I stood frozen like ice. I remembered Jahseh telling me about her only one time since we've been together but that's it. Every time I tried to ask him about it, he'd get upset and tell me not to worry about it because he didn't plan on seeing her no time soon due to their past. As I stood there staring at her, he did kind of resemble her a little. The same nose shape and the eye shape. I wondered if he called her here. But then again, he would have told me first.
"You're Jahseh's mother?"
"Cleopatra", she smiled and stuck her hand out for me to shake which I did in return. I looked around for a minute, "Please, come in." And she did. She stood there checking out the house.
"This is a nice place." Her voice echoed through the living room.
"Thank you, we just moved in two months after she was born."
She studied Miracle who was still in my arms, "C- can I hold her?". She asked. I wasn't sure at first but then I thought about how she missed out on a few months of her life and didn't deserve that even if she and Jahseh's relationship wasn't going right at the moment.
"Oh course." I handed her to Mrs. Cleopatra.
"She looks just like you. And a mixture of Jahseh." She smiled and I could tell she was happy.
"Mrs-" I was cut off.
"Please, just call me Cleopatra." She said as her attention was still focused on the baby.
"Cleopatra, may I ask how you found out where we lived?"
She finally looked up, "Well, I was going to get in contact with his childhood friend, Stokeley, but as you know, he's locked up and won't be out for a while so I got in touch with his other friend, Michael White? But he's goes by the name of Redd."
I wanted to laugh when she said his real name. He's never told me his name because he didn't like it so now I was gonna throw it up in his face when I saw him again. But right now was a serious matter, "Oh yea, he's the godfather my Miracle, my baby."
She smiled, "Ahh, her name is Miracle, such a sweet name. He told me all the information I needed to know and gave me the address. I hope I wasn't just barging in on you. I just really wanted to meet you, the baby and hopefully get back on good terms with my oldest son."
I was shocked, "Oldest?"
"Yes. He had a younger brother named Aiden who is six."
I was pissed. Jahseh never mentioned that he had a brother. "Oh wow, he never mentioned that he had a little brother."
"That's a shame. I can understand if he didn't mention me to you but leaving his little brother out was pure rude."
"Yes, it was. Why don't you sit down." I said gesturing for her to sit. We both sat while she still held Miracle who was now struggling to keep her eyes open. "If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you and Jahseh don't communicate anymore?" I remembered him telling me that she would pass him around family to family but I wanted to know the full story from her side.
She sighed as if this was a hard thing to do. "You don't have to if you don't want." I told her.
She shook her head, "No it's fine. I was going through things in the past. I wasn't fit to be a mother at such a young age. I been in and out of jail a lot so I figured if I couldn't be the mother that he needed then it was best if I gave him to someone who was willing to give him all the things I couldn't. He would stay with my sister for a few days til she couldn't watch him anymore. Then I'd take him to my uncle which didn't last very long. Then that's when my mother stepped in. She told she'd let us stay there as long as I worked and kept money for his needs."