Our indelible pasts|✔

forty - kiana

I'M WOKEN UP in the morning by the sound of my ringing phone. I sleepily slap against the table next to my bed trying to grab my phone. When I finally get a hold of it, without reading the caller ID, I answer the call.

"Hello." I croak into the phone.

"Morning Kiana." The voice alone is like a bucket of cold water to my face.

"Morning." I sit up fast.

"I'm assuming your mother told you about this weekend's plans." My dad says and I'm taken aback by the lack of remorse in his voice.

As if he didn't feel the need to give me a heads up prior to my mom's release and not to mention, her surprise visit.

"Did you know that she was being released?" I ignore his question.

I hear him sigh. "Yes I did."

"So why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm a busy man, Kiana. I forget. Especially when I have more important things to worry about." He stupidly explains. Of course he'd think that this wasn't important.

Sighing, I answer his previous question. "Yes, she told me about this weekend."

"She also told me she invited your friends. Said they were about seven." He says and I hear him shut a door. He must be about to leave the house to go to work.

"Dad, they don't have to come."

I'm hoping that this is one of those rare times my dad agrees with me. Last thing I need is having all my friends in the house that belongs to the person I trust the least, and fear the most. It just can't happen.

"Your mother is hard-headed. You know that. She already arranged for my jet to come pick you all up Friday evening." He says and I pinch the bridge of my nose in annoyance. "And last I checked, your friends included Noah and Nia. You know they'd want to be here." He adds the last part, a sad attempt at being a sympathetic father.

"See you Friday." I swallow hard.

***

"Pass me the chocolate one." Noah says and Nia hands him the ice-cream.

"Since when do you like chocolate ice-cream?" I narrow my eyebrows at Noah.

"Since you decided to stock your freezer with all the ice-cream flavours I don't like. Chocolate's the most tolerable one you have." Noah complains and I chuckle.

"Your mom texted me last night." Nia says before stuffing her mouth with popcorn.

"She still has your number?" Noah asks at the same time I ask, "My mom?"

"Yeah." Nia rolls her eyes. "She must still have the phone she had before."

"Yeah probably. Let's just pray that when daddy dearest buys her a new one, she won't know how to transfer her stuff." I say, pulling the blanket closer to my chin.

"Knowing your dad, he won't help her with that part." Noah laughs from beside me.

"That's true. They have such a weird relationship." Nia sighs.

"Tell me about it." I say before snatching the ice-cream from Noah's hands.

"Hey!" He complains.

"My bed, my rules." I smile at him.

"Ki, your bed is practically my bed so shut the fuck up." Noah rolls his eyes and I just laugh.

Noah and I take turns with the ice-cream as Nia searches for a movie for us to watch. I feel somewhat at peace as we all lay in my bed. But I can't help but feel guilty because I've been lying to them for more than a year now about falling back on old habits. But I don't want to focus on that right now. This week is only going to get worse so I'd rather just bask in this wholesome moment right now. Absolutely no need to ruin the only peaceful moment I'm going to have this week.