CHAPTER 38

Chapter 38

ANGELA

MAMA, Reina screamed again. Her tiny voice bounced over the walls of the entire room. That seemed to have woken Darius up as well.

“Stop yelling” I demanded before she would wake up everyone in the house.

“Hey Ree,” He waved at her as if she had just not walked in on us sharing the bed. I could have scoffed but I was more mortifed to do anything ridiculous right then.

She was holding her red, giant teddy bear with a flustered look on her beautiful face.

“Mornin, Uncle D” She waved back at Darins with a huge smile on her face. She was always happy to see him. I don’t know how she could quickly get over the shock of seeing us on the bed that she could smile so brightly

“Did you sleep well, baby?” Darius asked.

“Yes, I did but that’s….”

“Yes, Uncle D.” Land Reina answered at the same time. We both turned to look at each other before her eyes went back to

Darius.

“I was asking Reina, not you,” He furrowed his eyebrows at me before turning to Reina.

I scoffed in disbelief. I get he’s calling us both that s*upid endearment but could he have at least specified?

“I need to get ready for school, Mama. You have to help me,” She cried. I turned to the digital clock sitting on the stool close to the bed and saw it was almost eight in the morning

Shit! Shit! Shit! How did I sleep over the alarm clock? I was so sure it must’ve sounded twice or thrice.

“My alarm didn’t sound,” I wondered as I held it showing Reina as my possible and only form of explanation as to why I didn’t wake up earlier.

“I switched it off last night.” Darius answered. I turned to him with a glare, wishing Reina wasn’t in the room so I peacefully smash the alarm on his head.

“Why?” I cried.

“I wanted you to sleep better,” He whispered, staring at me. I knew he had his reasons but he should have told me befo doing something like that. It was affecting Reina’s schedule and that wasn’t a good sign.

“Thanks,” I whispered back.

“Mama, mama, mama,” Reina screamed again.

I covered my ears with my hand, “Stop screaming, babes. Go ahead to your room, FI be right behind you,”

“Promise?” She asked and I nodded.

She rushed out of my room, dragging her giant teddy bear along with her.

After she left, the embarrassment I’d been trying to keep off settled in big time. How was I supposed to explain to her that I was sleeping with Darius without having any relationship with Darius? My daughter saw me in bed with a man. I covered my face with my palm as I released muffled sounds.

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Chapter 38

Darius removed my hand from my face and made me look at him.

“It wasn’t that bad.” He said as if he could understand why I was acting that way.

“It was terrible, how am I supposed to explain that to her?”

He shook his head. “Just calm down. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

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“What if she asks me about it? What if she tell people that we shared a bed? Do you know how embarrassing that would be?” I complained.

Which one are you more worried about, Angela? Her seeing us? Or the possibility of people finding out…” He hesitated before he continued. “that we share a bed,”

“Both,” I answered confidently

“If she ever asks you, tell her to come to me and if anybody has problem with us, let me know,”

“What will you do?” He was already out of my bed.

“Anything to not make you worry.” He kissed my forehead and walked out of my room. A few seconds later, I could hear the door to his bedroom closing loudly.

Reluctantly, I got down from bed, took a quick shower, got dressed, and went to Reina’s room. She was sitting in front of her TV, watching some kid’s show. She was hugging her teddy bear tightly and that made me question the newly found attachment to that particular teddy bear.

Once she saw me, she leaped out of the chair and came straight to me. We got dressed in silence. She wasn’t questioning me and I was too embarrassed to question her about anything as well. It was better that way. It should be better that way. I reassured myself

On the way to her school, we got a few hellos and hi from familiar strangers. These were people who didn’t bother acknowledging us when we first moved back. I know most of them from when I still lived here with my parents but five years does make a difference. Most of their hellos and hi were directed to Reina who was excited to say hello back. She was a ray of sunshine and a sweetheart who has managed to win over tens of hearts since we moved here.

“Mama,” She suddenly called a few walks to her school.

“Yes, babes,”

“Do you like Uncle Darius?”

Her question almost made me do a double-take. I almost fell face flat on the ground and begged the ground to swallow t and spit me out somewhere else.

“No,” I answered. The answer came out so fast that I almost questioned myself. I know I didn’t hate Darius like I used to, t could tolerate his presence now but do I like him? That was impossible, I can’t like the same man who broke my heart and left as if I meant nothing to him.

“Then, why did you sleep on the same bed? Shouldn’t we do that with someone we like?”

She continued with her question

“Uncle Darius is different,”

“How?” She asked, looking up at me for answers. How am I supposed to explain the tangled and complicated relationship of ours to a five-year-old?

“He’s kind of special, 1 confessed to her.

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Chapter 38

She nodded, agreeing with me. “He is. He’s my daddy, isn’t he?”

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My eyes widened at her words. Before I could say anything, she was running off to meet some of her friends who were also on their way to school. She looked back to wave at him and screamed, “Bye, mama”

How did she find out that Darius was her father? Who told her? The more I thought about it, the more I realized it had been s*upid thinking I could shield Reina from the truth.

She was Darius’s daughter, and that fact wasn’t going to change.

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