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At ages ten and eight, some would say her daughter and son were old enough to be left alone at home. With how crazy the world had gotten, Denali wasn’t trying to take any chances. If it was the weekend, it would have been easier for her to find someone to watch them, but because it was a weekday evening, her options were pretty slim.
Once Denali was inside her car, she breathed deeply and tried to calm her nerves. At this point, it didn’t really do her any good to be upset with Blaze. More than anything, she should have been upset with herself for expecting him to act right. He’d shown her consistently that he couldn’t be trusted to do anything beyond what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it, and Denali was unwilling to accept that.
To Blaze’s credit, he was a good father when he was present and consistent. And he was a good boyfriend when he was committed. At this point, Denali couldn’t comfortably put a title on them anymore, but she was Blaze’s woman, and unfortunately… he was her man.
About five minutes into her drive home, Blaze was returning her several missed calls. With an irritated chuckle, she allowed the call to connect to the Bluetooth in her Camaro.
“What?” she asked.
“What?” he repeated. “You called me.”
“I called your ass thirty-six times like twelve hours ago.”
Blaze sucked his teeth. “Here you go with the dramatics, man.”
“Where have you been, Blaze? And why didn’t you answer my phone calls?”
“You act like a nigga ain’t got a job.”
“You were off today!” she yelled, unable to control herself. “That’s why I was trying to work a double. I was calling to see if you could watch the kids since your ass didn’t come home last night.”
“I fell asleep at my sister house,” was all Blaze offered, and Denali wasn’t surprised.
Things had been off between them since Valentine’s Day. Though they spent the holiday together, it wasn’t in love. Blaze had never been the overly romantic and affectionate type, but he made exceptions for the holidays. Since Christmas, Denali had been looking forward to her alone time with Blaze.
Instead of taking her out of town for a romantic getaway like he promised, Blaze ended up taking her to dinner at Cracker Barrel because it was the only place nearby that didn’t have hour plus wait times. He swore he’d made reservations at Flemings, one of her favorite steakhouses, but they mysteriously couldn’t find it. Denali would have been okay with a home cooked dinner and the exchanging of gifts if that was all the effort he wanted to put forth, but the disrespect of him trying to play in her face had been bothering her every time she saw his.
“It doesn’t even matter. I’m on my way home, so I don’t need you anymore.”
“What you cooking today?”
It took Denali a few seconds to reply, and she chuckled before she did. “I’m not cooking anything. I’m going to stop and get me and the kids something from Texas Roadhouse on my way in.”
“Get me something too. I’m about to head to the house.”
“And you’re just not going to tell me what you were doing all day today that made you ignore my phone calls?”
“I was sleep. A few of my cousins came through last night and I was cross faded. I’ve been up long enough to use the bathroom and call you, Denali.”
Rolling her eyes, Denali released a tired sigh. She didn’t believe it, but she also didn’t care enough to fight about it.
“Whatever, Blaze.” Before she could disconnect the call, he was calling her name. “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls. Tell me what you would have made if you worked a second shift and I’ll give it to you when I get home.”
While Denali appreciated the gesture, it wasn’t just about the money. She was trying to avoid home… him… her thoughts. Instead of saying that, she agreed and hung up the phone, hoping she could get through the evening without arguing with him about anything else.
??????
“Ma, I forgot to tell you on the way home…”
“Oh, God.” Denali groaned, and her ten-year-old daughter, Kinsley, laughed. She followed her mother into the kitchen, and those were some scary words for Denali to hear coming out of her mouth. It could only mean one of two things—she needed something for school, or she’d forgotten something at school. “What is it, Kinzy?”
“Can you take me to the store? I forgot I had a project due today and Mrs. Johnson told me I could bring it in late tomorrow for 80 percent, but if I don’t turn it in tomorrow, she’s not going to accept it at all.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Denali leaned against the refrigerator. As much as she wanted to yell, she didn’t. Because in that moment, her anger wouldn’t have been just because of her daughter’s situation; she was mad at Blaze too. They agreed that Denali would take the kids to school on her way to work and he would pick them up.
Denali’s aunt allowed her to use her address so their schools would be closer together. Denali’s goal was for Kinsley to be able to go to Overton High School so she would be able to excel at the creative and performance arts school while Amir attended Germantown. Because she worked at the mall in Germantown, it was convenient for Denali to drop them off, but it was less convenient for her to leave work and head to Raleigh to take them home. There were days when she’d let them stay at the mall with her until her shift was over, but most times she wanted them home so they could focus on their homework.
