Chapter 12
One day
One whole day passed without me seeing Harry. Twenty four hours. 14440 minutes. 86,400 seconds.
He didn't come over to the house yesterday. The last encounter we had was two days ago.
Anytime I think about what went down in the kitchen that day the heat in between my thighs intensifies.My body lights up at the thought of what was and what might have been.
"Hello! Earth to Amanda" Janet snapped her fingers in my face
I blinked about four times before I could regain myself. I had no idea that I zoned out.
Janet, Keisha, Jeremy and I were standing outside the school building - in the parking lot to be precise. School was over but we wanted to talk a little before heading home
Jeremy had his hands around my shoulder. Both of us were leaning on his car.
I remember how warm Harry's hands felt when I tried to stop him from leaving the after party. I remember the electricity I felt when his fingers trailed down my arm two days ago.
This boy has messed up my head for real.
"You okay babe?" Jeremy asked me
"Yeah.. I uh" I shook my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts "sorry"
"What's the update on the party?" Janet asked
"Tyler and Harry are coming" I muttered
Keisha and Janet screamed so loudly that Jeremy had to cover his ear with his free hand
"I'm totally wearing a two piece body suit" Keisha said "what's Tyler's favorite color?"
"Uhh black?" I guessed
"A black two piece clothing it is. I'm gonna shop on fashion nova tonight. How do you think I should style my hair? Braids or weave?"
"Calm down lil mama" Jeremy laughed "who you into? Harry or Ty?"
"Tyler duh"
"What? Since when"
"Since forever" I answered
"He's a cool dude" Jeremy said
"He'd be much cooler if he knew I existed" Keisha mumbled
"Hey!" I exclaimed "he knows you exist"
"Yeah right"
"He's like four years older than you though" Jeremy said
"Whatever" Keisha rolled her eyes
I giggled.
This is gonna be a very interesting party
--
*knock knock*
"Come in"
I sat up straighter against the head of my bed. The door opened and my mom came in.
"Hey mom" I smiled
"Hi sweetie" she closed the door "whatcha doing?"
"Reading the Bible" I raised the Holy Book for her to see.
"That's nice"
I closed my Bible and dropped it on the bed so I could give her my full attention
She did a 360 spin in front of my full length wall mirror
"Damn Mandy. Your mama is popping" she flipped her hair
"Mama you're too old to say popping"
"Come on. I ain't that old. I'm not even 45 yet"
"Could've fooled me"
She gasped
"Kidding!" I laughed
"Good. Almost gave me a damn heart attack"
My mom is a very beautiful woman. She's caramel complexioned with a nice tall slim thick body.
Her hair isn't natural like mine, its long and relaxed. She's wearing a white tank top tucked in with skinny blue jeans.
"Dad's a lucky man" I said
"I wish he knew that" she replied quietly "I can't remember the last time your father touched me"
"Okay too much information!"
"I'm serious. He comes home late every night. I can't help but feel he doesn't feel attracted to me anymore or maybe he's spending his time with someone else"
I furrowed my eyebrows
"Mom, is something wrong?"
She looked at me. The look on her face said it all. Yes. Something is definitely wrong
"Come sit" I shifted a little. She sat cross legged on my bed so we were facing each other
"Your dad is... I don't know" she started "we put up a perfect front so you guys and other people don't know what's going on. When I met your father, he was perfect or so I thought. I was a poor girl from the slums whose parents couldn't even afford one full course meal a day and your dad was a boy from the upper class who had everything- girls, money, you name it. It was a blessing to have a guy like him spare a girl like me a glance. You know what I mean?"
I nodded. This is the first heart to heart talk I'm having with my mom. I have a feeling it won't go too well
"He did the best thing in my life by marrying me. Along the years things changed. He changed. He got.... Violent"
"Dad's hit you?"
She chuckled sadly then wiped a tear from her eyes.
"Countless times honey"
What? How come I've never noticed. I've never even heard them fight or argue. How could this be happening right under my nose and I never knew. We all live under the same roof. How could I have missed this? Does Tyler know about this?
"How come I never knew about this"
"You kids don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Our room ain't sound proof for nothing"
Oh my gosh
"Wow" I breathed
"Your dad is a very dark man sweetie. Anytime I try to leave him or file for a divorce he reminds me how he picked me up from dirt, washed me and made me who I am today. How if not for him I'd still be in the middle of nowhere. Leaving him would make me an ungrateful bitch"
I feel like such a fool. I should have known. I should have noticed the unnecessary make up in the morning (probably trying to hide her bruises). The way she'd flinch if you came close to her on surprise. The smile that never reached her eyes
It all makes sense now.
"Why can't you just leave?" I said "you aren't being treated right"
"Oh honey. He'll kill me... Literally"
"What?"
I wiped the tears from my eyes. I feel like such an inconsiderate idiot. How can my mom be going through all this without my knowledge?
"There are so many things you don't know about your father. If I tell you you'll hate him" she used her thumb to wipe away my tears "aww honey don't cry. At least you and Jeremy are doing well"
I don't think so
"I don't know mom. I'm starting to lose interest"
"How come? You've been together for so long"
''Yeah I think that's the problem. I think I'm in love with the thought of being with him not with him"
"Come on honey. He comes from a great responsible family. He's Christian too"
"Mom I'm 17. There's plenty of time to find guys like that"
"The choices you make when you're 17 can affect you for a lifetime sweetie. Let that sink in"
"What if there's someone out there?"
She looked at me with a puzzled but knowing expression. She knows. She knows I'm interested in someone else
"Someone like who darling?"
Someone like Harry
"Anyone" I muttered "it could be anyone mom"