Tell It To The Moon (BWWM) [ON HOLD]

Chapter Ten

"Oh. My. Darling!" A tall white woman with blonde hair picked to puffiness, a green midi skirt on, white crop top logo tee, and sneakers good enough to twist in threw open the front door and fell straight into Philip's arms. "You haven't come to see us since that wife of yours daughter turned ten!"

He chuckled as she slapped his shoulder to express her disappointment. "I know. I know. Been busy trying to get it together. But not I'm back and I got someone really important for you to meet."

He looked over at me while all I could do was stand in awe at the sight of a girl who looked like a teenage version of my dad if he was a girl.

"And what are we looking at here?" The girl stumbled down the steps towards me with her hands searching the air as if she was trying to catch a miracle of light. "This can't be! This the baby that mama said you had?" He nodded proudly the moment her hands rested on my face. "If the sky ain't blue. You two could be twins, Phil!"

I was too stunned to move so I just blinked. We were searching each other's eyes hoping to find the answers to all the questions we had in our hearts. I couldn't find the words to say to Annabelle. I just knew she was as beautiful as the flowers she planted outside.

"How old are you, girly?"

"Six- sixteen." Annabelle broke into a cheerful giggle while resting a hand over her heart.

"I graduate high school this year! A niece the same age as me?! I would have had a cow to grow up with such a woman. You are a woman right?" I looked at my dad then to Annabelle before nodding. "I know you are. Philip there hates the talk of girl stuff. Wanted to make him mad, you know? For all the years he ain't show up to our front porch with you." She squeezed my face together once more before turning on her heels to face the front door. "Let's not keep her outside in the heat. I know mom is dying to see her!"

I stepped foot in the house and the first thing I saw was the television showing some horse racing channel. It was a dimly lit room despite the decoration being floral and outstanding. The next thing that hit me was the cigarette smoke. It was so cloudy in the home I could barely see. Everyone else stepped through like it was just another day.

"Oh," Philip whispered as he looked down to someone on the far couch. I followed his gaze and saw an older man slouched and sleeping on the center cushion with an oxygen tube hanging off his nose. He snored here and there with just the few seconds we were walking past him. "That's... we're headed to see mom, your grandma I should say."

I quietly stepped through and followed my dad through the back hallway where most of the rooms were. I could smell the smoke getting stronger and stronger and I knew that it must have been coming from my grandma since the beginning.

"Mom?" Annabelle knocked on the wooden door a few times then opened it up. The first thing we saw was the back of a brunette woman's head as she looked directly out the window with the curtains drawn. A cloud of smoke escaped into the air and the cigarette she puffed on came into view. The woman then snatched her robe closer to her body and uncrossed her legs before standing up. Not once did she turn around.

"You know. When I was your age, I didn't have options. The first man you slept with was the man you'd marry." Annabelle quickly straightened out when her mother tapped the cigarette to the ashtray. "What is Ryan? The third guy? Maybe the fourth? God knows. At sixteen I had secrets too."

"I'm eighteen, mom." She looked at me while nervously fumbling with her fingers. "We have guest. Philip is here!" She tried to bring back the excitement but it was ruined too soon. "He brought-"

"I need a moment. My head is... it's pounding." She turned over her shoulder to motion everyone out of her room but when her eyes locked on me, she almost fell over. "Holy shit! I'm- I can't believe this!" I didn't know whether to run away or run to her. "The last time I saw you!" She held up a finger and went to her nightstand to pull out a picture frame. "This is you! This is you, Yvette!"

I had to be nine years old in that photo. I had my Easter dress on and was smiling at the pink egg I found at church. My grandma took that picture, the one she used to live with.

"That's the last one?" My voice almost broke as I walked over to take the photo from her hand. She nodded at my question and gave me a sympathetic smile. "This was so long ago."

Veronica patted a portion of her bed and I quickly took a seat to listen to whatever she was about to tell me. "I have three children. The older they grew the more I had to deal with. I thought their toddler years were bad." She reached her small and veiny hand out to me to push a curl out of my face. "The more you grew I knew the more she had to take on. I understood why the photos stopped and I never held it against her. Don't you do that either."

I smiled at her generosity and understanding. I also knew that I wasn't a handful either. My grandma always told me I was the easiest one. "Thank you."

"I've talked to your grandma through the phone so many times. She's an amazing woman-"

"We have to go before it gets dark, Yvette." My dad nudged my back a few times which snapped me out of the trance of such a broken woman. I've only ever seen how strong my grandma was that the type of person sitting across from me was foreign. "Come on. That's enough. Say goodbye everyone."

"I'll visit more." Veronica quickly gave me a hug that caught me off guard. Philip didn't end his haste to get away as soon as possible and I felt like I had no choice but to keep up with him. Veronica and I pulled away and I was out the front door a minute later.

It confused me why he brought me here but didn't want me to stay long enough to connect. "Are you keeping something from me?" I asked as he buckled me into the passengers seat since I wasn't moving fast enough for his liking.

"No. She just hasn't been well since my dad got sick. I couldn't watch her barely move a muscle without shaking. I have to pick Ana up soon too and we have an hour drive."

"Can I-"

"Please! No more questions until we get where we have to be."