Epiphany

EP:24

Chapter 24

Angie's Perspective

"The mouth should have three gatekeepers. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?"-Arabian Proverb

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BLANK white walls faced me as I chopped up various vegetables. Tears filled my eyes from the odor of onions present. The house had been completely quiet for days now since Jeremy had left with Jamal. Besides all of the crying Jayla did throughout the day there was nothing to listen for. It pained me to know that my baby boy wasn't in his bed asleep down the hall from my bedroom at night, but my pride wouldn't let me own up to that and face Jeremy. I was sick of his shit, I didn't have to be perfect I just had to be enough. If he couldn't deal with that then so be it, but I was never going to hold back and bite my tongue for anybody.

Tonight was my night to visit Jamal at Jeremy's parent's house. Jeremy's mother Lauren had decided to have a family dinner, so I insisted on bringing over some curry chicken breasts with yellow rice. Daisy was upstairs watching Jayla while I was going to be out for a few hours. I covered the raw chicken breast pan in aluminum foil sticking it in the oven to cook. After setting the time on the stove for an hour I washed my hands then rushed upstairs to take a quick shower.

Jeremy would be there too since it was a Tuesday night so I had to look my best and show him what he had been missing out on for the past two weeks. I had cried a few times after he had left, but I moved past it. One thing my mother taught Tiana and I was that a man could walk out of your life at any given moment, but you'd be a fool to chase him. Well unless you were in the wrong, which I wasn't.

I stripped out of my attire stepping into the shower letting the water soak up my flesh. I gently washed my curls and cleaned my body. After drying off I wrapped a towel around my wet hair then moisturized and threw on some natural makeup giving my cheeks a little extra blush. Looking at myself in the mirror I resembled my father more and more each and every day. Although, I despised the man I couldn't get rid of his looks. After blow-drying my hair I put on a knee-length burgundy tight fitted dress with black pumps then pinned my hair up into a bun and rushed downstairs to the kitchen.

      The chicken breasts still had a few more minutes to cook so I grabbed the rice I cooked from earlier off the counter and a bottle of Chardonnay taking it out to my car. When the timer went off I opened the oven with mittens. Pushing back the aluminum, I drenched the chicken breasts in the curry sauce in a hurry then carefully took the heated pan outside to the back seat of my car after letting it cool off for a little bit. I turned the living room and kitchen lights off. Once getting Daisy and Jayla situated upstairs I pulled off heading into the city.

     Jeremy's parents had a nice house out in Oregon in a gated community that wasn't that far of a drive. I pulled up into the driveway to find no one outside but porch lights on. While getting the food out of the backseat of my car I felt a hand touch my back.

"Don't worry honey I got it." I turned around to Jeremy's mother attempting to take the food out of my hands.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hamilton."

She carried the chicken breasts as I brought in the bowl of rice and white wine after shutting and locking my car doors. Cool air hit me as soon as I walked through the door as Jeremy and his father sat with there back facing us watching some television show.