Page 5 of I Don't Want You Back

His sons were ready for a new start after their mother left and so was he. Landon scrapped the old plans that he and Malia had for the house and redesigned the entire thing to his liking. His sons got their pool and he hired an interior decorator to make their new house look like a home. They hadn’t been living there very long, but Landon loved his Barkley Estates mini mansion.

“I am satisfied dad,” Lance said after a long pause.

“Okay, so what’s the problem?” Landon questioned.

“I don’t know. I just get so mad sometimes and I want everybody to leave me alone,” Lance noted as he looked out of the window.

“You told me that once before, but what makes you that angry Lance?” Landon questioned.

“I don’t know,” Lance whispered sadly.

“I can’t help if you won’t talk to me, son,” Landon said.

He knew why his son was behaving the way he did. Landon was the same way when he was younger. Every time he thought about his mother and how she’d treated him and his sister, he got angry and needed someone to take his anger out on.

“I do talk to you,” Lance replied.

“Are you still angry about your mother leaving?” Landon asked.

“No,” Lance quickly answered. “I don’t care nothing about her.”

“I think you do. I think you’re upset and you take your frustrations out on other people,” Landon said, calling him out.

“Can we go by GG until Lennox gets out of class?” Lance asked, referring to his great-grandma Ella, who they nicknamed GG.

“Mrs. Jennings wants you to see a behavioral specialist. She made you an appointment for next Saturday. I suggest you open up and tell somebody how you really feel. You’re gonna be sleeping on Cora’s plastic covered couch if this doesn’t work. I’m not doing this with you no more,” Landon threatened.

“I’ll talk to the counselor, I promise,” Lance swore.

He would do anything he had to do as long as he didn’t have to live with his mother’s mother. She was nice and all, but her house was old fashioned and boring. Lance and his brother loved going by their father’s grandmother, Ella. She always had lots of food and she let them do whatever they wanted to do. She was also funny and kept everybody laughing. He was all smiles when his father pulled up to the house and he saw his auntie Makena’s car. Lance and her son, Ross, were the same age and he loved hanging with his cousin. He was sure that Ross was still in school, but he wanted to see his auntie anyway.

“Hey, my baby. Why are you not in school?” Makena asked Lance when he and his father walked into their grandmother’s house.

“Fighting at school, just like always,” Landon replied.

“I hope he won,” Ella replied as she inspected her great-grandson’s face for scratches or marks.

“Yo, are you serious right now grandma?” Landon inquired with a smirk.

“You damn right I am. I didn’t take no shit back in the day and I raised you and Makena to be the same way. Did you beat his ass Lance?” Ella asked.

“Yes GG,” Lance replied with a smile.

“Good, now go in the freezer and get you some ice cream,” Ella replied.

“Don’t reward his bad behavior with ice cream grandma,” Landon argued once his son was out of the room.

“My baby is not bad. That bitch leaving is the only reason he’s acting out the way he is. Her sad ass abandoned her kids over a nigga. At least Robin threw us a few dollars occasionally. That bitch Malia barely visits,” Makena snapped.

“Robin is a dumb bitch, but karma is real. I regret the day I ruined my figure and pushed her out. I knew I shouldn’t have been drinking while I was pregnant with her ass,” Ella fussed.

“This lady don’t care what comes out of her mouth,” Makena laughed.

“I’m serious and Malia is gon’ get hers too. You just wait and see. I’ve been praying for God to send you a good woman and I know He will. She ain’t have no business abandoning you and them babies like that. No wonder Lance is so angry all the time,” Ella replied.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t excuse his behavior though, grandma. His principal made him an appointment to see somebody. Hopefully, that helps,” Landon noted.

“My grandbaby ain’t crazy. He don’t need to see no damn shrink,” Ella argued.

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