Taylor Ever After?

Time To Eat!

**** Past****

Zac grew up in a hardworking upper middle-class family. He and his brother Isiah were the only two children of Cynthia and Gregory Taylor. Cynthia was a pediatrician and Gregory owned a luxury car dealership. The Taylors were well-respected members of their community and raised their sons to be the same. All was well until 19-Year-old Zachary was kicked out of Georgia State after being arrested during a brawl happening at a party. After that, Zac was continuously finding himself in trouble with law enforcement causing his family to basically disown him. Over the years, they've tried to mend the relationship, but Zac couldn't get past the feelings of abandonment and betrayal and his parents never fully embraced him as their son again. So For more than a decade, they've been living in a very strained space.

Zac takes a deep breath and dials his mother. She answers on the fourth ring. "Hey ma. Is Dad around?"

"Good evening Zachary. He's working upstairs in the office." His mother Cynthia replied.

"Umm. Ok. Don't hang up. I'm going to call him as well." Zac fidgets with his phone.

His father answers on the second ring. "Hey dad, I have you and mom on the phone."

"Hey Zac. How's Karen?" His father Gregory asked.

Before Zac could answer his mother interjected.

"What did you do now? Do you need money?" She asked. You could hear her rolling her eyes through the phone.

Zac's mother knew that he didn't need any money. He was so proud to have finally earned his first million dollars after being broke for so long. He hoped telling his parents about his new financial status would finally bring them closer but his mother acted as though his accomplishments were somehow less than because he didn't have to earn it from a traditional standpoint.

"Karen is cool. We aren't together anymore tho. That's why I'm calling." Zac took a beat before he continued. "I am dating a woman unlike any other woman I have met before, and I'd like for you to meet her."

Zac's father Gregory was the first to speak. "Ok. Well good for you. Karen was a sweet girl but you two were not it."

"Yea, I know. Well, Fatima and I would like to have lunch with you Sunday if you're free."

"We have plans on Sunday Zachary. Maybe next time." His mother dismissed the invitation. "Well, I've gotta get back to what I was doing. We'll talk again soon." She said as she disconnected the call before Zac or Gregory could even say their goodbyes.

Zac shook his head in disbelief. If it weren't for Fatima, he wouldn't even be reaching out to them. He didn't care of they approved of her or not. He picked up his phone to check the stock Market when he saw a call coming in from his father.

"Yea Pops?"

"Hey, what time Sunday?"

"Two at the restaurant at the Carlyle. But if you guys can't make it, its cool." Zac said already over the entire situation.

"No, we will be there. What's her name again?" Gregory asked

"Fatima Wilson. And OK see you guys Sunday. And dad... Please don't bring Isaiah." Zac pleaded.

The lunch would be stressful enough as it was. He didn't need to add to it by having to sit through his parents constantly comparing him to his brother who was the golden child. The two of them used to be inseparable until their parents isolated them when Zac started getting into trouble. Zac didn't understand how his brother could be ok with the way his parents treated him. Isiah went on to become an accountant for one of the largest hospitals on the east coast and married his high school sweetheart and they share two children. From the outside looking in, his parents raised him to be the epitome of the perfect man. but the family knew otherwise.