When History Repeats Itself

Chapter Seven

Two weeks into the new month of October, I was fully moved into my dad's house. My room was filled with boxes, mostly stuff I owned from my college days to date. Sumaya's stuff had taken over one guest room which also doubled as her second closet.

My mum had tried to convince me to move back in with her. As nice as that offer was, I was not willing to spend an hour on the road to work and an hour back. I did promise to devote some weekends with her, so this Saturday dressed in a simple pink maxi dress, I drove to my mum's restaurant slash bar, Evolve.

I left my overnight bag in the trunk of the car and walked into the restaurant. As usual, a few patrons waved at me as I made my way to the back office.

"The prodigal daughter returns!" My mum said when she saw me at her doorstep. Nii was comfortably seated on the couch in khaki shorts and a tee shirt.

"Hi Nii"

"Hello Kerry. We're happy to have you this weekend"

My mum was in blue jeans and a black and white striped shirt. She looked a little too dressed for her usual Saturday morning drop-by at the restaurant.

"Going somewhere?" I asked.

"Yes actually, Nii and I were wondering if you would join us for breakfast?"

"You know aunt Jamila does not let me leave the house without eating breakfast right?"

"Maybe you could have a fruit salad or a muffin, something small"

I could see her eyes pleading with me. Breakfast with lovebirds. Shoot me now. But I knew I would go with them anyway.

"Sure. Who can turn down an opportunity to go out just to eat a muffin"

She hugged me, squeezing me tight.

So that is what we did. We went out to eat breakfast and I knew it was my mother's ploy to get me to warm up to Nii. The restaurant we went to also had a miniature golf park. So of course my mum so subtly suggested we play.

"You know she is trying to get us to be besties right?" Nii said in a girly voice. I could not help laughing and my mum smacked his arm.

They did make a cute couple, no doubt. Spending most of the morning with them helped me see Nii in a different light. Minus his sons around, I did get reminded of what my mum saw in him.

We let my mum win and as she did her victory dance Nii winked at me. We could have taken her anyway but we let her have today.

Since I got a new car, I became the chauffeur for the morning so I dropped off Nii first at his house then took my mum and myself back to the restaurant.

"So tell me what's new?" She asked once we were seated. We were sitting next to each other in a booth. The restaurant did not open till two p.m on Saturdays so we had all the privacy in the world.

"Nothing much. Just work"

"Are we going to talk about what happened between you and Damien?" My mum broached the subject cautiously.

"I really don't want to. He and I are not friends anymore"

"How does such a friendship end? You two really care about each other and I saw the way you two look at each other but you never crossed that line for the sake of your friendship"

My mind replayed the events of that night and I struggled to hold back tears. I had pushed all feelings for Damien deep down and refused to deal with them.

"Come on Kerry talk to me. You know he loves you, not in that way, you two can see past whatever misunderstanding you had"

That was it, all that bottled up emotions were let loose. I began to sob and buried my face in my mum's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around me in comfort and stroking my back, she kept saying 'it's okay"