Page 34 of Tell Me You Love Me Again

After I hung up with my mother, it was my turn to pay for my things. I was hoping to stay under three hundred dollars, and I barely missed it by seventy-two cents. Once I piled the bags into my truck, I headed to my parent’s house to have this much needed talk with them. When I pulled up and saw my father’s car, I was elated because he was just the person I wanted to see. I got out and sauntered my way up the sidewalk and rang the doorbell and waited for someone to open the door for me. A few seconds later, my mother appeared on the opposite side of the door.

“Girl, where is your key?” she asked, stepping to the side.

“I didn’t realize I didn’t have it until I got here. It’s probably home. Where’s Daddy?” I asked, looking around for him.

“In the den,” she revealed. Nodding, I headed in that distraction with her hot on my heels.

When I walked inside of the den, I saw my father sitting on the sofa looking over some papers. When he saw me, he put the papers down and gave me his undivided attention.

“Hey baby girl. I thought you were out of town with that husband of yours,” he greeted.

“I was. That’s actually the reason I came by. I got my memory back while we were out of town. Everything came rushing back to me, leading up to the accident. You were right. Gabe was calling me right before I crashed, but it was because he was checking up on me, because I had been ignoring him all day. I remember coming to talk to Ma and she told me to go home and talk to my husband, but in the back of my head I heard your voice telling me to leave that no good nigga.”

“Well, I’m glad you got your memory back, sweetheart. Now you can finally remember that nigga was never any good for you,” he bleated.

“That’s where you’re wrong, daddy. Here. Look at this.” I handed him my phone that had the video and pictures of our new home.

“What’s this?” he asked, still looking through the pictures.

“It’s the reason my husband was spending so much time at work. I asked Gabe to build me my dream home earlier this year. He never spoke about it, so I figured he wasn’t going to do anything. To my surprise, the whole time that I was whining and listening to you, my husband was doing the very thing that he told you he would. Give me my heart’s desire if it was within reach.” The look on my father’s face was priceless.

“Well…uh…he could’ve at least let you know so you wouldn’t be in the dark,” he retorted.

“Oh, James. Just hush. You’ve caused enough problems. I told you not to spoil these girls, but you did, anyway. Quita can’t keepa man and you almost had Chi leaving the only one that was willing to deal with her. You’re her father and that will never change, but you need to let Gabe be her husband. This is proof that man loves your child just as much as you do…if not more.” My mother was always the voice of reason. That was usually the reason we didn’t want to come to her, because she wouldn’t side with us if we were wrong.

“Chiara, I just didn’t want him to do the same thing to you that Troy did. I may have gone about it the wrong way, but I was really trying to look out for you. You’re my baby girl…married or not.” He got up and hugged me and that’s when the tears started.

“I appreciate it, Daddy, but you have to realize that I need to make my own decisions when it regards my marriage. I forgave Gabe, as well as myself, and we’re working on getting back on track. I need you to respect that. If you can’t, then I’ll see you on the outside.” I meant what I said. I needed to focus on my marriage and not making my father happy. My mother was right. I was his daughter…not his wife, so regarding my marriage, I didn’t need his approval.

“I’ll try, baby girl,” he responded with a warm smile.

“Now, show me this house,” my mother gushed. I sat and showed her the pictures and she volunteered to go shopping with me. It felt good being in this place, but it felt better knowing I would be going home to a man that loved me just as much as I loved him.

When I got home, it was already dark. Gabe told me he was already at the new house, so that’s where I went. There weren’t any dishes here, so he ordered out and I was thankful. We showered and finished eating and now lying in bed.

“So, how did the visit with your parents go?” he asked.

“It went. My father tried to justify his actions, but my mother shut it down. I told him he had to respect my marriage, meaning he has to respect you, too. I wasn’t budging on that.”

“You didn’t have to go against your pops for me, Snook, but I appreciate it.”

“It’s the least that I could do after the way I’ve acted and treated you,” I voiced.

“We’re good, Snook. I promise.”

“I love you, Gabe,” I cooed.

“Tell me again.”

“I love you, Gabe.”

That night was the beginning of our fresh start, and I couldn’t have been happier. The road there was bumpy, but I’ll be the first to say it was worth it.

Epilogue

A year later

This past year has definitely been one for the books. Gabe and I’s relationship has been doing great, and that meant more to me than anything else. He’s not throwing his self into his work anymore and I stepped off of his neck. After some searching, I understood his plight, and I ended up apologizing again. His business with Gary has flourished, and they even hired more drivers so that the both of them could be home more. As a result, he and Shannon are on baby number two. Tonight we were hosting a small New Year’s get together for our family. I’ve been in the kitchen most of the morning preparing because I refused to let anyone come early and help me. Thank God Gabe was home to lend a hand when I needed it. I had just gotten finishedtaking my shower and getting dressed when Gabe walked inside of the room with our three-month-old son, Garrison. I let them keep their little tradition of naming their children after each other. Garrison wasn’t a bad name, so I could live with it.

---