𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

omniscient pov:

upon arriving at her mother's residence, kali's heart flooded with memories.

kali, alongside her siblings and mother, relocated to this dwelling following her parents' divorce. while not extravagant, they managed to make it their home.

some background on kali's parents: denise encountered vincent when she was seventeen, on the cusp of completing high school, whereas he, ten years her senior, had already graduated.

their courtship, commencing merely four months earlier, swiftly evolved into a relationship. however, the dynamic shifted when demise disclosed her pregnancy with kali.

Vincent's behavior altered, often failing to fulfill promises of returning home promptly. Despite a brief reconciliation seven months later, where Vincent pledged to amend his ways, the situation remained complicated.

Their nuptials occurred when Kali reached five years old, concurrent with Denise's expectancy of their second offspring, Kobe.

Balancing work with caring for herself, Kali, Kobe, and the impending addition to their family proved arduous for Denise, amplifying stress levels.

Vincent eventually persuaded Denise to relinquish her job, ostensibly to provide for the family, although this assertion later proved deceptive.

With the impending arrival of their third child, Kiara, the family enjoyed nearly four years of relative tranquility.

However, turmoil erupted on Kali's fourteenth birthday when Denise unearthed evidence of Vincent's infidelity, shattering their semblance of peace.

Despite attempts to maintain composure for Kali's sake, Denise's shock culminated in emotional upheaval once the celebrations concluded.

Vincent vehemently denied any wrongdoing, exacerbating Denise's distress.

The revelation struck Kali particularly hard, as she harbored self-blame, especially given the timing coinciding with her birthdays.

Compounding the turmoil, Denise discovered she was expecting their fourth child shortly before Vincent's deceit came to light. However, the stress contributed to a tragic miscarriage, a burden Denise bore alone.

Vincent's subsequent departure left Denise in dire straits, grappling with single parenthood, financial instability, and eventual eviction at his behest.

Enduring a transient existence, Denise relied on government aid, eventually securing employment as a waitress, channeling every penny towards securing their current abode—a modest three-bedroom residence.

While modest in size, the newfound stability elicited tears of joy from her children, symbolizing hope amidst adversity.

Today, only Kiara remains under Denise's care, with Kobe pursuing higher education and Kali establishing a home with Azi.

$

i was currently in my old room which was now just kiara's room. me and her shared so many memories in this room. like staying up all night, singing our hearts out, crying to each other or even just cuddling with each other for comfort

even though we were ten years apart she was still my baby. now i am twenty seven and she was seventeen. she was soon to be done with high school and graduate.

she wanted to go far away for college and i was totally for it. she wants to go maryland which is across the country and in a whole different time zone.

we live in california by the way, oxnard to be exact.

kiara was extremely smart too, all honors and ap classes for her senior year.

"can i come stay with you for a few days?" kiara randomly asks.

"of course you can, baby sister." i immediately responded. "can i ask you why though?"

"i just need a break from home, plus i haven't stayed with you since you moved." she says.

"you know you're always welcome, you don't even have to ask." i pull her into my side. "just be prepared to get up extremely early."

she nods and she goes and grabs a bag to pack. i decided to let her pack and leave the room.

i knocked on kobe's door and he told me to come in. i joined him on his bed as he was looking through old pictures.

the picture he was looking at now was on my fourteenth birthday, the day my parents split.

it was all five of us together, smiling as a family. i'll never forget that day and i'll never forget all the crying and blaming i did.

i grabbed the picture from his hand and just hugged him. he eventually just let it all out on my chest. i rubbed his back as a comfort, but i knew that wasn't gonna fix the problem.

kobe is the only boy and every boy needs his dad. unfortunately, kobe grew up without him. kobe was only five when dad split, and he didn't really understand.

i still don't think he understands.

i don't either.

but as kobe and kiara's big sister, i have to be strong. i have to be strong for my mom too.

my mom has done a damn good job of playing both roles of mom and dad to me and my siblings for the past thirteen years.

i held him for a while longer before saying anything. "i love you, ko, and if you ever need anything and i mean anything please let me know."

"i love you too. thank you." he gave me a weak smile.

i closed his door and quickly wiped the tear that rolled down my cheek.

i went back to kiara's room to see that she wasn't there anymore. i figured she was downstairs so i made my way down and saw her on the couch.

i heard a lot of commotion in the kitchen so i figured that's where my mom was.

"mommy, i'm about to leave." i say walking up behind her.

"okay, baby." she opens her arms for a hug. "i love you so much. thank you for letting kiara stay with you."

"of course. i would tell you to come too, but i know work has been really chaotic lately." she nods.

"yeah, but maybe i can stay with you next weekend. me and kobe will come since it'll be his last weekend down here." she says.

i nodded. "sounds like a plan."

she kisses my forehead and tells me bye once more before i leave the kitchen and follow kiara out the door.

right now, mom was working as a receptionist in a law firm. she loved it there and i was so happy that she wasn't a waitress anymore.

kobe attended college in florida on a scholarship for football so it was extremely rare he got to come and visit.

eventually mom wants to move to florida closer to him, and since kiara wants to go to school in maryland, it would be a lot more convenient.

they'd just be leaving me in california which i didn't have a problem with. me and azi actually talked about moving to florida too. he said he wouldn't mind it since he has family there.

me and kiara made it to my house in about twenty minutes. it made sense for her to stay with me since her new school is not too far from the school i work at.

my mom was driving her almost forty minutes to school every day and i told her that she could just stay with me. but my mom insisted because she didn't want me to feel like kiara is my responsibility.

i settled kiara in one of our guest rooms and let her know where everything was and that if she needed anything, i was only a few doors down.

azi came home not too long after i did and he joined me in the living room as we just watched some tv for the rest of the night.