Page 3 of I Don't Want You Back

“Okay, so you met him six months ago, and now you want a divorce to be with him? Do you even know this nigga like that Malia?” Landon asked.

“I know that he makes me feel young like I’m supposed to and not like an old maid. I know that I’m happier when I sneak out to be with him, instead of being here, cooking and cleaning all the time like a personal chef and maid,” Malia replied.

Now, that hurt. Landon always tried to consider his wife’s feelings, but he couldn’t fix what he didn’t know was broken. He asked her if she wanted to further her education, but she always insisted that she was fine. He would have never held her back while he pursued his dreams, and she knew that. He and Malia were each other’s first everything. He would have never dreamed of being with another woman, but the feelings obviously weren’t mutual. To know that his wife had given her body to another man was unforgiveable, especially since he had never dreamed of doing the same. He didn’t know many men his age who could say that they’d only been with one woman. Hell, if he was being honest, he didn’t know any at all.

“Oh okay, so that explains your frequent trips to your mama’s house during the past few months. Does Cora know about this too?” Landon asked, referring to Malia’s mother.

“Of course not. You know she would never condone anything like that,” Malia replied.

And that was true. Her mother always complimented Landon on being one of the only young men that she knew with his head on straight. He was a great husband and father and she loved the way that he took care of her daughter and grandsons. Her other daughters weren’t as fortunate. They ended up with deadbeat dads for their kids and cheaters for themselves. Malia didn’t have that to worry about.

“What about your sisters? You tell them just about everything. Do they know that you’ve been cheating on me for six months and want a divorce?” Landon questioned.

“Why does that even matter Landon?” Malia asked.

Unbeknownst to her, she had answered his question without doing so. It was no secret that Malia’s two sisters, Felicia and Monica, were jealous of her. She didn’t see it, but it was plain as day. They both lived in the projects with their kids and they were envious of their younger sister and her accomplishments. They looked up to her in a way, but that didn’t stop them from hating. Malia only had a high school diploma, but that was more than they ever had. She had married well, and they weren’t as fortunate. They always threw shade her way and it always seemed to go right over her head. They were probably happy to help her do him dirty and ruin her marriage.

“Please Landon, just sign the papers and let’s not make this harder than it has to be,” Malia begged.

“This is crazy Malia. I never even knew that you had these feelings until now. We could have tried to figure a way out of this mess or at least talked to somebody. We’re in the process of living our dream and you wanna hit me with this shit now. You wanna tear our family apart over a nigga that you’ve only known for six months,” Landon snapped irritably.

“I don’t expect you to understand Landon. You were out seeing the world, while I was stuck inside with two babies on my hip,” Malia replied.

“That was your choice though, Malia. I asked if you wanted to go back to school and you said no. You could have had an entry-level receptionist job at my company and worked your way up, but you declined that offer too. I was out there busting my ass to make sure you and my boys didn’t want for nothing. We had a plan and I stuck with it!” Landon yelled.

“I’m sorry Landon, but my mind is made up,” Malia replied.

“I love you, but I can’t make you stay. You barely know this man and you’re trying to move out to be with him. My main concern is my sons. I need to know that they’re safe and in a decent environment,” Landon informed her.

“They will be because they’re staying here with you,” Malia said.

“What!” Landon yelled angrily.

A feeling of déja vu hit him as he zoned out and thought back to his own childhood. Landon’s mother, Robin, had been a single parent for most of her life when he was growing up. He and his sister, Makena, never knew their father, but Robin made sure that they were well taken care of. When she married Clarence, things seemed to only get better. He treated her kids well and they loved and respected their stepfather. Things were going well, until Robin met an older man named Leroy and decided that Clarence was no longer what she wanted. Leroy lived across the street from her mother, Ella, and the two of them used to flirt with each other all the time.

It didn’t take long before Robin left Clarence and moved her two children into the house with her and her new man. That, unfortunately, didn’t last very long. Leroy was an older man with grown kids and grandkids. He didn’t want to start all over again with eight-year-old Landon and ten-year-old Makena. He tried to break things off with Robin, but she wasn’t having it. Instead of getting her kids and moving out, she packed them up and paid her mother to keep them across the street with her. Landon and his sister never even visited, but they watched from the front porch of their grandmother’s house as their mother welcomed Leroy’s grandkids with opened arms. They were even younger than her own kids, but Leroy didn’t mind them spending the summer with them. Landon’s grandmother Ella treated them well, but it wasn’t the same as having their mother there. He and his sister developed an unbreakable bond, but they never felt the same about their mother again. They had no love for her and they didn’t even try to hide it. Robin’s ex-husband kept in contact with him and they loved him like a father. Clarence never remarried and he had no kids, so Landon and Makena made sure that he was straight. He was a smart man and he’d taught them a lot over the years that they’d known him. Landon prayed that Malia didn’t make the same mistake with their kids. He didn’t want his sons to experience that kind of hurt from their own mother.

“They’re boys, Landon. They need their father. I can’t teach them how to be men like you can,” Malia said after a long, uncomfortable silence.

“And what am I supposed to tell them Malia? Am I supposed to say that their mother decided that a six-month affair was more important than them?” Landon asked.

“No, because that’s not true. I love my kids more than anything and that’s why I’m leaving them with you. You’re a great father, Landon, and that’s the only reason why I feel comfortable with my decision. I don’t want anything from you but a divorce. You can keep all the money and everything else since the boys will be with you. I’ve already made that clear in the divorce decree,” Malia replied.

“You seemed to have had this all planned out for a while now,” Landon said as he thought over everything that he was hearing.

His hurt was developing into hate and the sight of Malia was starting to disgust him. He couldn’t believe how he’d known her for so many years, yet, he really didn’t know her at all.

“You put in all the work and you deserve to keep it all. It’s the least I can do after springing this on you so suddenly,” Malia said with her head held high, like she’d done nothing wrong.

Landon noticed that she’d never let go of the divorce papers that she’d presented to him. There were a lot of papers to look through and he wasn’t signing anything until he did.

“I’ll have my lawyer look over these and get back with you. Since your mind seems to be made up, you can get your stuff and leave. I’d prefer if you’d leave before they get home from school. I’ll sit down and talk to them later,” Landon said as he snatched the papers from her hand.

Malia didn’t even try to put up a fight. She nodded her head and went upstairs to start gathering her belongings. Landon dropped his head in defeat as his heart damn near beat out of his chest. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he prayed for God to give him the strength to be a single father. The entire situation was embarrassing, and he wasn’t looking forward to having to tell anyone what happened. He knew that his family would have his back, but it was still going to be hard. His kids were looking forward to moving into their huge house with the built-in pool, but Landon was ready to throw in the towel. It made no sense to him to have a family home if he had no family to move into it.

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