Bloom

12 | loser baby daddy

Giselle "G" Rowe
Monday, October 24 | 5:24 p.m.
The Rowe Residence

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The sound of jingling keys and the doorknob turning grabs both of our attention and Jamari happily slides off the sofa, making a beeline towards the front door, cartoons forgotten. I remain seated, my legs tucked comfortably underneath me and my body hidden underneath a red plaid throw blanket.

"Mommy!" He yells giddily, reaching out for Gabriella with a layer of orange cheeto dust on most of his fingers. She scoops him up anyway, planting kisses all over his chubby face.

"Hey, baby! Mommy missed you so much." She breathes, pressing his small body to her chest and swaying as she palms the back of his head lovingly.

Gabriella looks well rested, attired in mint green scrubs with a fresh face and there's an unusual spark in her dark brown eyes. Noticeable waves of happiness drip from her voice and demeanor  that I would be overjoyed to see under different circumstances. Right now though, I just feel even more tried knowing that her loser baby daddy is most likely the cause of it. "Hey, girl!"

"Hey." I deadpan.

"I got a whole ten days off from work so I'm finna kidnap my baby back from y'all. I'm so excited!" She laughs, spinning Jamari around. "I'm finna take him everywhere and finally finish decorating that back room in my apartment. You know, the one that's spose to be my son's but he sleeps with me in my bed instead." Gabriella looks pointedly at the cheerful two-year old who's eyes are dizzily scanning the room.

"Seem like you let everybody in that bed."

She furrows her eyebrows together in amused confusion, carefully placing her child down on his feet. "What?"

"Farad came up to me and Jamari in the parking lot yesterday to confront me over telling mom and dad about his weird remarks on my ass."

Even though my voice comes out smooth and calm, I'm fighting to keep the storm brewing inside of me at bay. I've had all of last night and today to think about this and the anger never left my side. This time though, It wasn't fear that held me back from telling my parents first. I just wanted to go straight to the source so I let them leave for work this morning completely unaware. "Said that you didn't care about whatever I said because y'all still hunchin'."

Gabriella sighs exasperatedly and runs a hand over her face. "Look, I don't agree that he should've approached you. That part is weird, but it's nobody's business who I do or don't have sex with. I'm grown."

"You right, it ain't. I just think it's strange that you've chosen a nigga who can barely take care of your son, a nigga who has beat you to sleep before, and a nigga who has made yo' sister extremely uncomfortable on not just one occasion, but two now. He don't even want Jamari around us."

"So the fuck what?!" She throws her head back, her voice raising an octave. "Y'all don't want Jamari around his own daddy either. Of course he would feel the same way."

"Okay, let's think about why we don't want him around." I sit up straight, swinging my legs over the sofa. "He brought Jamari home barely being able to talk after crying so much, Farad talks to him like he some dude off the street instead of his two year old son, oh and for the tenth time....he hit you in front of him — hit you before Jamari was even born. Coulda killed y'all both and you comparing us to that? You so brain dead over a nigga who don't care 'bout nobody but himself, you're willing to condemn the folks who have actually been there."