"What hurts the the most, is being so close and having so much to say and watching you walk away."
Childhood best friends turned lovers, Amias and Markell, have been in a relationship for nearly 7 years. Love isn't enough and neither is each other...
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Apollos held the bulk of the memories that anchored Amais and I's relationship. Our first date, celebrating our first crib, buying new cars, even some of our birthdays when we were younger. This place was us. The back booth with the charge. Waffle platters with extra crispy bacon. Orange juice with a cup of ice for the both of us and ketchup for my hash browns. If I had twenty dollars to my name that meant that we would be getting Apollos.
The dingy floor still smells like lemon fabuloso because Mrs. Ada and Mr. Apollo didn't play about their restaurant being cleaned. The seats were patched with duct tape and no one needed a menu. People knew what they wanted when they came and if you didn't know you had to ask someone. Apollos mirrored our relationship. What was understood didn't need to be explained.
"You know, all the money in the world and y'all still choose to eat at dirty places in the 3rd ward." Ms. Ami said. Amias and her mom were carbon copies of each other.
Ms. Ami had a little age on her but she was still pretty and still crazy as hell.
"Classic, you wanna eat or you good?" I asked.
"I want a chop salad with a fried pork chop." She said, wiping the table with disgust.
We ordered and I took a sip of my juice.
"Look, we both did a lot of bad in Amias' life and we need to get on the same page about being better." I started and she raised her eyebrow.
"What bad did I do? She turned out fine." She said, immediately getting defensive.
I sighed. "Kicking your child out at fourteen and only talking to them when you need money is a bad thing."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Markell. Spare me the bullshit. What she finally left your ass when she realized she was better than you? Or did you leave her when you realized she was a selfish money hungry bitch?"
"Cool it. The money was good when you were asking for it. You don't regret how you treated her? Even a little bit?" I asked.
She sat there silently. "You know she didn't cry as a baby."
"Not once. Even when she was hungry, me and Amira had to just guess. She slept eight hours through the night. Wake up and lay in the bassinet. I never ran through formula or diapers because it was like even as a baby she was just trying to make everything too easy for me and Amira."
"The day she started walking, I'll never forget. She stood up, walked a few feet to get her pacifier and laid right there and put herself to sleep." She continued.
"So from the beginning, Amias has never needed anyone. We are all fillers in her life. That girl is incapable of love and being loved." I shook my head at the cold way she described her daughter.
Her daughter was strong because she had to be. This was why Amias was the way she is. Look at the source material.
"She is capable of love and she loves harder than everyone I know. You didn't love her-
