Page 85 of When Love Takes Over
“I don’t like your tone, Son. Don’t forget that I’m still your mother.”
“I’d never forget that.”
We looked at the menu in silence, and when the server came, we placed our drink, appetizer, and food orders. She’d barely walked away before I addressed the reason we were there.
“Let’s talk about what happened yesterday,” I said.
“A lot happened yesterday. Where do you want me to begin?”
“How about we start with you inviting Callie to look at venues with you and my wife. What made you think that was okay?”
“Malyah doesn’t know anything about you, Son. You and Callie have been a thing for years, so I figured she knows you very well and could be helpful.”
“You figured wrong. Callie and I were never a thing, and she knows nothing about me because our relationship was purely based on sex.”
“But—”
“There’s no but, Ma. You’re trying to force something that doesn’t fit, has never fit, will never fit, and I don’t want to fit. Since you and Callie are best friends now, did she tell you she lied about being pregnant with my child?”
“What? That’s not true. Callie would never?—”
“She would, and she did, Ma. That’s why there was only one thing she could do for me, and that’s over for good. You owe Malyah an apology for the stunt you pulled.”
“I had no idea Callie was that kind of girl, but whatever version of the story Malyah told you, I’m sure she left out how disrespectful she was. I’m owed an apology as well.”
“But you do agree that your behavior was outta pocket, and you should apologize?” I pressed.
“Fine. Malyah, I apologize if inviting Callie to join us made you feel uncomfortable. That wasn’t my intent,” she lied.
Malyah delivered a smile that didn’t expose her teeth, and I wasn’t sure, but I believed that meant she knew my mother was on some bullshit.
“Mrs. Goode, making me feel uncomfortable was exactly your intent, and it worked, so I don’t accept your apology. I know I’m not who you envisioned for your son, but real or not, he chose to marry me. I’m in no way looking for your sympathy, but I’ve had a hard life, and as much as I’d rather there not be friction between us, I won’t lose any sleep over it. I’ve faced andconquered much harder battles than getting somebody’s mama to like me. I genuinely apologize for disrespecting you, but I match energy, so if you make disrespecting me the norm, I will give you the same energy one hundred percent of the time.”
I watched Malyah as she spoke her piece, and I swear with each word, I admired her even more. She’d been through a lot and had moments when she wanted to break, but she didn’t.
I’d seen tiny glimpses of her vulnerable side, and I believed that with time, she’d let her guard down and be completely open with me. I wouldn’t rush her, but I would show her what consistency, honesty, reliability, integrity, and transparency looked like. I’d continue working to earn her trust, and hopefully, her love would soon follow.
Her quiet strength was sexy. She faced her problems head-on and didn’t let them break her spirit. The thought of marrying one of those bougie, entitled, self-absorbed, spoiled brats my mother wanted me to marry seemed asinine when I had this gem of a woman in front of me.
“Ma, is there anything you want to say?”
She released a defeated breath as her shoulders slumped. Her head slowly went from side to side, as if she were warring with something in her mind.
“First, let me give you a genuine apology. Although I justified it to myself, inviting Callie was wrong. When Kenny showed up with you on his arm and introduced you as his wife, I was upset because I’d lost control of the situation. I let the women in my circle convince me that handpicking my son’s wife was the way to go. You were on the receiving end of something that had nothing to do with you, and for that, I apologize . . . for real this time. Can we start over?”
Malyah didn’t respond immediately, but when she did, I think both my mother and I were surprised.
“Starting over is fine, Mrs. Goode, but just know, I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you. First impressions are everything, and my first impression of you left a lot to be desired. I don’t hold grudges, but the slate is not clean. Everything you say to or do for me will be suspect until further notice. Truce?”
The shocked look on my mother’s face was comical, and I had to try hard not to laugh. Malyah offered her hand to my mother, and she accepted. Although they shook on it, something told me that it would be a while before things were smooth sailing.
Our food arrived, and the tension at the table didn’t disappear, but we managed to enjoy it. My mother asked Malyah safe questions, and Malyah gave her safe answers. A few funny anecdotes were exchanged, and we laughed. Overall, I’d say things went well.
“I haven’t seen your ass since your wedding. I guess that means things are going well,” Ronin said.
It had been a month and a half since he’d been the sole witness and photographer for our wedding. Between work and being a newlywed, Ronin and I had barely communicated over the past month.
He hit me up and asked if I wanted to meet up for a few drinks and catch up. I could’ve stayed at work for at least two more hours, but a few drinks sounded good.
