G.A.B.O.S. (Original Version)

Chapter XXVIII

The next morning, Tremaine was awakened by the sound of his alarm going off. As soon as he heard the noise, he attempted to sit up and turn it off so that he could get a few more minutes of sleep, but he felt himself being weighed down by something. Confused, he looked down, and his eyes widened when he saw Tamia's head on his chest. He felt around under the covers, and then pulled his hand back quickly when his fingers met her bare thighs.

"What the hell?" he questioned as his head began to pound. He eased Tamia off of him and stood up, wrapping a sheet around his waist in the process. His headache immediately worsened when he saw the bright sunlight shining in through the window. Wincing, he looked back over to Tamia, perplexed as to why she was lying naked in his bed. He wracked his brain for an answer, but couldn't come up with a plausible one. Deciding that he'd simply inquire about it later, he went into the kitchen to get a drink. His mouth was extremely dry, and he was hoping that the water would help with his headache.

Before he could reach the refrigerator, he felt something sharp pierce his foot. He looked down at the floor and noticed the shards of glass that were spread across it. "Yo, what the fuck?" he mumbled, agitated by the blatant lack of concern for the safety of others that he was looking at. He sucked his teeth, grabbed the broom, and proceeded to get the mess up. He wiped his foot with a paper towel once all of the glass was in the trash can. When he was done, he poured himself a tall glass of water.

He finished his drink quickly and exited the kitchen. Though he felt terrible and wanted nothing more than to lie back down, he knew that that was the one day he couldn't sleep in. He'd already been dreading having to attend Heaven's funeral service, but he definitely didn't want to have to go in his current state.

Tremaine went into his bedroom where his kids were sound asleep and grabbed a pair of underwear and some socks. He laid his suit out on the bed next to the twins, and then placed theirs beside his, careful not to wake them. He slipped out of the room quietly and made his way into the closest bathroom.

Dropping his sheet, Tremaine stepped into the tub and turned on the hot water. He put the shower on the massage setting and allowed it to beat against his skin for about fifteen minutes. Tremaine grabbed one of the washcloths that the hotel supplied, along with a bar of soap. He spent at least another thirty minutes in the shower, purposely drawing it out for as long as he could. He finally rinsed off when he noticed the smell of bacon and pancakes in the air.

Not noticing how hungry he was until the aroma hit his nose, he hurriedly stepped out of the shower and put on the few clothes he'd taken into the bathroom with him. He spent the next three minutes brushing his teeth, and then he left the bathroom.

When he walked into the kitchen, he saw Tamia, Tania, Jay-Sean, and Raequan. Tania and Raequan were sitting at the table, while Tamia was dressing Jay-Sean in his suit— a task that she'd already completed with the other twin.

After she finished straightening out Jay-Sean's ensemble, Tamia sat him in front of an empty plate at the table, and then she turned to Tremaine. "Good morning," she said with a smile. "How bad is your hangover?"

That's what this is? he thought, leaning against the wall. "I was drinking last night?"

"You drunk a whole bottle of vodka by yourself."

Tremaine nodded and rubbed his temples slowly. "When I woke up, you weren't wearing any... I mean, we were both... Last night, did we—"

"Yup." She bit her bottom lip. "And when you said it was dope, you weren't lying. While we're on the subject, can you do me a favor?"

"No." Tremaine walked over to the table and sat down in front of one of the two remaining plates. He kissed both of his sons on their foreheads and greeted Tania before he began eating.