You're All I Need (22 page)

He'd call. Tia felt certain of that. Chris would never cause her that kind of pain. Tia strolled down the hallway and entered her kitchen. She was hungry. After eating, she planned to give him a ring and see if he'd like to talk.

Two weeks later, Tia sat watching television with Grandma Ruth at the Lexington Rehab facility. As they chatted quietly, a young, perky nurse entered the room and whisked her grandmother off to physical therapy. Pushing the wheelchair, the nurse promised to bring Grandma Ruth back within an hour. Weary from thinking about Chris, Tia completed a series of small tasks. She took the mustard-colored water pitcher in the adjacent bathroom to refill it. When she returned to the room, a lone figure stood in the doorway.

Nia Edwards struck a pose, placing a hand on her hip, and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Shaken by Nia's abrupt arrival, Tia nearly dropped the water pitcher. “Helping our grandmother.”

Nia waltzed across the floor with the daily newspaper in her hand and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed. “What about Chris?”

Please let my voice sound normal,
Tia begged silently. “What about him?” Tia shot back, trying to hold herself together so that her twin wouldn't know how much her question affected her. She didn't want Nia to see her cry, and she didn't have the strength to continue a discussion of her former fiancé for very long.

“I thought you two had a deadline from the boss? Needed to get out of the country right away.” Nia moved away from the bed and peeked out of the room's window. A gazebo stood outside in the courtyard. It provided pleasant scenery for the residents.

At the mention of Chris, all of the anguish and pain Tia had been suppressing pushed forward and the flood of tears she was holding back threatened to fall. Tia fumbled, almost tripping over her feet and dropping the fresh pitcher of water. She recovered at the last moment with all the dignity she could muster, headed across the tile floor, and placed the plastic pitcher on the nightstand next to the bed.

Nia sank into one of the two tan vinyl chairs facing the bed, linked her fingers, and studied her twin with narrowed eyes. Nia didn't miss a thing. Tia knew what she saw: tired dark spots under her puffy eyes from lack of sleep, a shaky voice that she couldn't control, weight loss and listless movements.

Silence stretched between the sisters. Moaning softly, Nia shook her head.

Finally, Tia couldn't stand it anymore. She yelled at her sister, “What?”

Shrugging, Nia answered, “Nothing.”

Spoiling for a fight, Tia replied, “Oh, yeah. It's something.”

“Don't take your frustration out on me,” Nia snapped, crossing one leg over the other. “I haven't done a thing to you. But since you asked, I'm wondering why you're here and Chris took a plane to France.”

Tears sprung to Tia's eyes. She turned aside hoping Nia hadn't seen them. It was a battle Tia lost miserably. Nia's sharp gaze had seen what Tia wanted desperately to hide. “We agreed to disagree.”

“Did you now? Which means what?”

“He's gone to France and I'm here to help with the family.”

“Mmm-hmm. Sounds interesting. I'm going to propose another scenario.” Nia leaned back in her chair. “Or, you let Mother win.”

“Win? Win what? I don't have anything she wants.”

“Au contraire,” Nia muttered in bad French.

“Look, I've got a bit of a migraine.” Tia brought a shaky hand to her forehead. “I'm not in the mood for your bad imitations and smart-ass remarks. Say what you have to say or be quiet.”

“Don't get all snippy with me. It's not my fault you wimped out.”

Furious, Tia whipped around to face her twin. She speared the identical eyes with her own and moved closer, sticking a finger in her twin's face. “I don't wimp out.”

Nia raised her hands, palms up to her twin. “Hey, I don't judge.”

“I didn't wimp out,” Tia answered with more force.

“Then why have you let Mother destroy your future?”

“Momma doesn't control me. I made a choice to be here. You guys need my help.”

Snorting, Nia replied, “No, we don't.”

Tia opened her mouth to contradict her sister.

“Hush.” Nia shut her up with a wave of her hand. “If you were pregnant and going into labor, we'd handle Grandma Ruth. There are four of us and then add in Mother and Daddy. That's enough people to be available. This is no different. If you weren't available, we'd handle our business without you.

“Mother doesn't need you here. If you remember anything I said to you a few weeks ago, I mentioned the fact that you did have four siblings who can handle anything that Granny puts out.”

“Momma asked me to stay.”

“Sure, she did. Now she's got you where she wants you—in Detroit while Chris is in France. I'd say she got everything she wanted.”

Nia linked her hands together and rested them against her forehead. She sat that way for a minute and then lowered her hands and stared directly at her sister.

“Tia, when are you going to grow up and stop letting Mother manipulate you?”

“I am grown. No one controls me,” Tia snapped.

“You're not acting that way.”

“Momma was upset. She didn't expect me to move,” Tia defended her parent.

“I can understand that, but don't you have the right to a life? To be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor?”

“Of course.”

“Well, sister-dear, if Mother had her way, you'd never leave home or have a boyfriend. She wants you right next to her.”

“If that's the case, why did she treat Darnell so well?”

“Mother didn't care about Darnell. He didn't interfere. Darnell went along with whatever went on in our family. So Mother was fine with that.”

“Oh, come on. She's not that way about any of you guys.”

“Mmm-hmm. Mother took to her bed like the heroine in a Victorian novel when you first moved out. It took Daddy a week or two to finally coax her out of it. He had to take her away for a few days to get her mind right.”

Exasperated, Tia threw her hands in the air. No matter what she said, her twin had an explanation or reason.

“What are you saying?” Tia demanded. “Spit it out.”

“If Mother lost her mind when you moved into your own place in the same city, what do you expect her to do when you plan to move to a different country? Tia, she's fighting back. Mother is finding ways to keep you here with her.”

Tia shut her eyes against the blinding headache pounding at her frontal lobe. Would her mother go to those lengths to keep her in Michigan? Losing Chris and now Nia's accusations. This was painful. She missed and needed Chris. Nia was making it almost impossible to think.

“You can't hide from it. Junior told me that when you told Mother about your engagement, she had a whole boatload of reasons why you shouldn't leave with Chris. Come on, girl. Mother made it clear each and every time you brought him to one of our family functions that she didn't like him.”

“They didn't hit it off.”

“Please. What's not to like? Chris is handsome, fun, and crazy in love with you. I could see her having a problem with him if he was abusive or treated you badly, but everybody can see how much he loves you. It was in his eyes and the way he talked to you.”

Tia couldn't stand it anymore. “If Chris is all of that, why did he leave me?”

“Chris got tired. Didn't want to fight with Mother anymore. Needed to get to work. Take your pick.”

“I think you're painting Momma as a villain here. Chris has to take the blame for what he did. Momma wouldn't do that to me.” Tia folded her arms across her chest. “She wants me to be happy.”

Nia scoffed. “Yeah, right. She wants you to be happy as long as it keeps you close to her and gives her what she needs.”

Making the time-out symbol with her hands, Tia said, “Stop. I know you and Momma have your problems, but I won't let you stir up trouble between Momma and me.”

Snorting, Nia added, “You are right. Mother and I have never been close. We probably never will be. You know I love you, and I don't want you to miss your window of opportunity.”

“Window of opportunity?”

The door opened and the nurse pushed Grandma Ruth into the room in a wheelchair. Tia jumped up and headed for the door, ready to help her grandmother.

The nurse waved Tia away. “I've got it. Besides, she needs to learn how to get in and out of the bed without help.”

Tia and Nia stood as Grandma Ruth climbed into bed with the nurse's help. The nurse fluffed pillows and straightened the bed. After a few minutes, she left with the promise of returning the next day.

“Do you need anything?” Nia asked.

Grandma replied, “Water.”

“Okay.” Nia picked up the pitcher and a cup and then turned to her twin. “Why don't you leave? You've been here all day. I'll take over.”

“I will.” Tia picked up her purse and fished around the bottom for her keys. “Is there anything I can do before I go?”

“No.”

Nia glared at her sister. “You have to make up your mind what you're going to do with your life. Chris won't wait forever.”

“He didn't wait at all,” Tia reminded.

“Why should he? Generally, when you tell someone you love him, it means you want to be with him. You sent that man away without a kiss or a promise.”

No, I didn't,
Tia thought, remembering the final kiss between her and Chris. A kiss filled with so much passion and love it made her hesitate over her next move. She glanced at her bare ring finger, feeling fresh stabs of pain. When she took the ring from her finger, she saw the disappointment and hurt glittering from his beautiful eyes. It took everything in her to push that ring into his hand.

Chris tried to talk her out of it. Adamant, Tia refused to listen to anything else he had to say. If they were over, then he should have his ring. She insisted and after a moment he took the ring and shoved it into his pocket.

Nothing had worked out the way it should have. Chris was gone and she was alone. Her family was the only thing left to her and she planned to be there for them no matter what.

Determined to talk some sense into her mother, Nia Edwards opened the front door to her childhood home, used her key, and entered. “Mother? Daddy?” she called, waiting in the hallway for someone to answer. They must be home.

“Back here,” Mrs. Edwards called.

Not sure where her mother was calling from, Nia started for the kitchen.

“Nia?” Her mother strolled from the rear of the house and stopped in the hallway. She tilted her head as she studied her daughter for a moment. “What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with your grandmother?” Alarmed, her eyes widened. “Is everything all right?”

“I was there,” Nia explained, pulling the strap of her purse more securely on her shoulder. “Grandma was asleep when I left. Everything's good. If you have a few minutes to spare, I'd like to talk to you.”

Frowning, her mother's forehead crinkled and her eyes appeared concerned. The older woman studied Nia, trying to figure out this turn of events. “Sure. I'm in the family room.”

Nia knew her mother was wondering what she wanted. They never talked. It was an unspoken rule that they went their separate ways and only came together for family functions. Nia learned very early that she was not the chosen member of this family, and she understood her position in the family hierarchy.

“You hungry?” Mrs. Edwards asked, heading to the back of the house. She hovered outside the kitchen door.

“No. I'm fine.”

Her mother nodded and continued to the family room. Oprah Winfrey's theme music could be heard on the television as they moved down the hallway and entered the room. Her mother dropped down onto the sofa and picked up the remote. Instantly,
Oprah
became a nonverbal program. For a moment, Nia hesitated, standing in the doorway as she watched the talk show host move around the stage without sound. Refocusing on her reason for being there, she stepped across the threshold and sank into the spot next to her mother.

“Is everything all right with Mother?” Mrs. Edwards asked again, moving her latest romance novel from the couch to the coffee table.

“She's good,” Nia answered.

“Then what is it? What brings you here?”

“Tia.”

That got Mrs. Edwards's attention. “What's wrong with my baby?”

“Mother, I don't mean to upset you,” she explained as her hands fluttered over her slick bob and then dropped to the edge of the cushion. Intruding into someone else's life was not her way of doing things. Normally she let friends and family handle their own business. Unfortunately, Tia needed help. She didn't know how to deal with their mother. “Tia is falling apart; she's miserable. Breaking up with Chris has left her totally lost. It was the wrong thing to do. She doesn't know what to do without him.”

Mrs. Edwards waved a dismissing hand at her daughter and smacked her lips, stating, “She'll be all right. I thought something was really wrong.”

“Tia's not all right.”

“I know my daughter. Tia-Mia made her choice. It'll take a few days before she settles down.”

“No. She didn't make any decision.” Nia pointed a finger at her mother. “You did.”

“Don't be ridiculous.”

“I'm not,” Nia responded. “Things won't ever go back to normal. Tia truly loves Chris and he loves her. She needs to be with him.”

Pressing her lips together, Mrs. Edwards turned the remote over and over in her hands. “I think you're making far too much of this situation.” She slapped Nia's hand playfully. “Don't be a drama queen. Besides, how would you know?”

“I sat with Grandma today. Tia and I visited for a few minutes. Mother, have you taken a minute to look at Tia?”

“I've seen her. Tia's fine.”

“She looks sick. She's lost weight, and I don't think she's sleeping. You need to talk with her.”

Mrs. Edwards stared back at her daughter in horror. She gazed at Nia as if she had announced that she planned to have a sex-change operation. “What about?”

“Chris.”

“No. That's not my place.”

“But it was your place to make her promise to stay here with you?”

“That's none of your business.” Jackie Edwards's expression hardened, becoming distant, and her voice dropped warningly.

“That's where you're wrong. It is my business. This is about my sister. I don't want to see her hurt anymore. Darnell hurt her enough.”

“He didn't mean much. Darnell was just a passing phase,” Jackie Edwards answered, shifting around on the sofa. “I don't need you to tell me about my child.”

Okay,
Nia thought.
I don't want to do this, but I have no choice. Mother will ignore the obvious because she got what she wanted.
“Somebody should.”

“Nia Edwards, who do you think you're talking to?”

“My mother. The woman who can make this all right. The person who needs to let go of my sister and let her have a chance at life. Tia is staying because you put her in a horrible situation. She couldn't leave you when you needed her or while Grandma is sick. You made her
promise
to be here with you. That wasn't fair.”

“You don't know what you're talking about. Besides, it's none of your business what Tia and I do.”

“Yes, it is my business. I'm here to ask you to let her go.”

Sitting as regally as a queen, she turned to her daughter with a cool expression that should have had every item in the room covered in ice. Nia felt the chill, but she didn't plan to back down. “I don't want to fight with you or cause you any distress, especially with Grandma being sick, but I can't let Tia suffer like this. It breaks my heart to see my twin this way.”

“You don't know what you're talking about. Mind your own business.”

“It is my business when I see her so unhappy. Don't you care?”

“Of course I care. Tia is my baby.”

“And your favorite child.”

“Don't say that,” Mrs. Edwards practically yelled.

“Why not? It's the truth. That's why you can't stand the idea of her moving to France with Chris. There are valid reasons to be concerned, but you went way over the top. When she first moved away from home, you almost had a stroke. There's no way you can handle Tia living abroad. Mother, please don't do this to her. Don't take her life away. Tia will eventually come to hate you.”

Mrs. Edwards sat up straight and pointed a finger in Nia's face. “I would never interfere in my children's lives.”

“Yeah, right. Is that why you made Tia promise to stay in town until Grandma got better? Or put it in her head that she needed to wait a while before considering marriage? Mother, you're in Tia's business all the time.”

Mrs. Edwards wagged her finger at her daughter. “You are stepping over the line, young lady.”

“So what else is new?” Nia wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Stepping over the line was her specialty when it came to her mother. “You and I have always bumped heads. We've never gotten along.”

Mrs. Edwards's hand fluttered around the shirt opening at her neck. She opened her mouth to deny the allegation, but then shut it without saying a word.

Nia continued. “Don't bother denying it. We both know the truth, but this situation isn't about me. Tia is the one suffering, and you have the power to put an end to it.”

Head held high, Nia's mother replied, “Tia-Mia can leave any time she wants. I don't have a hold on her.”

“Yes, you do. Mother, Tia found someone who loves and cares about her. Do you have any idea how rare that is?” Nia scoffed. “Of course not, you don't have a clue. You've always had Daddy. It's special and Tia deserves to be happy. Let her go.”

“I don't have any strings attached to her.”

“It's time to step up. Do the right thing for your daughter. You have the power to steer Tia in the right direction. Don't take this from her.”

Jackie Edwards sat stiffly at Nia's side.

“Guilt is a powerful emotion. And, Mother, you use it well. Not just on Tia, but also on all of us. Tia feels it more than any of us because she's with you a lot of the time. You are a master of manipulation, and I can see it because it's not directed at me. I can't let you do this to my sister.”

She reached out and laid her hand on top of her mother's. Jackie Edwards shook it off. Nia fought back tears. Her voice was firm and without hesitation. “I'm not Tia and I never will be, but I'm here. When you need someone to go shopping with, call me.” Hope fueled her next words. When Nia made her way to her parents' home, she'd never expected for her conversation to go this way. Maybe she needed something from her mother, a chance to have a fulfilling relationship.

“I get lonely,” Nia admitted. “I don't always like to do things alone. Maybe we can help each other. I'll be happy to drive and shop with you. You won't be by yourself.”

“That's what this is about. You want to take Tia's place.”

“I don't need to take anybody's place. I have a life of my own.” Jumping to her feet, Nia stared down at her mother with contempt.

Jackie Edwards shrank away.

“I told you at the beginning this was not about me. I thought I could appeal to your motherly instinct. As far as I'm concerned, the way you've manipulated Tia is
very
unmotherly.”

“Don't forget who you're talking to. I am your mother.”

“When you choose to be.”

“Nia Edwards, stop before you say something you'll regret.”

“You mean before I say something that you don't want to hear.” Nia shook her head. “I was hoping to help us both, but you don't want that. You want your world the way it is and nothing else. That's not going to happen. Get ready for some changes. I'm going to encourage my sister to follow her heart. You do whatever you have to.”

With that, Nia turned on her heel and marched out of the room. She didn't stop until she was on the front porch. Breathing hard, she took a minute to gather her thoughts and fought back tears before getting behind the wheel of her car.

She glanced back at the home where she'd learned so much about love and even more about pain and rejection.

Nia took a deep breath. It didn't matter. She turned the ignition and the car hopped to life. After glancing out of the side mirror, Nia pulled into traffic. She'd gotten through her mother's rebuff just as she had all the rest.