The Contradiction {COMPLETED}

❥ | 4

TRUST IS EVERYTHING

OTM
DECEMBER 25
NEW YORK

"FINALLY!" Junie ran to me, hugging my legs tight. I scooped her up and followed the loud voices of the women in my family.

Teyana, Robyn, and all of our mothers were in the dining room, mouths just running. I needed to see them honestly.

My head was filled with scenarios and questions that I needed the answer to, bad. On the ride over, I kept contemplating and wondering what could possibly be the reason Beyoncé gave me that phone number? To me it was strategic. It was all leave me alone and stop pulling me over until tonight. Why? What was the reason?

I couldn't stop overthinking it. Maybe her and her gang of goons would kill me for being in their business. Maybe they wouldn't take it that far and they would scare me to get out of their business. Maybe there was someone already set up to take my life and never do the time for it.

But, she did say she had something to show me. What could that possibly be?

"Onika! You don't hear me talking to you girl?"

"My bad Mama," I sat down at the table with Junie on my lap, even though she was too big for it. "What'd you say?"

Robyn was looking at me weird through her heavily medicated eyes. She didn't say anything but Teyana gave me the same look a few seconds after. I ignored them both.

"I asked you about that handsome boss of yours."

"Hayes? Since when do you have an interest in my boss?"

"I've always loved that fine—"

"That is a white man Mama."

"So?" She shrugged. "That does not stop him from being fine."

"Girl yes it does. That takes him out of the question like immediately. He's married anyway."

"Happily?"

"UHM?!"

"I'm just saying."

It felt good to be surrounded by family on the one day that it was supposed to be all about family. When our fathers came back from whatever they were doing, the feeling would be greater. For right now, these woman meant the most to me.

"We wanna okay before I have to go to bed Mama," Junie jumped off of my lap.

"We?"

"Me and Oni?"

"You just volunteering people? You didn't even ask."

Junie huffed and grabbed my hand, dragging me out of the dining room. I did already tell her that I would play with her.

She had a huge playroom on the third floor that she barely ever let anyone into. I get privileged to be one of the only people she actually liked to be up here with.

Junie had her own big personality packed into her little body. She knew what she wanted and anything she didn't care for, she didn't mind letting it be known. That's why she was my little homie. Teyana said to give it a year or two and she would be acting just like me.