Malia&Khari II

Seventeen.

New Orleans, Louisiana
The same night....

Malia rubbed Iman's head gently as he slept peacefully on her chest with Kamari on the other side of her. They had crawled into bed with her after hearing her cries. Her mom and sisters had fell asleep in their respective guest rooms, and she found herself wide awake. It was well after midnight, and sleep couldn't find her. Knowing that Karmen had carried Khari's child at one point in time made her stomach turn. Not only was he sleeping with her behind Malia's back, he was also being careless. He had cheated on her after she had given him her virginity. Karmen had never left the picture like she had believed. Malia was crushed.

Her phone lit up on the stand beside her, and she knew it had to be him. Looking at the screen, she seen the message notification, but it wasn't from Khari. She knew the number well, though. It was Duane. Reaching over, she turned off the device and looked back at the view before her. New Orleans was peaceful, contradictory to her storm in her own home. She believed that Khari was different, but he held many secrets. It made her wonder what else he had been hiding from her.

Although Khari was the center of her storm right now, she really missed him. She missed being intimate, whether emotionally, physically or spiritually. She chastised herself for missing him. Malia wanted to hate his guts, and for a short minute she did. But as she laid there, her love resurfaced. He was her other half, and right now she didn't feel complete without him. She wanted to understand what Karmen had. Was she not good enough for him? Did he enjoy being with Karmen better? Did he love her more? The insecurities began to sink in, and she was beginning to look at herself in a different light.

She no longer felt confident in herself. She didn't feel beautiful, and Khari had began to stop telling her that she was. She wondered if he felt forced to marry her. Was he ready? Did he really love her like he said he did? Malia felt that the marriage had been a lie from the start. Which is, probably, why it is beginning to crumble into pieces. It was true that she wasn't a Saint in this marriage either. She had her faults. But, she couldn't help but wonder was she in this marriage alone.

Carefully getting up, she rested Iman's head on the pillow next to Kamari. She walked down the dark hallway, and headed downstairs. The television in the kitchen was playing causing Malia's eyebrow to raise. Moving towards the light, she noticed her mother sitting at the island with a bowl of ice cream in her hand. Malia sighed, and moved in the kitchen. Her mother turned her head to look at her as Malia grabbed some water.

Margret looked at her daughter with an unreadable expression on her face. Malia returned the look, not sure what to say. The two's relationship had never been the same since Malia married Khari, and especially since they moved down to New Orleans. Her mother just didn't approve of anything, but welcomed her grandkids. Margret didn't think she meant any harm. She just wanted the best for Malia, and all of her daughters.

"Are you ok?" Margret spoke up first.

Twisting the bottle cap, Malia placed the bottle up to her lips and quenched her thirst. After swallowing, she nodded her head and sat the bottle on the island. "I'm fine."

Margret crossed her legs, and looked at Malia as if she didn't believe her. "You know, it's okay to say that someone has hurt you. You're allowed to feel this way. Allow yourself to do so, therefore, the healing process will be a glorious one."

"Just say it." Malia said in a rather impatient tone. Margret looked at her, unsure of what she meant. "Just say 'I told you so.' I'm sure you want to."