33•Mac n Cheese

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My Phone buzzed. It was my mama. "Hey Dri."

"Hey Ma what's going on?" I asked, holding phone to my ear.

"I know you've been calling, I needed time to process things." She finally let out. "Process what?" I asked curiously.

"I had that conversation with your father." She spoke calm. Too calm.

"You want me to come over?" I asked.

"I'm actually in your area I'll come over to you." She sound like she was making a turn. I heard the signal light. "Ok I love you. See you when you get here."

"I love you too." She said ending the call. It was a relief we were finally having that talk. She and my dads had been acting really funny for quite some time now. I have my suspicions but I didn't want to say or think about it.

I was at home hanging with the squad all except Mike he was on his way. He started a study group after school specifically for his class. A couple of his students were failing consistently. He felt compelled to do something about it.

Troy and Chance were having a cook off. They had a big debate going on about baked mac and cheese. Neither one of them could top mine. So I don't even know why they were in the kitchen.

"Troy you're supposed to spice up you're water while the noodles are boiling." Chance stated.

"Nah, all I need is this, and this." He pointed to the salt, and pepper."

"So you don't use broth or any other seasonings in your water? It's about to be bland." He replied to Troy.

"How bout both of you do what you do and we'll let y'all know in the end." Mike said coming in taking off his jacket to wash his hands.

"Right, and no phone calls trying to ask for help either." I said specifically to Chance. He squinted, making Amina laughed.

"I know you're making Mrs. Shirley's mac n cheese." I was referring to his mother n law, Rita's mom.

"Hey I never said I wasn't influenced." He pointed a finger in the air.

"Doesn't matter what you use. Yours still won't hit. I do this for the culture. You wouldn't understand." Troy playfully stated while patting Chances back.

"We'll see. I'll pack you up some to go too because I know your pride won't let you admit it." He tapped Troys back even harder.

They went on and on until they got their pans in the oven. I heard a knock at the door and I went to open it. "Hey mama." I brought her in for a hug. I haven't seen or heard from her in a few days.

"Hey Dri Dri."

"Come on. The guys are here. We can go upstairs and talk." I motioned in that direction but she stopped me. "Ok, well let me speak to them first." She spoke to everybody and I told them I needed to talk to her privately. They understood because they knew I was worried.

Getting upstairs to my office we sat down. "Do you want me to get you anything? Something to drink, are you hungry?" I asked.

"No I'm fine baby." She smiled.

"Talk to me ma what's going on?"

Her eyes met me before she took a breath. "There is no easy way to say this, —I don't even know how to start." She cleared her throat.

"Take your time. Do you need more time?" I wanted to know but if it was too painful to say then it was whenever she was ready.

"No." She shook her head. "I wanted to be the one to tell you. I insisted." She took a deep breath and rubbed her palms against her knees. I waited.

"This is quite embarrassing. I never thought I would be having this conversation with my son." She furrowed her brows.

"Ok, ma now you really need to tell me what's going on?" I gave a very serious look.

"Ok I'm just going to say it."I nodded.

She took another breath before she blurted out, "Your father was having an affair."

I needed her to repeat it, just in case I misheard. "What?"

"You're father cheated." She said slowly. My brows grew together. "What do you mean he cheated?" I asked getting riled up. It was so left field.

"He told me." She replied in a deadpanned tone but those words rang in my ear like an alarm.

"I'm gon' kill'em." I gritted out as I stood up quickly causing the chair to tumble back. I didn't care to take time to process it. I needed to get to him.

"Adrian, sit." She demanded with tears now falling down her face. My mama's a small petite woman but she's the strongest person I knew. It hurt me to see her this way. I fixed the chair and sat back down.

"The woman's threatening him." She took a breath. "She's seven months pregnant Dri."

"What?" I exclaimed in disbelief. How did I miss this? What?"

"Yeah, and that's not all." She sniffled. I stared at her, holding my breath curious to hear what else.
"You know her." She confessed, my eyebrows curled.

My mind race of the possibilities. "Who?" My mother took another breath then shook her head. She closed her eyes and spoke. "It's Melanie, your assistant."

Everything got hot all of a sudden. My heart was racing. I felt like my skin was on fire. "Un- fucking- believable." I yelled standing up pacing back and forth. "Where is he?"

"Adrian, stop." She tried comforting me. I disregarded it. "Where is he?" I pulled out my phone.

"I'm not telling you. You need to calm down first. I don't want you getting yourself in trouble. That's why I decided to tell you myself. He was going to tell you but I said I would." She explained.

"Man no. How can he do this?" I called out, punching the nearest wall repeatedly until a hole formed. How could he destroy their union? My dad was my hero. My mom loves that man with her whole heart. Why would he do that to her?

"Adrian, I'm stressed enough I can't worry about you too right now. So please cool off." She walked over placing her hands on my shoulders. My fist still plunged into the wall.

The door opened and everybody from downstairs stood at the door.
"Everything ok? We heard a loud commotion?" Amina asked.

I ignored her. "Ma twenty-six fucking years and this is what he does?" Tunnel vision was in full effect. My mission was to get to my father and that was it. I couldn't believe he cheated and got that lady pregnant.

"Adrian calm down. I know you're angry. Hell, I am too." My mom implored. I got out of my mama's grasp and headed toward the door.

"Don't leave, not like this." My mama begged and Mike, Chance and Troy blocked the door assisting. "Get out of my way!"

"Not until you chill out bro." Mike he placed a hand up towards my chest. I pushed it off. "He cheated on my mom —and you expect me not to do shit about it. Move!"

They remained. The timer on the ovens went off. Amina went downstairs to check on the macaroni. I went and sat down and all of us remained quiet for a few minutes.

"What do you want to do ma?" I looked over her face. "I don't know. I'm not there yet. This is the first I've said it out loud." She cried.

She inhaled then slowly exhaled to calm herself. I went over and held her. She broke down in my arms. I can't think about my pops. My mother needed me.

"I'm sorry mama. I hate that you of all people have to go through this. I'm even more disappointed because pops raised me to be the complete opposite of what he's doing right now. His words don't mean shit anymore." I sat back. "Growing up he told me I could have my lil' fun and be with whoever I wanted to while I was single. He said the moment I get into a relationship cut it out and that's what I did."

Everybody remained quiet and Amina came back in. "I would never disrespect a woman like that, get in a relationship just to cheat. Why didn't he ask you for a divorce first? I could accept that, but not this." I shook me head but saw that me speaking on it helped her calmed down a bit. I never spoke to anyone about Rai after we broke up. That talk with Chance was as far I ever went. I would shut it down anytime it was brought up. My mom tried because she hated seeing me down but I didn't budge.

"The only real relationship I've ever been in —I broke it off and I'm still not able to get passed it." I confessed in front of Mike not caring how he felt about it anymore. He stared at me then looked away but remained quiet.

"Why did he wait twenty six years of marriage later to cheat? Is this even the only time? How do we know he wasn't cheating for all these years?" My mama shook her head and wiped her face. She just listened. Amina gave her a box of tissues.

"With my assistant." I stated more to myself.

"You're talking about Melanie?" Troy asked curiously. "Yeah and she's seven months pregnant." I told him.

"You said seven months?" He repeated to make sure. "Yeah." I looked at Troy interested in why he was asking.

"Phew I dodge that bullet." He wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead. "You slept with her too?" I questioned.

"Uh— yeah, but that was a year ago." He replied glancing down at my mama. "You remember when I asked you to hook me up but you said for me to handle it?" He asked, I nodded my head yes. "Well I reached out to her that same week."

"This is crazy." Chance added.

"No this is too much." My mama nodded trying to get up to leave, but I stopped her. "Ma if he's home you're not staying there." I pleaded more than demanded.

"Nobody's kicking me out of our home we built and you were raised in Dri. I'm going home and that's that." She placed her purse on her arm.

"I'm going with you."

"No you're not. You need to take some time to sort out your feelings. You're at a very intense emotional state right now and that needs cooling off." She stated. I sighed. I knew I wasn't going to be able to change her mind.

"I'm pretty sure he's not home Dri. I told him to leave."

"Alright. Only because you need to get some rest and I know you won't be able to unless you're home." I gave in. We hugged each other. "I love you."

"I love you too ma."

Mike and everybody went back downstairs to the kitchen and I walked my mother out to her car.

I watched her drive off then took a seat on the steps. I sat out there for a few minutes thinking and the crazy thing was the only person I wanted to talk to was not there. She'd know what to say.

The guilt from everything resurfaced when she came back to town. I wondered how things were mentally. I broke up with her at a time when she was healing from past trauma. I still feel like shit. There wasn't anything I could do about the past. God alone knew about the future.

I went back inside still pondering thoughts.

"Look I'm here if you need me. We all are." Mike stated as I walked in the kitchen. The moment he spoke it hit me. I thought again about what Chance said on the phone. Our friendship will only go so far. We will always have barriers. Say for instance if I never talk to Rai another day in my life, Mike and I will be as cool as he want us to be. That leaves me broken, but if I try to get her back I lose out on everything I built with him.

This stuff with my dad really put things into perspective. I no longer wanted to take life for granted. This hanging in the balance stuff was not it. I value what I lost way more than anything else. Mike's my brother but Rainas my everything.

"Mike you need to know something." I brought my attention to him. "What's up man?" He raised his brows his face displayed extreme curiosity. Almost as of he was waiting for me to say something.

"This past year has been kind of shitty. —I miss my girl, Rai." I confessed. He stood in front of me communicating no emotion. He was shocked that I was addressing him about a topic that had been taboo for so long.

"My plan, starting now is to do whatever it takes to get her back. Maybe time a part was necessary. It allowed both of us to get on with the next phase in life." He continued listening and so did everyone else.

"I don't know where her head space is or what she has going on, but that's where I'll be. —I'm leaving first thing-"

"Look— I haven't had a full conversation with my sister in over a year now and I'm tired of it. I just want my sister back." He interrupted.

"Mike-" I tried to talk but he wasn't done. He held his hand up. "I'm not finished. It took some time but I see it for what it is now. I'm understanding shit I didn't think was possible. I just don't ever want to see her hurting again. That shit haunts me sometimes. —I see that you really love Rai. I came to terms with that a while ago. I've just been too stubborn to say anything. My ego was too big.

I also saw how much pain my sister was in after the breakup. When we celebrated her birthday we went on a safari and flew everybody out. Spent days in cabins and touring. The whole time we were there all she wanted was your ass." He laughed lightly.

It made me smile to hear that.

"Who am I to stop this? I've seen a lot of growth in her. She's opening up. Hell she even put a little color in her room." He chuckled. I laughed thinking about all the white she had and I called it plain.

"Yeah and she's wearing bathing suits now too." Troy chimed in with his famous goofy grin.

"Shut yo' dumb-ass up Troy." Mike and I said in unison, which made all of us laugh.

"What? I saw it on insta." He shrugged. "You better stop going on my girl page." I turned my nose up at him.

"Ohhh so she yo girl again now? Let me find out you can break up with somebody and get back with them without them even knowing. Sign me up."

We laughed and shaking our heads.

"I have your blessing?" I turned back to Mike. He looked for a second then spoke. "Yeah we're good. Just don't fuck it up. Keep her happy."

"Got it." I held my hand out and he pulled me in for a hug embracing me. This was the way I wanted to start over with him. Leave the past in the past. No more secrets.

"I love you man."

"I love you too bro." I replied, releasing our embrace.

"The gang is officially back together. We can finally get back to business now." Chance clapped. We all stood laughing proudly.

"Now about this mac n cheese." Mike rubbed his hands together, cheesing.

"Let's dig in. All of this peace and harmony stuff is making me hungry. Let's just hope it's edible." Amina joked.

"Go ahead and throw yours in the trash Chance." He patted his back. "Save yourself the embarrassment."

"Whatever." Chance laughed. We tasted it and surprisingly they were both good. It was a tie. Chance was better seasoned but Troys cheese to noodle ratio was much better.

{New photo alert (A3 mama): Michael Michelle}

{I guess Adrian is taking his talents to DC 😂}

{Adrian POV again next chap}

{Don't forget to vote, Comment and Share please & thank you}

{I'm loving the bromance again.}

✌🏾✌🏾💙💙💙


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