Green Eyed Monster

Friendly Competition

Once home, Lola sits on the porch swing in her bikini top and shorts listening to music through her earbuds. She has one leg up, hugging her knee, as her other foot remains on the ground, pushing the swing. 

Only moments after, Solomon and his friends return. They sit on Mrs. Tolbert's porch laughing and talking. Mrs. Tolbert exits her home with a tray of iced tea, like a real grandmother would do. They thank her as they take the cool, refreshing glass filled with ice, complete with a perfect lemon wedge lodged on its rim. Solomon guzzles his down then kisses her, saying, "Thanks, Nana."

Smiling, she says, "I have apple pie. Who wants some?"

They all act like children as they hurry inside behind her for pie. I'm standing at my screen door watching. Then I look at Lola, and she's still watching Mrs. Tolbert's front door as if she's awaiting his return.

We live in Indigo Beach, Michigan. It's a very prestigious area in the Upper Peninsula. If I had to give a relatable description of the area, I'd compare it to the Hamptons, but it's less commercial and much more picturesque. Indigo Beach is very quiet and quaint. It's our little piece of paradise. 

I can see the lake from my room balcony. The beach is less than a mile up the road. Our town is less than five miles away, and it's a modern community. We have the MegaMarts, Coffee Roes, Bulleyes, and all the popular restaurants. We live as if we're secluded, but only a few miles up, it's busy and normal, for the lack of a better word.

I do e-marketing for a Fortune 500 company, and my ex-husband, Drake, owns his own construction business. He built our marriage home from the ground up. Lola's father, Ernest, was so impressed that he asked Drake to build him a home not far from here. 

Drake and I loved Ernest's home and planned to build our retirement home here. After we divorced, I decided I could still get my dream home without him, and I did. Drake lives at least three hours away; that's why Trevor coming for the 4th was a bit much, but I'm his favorite girl, so he saw the ride as nothing. Also, he thought I'd be alone.

 Although Marshall, Lola, and Trevor are close, they're still only half-brothers and sisters, meaning they have three separate families, and thus they live three very different lives.

Ernest was born into wealth. He's mixed. His mother is of mixed heritage, and his father is of White descent. He was born and raised in New York. He moved to Michigan to sow his oats, I guess. We met in college and fell in love, but soon after, he started acting like a snob as he became more involved in his family's businesses and worked to uphold their legacy. 

Once I was pregnant, he loved me but thought I should get an abortion. I refused, and it drove a wedge between us. Soon after Lola was born, we broke up. Ernest has always been a great father, but Lola never got to witness us together. I was living a regular Black American middle-class lifestyle, but when Lola spent time with Ernest, she'd be in France, England, Africa, Japan- just everywhere. She lived the life of the elite in society. 

Marshall's mother is Mexican, so he lives a totally different lifestyle from Lola and my baby Trevor, whose parents are Black. All he knows is Black and all he loves is Black culture. My Trevor was needed in my life. He brings stability and soundness to my world.

Oftentimes, because of my upbringing, I saw dating outside of my race as a symbol of elevation. However, it left me confused and seeking an identity. Finding Drake saved my life. My parents were mortified. Going from soft-spoken, introverted, articulate, and wealthy Ernest to bodacious, outspoken, and in my parents' eyes, outright ghetto Drake just boggled their minds. 

They often derided me for how Drake and I were going to end up in poverty. That fueled his and my lust to prove them wrong, and we did. Although our marriage failed, we're still reasonably close. Our divorce is too new to say we're besties yet, but I'm sure we'll be soon.