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Mom squealed, and I wish I could say I was surprised. “Are you getting back together?”
“He’s engaged to Tiffany, Ma.”
“Oh, poo. I know Nova, and he’s only with her because he couldn’t have you.”
“Either way, he cheated on me and I’m not okay with that.”
“You think I was?”
“Obviously so, you stayed with Dad.” I hadn’t meant to say that, but the words slipped out before I could catch them. Regret filled me instantly. “I’m so sorry, Ma. I didn’t mean that.”Well, I meant it, but I didn’t mean to say it.
I love my father, but I hated him as a husband. It seemed he cheated almost every year of my life, if not, every other year. In the beginning, Mom would be so hurt and upset. She’d threaten to leave but eventually stay. I don’t know if it was because Dad took care of her or because she loved him and didn’t want to break up our family. Either way, it was a toxic cycle that I was glad to be out of when I left for college.
A part of me prayed my mother would leave him after Tierney left for college, but I was no fool. She’d gotten comfortable in this life and was used to his cheating. If she left, I’d be extremely surprised.
“Men cheat, honey. You just have to find one that makes staying worth it.”
My eyes rolled. I did not want to have this conversation with her. I didn’t really believe all men cheated, but after being cheated on and watching her be cheated on, I was starting to wonder. To avoid the conversation going deeper, I just remained silent. This was not the time for her to try to convince me to make things work with Nova just because she loved us together.
I loved us together.
Nova didn’t—that’s why he cheated.
Actually, I’m not sure why he cheated. But it doesn’t matter. He cheated, and there’s no coming back from that.
“When are you going to start decorating for fall?” I asked, needing to change the subject. “I know you have your candles and flowers stocked already.”
Mom gave me a small smile as I watched Tierney. She was hunched over with her hands on her knees catching her breath.
“I want to start whenever you’re ready. This year, I want a different theme for each room. We’ll be having a lot of gatherings here at home and I want the house to look amazing.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and at the sight of a text from Jeremiah, I agreed before excusing myself to go inside. He’d sent me hotel information, which only meant one thing—he was spending the weekend in Memphis too. I called him to confirm my suspicion, hoping I was right. If so, we were going to have a lot of fun tonight.
“Chap,” he answered.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah, pull up after your folks go to sleep. I left you a card to my room downstairs.”
“Okay. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”
“A’ight.”
Excitement filled me at the thought of going downtown with Jeremiah. We definitely needed a break from work to have some fun. My return was a little awkward with certain people, but more than anything, it was the workload that was doing me in. Even with me allowing Tiffany to keep working on her current contracted clients, I still had my hands full. I loved it, but it was certainly an adjustment. Besides, now that Allegra was a mom and acting weird, Jeremiah was like the only friend I had left. I was truly grateful that he’d come to Memphis so we could enjoy ourselves before the work week started back up.
I couldn’t help but text Jerry that I loved him and thank him for coming. His response was what it always was—that he’d do anything for me.
Jeremiah’s upbringing was slightly similar to mine but with stark differences that took him down a path that could have ruined his life if he’d let it.
Jerry’s father cheated too. He wasn’t blatant with his. He waited until Jeremiah was in his senior year of high school to prepare to leave. Because he was the provider of their household, the financial weight fell on Jeremiah’s shoulders after his father left. Unlike my mother, his hadn’t gone to college, and she didn’t have any work experience. When Jerry started bringing in enough money to pay the bills, though Olivia knew he was doing something illegal, she didn’t ask any questions.
While Nova, Allegra, and I spent our days in class, Jeremiah spent his nights in the streets. He ended up getting arrested and being sentenced to fifteen years about a year after he started. Jeremiah was smart with how he moved, but he hung around people who weren’t, and they got him caught up. I think that had a lot to do with why his circle was so small now.
After he was sentenced to fifteen years, his father realized the error of his ways. He tried to return home, but Olivia wasn’t having any of that. She allowed him to help her with the bills until she found a job she liked, but she never took him back. Jeremiah ended up doing eight of his fifteen-year sentence since he was a first-time offender, and he probably wouldn’t have done that much time if they hadn’t been caught with so much product in the house.
The whole time he was gone, Olivia and I took care of him while his father, Brandon, took care of her. I think he regretted leaving his family to enjoy the single life and wanted to fix it, but the damage had been done with his son too. Though Jerry forgave his father for his infidelity, their relationship has been strained ever since Jerry was released.
Their relationship wasn’t the closest before Brandon left, either. He was one of those men who believed their sons shouldn’t cry, express themselves, or spend too much time around women. Not once had Brandon ever told his wife or son that he loved them. Brandon was the reason Jeremiah had such a tough exterior. It wasn’t until he saw the pain his cheating and leaving caused his mother that he realized it was okay to be emotional, to love, and to hurt.
