by Mona
Malachi nodded his head in agreement and he then spoke. “Complete honesty, huh?” Malachi questioned for clarification.
“Yupp,” Andre responded.
“Aww shit, here we go,” Desmond expressed.
“Okay, that shit you revealed at your party was supposed to be between me and you, so yeah, when you revealed that shit, it pissed me off but at the same time, I came home to find my mom living like a queen. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful, but at the same time it fucked me up. All that shit she has should’ve of came from me. Then, there’s Arianna. I tried to be happy for you and accept things the way it is, but I couldn’t get her off my damn mind. To keep it real with you, I still love her,” Malachi boldly admitted as Andre slowly stood to his feet.
“Nigga, you keep testing me,” Andre pointed his finger at Malachi.
“Calm down, Dre,” Desmond suggested as he made his way over to where Andre stood.
“Now, you and I know that I was in a fucked up state of mind when we made that deal years ago, but then again, you don’t give a fuck because we know the real reason you did it,” Malachi continued as he and Andre stared at each other.
Andre smirked. “Do tell, nigga,” Andre replied sarcastically.
“Aight now, we agreed this would be a peaceful meeting,” Desmond said .
“Nah Des, let him finish. I wanna hear this shit. Please, tell me why I did it?” Andre questioned as he could not stop smirking.
“C’mon, Dre. We both know you were faking it all those years. You hating her and her princess like attitude, like you use to say; it was all bullshit,” Malachi stated as Andre continued smirking.
“And out of curiosity, what brought you to that conclusion? I mean, you talking like a nigga who knew for sure that I liked her, like you knew some hidden secret and shit,” Andre questioned as he studied him. He knew it was a far fetched getting Malachi to admit the hidden truth he always suspected.
“Man, that day in the county jail, when you came to visit me, when you were talking about her, your ass was smiling and shit. I knew right then and there that you were feeling her. I asked you to do it because I knew that you would be good to her, even though you always had a problem with being with just one girl,” Malachi pointed out in a calm tone.
“Yeah well, since we’re revealing secrets from the past and shit, how about I think your ass was listening that day I told Des I wanted to ask her to the school dance. I think your ass been left the bathroom and was listening behind the screen door. You heard me tell Des I liked her. Des and I go to the store; we come back, all of a sudden your ass end up telling her you like her and asking her to the dance. That shit was way too convenient, as far as I’m concerned.” Andre said.
“C’mon, Dre, now you’re reaching,” Malachi replied with a sly grin.
Andre smirked once again. “Yeah, I’m reaching a’ight. Meeting adjourned, nigga,” Andre responded as he coolly made his way to his office door.
Chapter Thirteen
Lorette’s Birthday Dinner
“Thank you, everyone for this. You really didn’t have to,” Lorette announced as she smiled. She was happy to have the ones she loved present to celebrate her birthday. Looking around she smiled at Arianna, Andre, Angeline, Desmond, Patrice, Rolonda, Ian, Malachi and Andre Junior.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, mom,” Arianna said to Lorette as she gave her a hug.
“Yes, Happy Birthday, Auntie Lorette,” Angeline hugged her as well.
Despite the obvious tension, everyone seemed to enjoy the dinner. Everyone was seated at the table except for Ava. Although she began eating once she finally opened the door for Rolonda the day before, she still kept herself isolated in her room. Despite the fact she had gave her baby up for adoption, she now felt lost and incomplete without him. She was missing him something terrible.
The few days she had him prior to the mediation meeting were the best days of her life. Lorette looked around the table and noticed the tension was at an all-time high. Desmond was staring at Angeline with a scowl on his face, while Angeline did her best avoiding eye contact with him. Patrice made it her business to occasionally roll her eyes at Rolonda and Ian. Andre was seated next to Arianna, and his eyes were fixated on Malachi who as far as he was concerned, was trying a little too hard to avoid eye contact with Arianna. It was the same for Arianna. She spent the whole dinner constantly placing her hand on Andre’s knee underneath the table. Under normal circumstances, Andre would be happy with such gesture, however, his bullshit radar was on alert. He just couldn’t shake the feeling she too was trying a little bit too hard to avoid eye contact with Malachi. In addition to Malachi, Andre wasn’t feeling Ian’s presence either. Although Ian was putting in his best effort to communicate with Andre, Andre didn’t care to hear much of what he had to say. He failed to understand how a grown man walked the earth knowing he had a son in this world, but pretended he didn’t exist.
Then, one day when that son is a grown ass man, out of the blue he decides to track him down and announce he’s his biological dad. Andre just couldn’t respect that, but he was willing to hear Ian out just to hear details involving his mom. Andre was always open to hear stories in reference to his mom, Justine. Although he was only ten years of age when she passed, he kept her memory alive by constantly thinking and conversing about her.
“Yes, Happy Birthday, Mama Lorette, matter of fact, let me make a toast,” Andre announced as he stood at the table. Holding up his usual glass of coke and Hennessey, all eyes were on him. “I just want to make a toast to a woman who has been a third mother to me, besides just my mother-in-law. I think you’re one of the most warmest, loving and beautiful woman I’ve ever known, and trust me when I say it is an honor, you hear me, an honor to call you mom. Happy Birthday,” he concluded the toast as he bent down and placed a kiss on Lorette’s cheek. “So, let’s cheer to Mama Lorette,” he added as he raised his glass. Everyone followed suit as they raised their glass as well.
“Awww, thank you, Andre. I feel it is an honor also to call you son,” Lorette replied. In that moment she couldn’t help glancing at Arianna. She was quite disappointed when she heard of the incident that occurred between Arianna and Malachi. She didn’t raise Arianna to be that kind of woman. Regardless of whatever the situation may be, Lorrette didn’t condone it. Lorette St. Jean was a conservative woman who carried herself with the highest form of self-respect and sophistication. She raised Arianna to be the same way, so, of course, she was rather appalled when she learned Arianna gave herself to Malachi.
Lorette was a realistic person. She didn’t believe nor did she care for fairy tales. As far as she was concerned, the past was the past and Malachi needed to leave well enough alone and accept the present for what it was. In addition, she loved Andre for Arianna, although she also had love for Malachi and would forever appreciate what he did for Arianna when they were teenagers. She was a firm believer in the unity of marriage to the fullest and would never see it any other way.
“Thank you, mom,” Andre thanked her with a kiss on the cheek before resuming his seat at the table.
“Okay, I can’t take it anymore,” Patrice suddenly announced as she stood up from her seat. “Lorette, honey, I really don’t want to ruin your birthday dinner, but I just cannot take this woman and her phoniness anymore,” she added as she pointed her finger at Rolonda.
“Trice, what’s going on?” Desmond asked Patrice, addressing her by her nickname.
“Patrice?” Rolonda called her name, but was immediately cut off.
“Rolonda, I swear you better tell them right now or I will tell them and I don’t want to hear shit about it’s not my place. I will not spend another day disrespecting my sister in law’s memory by carrying on this façade,” Patrice spat angrily as she grilled Rolonda. “Now, are you going to tell them or do you want me to tell them? And you can keep the part about you and this jackass getting married because don’t no one want to hear that shit.”
“Marr
ied?” Malachi looked across the table at Rolonda.
“Married to who? Ian? Mom, what the hell is going on?” Malachi asked.
“Yeah, what the hell is going on, for real ?” Andre inquired as he looked between Rolonda and Patrice.
Rolonda stood up as she cleared her throat. “Uhhm, let’s take this to another room. I don’t want to ruin Lorette’s birthday with what I’m about to share. Besides, A.J. is here.”
“Oh no, it’s okay. Don’t worry about ruining my birthday,” Lorette stated.
“A.J., sweetie, go to your room until we call you back down,” she told him.
“Awww, man. Why ya always have to treat me like a kid?” Andre Junior whined.
“Boy, take your behind to your room, right now,” Andre ordered.
Without warning, Andre Junior banged on the table as he stood up. “Ya, get on my nerves!” He screamed as he quickly left the table and ran towards the staircase.
“What the hell? A.J.!” Arianna quickly stood up and was prepared to go after him.
“Nah, leave him alone for now. We’ll get his little ass later,” Andre said to her. He then turned his attention to Rolonda who now had a worried look in her eyes. “Aight, Mama Ro, now what the hell is going on?” He sat back down in his seat. Little did he realize how much he needed to be seated with the news Rolonda had to share. Arianna and Patrice also took their seat. All eyes were on Rolonda as she cleared her throat once more. In that moment Ian reached over and held her hand for support as she began to speak.
“Uhhm, first off, Ian Waters and I are dating and we have been for a few months now. But, we did not just meet. We knew each other as teenagers,” Rolonda announced as she held her head down.
“Okay and?” Andre asked.
“We went to school together. We actually met while I was in the seventh grade and Ian was in the ninth grade…and…uuhm…one thing led to another and we...uuhm… started fooling around,” she confessed as she once again paused.
Everyone looked on with curiosity; however, nothing prepared them for what Rolonda was to reveal next. Sighing, Rolonda continued.
“Fooling around led to me getting pregnant and having a baby when I was thirteen,” Rolonda once again confessed. She paused waiting for everyone’s reaction. She knew the questions were sure to come and she couldn’t have been more correct.
“A baby?” Andre and Malachi questioned at the same time. Malachi looked confused as he looked her way. “Mom. Candace? Are you talking about Candace or another baby?” Malachi asked her.
“No, Mal. Not another baby. It’s Candace. I had Candace when I was thirteen and…uuhmm. Ian is her father.”
Angeline and Arianna gasped as Patrice shook her head at Rolonda in disgust. Andre and Malachi sat speechless. Once Andre found his voice, it was nothing nice.
“What-the-fuck-did-you-just-say?” Andre asked her angrily, emphasizing on each word, as he slowly stood up.
“Andre, I know this news is shocking but please don’t disrespect her that way,” Ian said to Andre.
“Nigga, if I were you, I wouldn’t say shit to me right now,” Andre looked at Ian. He then turned his attention back to Rolonda. Malachi stood up and made his way over to her.
“Mom, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Ian is Candace’s biological father. When I became pregnant and gave birth to her, my mom and Ian’s parent’s had a DNA test done, confirming it. But Ian’s parents told him to stay away from me and soon after that they neglected Candace and made him neglect her also. They hated me and felt I wasn’t good enough for him. We stayed away from each other for a while, but when I was fourteen, we started sneaking and messing around again. But at the same time I was seeing a boy name Raymond Evans, the man you and Candace thought was your father. He became my main boyfriend and Ian started seeing Justine. But I was jealous, causing Justine and I to get into it a few times. Ian and I continued sneaking around while he was with Justine. At some point, Ian broke it off with me, but by then I found out I was pregnant again at the same time Justine became pregnant, when we were fifteen,” Rolonda said slowly as she paused.
“Hell no,” Malachi expressed as he shook his head. Andre walked over to Rolonda as his eyes were now blood shot red from the rage he was experiencing. Arianna and Desmond quickly made their way to where Andre and Rolonda stood, preparing for the worse.
“Tell me you joking. Please tell me you fucking joking,” Andre said in a low tone.
“I’m sorry, I’m not,” Rolonda now had tears of shame in her eyes.
“Mom, please tell me you not trying to say what it sounds like you are saying,” Malachi made eye with Andre.
Rolonda cleared her throat and looked at them. “Yes, it’s a possibility Ian might be Mal’s dad also. Things became so ugly with Justine, her parent’s, my mom and Ian’s parents, that I just led Raymond to believe he was the father. A DNA test was never done so I never knew for sure. My mom was heavy into drugs and just up and left me one day. Raymond was a hustler, making good money, so he packed my stuff along with Mal’s things and Candace’s and moved us down south. But he was killed down there when you were three and Candace was five,” Rolonda confessed as she looked Malachi in the eyes. “I eventually moved back up here. By then, Ian was drafted into the NFL and I never heard from him until we ran into each other recently,” Rolonda concluded her confession and Malachi stared at her in disbelief.
“Mom, how the hell can you not tell me about all of this?”
“So, let me get this straight. Candace was my sister, Malachi might be my biological brother and you knew my mom since you guys were kids?” Andre asked her as he clenched his jaw.
“Yes, Dre,” Rolonda replied.
“So, did you know who she was when we met you guys when Malachi and I were seven?” Andre asked her.
Rolonda sighed as she closed her eyes and quickly reopened them. “Yes, I did. I recognized her right away, especially once I saw you. You look just like Ian. I knew exactly who you and Justine were the minute I laid eyes on you, but for some reason she didn’t recognize me. I figured if she did, she wouldn’t have been as nice to me as she was,” Rolonda concluded.
“She knew exactly who your sneaky ass was,” Patrice announced as she glared at Rolonda. Truthfully, Patrice had known the truth for years, however, it wasn’t her truth to tell. Besides, she had made a promise to Romero and Justine that she would never say anything, but instead let Rolonda tell them when she was ready.
Patrice and Romero were brother and sister and were closer than the average siblings. Romero confided in Patrice and shared everything concerning his life with her. When he met Justine, it was love at first sight although it wasn’t quite the same for Justine. Due to Romero’s profession, she was reluctant to give him a chance, however, that quickly changed once he put on the charm on, in which he eventually won her over.
Once they were married and Romero gave Andre his name, Justine opened up to him and told him everything, which he shared with Patrice. Out of respect for Justine’s memory, and request, Patrice kept quiet and left it up to Rolonda to reveal the truth.
“That’s the type of person Justine was. She had a heart of gold. She knew exactly who your trifling ass was, but when you never said anything, she just figured you didn’t recognize her so she kept quiet, but mainly because of the kid’s sake. She knew Candace always thought Raymond was her dad. Candace was a persistent kid, and if she had known someone else was her dad and that he was still walking this earth, she would have played detective and tried to find him herself,” Patrice stated, causing Desmond to smile at the factual statement. “The only reason she helped you out all those times you needed help was because of Candace and Malachi. That is why she immediately warmed up to them. It warmed her heart when Malachi and Andre clicked and began calling each other brothers. The irony of it all was when Candace started referring to Andre as her brother also. She use to say it with so much conviction, as if deep down she knew for sure that Andre
was really her brother,” Patrice clarified.
“This is some bullshit!” Andre yelled.
“You damn right, this is bullshit,” Malachi agreed as he looked over at Ian. “Man, I know you were young, but how in the hell can you just walk away from your daughter and possibly your second child?”
“Nigga, how the fuck do you walk away from all three of your kids? Andre questioned him also.
“Yeah, your ass wasn’t sure if one was yours but you knew two, without of doubt were yours, right? And what the fuck really happened with my mom’s?” Andre asked Ian.
Letting out a sigh, Ian opted to explain how and why he walked away from two girls he impregnated and his kids. “Well, let me start by saying that I was young and dumb. That’s no excuse, but that was the reality. So, basically, despite the fact I was young, I cared about Rolonda, but my parents didn’t like her. What can I say, I was a kid and I depended on my parents so I had no choice to go by what they wanted. But as a young boy with raging hormones, I couldn’t leave Rolonda alone, so I did what teenage boys did and snuck around with her. Then, I met Justine. She was pretty, smart and strangely my parents happened to love her, so I made her my girlfriend. But her parents, mainly her dad, hated me. Well, her father actually hated the color of my skin more than anything. I was prepared to stick it out with Justine but her dad wasn’t having it. I even stood up to him. It actually worked for a little while. Justine and I had a nice little thing going. It was safe to say I fell for her. I was her first everything which made me fall for her even harder. I fell so hard I even cut Rolonda off. She became exclusive with Raymond and it was all about me and Justine until one day I was called into my basketball coach’s office for a meeting. When I entered the office, not only was my coach there but so was Justine’s father. To make a long story short, Justine’s father had some hold over the coach and it was easy to get him to join forces with him to basically blackmail me. So, he gave me an ultimatum, which was leave his daughter alone or forget about my football career and the all paid scholarship I was granted. What could I say, I was seventeen with a bright future ahead of me. My life would’ve been nothing if I hadn’t gone off to play in the NFL,” Ian explained as he studied Andre and Malachi. Andre’s facial expression was of pure rage while Malachi’s was hard to read.