MAMA SAID

Cry For Me Baby

What a day, what a day

The soothing sounds of Erykah Badu held everyone in a trancelike state.

Peace and blessings manifest with every lesson learned
If your knowledge were your wealth
Then, it would be well-earned

Bey hung onto the lyrics until she perceived it as a personal attack. Badu's voice heightened, forcing Beyoncé to sit with the words that flowed like a cool river on a scorching day.

The blonde closed her eyes and imagined the woman seated next to her giving a personal concert. It was as if God himself was the dj and he knew what the audience needed right now.
Peace.
It's a simple word with a complex meaning, but Bey hoped she wasn't reaching for the unattainable. The blonde watched Chloe as she tapped her finger to the beat mindlessly mouthing the lyrics. Her posture stoic and ready for war, but her eyes told another tale. Curiosity took over the woman's mind wondering what racked Chloe's brain. She was terrified that much Bey could tell. The blonde watched as moisture danced around the whites of the girl's eyes almost as if it was teasing the teen. Chloe blinked and blinked again until the petty jokesters were in the back of her mind. Beyoncé peeled her eyes away, no longer wishing to view the vicious cycle.
On and on.
Halle turned quickly to lock eyes with the blonde almost like she had heard her thoughts. The small girl gave a quick smile which Bey returned without a thought. The silence vexed the woman, but every time she went to open her mouth to speak nothing would come out. Many words were formed, swarming her head like a colony of wasps and teetered just on the tip of her tongue. There was nothing she could say to make things better. With a heavy heart, and a strewn mind, Bey looked between the two teens hoping words would finally flow. In this moment, the yearning to morph into her mother was mighty. There wasn't a moment where Tina was lost for words or stumbled over the words that were already there.
A woman.
Chloe's head now rested on the window, her eyes inert. The child clearly needed a hug. Bey fiddled with her hands just as she thought to switch seats with Halle to get closer to the eldest Bailey. The singer quickly thought better of it unsure if the embrace would be rejected or not at the moment.

You rush into destruction 'cause you don't have nothin' left
The mothership can't save you so your ass is gon' get left

"I'll see you in LA in two days Mrs Carter. Nice meeting you girls."
Bey was so out of it that she hadn't realized they were parked outside of the hotel Miranda called home for the week. The assistant stood facing the truck waiting for her boss to dismiss her. She couldn't lie, the situation affected her more than it seemed to bother everyone else. Miranda saw the gun on Julius' hip almost everyday, but never in a million years did she think he would actually pull it out of its holster. The entire car ride Miranda concentrated on stopping her hands from shaking. She tried pressing them in between her knees and even rubbed her hands together; nothing worked.

"See you Miranda. Don't forget to tell Camilla that she needs to fax me the final set list. Oh and the fabrics that I wanted to use for the Haunted costumes were sold out. I need to get my hands on it please."

Miranda nodded her understanding and headed for the lobby of the hotel. Now a trio instead of a quartet, the stillness wracked Bey's brain making her itch. Torturing her ears to the point where she believed it to be her fault somehow. Maybe she intimidated them as so many people claimed she does. Maybe they were embarrassed?

The drive from the city to Bey's home took longer than expected due to Atlanta's traffic. By this time, Chloe had been knocked out for about an hour, and Halle refused to go to sleep no matter how many times she nodded off. It was still daylight, and Halle was eager to see what type of neighborhood the Queen resided in. Julius pulled up to the huge metal gate that went on as far as the girl's eyes would allow. Halle watched as the bodyguard lowered his window and flashed his i.d to the security officer who manned the little booth. The girl tilted her head curious to see the man's face. He was an older black man probably in his mid-fifties. The officer finally opened the large gate. Since Halle sat in the middle, she looked through the windshield as Julius drove past mansions and huge houses. Bey watched the girl as her eyes scanned each home left and right with her mouth agape. The truck veered to the left slowly, so Halle assumed they were approaching Beyoncé's home. The girl turned towards Bey with her eyebrows still raised.