Harlem Roses

seis

Two weeks later, and I has seemed to have fallen off of the face of the earth.   Every incoming call has been rejected almost instantly, and I won't even open the door when the landlord is banging it down about last months rent.  I would have just turned off my cellphone altogether to avoid ridiculous phone calls, text messages, and voicemails from everyone, but everyday I have been waiting for one damn phone call from the boy I know and love.  Sean Michael Anderson.

 

Ever since the night I acted like an arrogant bitch towards him, I wouldn't expect him to actually want to talk to me. But I still had hope in us, or whatever we had before I literally fucked him over.  I don't know how I really couldn't remember about his mother's passing earlier in the year, so anything about her was a touchy moment for him.  Sean's mom was a second mother to me for how close I had always been to him over the years.  From countless birthday parties, and various holidays I have celebrated with the Anderson's, I sometime actually felt like I was apart of the family.  

"Merry Christmas, Vashtie baby.  How you been?" Mama Anne asked graciously , a large smile stretching from ear to ear.  I walked in through the front door behind Sean, and almost sprinted towards the older women with much happiness filling my chest.  Mama Anne mad no problem welcoming me into the family ever since me and Sean were younger, squeezing me tighter as she shook me from side to side.  For how excited she was to see me, you would have thought I was her own child more so Sean.

 

"Merry Christmas Mama Anne. I've been good." I replied simply, pulling away from the hug, to see a wide grin covering Sean's face as he leaned against the door we had entered from minutes earlier.

 

"Keeping this one out of trouble right?" Mama Anne questioned, this time a more serious look on her face as she stared Sean down.  "Especially from that little Cassandra girl." She added, taking a deep breath as she took a seat on the couch.  A slight chuckle escaped my lips as I glanced over to see an annoyed Sean, now making his way over towards me, as he threw his arm over my shoulder.

 

"Ma, Cassie ain't even that bad!" Sean interjected.  

 

'Yes she sure as hell is.' I thought to myself.  

Just thoughts of Sean's girlfriend, Cassandra, made my skin crawl.  Her consistent thoughts of being on her high horse, and 24/7 unnecessary attitude, made me question why Sean was with her.  Just hearing that Mama Anne was on my side made me feel a whole lot happier that I knew I wasn't the only one.

 

"Sean, you only with that girl because of her looks.  But you got an amazingly beautiful girl right in front your eyes, and still searching for someone."  She preached, raising from off of the couch as she tried to talk some type of sense into Sean's head.

 

"Who?" Sean asked, clearly dumbfounded.

 

"Vashtie." She responded with a smirk, instantly causing my jaw to drop in astonishment.  I never would have thought of Mama Anne thinking of me as a perfect girlfriend for her son, so her statement made me feel pretty honored.  Sean seemed a bit out of the loop also as he glanced at me, clearly forgetting about his arm resting on my shoulder for the past few minutes, as he slowly removed it.  By the look clearly printed on his face, I was guessing we were both on the same page, uncomfortable.

 

I would be lying out of my ass to say I had never thought of Sean as anything more than a friend.  That was probably the reason of why once he and Cassie became a thing, we clearly became distant.  I tried my best to get him out of head, but that was a lot harder than it seemed, until I met my current boyfriend who seemed to give me the world and more if he could.

 

"Vashtie has a boyfriend, ma." Sean responded nonchalantly, the look on his face showed a a great piece of jealousy as he looked down at the Bred 1's on his feet.  The smile from Mama Anne's face quickly faded, as she tried her best to change the subject.

It wasn't long before I was reunited the rest of the Anderson's. Sitting around the large dinner table that held many of Sean's family members felt like a blessing.  Being in a room filled with so much happiness and love would make anybody's heart feel warm. I actually felt privileged to actually be able to say that this was the third time spending Christmas with the Anderson's.  But some how Sean and I were still on the level of friends, nothing more nothing less.  No matter how much I wish I could be in the same spot of his heart that Cassandra held.

 

"So this is your little lady Sean? Man ain't she a killa." Sean's uncle asked, as he glanced in my direction with a smile.  No matter how much it made me feel good to hear those words, especially from his family.  What really dulled my mood was Sean's answer.

 

"No, Vashtie's just a close friend.  My girlfriend Cassandra is on her way." Sean replied beside me.  I sat between him and his cousin Marshall, he saved an empty seat for Cassie.  The moment the doorbell rang, signaling her arrival, I felt my jaw clenched as my hands tensed beneath the table. Mama Anne rushed to the door to let her in, as Cassandra walked cal my behind her with a glowing smile plastered onto her face.

 

She took her seat opposite of Sean, after handing Mama Anne an apple pie she oppositely made.  "Merry Christmas everyone." She greeted, pecking Sean's cheek.  I literally cringed at the site of the two of them together.  He deserved so much better than Cassandra, everything about her just screamed whore.  From the short multi-color dress she was wearing that failed to compliment her black patent leather Louboutins.  I mean come on now, it's a family dinner not a night at the club.

 

"So this is the one you talk about all the time?" Sean's aunt questioned, looking back and forth between me and Cassandra.  By the look on her face, I could tell she was on the same boat as Mama Anne and wasn't a big Cassandra fan.

 

"Yeah." Sean said with a wide grin, owning up to his relationship with Cassandra with no problem. "I love her." He added, kissing Cassie softly on the cheek, as the family watched in awe…  well some of course. I felt a knot forming in my stomach just watching the amount of love he showed for this girl.  She his was everything, and I was just 'Vashtie a close friend'.  I sunk in my chair before quietly picking at my food, everyone focussing on Sean and Cassie . I felt a small part of my heart crumble more and more at the sound of the happiness she brought to his voice.

 

"It's gonna be alright." Marshall whispered into my ear, patting my shoulder with an easy going look of kindness.  I weakly smiled back nodding my head.

Cassandra (Naya Rivera) and Mama Anne >>