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“Well, that’s something I can get behind too,” a familiar yet chilling voice spoke from behind me as a frail hand reached over my head and towards our glasses.
Kemara’s mouth dropped open as she stared at the silhouette behind me.
“Hey bitches,” cackled a thin and brit
tle-looking Melody, Rodney’s ex who obviously couldn’t handle him through sickness and in health as she once was ready to vow to.
“What the hell are you doing over here?” I snapped. “You should really think twice before you say another word. You aren’t welcome anywhere near me.”
Melody had this conniving smirk on her face as she watched me get up from the table to confront her. Kemara grabbed my hand, encouraging me to sit back down, while Alise and Jayne stood up to back me up if needed.
“I just saw you and your little crew over here, and I just had to come over and express my gratitude that your presence has become more satisfying to Rodney since his accident. I couldn’t deal with his little situation because he can hardly do anything for himself now.” Her face transitioned into a very phony sad face. “I don’t take care of people; they take care of me,” she said in the most annoying, squeakiest voice I had ever heard.
This is what he left me for? I shook my head and wondered just how much of a relationship my kids were going to have with their little sibling who was only a few months old.
“If you don’t take care of people, I don’t know how the whole “motherhood-thing” is going to work for you,” Kemara interjected.
Melody turned towards Kemara and nonchalantly announced, “Oh, I’m giving that baby up for adoption, so it will be well taken care of. Furthermore, my child is not your problem!” And just like that, the Wicked Witch of the East flipped her hair and bounced out of the restaurant.
“God, I can’t stand her,” I snarled as I watched Rodney’s new ex slither away. “Can you believe her? The nerve of that selfish bitch!” I said as my fist tightened. “Eva and Kevin have a little brother or sister that they won’t know because Rodney couldn’t even pick out a good mistress!”
I couldn’t explain why my heart ached so badly at the thought of what Melody was about to do. Kemara was my sister and best friend, and I couldn’t imagine not having her in my life. Now my own kids would have to experience knowing their own flesh and blood was out there somewhere in the world with complete strangers.
Alise reached her hand out and put it on mine in sympathy. “This is just out of your control, babe,” she said softly.
“That’s right. Rodney made the choice to be with her, and he should be the only one to have to deal with the consequences,” Jayne chimed in.
“You’re right. I can’t do anything about what other grown people choose to do,” I said in attempt to prevent the hurt my heart was beginning to feel for my babies. Yet my anger for Rodney was reignited since he was the self-centered bastard who put our children in this situation. “If their asshole of a father never messed around with the bitch, we would be having a very different conversation right now.”
“Once again, Tameka, girl, you can only work with what you can control. And anything Rodney did in the past will accrue a price that he has to pay. Not you, so don’t take that on as your burden,” Jayne iterated.
“How does the saying go, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference,” Kemara added.
“The serenity prayer,” I said, nodding my head in understanding of it.
We went back to our communion of sisterhood over some bomb French toast, scrambled eggs, crispy turkey bacon, and tasty fresh fruit. And, eventually, our waitress came to relieve us of our empty champagne glasses by delivering us another pitcher of mimosas. I thought about my hunk of a fiancé and my happy, healthy kids, and decided to enjoy the discussions about love and life with my girlfriends without letting Melody’s intrusion ruin my day.
***
Jeb
While Tameka was out having brunch with Kemara and her girls, it was finally my opportunity to plot out just exactly how I was going to ask her to elope. I hadn’t necessarily deemed it as eloping until Channing brought that to my attention. I would like to think of it as our very own private ceremony that would be more meaningful than involving crowds of people, some of whom may not have our best interest at heart. I kind of had a feeling Tameka would be uneasy about my plan, so I kept going through it over and over in my mind because this had to be right.
I had to show Tameka just how much I needed her and the kids to be a part of my life and that I was willing to take steps to make our wedding day perfect. I was determined to show her just how much I truly loved her.
The night would begin with dinner at her favorite restaurant, overlooking the city. The kids were each at their friend’s houses, and every moment was elaborately and well-planned out, down to the last detail, except where to hide the plane tickets.
I was working out where the hell I was going to hide those tickets when I heard a knock on the door. A very anxious-looking Rodney stood on the front porch when I opened the curtain. This guy seemed to materialize every time I was getting ready to tell Tameka about my Hawaii idea. I opened the door and glared at him, leaving no doubt in the air that his pop-ups were starting to tick me off.
“Yeah?” I said brashly.
He straightened up when he saw me and pulled at his collar. It was obvious that I was the last person on Earth he expected to open the door. He coughed to clear his throat and asked, “Um, are the kids home?”
“They’re not,” I replied. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Do you live here now or something?” he asked seeming to regain the confidence he’d lost when I opened the door.
“Yes, actually I do,” I said confidently.
