Acrimony: Unhinged Return

Hate Our Love

Walking outside with a thick blanket, Mel sat in Derrick's lap. The kids inside watching Lightyear while Don and Debbi took a night stroll together. The adults enjoying some desired time outside around a fire. "How can you not love Colorado weed?" Dean murmured as he puffed on a fatty. "Blow a little this way please. I need a contact," Mel tossed out. "Mel," Dawn voiced. "You literally prescribe me gummies Dawn. What's one inhale?" Dean chuckled blowing a thick cloud in her direction despite Dawn's glare. "I'm sick of everyone undermining me." "Then shut up sometimes," Derrick tossed, taking a sip of liquor. Mel snickered. Something told her that an embarrassing story was going to come up soon.

"Why can't she have a little smoke but can eat edibles?" Tiara asked. "Smoke can cause underdeveloped lungs of the baby. Plus we shouldn't smoke weed anyways. It's better to eat it," Dawn explained. "Says the doctor who smoked every single day of college, med school, residency and......... you just smoked yesterday," Derrick pointed out. Lira looked at the siblings. Where was the aggression coming from? Much like any family get together, Dawn was all in Derrick's business. When she decided to give him unsolicited advice about hand cuffs and poor circulation, he cussed her out for the first time the entire trip.

"I'm not pregnant either." "Are we sure about that? Chris I thought yall were working on changing that." "Don't drag me into yall shit," Chris tossed. "Ayye man. We was enjoying the trip without the beef. We out here enjoying the crisp air, sipping and cheefing. Vibing to the music. Cut that shit out," Dean spoke up. Derrick and Dawn glaring at him before realizing he was telling the truth. At least Derrick did. Dawn on the other hand couldn't help but to get in one last hit. "Derrick do you remember 2001, preparing for a talent show with this very song?" She questioned hearing Sensitivity by Ralph Tresvant playing on the speaker. Mel scrunched her face. Derrick wasn't in the talent show.

"Dawn," Derrick growled. "Wait wait wait. Nigga you sang in the talent show?" Dean asked. He couldn't pass this story up. "No." "Oh no but he definitely was going to be in it. I came home on break and caught him practicing when he thought no one was home. Had a whole dance routine and everything." "To this?" Mel asked looking down at her husband. "Mmhmm. He never answered me on why he chose this song," Dawn confirmed. Mel gave Derrick an adoring smile before her bottom lip poked out. "Are you crying?" Dean asked. Leaning down, she gave Derrick a hug, burying her face in his neck before a question popped in her head. "You lied to me. You said you lost your voice. Why didn't you do it?"

"Dawn brought her ass home. She wasn't about to embarrass me even more than I already felt." Lira scrunched her face, why would he be embarrassed? She had heard him sing around the office and house and he had a very nice singing voice. That was nothing to be embarrassed about. "But why that song?" Tiara asked, intrigued by Mel's reaction. "My daddy used to play this song all the time before he died. He would dance with me and my sisters then end it with my mom," Mel explained. "One day I walked Mel home and you could hear it playing outside. She was in a down headspace that entire week and she was on the brink of tears just hearing the song. That's when she told me about her dad. Her mom came outside and started dancing with her and she finally had at least a small smile so I planned to perform it for her. In hopes that she would take a chance on a tall bag of bones like me," Mel giggled at his description of his younger self.

"You could've told me that. I wouldn't have heckled you," Dawn admitted. "Yeah fucking right. You wanna know what I remember Doodle butt?" A mischievous grin crept on his face. Knowing he was about to bring up one embarrassing story she never wanted to be reminded of, Dawn's eyes grew wide. "Don't you dare!" "Summer of 1996." "Derrick!" Dawn snapped. "Oh this is about to be good," Dean mentioned. He and Mel focused on the tea. "Dawn wanted to be a fast ass 17 year old and decided to sneak out the house to go see... what was his name? Preston Brown. Dumb ass football player that was 19 and held back 2 years." "Why are you an asshole!?" "You started it. Anyways," Dawn pouted as she snatched the blunt from Dean's hand.