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"Momma. . . . Momma. . . . Momma. . . . Momma!" the constant calling near her ear and tapping of her body wakes her quickly, but her eyelids remains sealed. The one year old lays near her face in only her Minnie Mouse pull-up and her curly ponytail messy on her head. With her small thumb, she raises her mother's eyelid.
"What is it?" Shantey asks, with her voice groggily.
"Mil-mil." Seona responds, attempting to say milk.
Shantey blows air from her nostrils as she reaches over to feel for her husband, but instead of feeling his warm body, she felt crumbles and her eyes opens. Her upper body raises and she finds Cheetos chip crumbs in a spot of her California king blanket. She already knows which child of hers done it. "Boogie!" she hollers.
Shantey pushes her curly tresses back. "You see this mess? Hand mommy her glasses baby." Seona crawls across the California king bed and retrieves her mother's Ray-Ban eyeglasses from the nightstand and hands it to her just as the soon-to-be three year old appears at the bedroom doorway.
"Ma'am?"
Shantey slipped on her prescription eyeglasses and stares at the clear view of her son. "Did you eat Cheetos in my bed?"
"I didn't." Ameer responds, and she could tell he was lying by the pouting of his bottom lip.
Shantey gestures him over and the three year old walks over, as she tosses her feet on the plush carpet when Ameer reaches her. She grabs his small hands and examines the orange residue on his fingertips. Knowing he was caught, he bit his bottom lip.
Shantey stares him in the eye. "Why did you lie to Mommy?" To her question, he could only shrug and she continues to say, "Don't lie if I ask you something because I knew you did it. We've talked about you cleaning up behind yourself. Would you leave this mess if you were at Daddy's?"
Ameer shakes his head promptly. "We get whooping."
"Exactly. So just how you don't do it with Daddy, don't do it with Mommy. Go get the hand vacuum downstairs and clean it up right now. I'm not even playing." Shantey scolds before Ameer briskly ran out the room.
"Mil-mil." Seona reiterates in a whine behind her.
Shantey stands in her sleeveless nightgown with her pregnant belly poking through the cotton material. "Mommy's gonna brush her teeth. Where the hell is Daddy?"
Seona crawls backward to the foot of the bed until her tiny feet touches the carpet and she lets go of the bed. She wobbles over to the bath to her mother on the toilet. "Can I get some privacy?"
Seona shakes her head, which makes Shantey chuckle. She finishes her business and washes her hands. She keeps the sink running to brush her teeth and wipes her face down. She'd usual do an entire morning routine on her face, but with young children that felt they runs her life, she has to put that on pause until they have what they need that will sit them down so she can do her.
