Days With Zion Dawsey

7. The Story

"Mother, I was-" His words were cut off short when Zion realized who that guest was, that his mother was currently entertaining.

He had passed all the rooms upstairs and found the two women in his father's old office. The two were sitting by the desk and drinking some tea with old photo albums laying opened around them. Bonnie's facial expression resembled a deer caught in the headlights but his mother looked as calm as always.

"Zion, finally you graze us with your presence. We were just talking about you." Talking about him? Zion was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Bonnie was there. And not only was she there, she was looking at old baby pictures of him and she was talking about him.

"What are you doing?" Anger was evident in his voice and face as he strode over to the desk and closed all the albums, even ripped one out of his mother's hands. He ignored Bonnie, who was quietly sitting and watching the birthday man get angrier by the second.

She had to admit, seeing him again, smelling his cologne and hearing his voice had the same effect on her as it did two years ago. Only that now it was even more intense, she noted as she pressed her knees together. 

"Zion, what are you doing?" Sheryl asked her son, standing up and glaring at him. Bonnie noted that she was caught up in the middle of a staring match between the two of them and decided to leave unnoticed. She almost made it to the door, when-

"You!" She turned around, looking into the menacing eyes of Zion as he walked to stand in front of her, his face visibly angry.
"What are you doing here?" He scowled.

"I invited her, young man. And I will not tolerate this hostile behaviour towards her." Sheryl jumped in, before Bonnie could answer. Zion heard his mother, but his eyes stayed on Ebony Stewart. The woman who had made his life hell, the woman who had ruined him for anybody else, the woman- the- the mother of his child. His face softened for only a millisecond before he glared at her again. 

"I-I-" Ebony couldn't recognize her own voice anymore and she quickly shut her mouth when she realized she couldn't get a single word out of her mouth in that moment. Zion was still really close to her and he was upset. But when he realized that she stuttered, the corner of his lips lifted a little, again just for a millisecond but that was enough for Bonnie to remember who she was.

"I should go." With that, she turned towards Sheryl, who until now was fumingly glaring at her son. But when she heard Bonnie's words, she couldn't help looking at her friend.
"It was really nice to see you again, but I recognize when I'm not wanted. It is after all, his party. I will see you soon, Sheryl." The young woman smiled kindly and without glancing at Zion again, she turned around and left the room.

As soon as she was heard walking down the stairs, Zion took a deep breath and turned around to look at his mother. Her face was blank, she was just staring at the door as if hoping Bonnie would appear any second. But both knew she wouldn't.

"Mother, I brought you something." Zion tried to forget what just happened and picked up the present from the desk, where he put it when he was busy closing all the albums. He went back to stand in front of his mother and held out the box for her.

"Thank you." Was all she said before taking the box and leaving Zion. The man gulped and then sighed. He knew his mother was disappointed, but if she knew what that woman did to him- But she doesn't know, he reminded himself. And she'll never know.

When Zion went back downstairs, his mother was nowhere to be seen, but the guests were entertained nevertheless. His mother went to the greatest lengths in order to turn her humble garden into a nice party location. There was a huge table in the middle and enough chairs surrounding it. That area was covered by a huge white tent, so no sun or insects would bother them.