working on. I balance my time well to make accommodations for everyone, but it has been draining since I cannot afford to lose either account. Home life has been a tad crazy, so my mind tends to drift elsewhere from time to time.”
As I sat there drinking my coffee and chatting with Féch, she got out of her chair and sat next to me on the couch placing her extremely soft, warm hand on top of mine.
“You know God will never give you more than you can handle. Everything that’s on your plate, you have handled before, so I have all the confidence in you that you can handle it again,” she replied.
“It feels like whenever we get the opportunity to talk, you lift the burdens of life that rest on my shoulders with your positive energy, and I thank you so much for that.” Just then, a glimpse of headlights beamed through the curtains of the den.
“Have a safe trip, Mr. Smooth,” Féch said with a smile.
“Thank you for sitting with me and sharing a cup of coffee, Féch,” I replied with a wink.
“Oh, the pleasure was all mine.”
“I’ll see you in a few days when I get back from New York,” I told her, grabbing the front door to walk out.
“I’ll make sure the ladies are well nourished in your absence.”
Chapter 9
“Iliana, hurry up. It’s already six thirty, and we have a thirty-minute drive to get to the restaurant. Get your ass moving, girl!” Janet yelled from the bottom of the stairs dressed in an elegant, strapless, dark-blue dress that exposed the top of her smooth, dark-brown, toned shoulders. The fitted dress had a good portion of Janet’s cleavage on display.
She expected Iliana to be in from school, completely dressed, and ready for their dinner date with David once she returned from running errands. Instead, there she stood impatiently waiting on her daughter who appeared to be in no rush whatsoever to find something to wear.
“I’m coming, Mom. I have one more curl to do,” Iliana yelled from her bedroom. Timeliness was not a priority for her because she did not want to go in the first place. “Fuck him,” she said out loud in her room before applying her lip gloss. She had on a pair of her favorite House of Dereon jeans; a low-cut shirt, exposing a little cleavage of her own; and a pair of high heels. At fifteen, Iliana’s breasts were filling out similarly to her mother’s. Looking over her outfit in the mirror, she knew that her mother was going to be pissed; but with the time crunch, she knew she was going to get away with it. “Get it over with, Iliana. This is for your dad. You can do this,” she whispered to herself before she walked down the stairs to meet her mother.
“I don’t know if I approve of that, Ms. Thang!” Janet said to her daughter, watching her come down the stairs.
“Well, I don’t approve of what you have on either. It looks like you’re trying to get a man which is funny because you already have one,” Iliana aggressively said back to her mother. Standing within arm’s length of her mother, she immediately crossed her arms with a frown on her face. “Hmm, I wonder what Dad would think if he saw how you’re dressed to see another man.”
If looks could kill, Janet without a doubt killed her own daughter…twice! The piercing stare she gave Iliana was fierce, but instead of going off, Janet replied, “Let’s go. We’re going to be late if we don’t leave right now. I will deal with this little stunt you pulled later, so just go to the damn car and don’t say another word to me before we have a bigger problem.”
Dead air filled the car for the first fifteen minutes of the ride to the restaurant.
“So how are you feeling?” she asked Iliana, attempting to break the silence.
“I don’t know,” Iliana replied as she continued to stare out of the window.
“Things will be fine, baby. It will be good to see your father. Don’t you think?” Janet asked.
Iliana immediately turned from her window yelling, “He’s not my father! If it weren’t for Kahlil, who is my real dad, I wouldn’t even be here with you right now!”
With her left hand gripping the steering wheel, Janet used her free right hand to forcefully grab Iliana’s face. “Now you listen to me very carefully, Iliana Thompson. You will not continue to disrespect me! You will do whatever the hell I tell you to do, and that’s it! Do you understand me?” she yelled, pushing Iliana’s face away from her grasp, returning both of her hands back on the steering wheel. Silence engulfed the Range Rover for the remainder of the drive. Iliana turned her head and went back to staring out of her window. “Now dry your tears right now. Your father shouldn’t have to see his daughter for the first time with tears in her eyes. Get yourself together!” Janet demanded. Iliana opened the passenger door immediately once the car stopped. Janet grabbed her by the shoulder to ensure she had dried her face. Turning toward her mother, Iliana displayed that there were no tears on her face. Janet saw sadness in her daughter’s eyes and said, “Clear it up now, or I’m going to put my hands on you, girl!”
In the blink of an eye, the sad expression turned into a pure rage. Iliana closed her eyes and then took a deep breath. “Whatever you say, Mom. So will this do, or are we going to fight in the parking lot?” she replied, giving her mother an overly dramatic fake smile.
Janet stared at her for a moment as if she wanted to get physical and then regained her composure. “You’re lucky we’re here, or I’d kick your ass, you little ungrateful bitch!”
Iliana got out of the truck slamming the passenger door in her mother’s face as she sat there continuing to scold her. Janet jumped out of the truck rushing toward Iliana who, seeing her mother running in her direction in a rampage, walked quickly into the restaurant lobby. Her mother stormed into the lobby shortly after with a furious look all over her face and fists clinched.
The hostess interrupted the stare-down with her extremely pleasant voice, “Good evening, reservations for two?”
Janet’s eyes transitioned from her daughter to the hostess. She took a long, deep breath while surveying the room looking at each table.
“We are actually meeting someone here, but I don’t believe he has arrived,” she replied.
“May I have the first and last name please?” the hostess asked.
“David Mills.”
Janet and Iliana waited as the hostess scrolled down her reservation list.
“Ah yes, here it is. Right this way please.”
Janet looked anxious, as if she were being escorted to her execution. She had no idea what David would think of her once he laid eyes on her. Would he smile? Would he be angry that she left New York? Would he hate her for never being able to see his daughter? The knots in her stomach grew bigger and bigger, and her mouth began to dry from nervousness.
Iliana slowly followed behind her mother, admiring how nice the restaurant was. Turning the corner, Janet noticed a pair of open doors to a private room. Once they walked into the room, there sat a full-framed man at a table with candles on it and an unopened bottle of champagne. Janet smiled from ear to ear the moment she saw David.
“Excuse me, Mr. Mills. Your guests have arrived,” the hostess said to David and then exited the room, closing the doors behind her. David’s six-foot and three-inch frame stood facing Janet.
“Wow! I see you’ve been working out,” Janet said, standing in awe of David’s physical state. Iliana stood off in the distance looking at her mother in disbelief at how she was interacting with this man. Wrapping his arms around her, David gave Janet a kiss on her cheek.
“It’s so good to see you, Janet. I’ve been waiting for this day to actually see my family, and here it is. You look good, but then again that’s to be expected, isn’t it?” David gave a seductive wink to Janet and then turned, finally setting his eyes on Iliana. He walked over to her, extending his arms wide anticipating a