Just Another Secret.

Chapter 51

Kahlil

The house is quiet. Yet there has been a lot more people around.

I've allowed Callen to train in my pool. Grandma has been trying to reconcile with Mom.

Mom is stubborn, but she is being civil. They have tea together every evening. They don't talk. They sit in silence and drink tea.

Yes it is very weird, but it is a start.

No one really talks about Auntie Janice anymore.

Well I do, with my cousins, but no where near my mother.

"Callen you've been in there for too long get out."

"How are you so chill about this? I refuse to believe you aren't livid that you aren't swimming."

"I've accepted it. You should too."

"I don't want to win this way. Lave was a shock, but you too?"

"I'm not trying to be rude but you do know that you'd never beat me or Lave in a perfect race?"

"Why?"

"Dude. You are 5'9. You are literally the shortest person at our meets. Lave and I are very tall and have that stretch. The other guys mess up one way or another in the pool, that's why you can keep up."

Callen slightly glares at me. "You know maybe I shouldn't feel bad taking your medal this year."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. Go take Grandma home before Grandpa freaks out."

"Can you ask your mom to talk to my mom?" Callen asks, getting out of the pool.

"Uh, you are aware the queen of pettiness is my mother?"

"Please? My mom has done a lot I know. Kahlil, she can't lose the little family she has left."

I nod. "I'll try but no promises. She still hasn't spoken to Grandma."

Callen looks so confused. "What have they been doing this whole time?"

"Staring at each other and drinking tea."

I wait till Callen's done changing so I can lock up behind him. When we get inside we hear laughing. Now I'm the confused one.

We walk into the living room. Not only are Mom and Grandma laughing. They are sitting so close to each other they are touching.

And the thing that brought them together are... my baby pictures.

Oh you've got to be kidding me.

"I will burn those!" I dash towards them yanking every book away from them.

"Not over my dead body. I still have the digital versions. I have them stored in my Dropbox and Google Drive. You can try and destroy them but you'll never find the original SD card and USB drive."

Damn, I've never been shut down so viciously before.

"Aw, look at this one. He looks exactly like Remi." Grandma points at the book in Mom's lap.

Mom laughs again. "Oh, he cried every time he saw his reflection. He was so cute."

When I was a baby the woman died my hair copper. No it wasn't actually dye. It was hair wax that came out with one wash. This was before my first haircut. I had a lose afro. The colour simply wasn't natural to me. How would I know since I was a baby? I STILL FEEL THE SAME WAY!

"Since when do you two get along?" I ask.

They both stare me down and I'm simply seeing double.

"Kahlil. I'd stand down if I were you." Callen chuckles behind me.