ꜰᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. | ᴛᴀʀᴀꜱɪᴀ

triggered

t's pov | discussion

"so, i can only assume you have thousands of questions. feel free to ask me anything. i wanna start of by asking, how have you been?"

"i been good lately, happier. i honestly just been living and taking stuff one day at a time."

"if this is what happy looks like, pass the looks over to me, please. you just have this glow on you."

"you already look good gran you gotta leave some of the looks for me now."

"why thank you. so, talk to me. what is it you'd like to know?"

"i just wanna know why you left boston."

"i and your grandfather were struggling. we figured we'd move elsewhere, start a new life, make some cash, and live the life we always wanted."

"well, it look like yall got what yall wanted."

"yeah, but he passed away a month after we purchased this house. he didn't get to experience everything we had in mind."

"i ain't know he died."

"almost eleven years ago."

"how long did yall look for me before yall decided to take off?"

"there was no yall it was only me. i searched for you for years and years to the point where i lost count. i never gave up looking for you."

"you never gave up, but you left me gran. after mike died ain have nobody. i ran to you and grandpa crib when i couldn't go to my own parents, shit was empty. i just knew you was gon come and find me. i had my hopes up every single day until it died down."

"i sent your parents our information incase you returned. taraji, believe me when i say i have never ever stopped hoping and praying for your return. i called and messaged paula every single day, leaving voicemails asking if you had come home. i never received a response. i awaited that call every single day. as a matter of fact, i can show you. hold tight."

she ran inside and came back out minutes later with a phone. i remember that ugly ass phone.

"im sure you remember this phone. i dont use it anymore, but i kept it, and im glad i did. anyway, this is paula's old number. im not sure if she still has it, but i kept in touch for years."

she was blowing mama up, but she never once gave gran a response. i knew exactly why, but i would rather not say.

"ain mad at you. im more so upset with ma and pop. both of em been tryna make up for missed times, and im giving em a chance, but it's some shit ill never forgive or forget. i wanna ask you something, though."

"anything."

"who kid is that?"

"that's your niece, and she's michael's child."

i fucking knew it.

"how come i never saw her?"

"her mother kept her away from him because she said the life he lived was too dangerous for her to be around. she only allowed him to see mariah when she'd come to my house other than that he wasn't allowed to. so she barely kept her around us."

"so why she here now? riah could've came by herself."

"monica called and told me that they had nowhere to go. she treated me like i was nothing when she had someone to care for her, but they kicked her to the curb. i had forgiven her, but i will never forget. she's only here because her daughter needs her, and i wouldn't dare take her away from her mother."