by Coco Amoure
It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining brightly, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. She loved being a summer baby, because the weather was usually nice which meant she got to wear her favorite dresses almost every day of the week. Delaney wore her hair in it naturally curly state. Instead of putting it up in a messy bun, she chose to wear it down. Since it was her birthday, she applied some eyeliner to her eyes, a little blush on her cheeks, and gloss to her lips. After slipping her feet into a pair of strappy beige flat sandals she was ready for the festivities.
“Tash, are you almost ready?” Delaney called out. Natasha was known for being notoriously late, so she told her to be ready thirty minutes before she was ready to leave.
When she didn’t get a response, she walked downstairs looking for Natasha.
“Well damn! I can’t believe you are sitting there dressed and ready to go?” Delaney joked.
Natasha looked amazing in a blue jean short romper. Of course her cleavage was pouring out of the top of the romper, but that was just Natasha. The rust colored belt accentuated her waist and made her ass look even bigger than it already was.
Natasha stood up and did her famous twirl. “Yasssss, I am dressed, ready, and looking fabulous as ever!”
“You do look great, sis! You better werk that romper, and those shoes are killing it!” Delaney said, admiring the rust colored open toe wedges on Natasha’s feet.
“Thanks best friend, but you are slaying with that dress! Yassssss! Work them curves!” Natasha snapped her fingers in a dramatic fashion.
“Oh Laney, let me make up your face! Please, and don’t say no! This is a special day. Please it will help me in my new venture,” Natasha squealed. Ever since Natasha had been staying with Delaney, she enrolled in beauty school and was taking up cosmetology.
Seeing the excitement on Natasha’s face was priceless. Delaney knew how much Natasha wanted her own identity. She was bored with just being a housewife and wanted more out of life. Hair, make-up, and fashion had always been her thing, so it made perfect sense.
“Well, ok I guess it won’t hurt to wear a face of make-up for one day.” Delaney smiled.
“Great! Let me run upstairs and get my beauty box so I can beat your face to the Gods, honey!” She jumped up excitedly.
Delaney couldn’t help but laugh. Natasha hadn’t been this happy in a long time and it was good to see her genuinely happy for a change.
Jason still wasn’t really speaking to Natasha unless it had to do with their household business. But at least he hadn’t filed for a divorce, so there was still hope.
Natasha came bouncing down the stairs with her supplies ready to make up Delaney’s face. “Ok, have a seat in my chair please, ma’am.”
“OMG really, Tash, is all of that necessary?” Delaney chuckled.
“Oh just go with it, sis!” Natasha scolded.
The two of them talked and laughed as Natasha worked her magic on Delaney’s face. When Natasha was finished, she handed Delaney the mirror.
“Wow! I look amazing! You did a great job, sis. I’ve never seen myself like this before,” Delaney said, admiring herself in the mirror. She pursed her lips, making all kinds of model faces.
“You look absolutely beautiful, Delaney! I think I outdid myself!” Natasha smiled proudly. She couldn’t wait to finish her classes and become a certified cosmetologist. Hair and make-up was definitely her niche.
“Wait, wait…let me take a picture of you for my portfolio.” Natasha walked over to her purse and fished out her iPhone. In her opinion, iPhones had the best cameras.
After taking several head shots of Delaney, Natasha saved the pics in a file labeled my portfolio.
“Well, let’s get going chick!” Delaney said.
The two beauties hopped in Delaney’s black Infinity and headed to her mother’s house.
“Tash, you know Jason is going to be at the party, right?” Delaney asked, cutting her eye at Natasha. Uncle Cam was fond of Jason and he’d invite him. Plus, Delaney and Jason had been friends since middle school.
“Yeah, I kinda figured he would be. You and he have been friends a long time. I’m cool.”
“Ok sis, I just wanna be sure you’re cool with it, because it may be a little uncomfortable for you to be in the same room with him while y’all going through this separation.”
“I’m good, Laney, really I am. This is your day, so it’s all about you. I can handle being in a room with Jason for a few hours.” She smiled, and turned the radio up.
***
Delaney pulled her car into the driveway and noticed there were already several cars parked in front of her mother’s house. As soon as they stepped out of the car, they could hear the music playing and smell the grill going.
“Uncle Cam must be on the grill already,” Natasha said, closing the car door.
“Yeah, well you know how much he loves to cook out. It could be twenty degrees outside and he will still fire up that grill.” Delaney laughed.
Delaney turned the doorknob to her mother’s house, and opened the door.
“Hey everybody!” she yelled, over the music.
“Oh my baby is here!” Ava squealed. She had the biggest smile on her face. She thanked God religiously every day for sparing her baby girl. Their relationship was so much better and Ava was grateful for the opportunity to right some of her wrongs.
“Happy birthday, baby!” Ava hugged Delaney tightly. She rolled her eyes at Natasha.
“Mama, be nice. It’s my birthday and Natasha is my best friend.” Delaney nudged her arm, pleading with her to be nice to Natasha.
“Huummmph, hey,” Ava grunted and threw up her hand.
Natasha flashed a fake smile and walked away in search of Uncle Cam. Ava could kiss her ass as far as she was concerned.
“Mama, why you gotta treat her like that? What has Natasha ever done to you? I can understand your issue with Auntie Dana, but what does that have to do with Tash?” Delaney asked.
“Girl, come on here and speak to your company,” Ava said, changing the subject. She wasn’t trying to get into a discussion about her issues with Dana’s daughter.
Delaney was happy to see many of her family members, neighbors, and even some of her high school friends were there. After speaking and hugging everyone, she walked out back on the deck to find her favorite uncle.
“There’s my girl!” Uncle Cam smiled proudly. “Happy birthday, my beautiful baby girl” he said, wrapping Delaney up in his large arms.
“Hey, Uncle Cam!” Delaney smiled brightly, kissing him on the cheek. Nothing compared to the love her favorite uncle had always shown her.
“So has anyone heard from daddy?” she asked looking around. Earlier in the week she’d spoken to him and told him to come by Ava’s house for her birthday party.
“Uh no, I haven’t seen or talked to Cane in quite a while,” Cam said, walking back over to the grill. Delaney simply frowned and shrugged her shoulders. Maybe he would be a no show today, like he’d been for most of her life. Oh well, she had her best friend, favorite uncle, and her mother, so all was well in her world.
Suddenly a feeling of sadness crept up on her when she thought about Tyson. How she wished he could be there celebrating her birthday along with the rest of her loved ones.
“Why the long face, baby girl?” Cam asked, noticing the hint of sadness in her green eyes.
“Oh nothing really. Just wish Tyson could be here. But I’m ok.” She faked a smile.
Cam knew better and he knew she wasn’t alright. That is exactly why he invited the young man to Delaney’s birthday party.
“You young people need to learn how to work things out and quit all this running away when things get tough. I wished someone would have given me the same advice when I was younger. If so, the relationships in my life would be a whole helluva lot different.” The moment he was sharing with Delaney felt so natural. Being her biological father was different from the role he’d always played in her life.
Cam used his index finger and lifted her head up by her chin. “Baby girl, do you love him? I mean really love him, unconditionally?”
“Yes, Unc, I do.” She blushed.
“Well then work it out, baby. Nothing worth having comes easy.”
The talk with Uncle Cam made her feel so much better about things. Maybe reaching out to Tyson and seeing if they could work things out wasn’t such a bad idea.
The rest of the day went great. The food was delicious, the music was bumping, and everyone was having a great time. Delaney noticed she hadn’t seen Natasha in a while, so she went looking for her. When she walked into the kitchen she saw Natasha talking to Jason, but it appeared as if they were having a heated argument on the low.
“Hey Jason! Glad you came through, bruh!” Delaney squealed, embracing him in a hug.
“Hey there, Laney, you’re looking good! Oh and happy birthday by the way.” He smiled.
Natasha had tears in her eyes, which concerned Delaney.
“I will be right back. I need to use the bathroom,” Natasha said, hurriedly walking away.
“Is everything ok, Jason? Both of you look upset right now,” Delaney said, her voice laced with concern. Her heart broke for her friends. She hoped they’d be able to work through their issues and come out okay.
“Laney, this shit is just hard for me. You of all people know how much I love that woman, but the thought of her fucking around on me and getting pregnant is way too much,” Jason said, rubbing his hands over his face.
Delaney could see the raw pain in his eyes and it broke her heart. She never imagined Jason and Natasha’s relationship being on the brink of a break up.
“Jason, just so you know, I didn’t know anything about the affair or I would have warned her against it. But in Tash’s defense, she really does love you. I’m not making any excuses for what she did, but I know she regrets it every day of her life. I truly understand your pain, but I can also understand Tash’s pain as well. My prayer for you and Natasha is that you both sit down and hear each other out. You may be surprised at what you hear. Just think about it.”
“Yeah well, maybe next time she will think twice with the next man she’s with. Laney this marriage is over.” He scowled. Jason refused to let Delaney’s words affect him. In his mind Natasha was the blame. There was no excuse for her infidelity.
“Give it some more time, Jason. Don’t file for a divorce too hastily. I love you and Natasha so much, and I am praying that y’all can work things out,” Delaney said, gently rubbing his arm.
“Well, let me get going. I just wanted to come through and wish you a happy birthday. Oh and give you this.” Jason handed Delaney a beautifully wrapped package.
Her face lit up, because she loved receiving gifts. “Thanks Jason! You’re the best, bruh!”
Natasha walked back into the kitchen with bloodshot eyes. It was evident that she’d been crying.
“Here you go,” she said, handing Jason a to-go plate.
“Thanks.” He took the plate from her hand. “Imma holla at y’all later,” he said, turning to leave.
Natasha’s heart shattered into a million pieces. She hadn’t seen his face in so long, and the moment she did all they did was fight.
“Hey boo, are you going to be ok?” Delaney asked, wrapping her arm around Natasha’s shoulder.
“Yes, sis, look let’s talk about this later. This is your party and we are supposed to be having a good time celebrating. My marital issues are not important right now.” She forced a smile to ease Delaney’s mind.
Suddenly, Natasha’s face lit up and a huge smile spread across her face. “OMG, Delaney look, turn around.” She pointed.
Delaney’s eyebrows rose in confusion. Did Jason come back or something? She thought to herself. When Delaney turned around, she was face to face with Tyson. He looked sexy as hell rocking a pair of long beige cargo shorts and a pullover crisp white Polo.
“Happy birthday, beautiful.” He smiled, flashing his dimples. Tyson had the biggest smile on his face as he held a giant arrangement of flowers in his hands.
“These are for you,” he said, handing Delaney the flowers.
“Thank you!” She smiled, taking the huge flower arrangement from him and placing it in the center of her mother’s dining room table.
Natasha stood by smiling with excitement. She was so happy to see Tyson and Delaney together. It’s about time, she thought.
“Well I’m going to see if Uncle Cam needs help with anything so I can give you two some privacy.” She gave Tyson a quick hug before walking away.
“Wow! You look amazing, Laney!” Tyson stared deeply into her eyes. He’d never seen her face made up like that before, but he definitely approved of it.
“You’re looking good yaself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen your beard so full, but it looks good on you,” she complimented.
She paused for a moment when it dawned on her that he’d shown up to her party. “How did you know I would be here?” she questioned. Delaney was going to choke the hell out of Natasha for setting her up like this.
“Your Uncle contacted me at the club and invited me. At first I wasn’t going to come, because you’ve told me numerous times that you didn’t want to see me. But I just had to come,” he said with his voice laced with vulnerability.
Delaney was stunned to find out that her Uncle Cam was the one who invited Tyson. She smiled and shook her head.
“Well, I’m glad he invited you, Tyson. I’ve been missing you like crazy,” she admitted. It was time that she grew up and started handling things like an adult.
Tyson was shocked. He almost pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Tyson bent down and hugged her tightly. “I’ve missed you so much, baby. I love you, Delaney, and you are the only woman for me.”
Delaney looked up at Tyson with tears of joy in her eyes. “I love you too, Ty!”
The two of them stood in the middle of her mother’s kitchen wrapped up in each other’s arms, grateful for a second chance. People were walking by ohhhhing and ahhhhinnng at them, but they didn’t care.
“Oh get a room!” Natasha yelled out. She’d been in the background watching them. She was so happy and proud of Delaney for giving Tyson another chance. Those two belonged together.
“Oh hush!” Delaney said, wiping tears away from her eyes.
“Come outside so I can let Uncle Cam, aka the match maker, know that you’re here,” Delaney said to Tyson.
Cam smiled brightly when he saw the two lovebirds walking towards him holding hands. The smile on Delaney’s face and the sparkle in her eyes was priceless. Ava was even pleasant towards Tyson. When she first met him, she was in a total mess over Delaney’s accident to even give him a second thought.
It was getting late and Delaney still hadn’t seen or heard from her father.
“Mama, have you heard anything from daddy? Uncle Cam said he hasn’t talked to him in a while, but have you?”
Ava immediately became nervous. She had spoken to Cane a few hours ago, and he was drunk out of his mind. He was talking crazy and she told him not to bring that mess over to her house.
Before Ava could respond, Cane stumbled out onto the deck.
“Haaapppy birthday, baaaabbbbyy girl,” he stammered. Cane reeked of alcohol and weed. Cam shook his head and walked over to where Cane was.
“Come on, Cane, it’s Laney’s birthday and you’re drunk. Let’s go in the house so you can lie down until you sober up,” Cam suggested.
Delaney stood back and looked at her daddy with a confused look on her face. She’d never seen her father drunk, only her mother.
“Dadd
y, what’s wrong with you?” she questioned, walking towards him.
“No, Laney, just go and sit down and let me get your father in the house so he can get himself together,” Cam said, stepping in between Delaney and Cane.
Besides Delaney, Cam, and Cane, Ava, Natasha, and Tyson were the only other people outside on the deck. Ava was damn near about to have a panic attack, because she knew at any minute that Cane was going to show his ass.
“Nah get ya fuckin’ hands offa me Cam or should I say daddy? Go on and tell her that you’re her daddy!” Cane slurred. Ever since the day he found out Delaney wasn’t his daughter, he’d picked up drinking. He’d been a social drinker most of his life, but lately he drank on a daily basis.
“What is he talking about, Uncle Cam?” Delaney asked. Suddenly, there was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Did she hear her daddy correctly? How could Uncle Cam be her father? She looked from one to the other in total confusion and distress.
“Baby girl, we will discuss this later. My brother is drunk and he really needs to lie down,” Cam said glaring at Cane.
“Yeah I may be drunk, but I know what the fuck I’m talking ‘bout! Baby, all these years I thought you were mine, but all the while your whore of a mother was fucking my brother! Cam is yo daddy, not me! Cam stole my life!” Cane said, beating his chest with both of his hands. Tears fell down his face, as he stumbled and cried like a baby.
Delaney was in shock. She looked at her Uncle Cam, and then her mother, Ava.
“Is this true?” she said as her own tears flowed down her face.
“Cane, you are such a fucking asshole! I told you not to come over here with this bullshit today, you drunk bastard!” Ava screamed.
“Fuck you, you goddamn whore!” Cane spat back.
“Nah, fuck you and I got your whore. Or should I say the seed of your whore sitting right over there!” She pointed at Natasha. Ava burst into tears. She hadn’t meant to say that, but she was so angry at Cane for making her out to be the villain in front of Delaney.
Natasha’s eyes bulged out in surprise. “What?” She and Delaney both yelled at the same time.