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Elijah Baker
I silently sat at the table while everyone else ate and conversed like the Brady bunch.
It was crazy to me that they could sit here every Sunday and pretend they liked each other just to have something to do.
My grandma hated my mama, yet she sat right next to her and laughed at the simplest of jokes.
My mama couldn't stand our cousin, but she always hugged her and gave her an extra piece of cake when they left.
What was the point?
Lauren was quiet too, but that was likely due to the fact that she was trying to fly under the radar, and avoid the bruise on her face from being the focal point of any conversation.
In the beginning, I tried caping for her, but what can I do if she won't leave? What's the point in even addressing it when it's become the norm?
"Elijah you not eating?" Grandma Pat asked.
I looked down at my untouched plate, "Don't look like it."
Lauren coughed a laugh but quickly recovered. My mom looked in my direction and smiled, "He'll just take it home."
"His wife don't cook? She just sit in that big ass house all day?"
Grandma Pat was a typical grandma. Messy as fuck for no reason, always giving an unwanted opinion, and always, always, in somebody else fucking business.
So if you're keeping score, at the top of my list of people I don't like in this family: Marc was first, followed by Christian in a close second, then came my 2 teeth having ass Grandma Pat bringing up third.
Christian sighed, "Ion know why he still let her stay there."
"She'll be on the streets if it was me." Marc agreed.
Initially, I did put Leah out. I'm sure the reason she slept in my front yard like a dog that night was to reach the last bit of feelings I did have for her.
I only tried to be present at this shit for the sake of my mama. I'd missed a lot of dinners after the loss, but even before that, my presence was becoming scarce because I couldn't pretend to like these people.
"How's Milani doing in school?" My mom asked, trying to get the attention off of me.
It was too late, though. They'd already decided it was time to do another session of Bashing Elijah.
"Leah cheated 'cause you too soft." Jamarcus insisted, "I wish Lauren would."
"Marc please just eat your food. This is why he doesn't come over here anymore." My mama stated sadly, "Y'all bully him."
Christian chewed his food calmly, "He's 27. If he let somebody bully him, he deserve it."
"Exactly." Grandma Pat nodded her big ass head, "That's what's wrong with these supposed to be men these days. Christian, I told you when he was growing up that Tracey spoiled him."
Sometimes I really just thought about going to her house and shooting at it so she'd have a heart attack.
They continued to talk, to nag, to irritate me.
I stood up, "Mama I'll see you tomorrow."
Marc should've shut the fuck up and ate his food, but he couldn't help but make another comment, "Let me know if you need me to show you how to keep a wife."
My arm wrapped around his neck, yanking him backwards out of the chair, "Call me soft again. I dare you."
We both knew he wouldn't, and that was due to the metal object he felt.
"Do it pussy." I instigated, "I been waiting onna reason."
Christian was clapping while my mom tried to get me to let go, Lauren was sitting there like she wanted me to do it, and Marc tried to remove my arm from his neck.
Once it was clear he wasn't going to say it, I let go and watched him fall to the floor. He coughed a couple times and started laughing.
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I'd like to think that I was just riding around with no destination in mind.
But that was clearly a lie because I ended up in Kensley's area, and she didn't stay near anything that I needed at the moment.
I tried going home, but Leah was back on her bullshit, Zi was doing whatever with whoever, Christian lived in my mama's house.
And now I'm by her apartment.
I'd always planned ahead when I was going to see Kensley, but I wasn't afforded that opportunity right now. I just hoped she was at home and wouldn't think it was weird as hell that I showed up unannounced.
Luckily for me, she was sitting in her car scrolling on her phone. I glanced around the area, wondering why she hadn't made the attempt to go upstairs.
Trying not to scare her, I walked a path that would put me in her line of sight if she looked up. A pointless measure because she didn't look up from the damn phone.
I sent her a message: you must be watching porn?
Her head snapped up and a smile was instantly on her face as she opened the door, "I was on Twitter. They dragging this lady for saying she can't date men with a 9-5. Sounds like a perfect match for you, Elijah."
Kensley never asked why or how I ended up here, she just started up the stairs knowing I'd follow.
"That's my type." I closed my eyes briefly, "Please do-."
It was too late, "Rich nigga eight figures that's my type." Her voice changed to a sound like the chipmunks, "That's my type, nigga that's my type."
"That song gone be the reason we never talk again."
"Oh please." Kenlsey laughed as she let me walk in, "You pulling up on me unannounced. That lil song not stopping a thing."
She was right.
"Stop sitting in your car like that too. That ain't safe."
Coby was in the kitchen mumbled lyrics to a song, "You don't wanna fuck with meee. I'm just tryna get to the cheeseee, running up this greeennn. Lamborghini keys, that's all I'm thinking bout', ain't wanna run the streets so I went a different route."
I looked at Kensley who just shook her head pulled me down the hall, "He's getting better." She offered after closing the door.
"Ion wanna hear what it sounded like before that."
"Sooo." Kenlsey pulled off her work shirt and reached for a different one, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
I could have told her that this was the only place that brought me peace at the moment, or that I wanted to talk to her because she was the only one besides Lauren and Zi who actually made me laugh.
"I was riding by and saw you sitting in your car."
Kensley threw her hands in the air, "The lies, the lies!"
"I was bored." I lied again, "Wanted to see what you was doing."
"I'm not doing anything. Probably about to make some brownies 'cause the girls need chocolate.... Then we can watch Wild n' out?"
It didn't matter to me what we did.
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yk....i really dislike elijah's family.
thanks for reading ð