouth close in submission. Very few times had I ever seen her do anything that anyone ordered her to do. She ran the house the way she saw fit and didn’t care about anyone’s opinion about anything. I recall many times she and mother butted heads over the years, but my father always came to Celine’s aid. I never quite understood the dynamics of any of their relationships. As an adult, my other senses were telling me that some shit was going on underneath the bickering.
“I’m going to go back to the party.” Celine grabbed the champagne and stomped out of the room.
Karrin shot an angry glare toward Kutlass and he sighed before lowering his head.
“I told you I didn’t want to come here. That woman makes my ass itch.” My mother muttered.
She turned her wrath onto me. “And you’ve always acted like you wished I was more like her anyway.”
“Ma, you bugging.”
“Karrin calm your dramatic ass down.” Kutlass sighed. “You’re paranoid, and for no fucking reason. Leave the past where it is. Shit is done and over with, so let it go.”
“Like you have?” She shot back at him.
I couldn’t tell where this conversation was going, but shit was leaving me confused and full of questions. My parents and Celine dealt with one another like they all carried some secret that kept them bonded. Only my mother didn’t seem to really even care for Celine, so the shit was even more strange. There was a lot of anger and resentment there for both women. Kutlass seemed to be in the middle, and my mother clearly wasn’t a fan of him standing up for Celine.
When she went stomping out of the room, Kut watched after her for a minute before his gaze landed on Harbor. His dark retinas wandered over her like she was an obstacle, and I wasn’t feeling that shit. My parents were both selfish and all about appearances. They wanted to arrange a marriage between me and some socialite type bitch that was groomed her entire life to be some man’s trophy wife. It was some realComing to Americatype shit, only darker. My pops was ruthless, and he didn’t allow anything to stand in his way that was a threat to his family name.
“What was that about?” I finally asked.
“You know Karrin. She’s the star of her own one woman show. I should probably get her up to bed. You know how her tongue is when she’s drunk.” Kutlass was being an ass, but that wasn’t new.
I was pretty sure that I had inherited that from him. He was also callous, and unfeeling. I would swear ice ran through his veins because he didn’t give a damn about anyone but himself and his own agenda. The type of marriage they had; it wasn’tsome shit to look up to like my brother said. Their shit was calculated and full of manipulation. Kutlass was an ain’t shit father and husband. Karrin was just as bad, which is why she could never call him on it. Don’t get me wrong, they are my parents and everything, but I knew a long time ago that they were fucked up.
“And what about you when you’re drunk?” I stepped into his personal space, in combat mode.
“I’ve been sober for a long?—”
“Fucking lies!” I called him out.
I may have been celebrating and trying to have a good time, but I wasn’t that fucking lit to where I wasn’t paying attention to the things around me.
