Page 21 of Rich and Rotten

The drink I had downstairs didn’t have any effect, so I grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine fridge and popped it open. Taking two glasses, I poured nearly the entire bottle into my cup and handed Bloom what was left.

“Years have passed, and I moved on, never thinking I would see him again. I’ve spent years trying to forget him, and now…now he appears.”

I was speaking to both Bloom and myself. These were the thoughts that filled my head when I saw him sitting downstairs. Bloom sipped her wine, giving me the chance to ramble a bunch of words that eventually stopped making sense. When I was done, she slid my full glass of wine toward me.

“Take a sip and breathe for crying out loud.”

I grabbed the glass, leaned on the counter, and slowly sipped the merlot that wasn’t doing anything to calm my racing heart.

“I never expected to see him again. I had gotten used to the idea of never seeing him ever again. I even started thanking God that I wouldn’t have to have that conversation with him.”

“Who says you have to?

I looked at Bloom like she was drinking something stronger than aged merlot.

“I can’t have this man around here, knowing we share a daughter, and not tell him. He already asked about her birthmark.”

“What about her birthmark?”

“Apparently, his mother has the same birthmark.”

Bloom leaned back in the chair as she sipped her wine. “So, his mother has the same birthmark. Why didn’t you mention that before?” she questioned.

I remained leaning on the counter while staring at her. At times, I cut her slack because she was often out of the loop. While Yaya and I were known for popping a bottle of wine and cuddling up on the couch for deep conversations that always ended with us crying in each other’s arms, Bloom was the complete opposite. She wasn’t emotional like us, and whenever we had a girls’ night, she was almost always somewhere doing something else. When she did join us, her advice was always fuck everything and everybody. Sometimes her advice was solid, but not always––and especially when it came to her understanding how I felt about losing Karim. She assumed, because he had been gone for some time, that I would move on with my life and not grieve so much.

As much as I looked like I was carrying everything well––and for the most part I was––there were times when I wasn’t. That’s when I needed someone to tell me it was all right. My mother wasn’t that person because she was off living her own life, and I would never hold that against her. For years, she sacrificed her happiness for her family––always showing up and being the rock because my father never cared to. Now it was her turn to be free and in love with someone who actually showed her love in return. I wanted nothing but the best for my mother, and that meant not giving up more of her life to move in with me because my husband died––although she tried.

“Girl, you just spaced.” Bloom waved her hands in my face, and I looked over at her.

“Sorry. What were we talking about?”

She set down her wine glass. “Birthmark and your ex-boyfriend from college being in your home.”

I sighed. “I never met Nazir’s family. He was always closed off about that side of his life, and I respected that. I never brought him around mine either.”

“So, you both treated each other like side people? Tati, the man could’ve been married for all you knew.”

“He wasn’t married. Nazir wouldn’t lie and betray me like that… I don’t think.” I lifted my glass and took a slow sip.

The Tatiana I was in college wanted to believe he would never do something like that to me. That whatever made him leave, he did it because he had to––not just to hurt me.

“Girl, he could’ve had a wife, a child on the way, and been the mayor of Bloomville.”

“Bloomville?”

“Not important,” she replied with a wave of her hand. “My point is, he’s not the same man you fell for when you were in college. So much life has happened since then. Neither of you are the same people.”

“He saw her, Bloom. He’s going to put the pieces together.”

“And you’re gonna have to be honest with him.” She paused for a moment. “Actually, he abandoned you with a child, so you don’t owe the nigga nothing.”

I snorted. “He had no clue I was pregnant when he left.”

She folded her arms across her chest as if she wasn’t convinced. “Yeah, well, he damn sure ain’t checked in on you since he left you butt naked and full of cum.”

“Bloom!” I threw the wine cork at her, laughing.

She ducked and started laughing, too.