Excuse any mistakes ✨
Karen
"Thanks for tonight Drew."
"It was nothing."
"But the effort and thought behind it means alot to me."
"Your my girl and if I could I'd give you the whole world." He stopped grabbing my hand as we approached the front porch of my house.
I looked at him and blushed , his index finger lifted my chin. "Karen, your hurting honey and it's hurting me. Your light is starting to dim and that means this whole ordeal is taking so much from you."
I could tell he was truly concerned and that he really seen this situation as harmful to me. I just didn't think it would do this much from me.
"Speak to them or something I just hate seeing you like this babygirl. You putting up a front but it ain't good enough because I can see right through it and you. I love you Karen."
"I—."
"Shhh." He held both sides of my face and kissed me.
"I love you, I'm here for you. Remember for me babygirl."
"Yea sir." He kissed my forehead letting go of my hand a proceeded to walk home. I watched him til he turned the corner to his house. I went into mines seeing everyone sitting at the table.
"Glad you finally pulled yourself away from John to join us Karen." I looked at all of them before sitting beside Niecy.
"11:10." I heard my mother say to Dorinda, I just looked away proceeding to come out of my jacket.
The tension was all over but strongly connected to Niecy and mama as for mine was between Dorinda and I, Also mother and I.
"What's up guys."
" what's up? That's not how you address us or me, let's try that again."
Don't let them pull you away from
yourself Karen, just don't stinking do it.
"Hey everyone."
"Hey Karen, how was your date?"Twinkie asked me first as everyone listened.
"It was great, I mean there was a minor mishap but Drew always make me forget about little things like that."
"I wonder how." My mother said to herself but I heard her.
"I'm glad you had a good time."
"Yea me too kare, you deserve it."
"Thank you." After a moment of silence I decided to speak again this time posing a question that I knew would open up the flood gates.
"So what's the meeting for?"
"After leaving the Sheards house I wanted to talk to you girls about some things." We sat at attention and gave our respect though I knew mines was gonna be short lived.
"To start Dorinda."
"Yes mama?"
"I'd like to apologize. I didn't know what was going on, I chose the church over my children when the church isn't nothing but a building. My children are my top priority and I fell short in realizing that. I never once came to ask you was you on, how are you so please tell me, tell us."
"Mama, can we not, not with all the sisters and unfortunately not with you either." Dorinda got up and I grabbed her arm.
"No Rinda, talk."
"Karen.."
"Either you say something or I will." She looked at me with water in her eyes.
"Mama, I don't understand. Why did that happen to me, I'm his child and he would come in either when you was gone or he just got done with you. He'd lay in bed with me rubbing my arms and my hair, one night he placed my hand in his pants it was so disgusting yet he'd go back and lay with you after he finished feeling on me. Telling that I was such a pretty girl, that I looked so much like you. When I got with Greg he begin to become angered, and more stuff began to happen. Once me and Greg decided to you know it was as if he knew off the bat. He yelled at me one day because I let Greg be my first, he said that he was the first man that I was supposed to give into. He snuck in one night with his pants already off, and he put it in, I was asleep mama, I didn't know what was going on. After he was done with me I realized what had happened and I went to go sleep with Karen. He would never bother Karen, he claim she was a baby. That Karen could never match me, that I was prettier then her and wasn't fat like the rest of the sisters. When all that went down you didn't try to see what happened or why it happened you carried on as if nothing happened mama and that honestly hurt me."
Dorinda held my hand tightly. Mama was going to speak but Denise stopped her. "No mama, just listen for once."
I spoke next knowing mines would cause a change reaction.
"Mama, you hurt me mentally more then physically and in some ways I can't look at you the same. You don't listen to me, nobody in this house does! Y'all look at me because I'm the youngest and think I'm just bumping my gums and don't got no common sense, but the fact of the matter is I got more common sense then you do."
"Watch it Karen that's mama."
"Dorinda move." I shook her off of me
"Cause you another one. How come she bark you bite. When push came to shove you was on mama side when it came to kicking me and Denise out."
"Because you and Niecy was disrespectful."
"But you and her was disrespectful! This girl needs all our support and y'all sit here and act like she's the worse person in this damn house when it's y'all. Y'all are not saints, holy, sanctified people. Y'all are a bunch of world living hypocrites who think there one up because they know the Bible or whatever you claim. Anointed my ass, god they playing with you cause godly people don't treat people the way you and mama did and do. Then Dorinda I'm suppose to be your bestfriend and you turned your head just as mama barked so."
"Kare—."
"Shut up, Ian done. You played in my face Dorinda, mama you too. Cause how dare you go to Drew mama house try to air out the dirty laundry from this house and gone tell me and him can't see each other. How dare you try to judge Niecy like once again you don't have two baby daddies. Like you didn't go out to dinner with the pastor and daddy caught you and worked you like a 9-5. Dorinda wasn't you crying in the bathroom over Greg, and was bout to get tore up by some chick. Y'all are just too damn fake for me, I can't take it. Dorinda you disappoint me cause you don't have enough back home to tell mama she wrong, to stick with your sister's no matter what. You're quick to look at me and her as problematic but y'all are the problem. Jacky you wore my ass down bout something and you was doing the same thing. Twinkie was the only that stayed to herself and kept her opinions in her head. Dorinda correct me if I'm wrong, but I sense some jealously here or something."
"Karen you, it was me and you not you and her!"
"But that's still our sister."
"Your sister not mines!" Before I knew it I punched her.
"What if it was you! You'd expect me, us to be there for you. Denise need us all and nobody wants to be there. But you know what ion need y'all. I'm still gonna be there for my sister rather you like it or not. Dorinda get off your house and realize who's who, until then you and me, our bond will never be the same as it was."
I got up walking from the table seeing Dorinda hold her face.
"And mama, you really do owe Denise and I both an apology, though I know we ain't gone get one because you think you've done nothing wrong. The reason that we're out here like we are is where are you? Gone, never home. You didn't let us have too much of a childhood, you never fully talked to us or if you did you just ain't talk to me. A mother is suppose to be here, love her kids, support her kids, teach them to be ladies, how to conduct themselves, to be a leader so that her girls can follow; though I see you forgot a couple of things. Keep looking at me if I'm the baby, this baby gone be the one to show y'all something. Now I'm going to bed and unfortunately I wish everyone a nice night."
I looked direct at mama walking away. Denise mouthed to me a thank you and a wink as she got up and walked upstairs with me.
"Karen?"
"Yes?"
"You're not ok and I feel like that was only half of what you needed and wanted to say."
"Honestly you're right. But that's for a later date. Mama and Dorinda just pisses me off, light bright fools. They just do uhhh, slow. Yet I bet you I'm everything in the damn book but a child of god like they just ain't forget they lost the title for being a mother and a sister in my book."
"Mhh." I sat in Niecy room for a little longer before going in my own room.
"Karen we need to talk." Mattie sat on my bed as if she was waiting on me.
What could me and this woman possibly have to talk about now....
