Deceitful | Book 3

| N I N E |

P R E S E N T
MARTRAY

Cooking breakfast wasn't the type of shit that I do. I always had Cheri do it for me when we were married. Then whenever I was doing my thing with Tereny, I would have her do it. I was never one for cooking at all. I just usually had it done for me. Selfish, huh?

In my parents' house, as a grown man, you don't often have shit done for you. If you want something done, you do it yourself. And a nigga woke up extra hungry this morning, so I know I had to get my ass up out of bed and do it myself if I wanted to eat.

I remember my mama coming in my old room to tell me that she and my pops were headed out for a while and if I wanted anything while they were gone, I could give them a call. But I wasn't going to mess with them while they were doing their thing. I was more so worried about my appetite.

I had my eggs mixed up, grits on the stove, French toast in the oven, and my sausage ready and separated. I didn't give a shit for pancakes like most people.

I was in the middle of stirring my grits up when I heard the front door open and close. Part of me already knew who it was coming through the door, so I wasn't too worried about seeing about them. Instead, I just continued what I was doing.

I was in the process of dropping the mixed eggs into the pan when I felt something hard hit me in the middle of my back, catching me off guard. Finally alarmed, I turned around, wide-eyed to see that the person I thought was walking into the house wasn't the person standing at the entrance of the kitchen right now. I looked down to find a rock about the size of my fist sitting onto the floor.

Cheri's small frame appeared right before me. I was surprised to find that she had the balls to step foot inside of my parents' house like she lived here. I get that she cool with everybody but that don't mean you've earned the access to just waltz up in here like you own the shit. I was about to say something out of the way but I didn't. Instead, I just admired what I've been missing.

I missed Cheri so damn much, it was killing me. But shit, she made that clear in the courthouse she didn't want my ass. I also offered that when I was eligible to have joint custody of Cashmere even though I wasn't the father. But, Cashmere's real daddy had enough balls to deny me that right although I legally signed her birth certificate. Cashmere's technically still my daughter on paper.

While I may have cheated on my wife and did some foul shit, when it comes to my kids, I'm there as long as I'm allowed to be. I don't feel like doing none of that fighting shit just to see my kids. But when it comes to Britney, my first real daughter, I feel it's my right to be there, no matter what anybody says. Britney deserves the right to know where she really comes from. My parents deserve to have Britney in their lives too. I was trying to get back at Tereny for choosing Bruce and it was wrong. Trust that after I signed those papers, I felt like a fool. Britney did nothing to me.

Regardless of the shit I did to Bruce, my intentions were to keep him away from Tereny. He's bound to hurt her. He doesn't deserve her and I'm not gonna front... I don't either. But I know she deserves better than what she's got. Bruce don't mean Tereny good. He did to much shit to her that you just don't do to people you love. The same shit I did.

I just feel entitled to get Tereny away from me and the nigga she dealing with. That's all I'm saying. On a selfish side of the story, I feel because I helped her gain her self-esteem, I'm entitled to help her find her true love, I guess. In a way. I don't know how to go about explaining it much. I just know that's how I felt.

I don't wanna harm Tereny. I wanna help her. I also want to make sure she don't fall back in love with me. I tend to have that affect on women I've fooled around with. And I knew that Cheri was slowly falling for me too. What other reason is it that she trying to act tough and shit, coming by my parents' house unannounced? It wasn't because she wanted to say hi.