Hell On Earth

Twenty Three:

Egypt Hoskins
July 21
9:09 pm

"You good now?" Tremaine asked as I hung up the phone and sat it on my lap, laughing. We ended up going out tonight and I left Carson with Akira and Aunt Terri so I called to check on them

"Yeah I'm good now. She said he went to sleep"

"Lemme know when you ready to get back home if you start missing him now"

"No. I'm good Tremaine. I need to stop keeping him up under me so much anyways now that school about to start back plus his daddy wanna keep him whenever he's home"

Tremaine pushes his straw through the hole of his Chic fil a cup and looked over at me

"So you gone let him keep him when he come for the weekends and shit?"

"Starting off I don't mind a night.. but I gotta wing my way into the whole weekend thing. I just don't wanna seem like a butthole about it though cause I know when basketball season get here he's gonna be mostly traveling. You know"

"I hear you. But shit. Y'all gone have to work that out"

"You right.." I looked straight ahead out the window at the empty park that we were parked at. Since we really couldn't think of anything to do for a date I suggested we could just get something to eat and chill.. have a REAL conversation because even though we've known each other for a long time. We still don't really KNOW each other

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked

"Wassup?"

"Does it bother you that Carson ain't yours?"

Tremaine laughed a little before drinking from his cup

"No. What made you ask that?"

"Ion know. Sometimes I worry th-"

"Egypt you ain got shit to worry about. Stop worrying. I love you and I love Carson just as much cause he might not be mine.. but he still mine if you get what I'm sayin"

"Of course. I mean, you been here since I found out I was pregnant. You been just as involved in his life already as anybody else"

"Like I said, that's my baby"

I laughed and laid my head on him "well, do you think y'all would ever get along.. for the sake of Carson."

"Ion know bout all that now"

"For Carson though?"

Tremaine shrugged "I'll never forget how he treated yo ass. Then not to mention that shit he pulled in the locker room" he shook his head and I could tell by the look on his face that he was playing it back in his head

"What he did was wrong. I agree! But you know, I'm tryina learn to forgive. Plus I want both of y'all to be able to peacefully coexist because y'all just as important in Carson's life as anybody else."

"Ima always be there for him no matter what. Cause I know how that shit feel to not have a male figure in yo life. Everything I know how to do, I learned from my momma and grandma"

"What about your stepdad?"

Tremaine kissed his teeth. Being what happened with his momma and stepdad, I knew this was an extremely sensitive situation with him that he rarely talked about so I instantly regretted bringing it up

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Nah you straight..." he assured me before sighing "I just ain ever fuck with that nigga. He was evil as hell. The way he put his hands on my momma then tried to turn around and do the same shit to me when I tried to defend her... living in that house with that nigga was like living in hell. All he did was complain and fight us"