The Choice Of Us

Dark Dreams

TIANA

Entering into the shop, I'm perplexed; hoping the things I was seeing weren't really there.

Here my mother was laughing with that man. Giving him a generous portion of velvet cake.

That was my cake!

Narrowing my eyes on their interaction just as I was about to turn and leave, her eyes landed on my profile, only to wave me over.

SHIT!

"How was work, T?" she asked ignoring the questions my eyes conveyed as they switched between her and burned the back of his head.

"Good. Aren't you supposed to be closing down the shop? It's getting a little late and I wouldn't want you walking home in the dark," I said gesturing to the empty shop.

Her brow rose in question at my icy tone, but I didn't care. Her safety was of paramount importance to me and I felt uneasy knowing she was all alone since Janet was nowhere in sight.

"I did owe Luis a treat. And you remember my polite, sweet daughter, Tiana," she stressed indirectly hinting at me to change my attitude as she remained fixed on the other individual in the room. He glanced in my direction giving a curt nod.

"It's nice to officially meet you," he said stretching his large hand out. Completely ignoring it, I place my attention back on my mother whose face had hardened upon seeing my cold dismissal of him.

He'd survive.

"Can we go now?"

Not waiting for her response I turned on my heels willing to wait outside before she dragged me back by my two front teeth.

She eventually came outside handing him a container," It was good seeing you. Hope the writer's block ends soon, I'm dying to read your next book."

"Thank you. I loved the cake, I'll be sure to come," he paused sparing me a glance to return his focus onto my mother," at a more reasonable time in the future." I scoffed watching him turn and head off in the opposite direction.

Once he was quite a distance my mother quickly turned around glowering in my direction, I knew she was upset. Whilst she was closing down the shop I had spent the period outside steeling myself for what she was going to say or even do. My mother had made it very clear as I grew into a woman that I would never be too old for her to as she put it quite horrifically, "tear my black ass up."

"You really have some nerve," she said walking past me.

"Please spare me the lecture, I know I shouldn't have behaved that way but I was only looking out for you," I whined readjusting my bag as I followed behind her shorter profile.

"From what- I've lived longer in this world and I did just fine without you looking out for me."

I stomped past her, annoyed at why she was cordial with him.

"And besides he helped me out yet you act like. . ." she stopped, refusing to voice out her thoughts, allowing her voice to drift off into the air. She left the statement hanging; however, it didn't take much to know what she was alluding to. It's wrong of me to place all of them into the same box. But I didn't care.

Why should I care? They never did.

My mother could go off acquainting herself with him, what I didn't want was for her to coerce me into engaging in any form of conversation with him. It was that simple.

The rest of the night was filled with awkward tension. She hardly responded when I tried to engage in a conversation with her. I grew tired of her one-word answers until eventually unable to deal with more of her frowning at me; I called it a night. . .