| ꜰᴏʀᴇᴘʟᴀʏ |

𝟼.

X

After stopping at a few stores to get some flowers we made it to my father's gravesite. As we were walking up to it, there was someone standing where he was buried.

Usually it's just us here so it was odd to see someone else here. As I got closer I started to recognize who was standing there.

"Charity?" I questioned.

She looked up at me and began to smile. "Hey Dymond what're you doing here?"

"Um I'm here with my family to visit my Daddy.  What are you doing here?" I questioned.

"Your Dad? I'm here visiting my Dad." She said making my heat drop. There's no way that she is my fathers child. There has to be some kind of mistake.

"Dymond who's this young lady?" My momma asked as her and my brother made their way over to us.

"Um Momma this is Charity, Charity this is my mother Delilah. Momma Charity is a friend of mine from work, but she just said Daddy was her dad." After I said that I could see my mothers face began to change and so did my brother's.

"This has to be a mistake, my father only has 3 kids." My brother Reese stated.

"It's not a mistake." My mother softly said.

"What do you mean it's not a mistake Momma?" My brother questioned her and I looked at her confused.

"I knew this day would come eventually. I will explain everything when we go eat dinner with your sister. Charity I would like it if you would join us."

"Okay sure."

My mother took the flowers we bought for my father and put them by his tombstone before kissing it. "You left me one hell of a job to handle Richie."

X

After leaving the gravesite we made it to one of our favorite restaurants that we enjoyed eating at while we were younger.

I still can't wrap my head around that Charity is my sister and that my momma knew about it.

"Momma!" We heard my older sister Kimberly yell. We made our way to the table where my sister and Aunt Toya was.

"Why the hell y'all looking like y'all seen a ghost or sum?" My Aunt asked us.

"Nice to see you too Toya." My momma softly spoke as she hugged her sister then hugged my brother-in-law Morris and my older sister.

My brother and I sat beside each other not saying anything. I was just ready for my momma to explain everything. Charity sat in a seat not to far from my brother.

"Momma?" Reese asked trying to signal her to have this conversation, but she just ignored him and began reading over her menu.

"So Ms.Delilah how you been?"

"Morris I've been good. How have you been treating my baby girl?"

Kimberly began to laugh. "We've been well Momma. I gotta let you ride in my new car Morris just bought me. I know you would love it momma."

My Aunt tapped my arm making me look at her. "What's going on and who is that little y'all brought with y'all?" She whispered to me as my Sister was going on and on about her new stuff Morris bought her.

"Well I would say but I don't know much. Momma said she would explain to us." I simply said. My Aunt raised her eyebrows and looked between Reese and I.

"Dee."

"Yes Toya?"

"I know we came here to eat but these kids said you got something to explain."

My mother looked at Reese then looked at me.

"Momma what is it that you have to explain to us?" Kim asked as she looked at all of us with a little concern. "Momma if your sick again you can come live with Morris and I. I can get you one of the best doctors. I told you to let me take care of you instead of letting Dymond do it."

"Look Kim don't start with me today." I spoke.

"Both of y'all better not start and Kim you have no damn place to talk you barely even brought your uppity ass around to check on your momma while she was sick. Your sister been working her ass off to help your mother. So you can shut that shit down now." My Aunt fussed at my sister. Kimberly sat back and got quiet like she always did when my Aunt got in her. Kimberly always knew not to mess with Aunt Toya.

My mother sighed and looked at all of us. "What I was going to tell you all was that your father had cheated on me and gotten another woman pregnant some years ago. That's why this young woman Charity was at his gravesite and that's why she is sitting with us now."

The whole table went silent as we all looked at Charity then back at our mother. "Momma why didn't you tell us? Why wait until now?" I questioned.

"Why would he do something like that?" My brother questioned.

"Me and your father had gotten into a huge argument one night. He was constantly coming home smelling like perfume so I bean questioning him where he had been,so we began to argue and he just kept lying to me.I told him to leave and not come back until he decided he was going to tell me the truth. He left the house and didn't come back until a couple of weeks later apologizing and telling me how he missed me. He finally told me the truth and why he did it and that the girl he was sleeping around with he had gotten pregnant."

"He told me she wasn't going to keep the baby and that he wanted to make it right for Kimberly, Dymond and I. After that whole incident he never heard from the girl again. Either one of us knew if she kept the baby or not, but today confirms that." My mother looked at Charity. "I didn't tell you all because I didn't want you all to look at your father differently. I'm sorry today out of all days is the day you all had to hear this but the truth was going to show itself soon." My mother finished.

"Morris let's go." Kimberly stood with an attitude grabbing her purse.

"Kimberly." My Aunt spoke.

"I knew we should have just stay where we were. Every time I come around it's something."

"Kimberly please sit down." My mother softly spoke.

"No Momma let her run off like she always does when she can't handle something."

"I'm not about to argue with you Dymond. Momma we're going back to the hotel and we're leaving tomorrow. I'll call you when I get home." Kimberly said before Morris and her left the restaurant.

I sat back and rolled my eyes. I get so tired of Kimberly thinking she runs something around here. She is such a spoiled brat.

"I'm sorry if I caused all of this. Maybe I shouldn't have came. It was nice meeting you all." Charity said before quickly getting up and leaving out the restaurant. Leaving the four of us at the table no one knowing what to do or say.

"I knew this would happen." My mother softly sighed.