ᴍᴏᴛɪᴇsʜᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴀᴘᴋɪɴɢ (#1 ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇʟʟs ᴛʀɪʟᴏɢʏ)✓

59: Tiesha And The Argument

A few weeks later, Ky’Mon and Esther’s argument had gotten heated—again and from the look of it, Ky’Mon was winning… even though Esther was putting up one hell of a fight.

Dinner had started out calm enough. They were all at the table, the smell of roast chicken and buttered vegetables filling the air.

Tiesha and Esther were both wearing Ky’Mon’s shirts, oversized and comfortable. On Esther, the hem swept along the floor when she walked, while on Tiesha it stopped at mid-thigh.

Ky’Mon leaned forward over his plate, eyes locked on his daughter. “If I see your goddamned ass near that boy, imma lock your stubborn ass in a fucking room. I see you want to be homeschooled.”

Esther’s little jaw clenched. She pushed her plate away with a scrape of ceramic against wood, sliding out of her dining chair with an air of finality. She turned, heading toward the hallway.

“Get back here, I’m talking to you!” Ky’Mon’s voice cut sharp.

Esther stopped, turned back, then bent to grab two fistfuls of her shirt’s hem.

She lifted it like she was in some princess ball gown, chin lifted in exaggerated poise, and walked back to him, stopping right in front of his chair.

Her frown was stubborn enough to rival his.

“Don’t fucking give me attitude. I ain’t your mama,” Ky’Mon said, his eyes narrowing.

Tiesha frowned at that, but before she could speak, Ky’Mon kept going. “You just five, what the hell you know about boys?”

Esther looked him dead in the eye. “I know that Haz is just a friend that is a boy that I like.”

Ky’Mon’s lip curled. “Haz? What kinda stupid name is that for a boy?”

“His name is Gehazi.”

“Oh, so you after a boy whose ancestor betrayed their boss? You’re after a betrayer, and a liar, and a thief?”

“Drama queen,” Tiesha muttered, rolling her eyes.

Ky’Mon shot her a glare. Esther caught it and smiled smugly.

“He don’t have leprosy, so how you know his ancestor betrayed their boss?” Esther asked, her small arms crossing.

Ky’Mon rubbed his chin like he was mulling it over, then jabbed a finger at her. “Hol’ up. So you telling me, to my face, that you have a boyfriend?”

Esther stayed silent, but the way she stared at him—steady, unblinking—was answer enough.

Ky’Mon sighed and rose from the table. He turned to Tiesha. “Talk to your daughter before I do something both of you won’t like.”

Tiesha sucked the meat off her chicken bone without breaking eye contact with him. He rolled his eyes and left the room.

She dropped the stripped bone down to Happy, who was sitting obediently at her feet.

Esther huffed.

“Why are you fighting him on this? Who’s this boy making you act like this?” Tiesha asked.

“I ain’t doing this ’cause of him,” Esther shot back.

“Then why?”

“I want Daddy to know I’m a feminist and I wanna fight for my rights.”

Tiesha’s brow arched. “Where you hear that?”

“My friend Marcie. She said she used to have six bodyguards, but her aunt taught her how to be a feminist, so she fought her daddy on it and she won.”