Tribea: The Journey of Us

Chapter 3

The following morning, sunbeams filtered through the curtains as Zion sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his temples. It was saturday which meant his workout day, he left Neece with the neighbour, a nice older woman name Mrs. Davis who was happy to watch her for a couple of hours.

He walked into his usual gym and spotted his best friend Deon. they had been best friends beginning his last year of college.

Deon was already doing deadlifts with heavy weights. Zion approached him and slapped him on the back, "Morning, man."

"Thanks, bro. You ready to hit the weights?" Deon replied, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Zion nodded, "Definitely. "

The gym was always his sanctuary, a place where he could let out all of his stress and anxiety. He quickly changed into his workout gear and started warming up with some stretches.

"Man, you won't believe who Neece's teacher is," Zion during their stretches.

"Who?" Deon inquired; his voice slight exhausted.

"You remeber, Wynter Amani. My ex from eight years ago."

"Damn! That's a blast from the past," Deon said, now fully awake. "Shit , how did that go?"

Zion sighed deeply, recounting the argument he had with Wynter and the tension that filled the room.

"Wasn't good man, she thinks that Neece need help but I don't know if I want her involved in our business like that,"," Zion explained, his voice laced with frustration.

Deon whistled. "thats gotta be tough man"

Zion grunted in agreement as he began lifting weights with Deon.

"I understand where you're coming from, but at the same time, Wynter is a professional. She can help Neece if she needs it," Deon replied, trying to reason with his friend.

"I know, I know," Zion muttered, feeling conflicted. "But it's just hard for me to separate my personal feelings from the situation."

There was a brief moment of silence before Deon spoke up again. "Look, why don't you go talk to Wynter and try to work something out"?

Zion felt his heart sink at the suggestion. The thought of seeing Wynter again brought up feelings he'd hoped to bury. He r remembered the last heated conversation he had with Wynter. Even after all this time, the hurtful things they had said to each other still left a deep ache in his chest. He could barely bring himself to speak the words, "You remember she had an abortion? How could I..." His voice trembled and his mind reeled with questions.

He wanted desperately for things to be different, but the memories of what happened between them felt fresh and raw.

"Of course, I remember," Deon replied solemnly. "I'm not saying she's right but people grow from things and change. It might be worth giving her a chance to prove that she can be there for Neece without bringing up old wounds." Deon continued" Plus, I'm pretty sure you told me your mom has something to do with that and I don't fully trust that story. She never really liked Wynter."

Zion let out a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.

"Yeah, my mom, my mom hinted that she had something to do with it before she took off. I should've suspected something, but she got pregnant right after it happened," Zion admitted bitterly. " I was so ecstatic when Neece was born that I just couldn't pull my head from my ass to question anything. Seeing Wynter again brought back all those feelings and memories. I didn't handle it well."