Big Girls Drama (22 page)

All three kids sat in the living room waiting for their parents to arrive. I made Meena be present as well since it was her room she decided to have this little orgy in. I still couldn't believe her audacity. What in the world was she thinking? I knew we had a great day earlier, but did she take that as her cue to do what she wanted to do? She had to know I wouldn't condone anything like this. She sat on the sofa with her arms crossed, wearing a tan jogging suit she'd finally managed to put on. None of them were saying a word as I paced the floor awaiting the first knock at my door. Corbin leaned back with his eyes closed, like he was tired. I guess he was. I gawked at him, and then at Meena, who looked at him before hunching him awake. He peered through squinted eyes at her but quickly closed them, to resume his catnap.

I shook my head as a knock sounded at my door. When I swung the door open, Abigail didn't bother to speak as she rushed past me into my home and over to Shannon who was sitting on the sofa with the other three guilty culprits.

“Honey, are you okay?” Abigail asked as she kneeled in front of her daughter.

“Mom, I'm fine,” Shannon said with embarrassment as she glanced at her crew. This was different than the innocent little girl persona she put on at Macy's the other day.

“I thought I told you to stay away from these people. They are nothing but trouble.”

“Abigail, please, don't start. Not here. Not now. And
not
in my house,” I warned.

“You will not tell me how to talk to my daughter. I'm trying to find out what happened.”

“Then talk to me.
I'm
the parent.”

“An unfit one, if you ask me,” Abigail shot back.

I stepped toward her saying, “You don't have a police officer here to keep me off your ass this time. So stop with your insults and let's try to talk about this situation like adults.”

“You can put your hands on me if you want to, but I promise you, I will have your ghetto behind placed in jail.”

“Mom, will you stop!” Shannon urged.

“I told you to stay away from them. Do you see why? As soon as you get with them, I get a call that something else has gone wrong.”

“Are you going to tell her, Shannon, or am I?” I said, looking at her sternly.

Shannon gaped at me as her mother asked, “What is she talking about?”

“Ms. Gordon caught all of us in a compromising position.”

“What does that mean, a ‘compromising position'?” Abigail asked.

“We were all having sex,” Shannon admitted.

Abigail whirled around and unleashed her fury onto me saying, “You
told
my daughter to say this horrible thing.”

“
Excuse me?
I didn't tell her to say or do anything. I caught them all having sex in Meena's bedroom.”

“Stop lying on my child. She wouldn't do such a thing.” Turning to Shannon she asked, “Honey, who made you do this? Did they rape you?”

“Rape?” I belted along with Meena and Asha.

Abigail continued her dramatics saying, “Honey, we can go to the police station and file a report on these people.”

“Mom, I was not raped.”

“I know you are scared, but you don't have to be anymore. Mommy is here to protect you,” Abigail pushed.

“Mom, I said there's nothing to report,” Shannon asserted.

There was another knock at the door. When I opened it this time, it was Officer Damon Ward. I didn't want to call him after last night's fiasco, but I figured I needed a police officer here to make sure things went according to plan. Especially with this bunch. Abigail was already screaming rape, and I knew with Asha being here, Imani was going to show. There was no restraining order big enough to keep her from her daughter. Plus, I would be able to have her behind arrested again for trespassing.

“Corbin,” Damon called out.

I looked as the arrogant young man scuffled to his feet like he was in the army and his sergeant just called him out. The sight of Damon put the fear of God in this boy. His eyes bulged as he put his hands in his pocket before he answered.

“Da . . . Dad. What are you doing here?”

“
Dad?
” I repeated, looking at the two of them in shock.

“Yes, Corbin is my son.”

I honestly didn't think this situation could get any worse, but it did at the mention of him making this declaration.

“What are you doing here in Ms. Gordon's house?”

Corbin's mouth opened and closed like he wanted to explain, but he knew if he did, the man standing before him would probably whoop his ass like I did Meena's earlier.

“Answer me, boy!” Damon roared.

“I don't know,” he muttered with terror dripping from his answer.

“Did you forget who I was and what I represent?”

“No.”

“No
what?
”

“No, sir,” Corbin corrected.

“You thought your mother was going to show up, huh?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don't worry. She's on her way. Not that it matters.”

I looked on in astonishment as Damon scolded his son. You could have never convinced me Corbin belonged to him. But looking at them standing across from each other, I could see the resemblance now. Corbin looked just like his father.

“Oh my goodness, what has the world come to? Now the police has a criminal for a son,” Abigail assumed.

“Abigail, please,” I chided.

With her nose heisted high in the air, she said, “Please
what?
This young man had sex with all these young ladies, and I know he's too old to be doing so with them.”

Hearing Abigail say this made me nervous now. I know I threatened Corbin with the cops, but I figured Damon would help this situation. I never figured Abigail would try to use this against the young man.

“Abigail, Shannon didn't have sex with this boy,” I advised her.

“But you said—”

“Your
daughter
said I caught all of them in a compromising situation. You were too busy trying to make your daughter out as the victim again.”

“She is.”

“No, she isn't. Corbin was sleeping with my daughter and Shannon was sleeping with Asha.”

Abigail stumbled back as she clutched her chest. Her breathing became labored, and she looked like she was about to hyperventilate.

“My daughter is not gay,” Abigail yelled.

“You can say what you want, but I know what I saw.”

“You sure you were seeing things clearly after the night you had last night?” she smiled wickedly.

I gazed at Meena who was watching everything unfold. I'd told her part of the story, but I hadn't told her everything because I didn't want her to know.

“I heard about you sleeping with an engaged man.”

“I didn't sleep with him. Kegan came by to see Meena. Get your facts
straight,
” I snapped.

“Did you sleep with the other man that exited your cozy home?” she snarled, looking around at my home like it was beneath her.

“I sure did. Maybe if you parted your legs for someone and got you some good dick, you wouldn't be so stuck up.”

“I have respect for myself—unlike you. Police officers, a scorned woman, damaged property, you have naked, and handcuffs. You had your own episodes of
Cops,
or would that be
Cheaters?
Either way, you are trifling. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree,” she condemned as she eyeballed Meena.

I traipsed over to Abigail and slapped the hell out of her. She gasped, grabbing her cheek in shock as she yelled, “Arrest this woman, Officer. She assaulted me.”

“I don't know what you are talking about,” Damon feigned.

“She slapped me. You need to do your damn job and arrest her.”

Damon didn't move. Abigail looked at everyone in the room saying, “I'll have your badge. I have a room full of witness who saw what she did.”

It was clear no one was going to vouch for Abigail, and she saw this.

“Shannon, you see what happens when you get involved with people like this? They will assault you and lie on you to try to destroy your good character.”

“You deserved it.”

“Shannon!”

“You do what you do all the time, and that's blame everybody for things you are weak in. I'm your gay daughter, and instead of confronting me about this, you decide to jump on Ms. Gordon.”

“I
know
you are covering for this boy. You don't want him to go to jail, so you'll say anything for that not to happen.”

“Mom, please. Stop with your dramatics. Why can't you be like normal moms? I didn't sleep with Corbin because I'm not into boys. He's with Meena. I was with Asha because she's my girlfriend,” Shannon make known.

“Girlfriend?” Abigail shouted.

“And Asha and Meena didn't make me shoplift. It was my idea. Like you said, you know the vice president of the store. He's been over for dinner with you, remember?” Shannon divulged, and Abigail shifted uneasily. “I stole the contraption because it was that easy. He trusted me in the store, which made it easy for me to rob him blind.”

“Why would you do that?” she asked.

“Why wouldn't I? You teach me every day I can have anything I want by any means necessary. There's never any repercussions because you always come to my rescue. That's how you live your life. Are you mad because I admitted it, or are you mad because I stole from your lover?”

You could hear a pin drop as Abigail stood there speechless.

“Tell them, Mother. You're busy standing here judging Ms. Gordon. Why don't you tell everyone how my father left you because he caught you in bed with the vice president of Macys?”

I wanted to clap my hands and rag on this woman, but I couldn't. As much as it would have given me pleasure, I wasn't going to take Shannon's moment away from her. This was something that needed to happen between them, and I was going to allow it to play out.

“I think it's time for us to go.”

“As much as you pride yourself in being the best mother ever, you're not. If anything, you are teaching me how to end up in jail, kill myself because I won't be able to accept the fact I'm not perfect, or worse, turn out to be a whore like you.”

Abigail slapped Shannon across her face saying, “Don't you ever speak to me like that again.”

“Truth hurts, don't it, Mother? Well, here's another truth for you. I'm moving in with my dad.”

With that, Shannon brushed past her mother and walked out of my home, leaving Abigail standing there emotionally fractured.

She looked at each one of us saying, “I guess you're happy.”

“Abigail, I'm not ever happy to see another parent have issues with their child. Just because you can easily degrade people and their children, I'm not going to do that to you.”

Abigail stared at me before cautiously walking out my door and past Kegan. And he wasn't alone.

I knew regardless of the restraining order I put on Imani, she was going to show her face up in my house. She looked like she came for battle wearing a pair of sneakers, grey sweatpants, and a tee. Her hair was pulled back away from her face, and the only piece of jewelry she had on was the engagement ring Kegan gave to her.

“Asha, let's go,” was all I heard when Imani pushed her way into my home.

“You know you aren't supposed to be here,” I reminded her.

“I'm here to get my daughter,” she responded angrily.

“Did you forget about the restraining order I have on you?”

“Do you think I care about a piece of paper? I don't care if the president was here himself; no one is going to keep me from my child.”

“Kegan is more than capable of getting Asha, and you know this,” I said, looking at him.

“No, I don't. Not after the last time I saw you two together. Wouldn't want you to fall into another lip-lock,” she said snidely.

“You need to leave,” I demanded.

“Not without my child.”

“Mom, chill,” Asha said.

“I heard what that other little girl said. You like eating carpets now?”

“Imani, come on. You don't have to come at her like this,” Kegan interjected.

“The last time I checked, this was
my
daughter, not
yours
,” she snapped.

Asha looked so defeated. She dropped her head in shame as tears streamed down her cheeks. Seeing how Imani was talking to her made me realize I acted like this woman toward my own daughter. I know I embarrassed the hell out of Meena earlier. As parents, we don't always know how to act. I was grateful for this moment because it helped me see that my approach wasn't the best one. I was looking at a mirrored image of myself, and I didn't like it, especially seeing the pain in Asha's eyes.

“Get your ass up and come the hell on,” Imani hissed.

Asha stood with an attitude, and Imani jumped in her face.

“You got a problem?”

“No.”

“Then you better check that attitude of yours before I beat it out of you. You got me coming over this woman's house over some bull when you know I can't stand her ass.”

“The feeling is mutual,” I blurted.

Imani turned her antagonizing demeanor to me.

“You just mad I got your man.”

“Do you?” I disputed.

“Who is he with?” she retorted, throwing her hand up to show her ring.

“But is he going with you?” I asked.

“Oh, he's going with me, all right.”

“Okay,” I said smirking. “I'm not going to go back and forth with you. You need to get out of my house and look at this as me allowing you to be a mother to your child and not having you arrested for violating your restraining order.”

“How's
your
mother, by the way?” Putting her index finger on her chin, she looked up, saying, “Oh, that's right, she's dead.”

Her words really caught me off guard. I turned to look at Kegan wondering how this bitch knew anything about my mother. Had he been talking to her about my life? He looked stunned himself, like he didn't know what was going on. My gut was saying he had nothing to do with this, but at the same time, this was the man I never thought would cheat on me with another woman. I then looked into my daughter's pleading eyes which were telling me she wanted me to leave this alone. As mad as I was, I didn't like acting this way around her. Crazy to think this after I whooped her ass. But this was different. I was allowing Imani to take me out of my character, which was easy for her to do since I couldn't stand the ground she walked on.

So, I took a deep breath and smiled at my enemy saying, “Imani, please take your daughter home. She needs you,” I told her.

Ignoring me, she continued with, “What did she die from again? That's right . . . That whore got AIDS.”

Those words caused the room to erupt in chaos. Meena came out of nowhere punching Imani, screaming. Imani didn't see it coming, catching a fist to her right jaw, causing her to stumble. The force of Meena caused both of them to tumble to the floor with Meena falling on top of her. Imani began swinging, hitting my daughter in her face, and that's when I got involved. I too began pounding on Imani for putting her hands on my daughter. I knew she was defending herself, but this was still my child. I wasn't going to allow anybody to put their hands on her.

Kegan jerked me off of her by pulling me around my waist. I watched Corbin grab Meena the same way, trying to get her to the other side of the living room. As Imani got her footing to lunge for Meena, Damon restrained her. The coffee table was turned over. My lamp crashed to the floor, and Asha stood frozen, watching the madness unfold.

“Arrest her,” Imani shrieked, pointing to Meena.

Kegan looked at Damon before saying, “No one is getting arrested, Imani.”

“That little bitch put her hands on me.”

I attempted to charge Imani again for calling my daughter out of her name, but Kegan's hold was too tight.

“Have you forgotten
you
are the one in the wrong here?” Kegan said as Imani's face scrunched up. “You are violating your restraining order. If Meena is arrested, then you will be too.”

“I'll gladly go to jail if it means she's going too,” Imani said contemptuously.

“It's called self-defense,” Kegan told her. “You forget you are trespassing on our property.”

Confusion blanketed Imani's face as she asked, “
Our
property, Kegan?”

I caught what he said as well.

“I meant, their property,” he backpedaled.

Imani's baffled expression turned to hurt. Now glaring at Kegan, she pushed Damon away from her and calmly said, “Asha, let's go.” Asha did as she was told and rushed out the door. Imani leisurely walked to the door, never taking her scornful eyes off Kegan until she was out of my home. I wasn't sure what that look was about, but knowing Imani, I knew this was just the beginning.