Star: Take 3

The Truth Comes Knocking

MS. CARLOTTA POV

The knock on the front door was so loud it vibrated the pictures on the wall. I jolted awake. Randall stirred beside me, his eyes fluttering open. "Carlotta?" he mumbled, rubbing his face. "What time is it?" I squinted at the clock on the nightstand. It read 6:30 AM. "Too early," I grumbled, reaching for my robe. I took a deep breath, then got out of bed.

I quickly went downstairs to see who was at the door. Through the peephole, I could see my mother's concerned face. "Lottie, I know you're in there," Christine shouted through the door. "I can see your car in the driveway."

A wave of dread washed over me. I had been hoping to give Cassie a little more time to recover, to adjust to being home, before mama found out. "Lottie!" Christine's voice boomed through the door. "I know you're in there! Open up!"

"Mama, what are you doing here?" I demanded, flinging open the door. Christine's eyes widened at the sight of me. "I came to check on my baby," she said, her voice thick with unshed tears. "Cassie!" she yelled, her voice sharp and laced with panic. "But Cassie's sleeping!" I protested. "You're going to wake her up."

Ignoring my plea, Christine stormed past me, calling out Cassie's name again. "Mama, lower your voice!" I hissed, but it was too late. I rolled my eyes. My mother had a knack for dramatic entrances, and this was no exception.

"Mama, it's 6:00 AM," I said, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. "Can't you wait until a reasonable hour to stop by?"

"Cassie!" Christine wailed, rushing forward. She knelt beside the couch, her hands trembling as they hovered over Cassie's body. "Wake up, Cassie! Wake up!"

Cassie's eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times, as if she was disoriented. Then a look of recognition washed over her face. "Mama?" she whispered. "Yes, sweetie. It's me," Christine said, tears streaming down her face. Cassie sat up slowly, wincing as she moved. "Ma, I'm so glad you're here," she said, her voice raw with emotion. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Cassie," Christine said. Christine let out a deep breath, her body shaking with suppressed sobs. She wrapped her arms around Cassie, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, baby," she sobbed, her words muffled against Cassie's hair. "I should have been here. I should have been there for you."

Randall appeared at the top of the stairs, descending slowly. Cassie and Christine turned to look at him, their mouths open. "Who are you?" Christine demanded, her voice sharp. She held her hand out towards Randall. "Lottie, who is this?"

Randall took a step down, his eyes meeting mine. He gave me a small, reassuring smile before turning to Christine. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Brown. I'm Randall, Carlotta's boyfriend."

Christine recoiled as if slapped. "Boyfriend?" she echoed, the word heavy with disbelief.  "You can call me Christine," she said, as she shook his hand. "Lottie, you didn't tell me you were seeing someone", she said. "We haven't been dating that long," Randall quickly intervened, saving me from having to explain.

"Well, it was lovely meeting you, Christine, I should get going." Randall said, his voice a bit too bright. I knew he was trying to make things less awkward than they were. I introduced him to Cassie, hoping to distract everyone. "Cassie, this is Randall," I said, forcing a smile. "Randall, this is my sister, Cassie." I could tell Cassie sensed the tension, but she put on a good act, shaking Randall's hand and making polite conversation.

"I'll see you later, Carlotta," Randall whispered, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. "Take care of yourself." I said watching him as he walked out the door. We all turned around as we heard footsteps coming towards us. It was Cotton making her way downstairs. "Hey grandma, I thought I heard you down here," Cotton called out. "Hey baby," Christine responded, pulling Cotton into a hug. "Where's my great grandbaby at?" Cotton laughed, "He's upstairs sleepin', but he's gonna be happy to see you."