Unbelievable

20

Comin the house was filled with a delicious aroma when I came home from school, it meant my dad got off early. My stomach grumbled. I head into the kitchen.

There was a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen when I came home from school.

I came home in a better spirit. The delicious aroma coming from the kitchen made my stomach grumble. That meant my dad got off early which put him in a good enough mood to cook, so I head into the kitchen.

"Daddy, it smells so good. What are you making?"

But it wasn't my dad standing at the stove. It was Bridget.

"Hey Miesha. I'm making us dinner today. I know your father works hard and still has to come home and cook. So I want to take that extra weight off. I'm making stir fry. I hope you like it."

"Yeah okay."

"Your father should be home in a minute. He had a short day at work."

She emptied the food out of the pot onto three plates and placed two of them on the table. The last one she put in the microwave.

"I can wait until daddy gets here." 

"No wait. Sit down. Let's talk." She patted the chair I normally sit in.

I sat down and dug into the stir fry.

"Is it good?"

"Yeah." 

The food actually was great. I didn't know Bridget could cook. When she did live here all those years ago, my dad was the only one cooking. 

"I learned a little of how to cook when I was in Paris. I couldn't eat out all the time. They wanted that typical thin figure." She extended her arm showing how tiny it was.

"But then again. I have always been skinny. Guess that's where you got yours from."

I filled my mouth with food and nodded, so I wouldn't have to talk.

My dad came into the kitchen. "Now what is going on here?"

"Hey Darrin. I made dinner." She took his plate out of the microwave.

"Wow." My dad's eyes lit up, and he tore into the food like he hadn't eaten all day.

After I finished I went upstairs, but Bridget called me back down.

My dad and her were on the couch sitting a little too close.

"What are you two doing?" I questioned.

"We were talking about watching a movie. Do you want to join us?"

"Are we watching a movie together as if this is a family night?"

My dad straightened up on the couch. "What's the problem, Miesha?"

"Nothing. I don't want to watch a movie."

"How about a game night? That would be fun. I know you and Darrin play games all the time."

"Are you serious? Is this really happening?"

They thought we were a united family. My dad thought I was going to continue to allow this woman to disrupt our lives like Jasmine tried to do. No way. Bridget did more harm than her.

"Is what happening?" Bridget asked.

"I'm not dumb. You two are often cozy nowadays. What's going on?"

My dad and Bridget looked at each other and back at me.

"Miesha, can you sit down? I have something to tell you," Bridget said.

I crossed my arms. "Did you find a job yet?"

"No, I'm still looking. Can you sit down?" She asked again.

"It doesn't seem like it. All you'd been doing is running up behind my dad."

"I told you what I wanted to do."

"How about this? Find yourself a temporary job, save your money, and get out. Then, you can go back to following your dreams without us in your lives."

With a death glare on his face, my dad sprang up off the couch. He pointed to sofa next to it. "How about this? Sit your behind down like your mother asked you to do before I knock some sense into you."

We had a stare contest. My dad never threatened me with violence. Bridget had him going crazy, but I didn't care. I was going crazy too, so I stalked over to the sofa with a nasty attitude.

There was no doubt I knew what Bridget was going to tell me. I had enough evidence.

My leg shook as she prepared to tell me the news.

"Spit it out," I shouted at her.

"Me and your dad want to try out a relationship again."

"Excuse me?"

I couldn't have heard her right. Those words were wrong. They had to be tricking me, but when she did repeat it, my dad nodded in confirmation. Then, he held her hand. That was when I lost it.

"Daddy, how dare you? So you letting her stay here? Are you that lonely and want a woman in your life so bad that you would continue to make the same mistakes over again by being with someone as disgusting as her."

My dad moved so fast that I didn't see him throw the TV remote across the room. Luckily, he missed, and it sailed past my head.

"I'm done handling you with words. You don't understand the concept of respect, so maybe it's time to handle this differently. No child of mine is going to keep acting out," yelled. His face turned red while his hands trembled.

"I'm sick of you," I responded with the same energy. "You allowed these women to use you and disrespect you. I exposed every last one of them because I care and love you. I guess you don't care about yourself, your feelings, or heart if you're getting back with this trash."

My dad rushed toward me, and Bridget held him back.

"I told you not to call her trash!"

As Bridget tried to calm him down, I raced up the stairs. I closed the door to my room and locked it. Out of breath, I sat at my desk and cried. Never had my dad and I argued like that. His actions were new. He usually always kept his composure. Shouting at me was normal, but throwing an object and rushing toward me was not in his character. That was his definition of fed up. The problem was that he took it out on the wrong person. He should have released all that built up hurt, anger, and frustration out on Bridget or even Jasmine. But it was all me.

My dad talked a mile a minute when I listened to him from the top of the stairs. His words about me weren't anything nice. Nothing I could repeat. Bridget was the calm one. She said nothing terrible about me, but she was only kind about the situation to make herself look good. This whole act she put on was to further make me look in the wrong. However, I was entitled to feel this way.

I went back inside my room. This house wasn't feeling my home anymore. My home included only two people. Bridget was the intruder. I had a strong feeling to leave. My dad failed to understand my point of view just like how Richard's, Ranea's cousin, parents did.

Then, I decided to let all of this go. My dad wasn't going to open his eyes. He wanted a woman, and nothing could change that. He had his wish. I couldn't do anything else.