Finding Her (urban)

Chapter 12 - Mommy dearest

"So we're just doing drive by visits now? You can't send me a text or something to let me know you're coming over?" Terence clenched his fist and the veins in the back of his neck surfaced. "Arianna didn't I say you should go upstairs?" His head quickly snapped in my direction, he was pissed.

There was no point hiding anymore, "I said I was here to ride with you."

He looked down at the vase in my hands and smirked. "Really Ari?"

I shrugged, "Nigga don't start,"

"So.. Who's this?" His mother interrupted our moment. I couldn't quite read the expression on her face, and to be fair, I was more fascinated by her timeless features. She was a beautiful woman, her aura just emitted class and elegance. She didn't seem the way Terrence described her to be but I knew looks could be deceiving. To the outside world, my mother seemed like the warm and loving type yet didn't have one maternal bone in her body...

"My.. You know what mom, why are you here?" I could tell Terrence was struggling to put a title on this thing we had going on. I wouldn't know what to call it either, the intimate moments shared were only reactionary to the tragic incidents we had encountered both recently and in the past. I didn't want that to be the only reason why we connected but I was unsure if my feelings for him actually surpassed that. I drew more and more to him each day based on the fact that we both had lived terrible lives and were just as mentally unstable as one another. It was like being with a much intensified version of myself who I felt I had to nurture; in a way I was trying to forgive and heal my younger self for neglecting her and I was using him to do it. There was a certain eagerness Terrence and I had to feel loved in a world that had only shown us coldness and rejection. So whether we were compatible wasn't even on our minds, we just knew we had to take up that role and feed off each other's vibes. It was like emptying out a half filled cup to fill another and losing some of its contents as it overflows, only to restart that process all over again. Every time I poured into him, I could feel a part of me leaving permanently. Could an insane person bring back someone's sanity? And if we ended up totalling ourselves trying to survive in our precarious states, it wouldn't matter 'cause in the end, we were just two abandoned souls trying to end that cycle, even if it meant ending it with ourselves.

"I can't visit my son?" Her freshly waxed brow raised. "You're right, I do want something."

"How much this time?" Terrence sighed, it was weird seeing him look so defeated but maybe he was just tired. Tired of her constant requests for money instead of trying to build an actual relationship with him. I leant into his back and held him around his waist to calm him down. I was grateful when he eased into my touch, his back was so tense. His arm swept over my shoulder and he gently pushed me to his side, I was now face to face with this woman.

"No, I don't need your money. I just want to spend time with you," I couldn't tell if she was being genuine but Terrence's body immediately became tense again. Although I knew some details of their relationship, I felt like they had a deeper past.

"You can't come here when you feel like it. I've told you this already Evelyn. You need to go, I'll have a driver send you home,"

"I'm your mother!" The creases in the corner of her eyes became apparent as a look of horror spread through her face. I was unsure whether my presence here was necessary yet didn't want this scene to unfold without me being there. I was somewhat drawn to the drama and a small part of me didn't want to leave him alone with someone who had played a big role in ruining his childhood. He still had a firm grip around my shoulder, so I wouldn't leave until he asked me to.

"You gave up that title a long time ago," he sneered.

I was caught up looking back and forth between the pair as their mouths moved and expressions changed. I had somehow muted them, something else had caught my attention. Terrence bore a striking resemblance to her. She was about 5'11" with rich earthy brown skin that literally glowed under the sun rays that shot through the kitchen glass windows. Her frame was small yet curvy and each garment she wore clung to her body, accentuating her assets. Her cheekbones were high and pierced through her wrinkle free skin, I wouldn't be surprised if she modelled back in the day. What was most striking about her were those piercing hazel orbs reminiscent of autumn that looked all too familiar; he had his mother's eyes for sure. I was entranced by them, lost in the spiralled flecks of royal gold and emerald green. Her eyes were like September's fallen leaves dancing to the rhythm of the winds. I was caught off guard when her sharp stare finally turned in my direction.