Forever Yours: How it all Began

Chapter 2

I've been at the office for about 20 minutes when I hear my cell phone ringing. I get my phone out of my purse and see that my three children are on a Group FaceTime! I answer to all of them yelling "hey mama!" I laugh and ask what they want. They laughed.

"Do we have to want anything to call and check up on our mama?"

They must have forgotten who birthed them. I'm so proud of my three. Andre Jr. is 17 and earned a full athletic scholarship to play football for Texas A&M. He's definitely followed his daddy's footsteps. Andrew and Tahlese are my fraternal twins. They are 14 and entering their sophomore year in high school. Andrew plays varsity basketball and Tahlese plays varsity volleyball. Both have the desire to extend their collegiate career at Texas A&M as well. Matter of fact, that's where my life with Andre Sr. started.

Getting caught up in my thoughts, I hear Tahlese holler, "mama are you paying attention to us?"

I apologize for tuning them out. You get good at that when you become a parent. I'm a champ! Tahlese wants us to go on a family vacation before the summer ends and they are back in school. I think that would be awesome since we haven't been able to go on a real family vacation in a while. With everyone's busy schedule, it was always hard to plan a vacation. After Andre retired, we still juggled the children's hectic schedules of playing school and travel ball, time Dre spent building his businesses and also dealing with our marital issues. We were one busy family.

I asked them what they had in mind. I could tell they had discussed this together because in unison they answered Disney World. The first and only trip we took to Disney was during a very glooming time in my life. I remember that trip as if it was yesterday.

At that time, I was just walking through life barely hanging on. My smile was forced and my happiness was only because of my children; I lived for them and them only. I let the Hassan trio know that I'd discuss the trip with their dad. They were excited and hoped Dre would be able carve out some time to go on vacation with us. After I hung up the phone, Tahlese called me right back.

"Mama, I want you to know that if dad decides not to go, me and the boys have already discussed that we're ok with that. But you have to go with us. You need some fun and joy in your life. You don't talk to us about all the things that have happened, but we've heard the arguments, the crying that you thought were silent, the phone therapy sessions. It's a lot that we know. We want you to be happy, mama."

My baby girl has always been wise beyond her years. "Thank you baby. We'll make it work with or without him, ok?"

"Ok mama. I love you."

"I love you too Tahlese.''

I hung up the phone to see it's now 11:35a. Putting my phone back in my purse, I put the contracts back in the folder and locked them in my desk drawer. I grab my keys and make my way to the parking deck and get in my car. It's a beautiful day outside so I drove my Jeep Sahara with the top back. I put on my Prada shades and a little more gloss on my lips before pulling off to the freeway.

Leaving the garage, I make my way to PHree Living. Everything is already set up upon my arrival. I chose the 45 minute V steam. The ambiance is so serene. I was able to relax my mind and body which is much needed. I didn't want to think about my and Andre's issues. Today is all about self care.

Sitting in the chair as my beautician clips my ends, I can't help how my girl feels so revived after that V-Steam. I would recommend this to all of my female friends. After my beautician finishes coiling my hair, I walk to the parlor room to get my mani/pedi. Stepping outside of my box, I choose a blue/black dip powder for my finger nails and gel polish of the same color for my toenails.

Once I'm dry, I put my Louis Vuitton flats back on and make my way to my vehicle. Getting in the car, I pull my phone out of my purse to call Andre. It's not like him not to call and check on me even though he knows I'm out getting pampered.

The phone rings once, twice and a third. He answers in a rushed tone. I asked him if he was busy. He told me he had to run to the phone because he left it in the bedroom and he was in the man cave playing pool with some of his partners. I found that to be strange because Andre always keeps his phone near him. It's like a second skin. With his businesses, he never wants to miss a call.

I shrugged it off and asked him if he wanted me to bring dinner before coming home. I had a few more stops to make and probably wouldn't be home till around 6. He said he didn't want me stopping anywhere and that we'd just order for delivery when I got home. I told him ok and that I'd see him around 6.

After finishing up my errands I pull up to the front gate and drive around to the garage. The twins run out to meet me, giving hugs and showering me with kisses. They want to know if I'm going to talk to Andre tonight about the family vacation. I told them that I would talk to their dad after dinner and that right now I needed to order something to eat. We all decided on pizza and wings and I ordered a grilled chicken salad for me.

After eating, the twins left to go hang out with their friends while Andre and I went to the theater room to watch a movie. It's nights like this I miss. I remember when Andre would put on a good movie and we'd watch about 10 minutes of it before we were kissing and rubbing all over one another. It always lead to some hot and steamy sex. Days like this are few and far in between now.

Before we go any further let me give you background on how Tahleea Danielle Layton (me) and Andre Khalid Hassan became a couple.