We Come Alive 5

True Love

Tuesday morning, Clover was finishing up getting ready, waiting for the text message that Diego was outside ready to pick her up from school. She went out of her room to see her mom Trinity making her lunch for work.

"Are they here yet?" Trinity asked, hearing her own cellphone ringing from her purse.

Clover shrugged, checking her phone right as it dinged with a message. "He's here. I'll see you later. Love you."

"I love you too," Trinity called out, listening to her daughter leave the home. When Trinity finished making her lunch, she packed it up into containers and put them into her bag.

Trinity was just about to put her car keys into her scrub top shirt, but she heard a knock on the apartment door. She slowly walked over to the door and looked through the peephole only to roll her eyes seeing her ex-husband and children's father.

She unlocked the door and swung it open, catching it before it hit the wall. "What do you want?"

"Was in the neighborhood. Knew you didn't have to leave until later." Brian shrugged. "Saw our little princess leaving for school. Why doesn't she drive that car you bought her?"

"Why don't you take care of your kids?" She retorted." You do know you have a second daughter right? Clover doesn't have a school parking pass to park in the parking lot. She hasn't bought one yet."

Brian nodded, sliding past her and into the apartment. "You're letting her go to Georgia?"

Trinity glared at him. "Is there a problem with that? She's going on a full ride scholarship and she seems like she loves it. It gets her out of her comfort zone and they treat their players great."

"Southern has more championship wins. She'd be much better there. Or at Clemson. She'd be much greater off at Clemson than at Georgia." Brian argued. "You don't know what's best for her career."

"And you don't know what's best for her!" Trinity yelled. "I'm tired of you coming in here saying that she needs to do this, do that, go here, be this! You're never there afterward! You didn't pick up her pieces when she was destroyed! You didn't help get the mud off her skin! You didn't hold her hand when she got her fake tooth! You just sat there, staring at her." She whispered the last part. "Staring at her, provoking her, telling her that she wasn't good enough. She's a better athlete than you ever were! She's going to go further than you ever could! You got your dream football player and you won't even give her the credit she deserves! Cause I bet you, you're not going to be there if she doesn't walk off that field! But I will. I always will be and I always was! I'm crying in hospital rooms, praying in bleachers, cleaning jerseys, cheering for scholarships! Me! Not you."

Brian stared at his ex-wife with no words leaving his lips. Trinity wiped her tears and wiped them onto her shirt.

"She has dreams, too," Trinity whispered. "And because of you, she'll never think she can make it. Now get out my house and if you come back, I'll drag you down those stairs. And if I ever hear you laid another finger on my kids, I'll kill you."

Brian walked towards the door, putting his hand on the doorknob. "Tell her I came by." He requested, walking out the door.

Trinity slammed the door behind him. "I won't!"

~**~

That evening, Ricky was combing his hair in the bathroom mirror. He fixed the sleeves of his long sleeved button up red plaid shirt so the sleeves were pushed up to his elbows. He cracked his knuckles and took a few deep breaths. Ricky nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the door open only for Jacob to freeze realizing that Ricky was in the bathroom.