*TRIGGER WARNING*🚨🚨🚨
(Sexual misconduct is mentioned.)
Denzel came down the stairs. He heard the front door close.
Fatima walked in the kitchen. Taraji was standing by Denzel.
"Umm" Taraji procrastinated
"If you need to talk to your mother, she's upstairs."
"No, I actually want to talk to you."
"Okay."
"Umm. I don't know what to say, but I want to say something."
"It's okay. You can take your time. I'll sit here all night if that's how long it takes."
She sat there in silence for a second. "The man that you seen today is my biological father. I won't ever call him a "father" though. I just want to tell you that I actually really like you as my moms boyfriend. I hope you stick around. You're the only person that she's dated since the divorce, which happened when I was 12." Taraji said, "he did touch me. Mom fought him that day when I told her. He ended up hitting her and she fell out. He tried to come after me and I ended up hiding in a closet. He tried to find me, but he was very drunk so he ended up hitting his head and I guess that's what saved me that day. Umm, I don't want you to think that my mother is weak and she didn't try to help."
"One, I'll always be around. Me and your mother and in this thing forever. Two, I love you like you're my own daughter. Three, I'm proud of you for actually speaking up and saying something. I'm normally not the parent that you can come to for things because I'm quick to fly off the handle. I don't think that you or your mom is weak. Never have, and never will. I know that she'll do anything to protect you. In order for you to heal, you have to do something. Would you like to try therapy? I'm not forcing you, you can do it on your own timing."
"Thanks for listening to me. I actually would like to try therapy, but I have a trust issue. I can't just tell anything to anybody. I actually enjoy talking to Fatima about my problems, and I love when she talks to me about hers."
"I get it. You can always talk to Fatima, but the option is still open. You can pick your own therapist too. Just keep that in mind. Now, I'm not a soft ass dude, but I do love you and I want the best for you."
"Thank you. I love you too."
Denzel didn't want to hug her because of what she just told him. He felt like it was overstepping at that moment.
Taraji got up and hugged him. "It's okay to hug me. I trust you."
Denzel hugged her back. Fatima came back in the room.
"Hi dad" Fatima said
"Hey. You got something that you want to say?"
"No. I think I wrote down everything that I needed to say. The only thing I have left to talk about is Zac for the rest of the night."
Taraji laughed. "Be going on all night."
"You do to. I know that you liked that girl" Denzel said, "that isn't your friend. Y'all are damn near in a relationship."
"You're cool with that?" Taraji asked
"Yes. Im cool with both of y'all dating. Y'all can tell me about your relationships and shit. I don't mind."
"Since when did you become this calm and cool?" Fatima asked
"Since today." Pauletta said coming down the stairs
"Mom, what happened to your hair?" Taraji asked, "you don't sleep that wild"
"She may not sleep wild, but she's wild" Denzel said
Taraji and Fatima looked at each other and shook their head.
"What?" Pauletta asked
"Nothing. I'm about to go upstairs and talk on the phone" Taraji said
"Talk to who?" Pauletta asked
"Brandee."
"Cupcaking." Fatima said
"You can't talk. You and Zac be on the phone all night. You be using that soft voice too."
"Nah. I heard you were a sweet talker."
"What the hell are y'all talking about?" Denzel asked
"Some shit that they think that I don't know about." Pauletta said
They both started laughing. They went upstairs. Pauletta and Denzel stayed downstairs.
"She told me" he said. "I don't like that shit at all, but Iim glad that she talked to me."
"Yeah. I know."
"Who called you a weak woman? She used that term and she said that she didn't want me to think that."
"The courts called me weak. Going back and forth made me tired, but I was never going to stop fighting for her. During all his statements, he kept mentioning that I was weak. A lot of people ran with that. I do feel weak sometimes. Today made me feel like that. I associate weak with my madness now."
"You know that you're not weak. Not then, not yesterday, and not even today. I don't like that and everybody in that damn courtroom needs to be dead. That nigga got to go too."
"She doesn't want you to kill him. I've tried to get her to just let me get rid of his ass. She said that she wants to see him suffer and let God handle him."
"I get it, and I'll always let her decide."
"Thank you for that. You some times make me question if I really don't want to be married again. I love you."
"You'd marry me, but nobody else has that kind of pull that I do. You know I love you."
"Yes, but I still don't want to be married."
"We don't have to get married legally, but there will be a ring on your finger. It'll be so bright that it'll blind every man that tries to talk to you."
Pauletta laughed. "You dead serious too."
"Yep."
"You want me to cook something? You hungry?"
"I ate something."
"I am not food."
"You are. The kids might be hungry, but I'm not. As a matter of fact, you don't have to cook. I'll order some food. What you want to eat?"
"I'm indecisive. You know it takes me forever to pick."
"I know. That's why I just placed an order for food."
*The Taylor house*
Zac's brother, Jeremiah, just came back from juvie. He was in there for about a year. He couldn't be controlled. The bad part about this is, Jeremiah would always bully Zac because he wants his life.
Gladys welcomed him with a hug. "I'm so glad that you're back. I missed you."
"I missed you to mom. That place was really crazy. I don't ever want to go back."
"You won't go back. I believe that you won't if you've changed" Samuel said
"Remind me again why you married him." Jeremiah said to Gladys
"You aren't about to disrespect MY husband. That attitude of yours has to go."
"I don't have to do shit, but I'll try to stay out of trouble outside of the house. Where's Zac?"
"I'm not telling you nothing. Go figure it out yourself since you already on bullshit."
