The Marrying of ZIM

2. The dinner of reckoning.

I was at the side of the house lighting up with my perfume in my left hand and my lighter in the right also holding onto my joint. Carter hated the fact that I smoked weed and despite all of her efforts to get me to stop, I wouldn't. She couldn't stay around me when I smoked because she played Lacrosse and did regular drug tests, I was fine with that because I always preferred to smoke alone. I heard a car door shut and I knew that was the driver, my mother would be out any minute. I took one last deep drag and held it in for awhile, tonight wasn't gonna last forever and before I knew it I'd be back home wrapped up under my comforters in my expensive bed sleeping soundly. I outed the joint and placed it and my lighter back into the old and beaten up Altoids tin finding its place back under a rock in the side garden but not before taking out a spare gum that I had for these situations. I sprayed my perfume around me making sure I got good coverage before placing it back in it's hiding place and walking off.

I stood beside the front door waiting. Marvin, the driver, waited in the foyer for my mom. I could hear her bickering to herself asking where I was.

"Ma'am she might be outside waiting on us," Marvin said greeting my mom at the bottom step and taking her hand.

She walked outside to see if I was there or not, I stood with my back straight staring into a compact mirror trying to look bored.

"Mother, do you plan to spend the whole evening staring at me?" I asked nonchalantly.

"You are right my dear, Marvin come along now. We don't want to be late for our dinner with the Ekuban family." She said swinging her hips on the way to the car.

We always drove together like this for meetings and dinners, anything that meets the public eye. I stayed silent for the whole journey. CJ was texting me back but she wasn't her usual self, I hope she's not giving up on me now.

Me: I love you okay? And I need you, please don't be mean to me I can't stand the thought of you being distant. It hurts.

Pretty boi 💍💕: I love you too Zim but I don't think I can carry on like this anymore.

I just poured out my heart to this bitch and that's how she responded? Maybe it's the weed why I'm behaving like this but that shit hurted.. she never got my vine references anyways. This was gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow when I wake up and realize that my babe is no longer mine. We just graduated from school and this is how she wants to move on? Better she had told me that she planned to skip town for university without me, I'd understand.

The car came to a halt and so did my thoughts. I was almost on a high, I was that level where you weren't exactly high but you also weren't exactly sober. I'm just chill and I hope it gets me through this dinner. I waited on Marvin to open my mother's door before I opened mines and got out. I walked around the car and went to stand by my mother's waiting side so that we could present ourselves together.

"Reservation for the McGlashans and Ekubans" my mother said. Yes, she changed my surname from hers to her married name. As I said, she didn't know who my father was.

The receptionist didn't check the list, she smiled and motioned for us to follow her. We trailed behind her like ducklings following the mother duck, I silently laughed at nothing in particular. Once we got to the table the men, which included my step father Richard, Mr Ekuban and probably son Ekuban, all stood greeting us while Mrs Ekuban sat still with a smile on her face. She was dressed in an African cultural print with a turban on her head, I liked the flex. I could see myself in a pants suit in that same cloth but instead of a full on head wrap I'd use it as a bandana. Maybe I should get into fashion, I was quite the fashion icon both feminine and masculine. If I couldn't get my way of being masculine then I'd settle for androgyny since it's the next best thing.