Don't Get Caught Up! 3

Chpt 20

Chapter 20: Lizbeth

"Lizzie do you know what time it is? What are you doing here?" My mom shooed me and Cameron inside of the two story cobble-stoned home. I had Cameron in my arms; he fell asleep during the car ride here. I brought him upstairs in his room my mother made for him. "Lizbeth why are you here baby? Did you and Tyrone get into an altercation?" I kicked my heels off my feet and walked to my old bedroom. "What happened to your arm? Oh my gosh, did he hit you?"

"Mother please! I'm tired; I just want to go to bed." I grabbed a shirt and shorts from my dresser and walked to my bathroom. "Lizbeth I told you he wasn't any good for you. Now, I'm grateful for my grandchild, but Tyrone was not the person I expect for you to marry!"

"Why? Is it because he's black? Is it because he grew up from a bad neighborhood?" I walked out of the bathroom and got into bed. "Do you hear yourself right now? You're defending a man who hit you! Look at your arm!" My mother grabbed my arm, and I winched in pain. "Mother, stop it! It's not what it seems. It was an accident. Tyrone has never hit me before so calm down. Now can I please go to bed?"

"Fine, but you will have a conversation with your father tomorrow morning. I am telling him what Tyrone did."

"Mother!"

She slammed my bedroom room shut. Ugh! I'm not looking forward to tomorrow.

. . . . . . .

I woke up to the smell of something cooking. I already knew it was my dad because he cooks breakfast every morning. Knowing my mother, I know she already told my father what happened last night. I rolled out of bed and slipped a pair of socks on my feet. I walked downstairs and saw Cameron eating at the kitchen table. Mother was sitting across from him in a fuzzy robe and sipping coffee. "Good Morning Bunny." My father kissed me on the cheek. When I was younger, I use to hate when my father called me that, but that nickname only shows how deep our bond is. "Good Morning father."

"What will it be this morning?"

"Eggs benedict please." I said taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Good Morning mama." Cameron said while chomping on a piece of bacon. I ruffled his hair. "Good Morning baby." I said and kissed his forehead. Mother looked at me, "Lizbeth."

I rolled my eyes. "Mother."

"So Harold instead of babying her, are you ready to confront your daughter about the bruise on her arm?"

"Mother!"

"No Lizbeth! I heard enough last night. Now it's time for me to speak. Cameron, go in the living room sweetie." Cameron grabbed his plate and scurried away. "Here you go bunny." Father placed a plate of eggs benedict in front of me. My father sat at the table with me and mother. "Tell him Lizbeth."

"Tell him what?" I was getting extremely annoyed. "Tell him how that boy hit you!" My mother partially screamed. She jerked my arm forward, "Look at her arm Harold! This is what he did to her!"

"He didn't do anything to me! You never approved of Tyrone to begin with mother! You're just using this as an excuse to find another reason to dislike him!"

"No Lizbeth. You are using this little temper tantrum to convince yourself that this is acceptable! This is ridiculous. You can do so much better Lizbeth."

"With who? A white man? Huh?"

"Now you know that's not what I mean Lizbeth! How can you say such a thing?"

"Both of you stop it right now! Collect yourselves and talk to each other like mother and daughter!" My father said sternly. "No."

"Excuse me?"

"Father, I am sick and tired of going through this. She never approved of anybody I wanted to be with. I'm not leaving Tyrone, okay? If you can't accept him in your life, then you can cut me out of yours." I didn't even want to finish my food; I wasn't even hungry anymore. "Now if you will excuse me, I'm going back upstairs."