Page 49 of Capone
My anger rose. My blood was boiling. Not only had she barged her way into my home, but she brought company. She had Dennis, Danny, and Nicole with her. They stood in my living room like they had every right, further pissing me off.
It was starting to dawn on me that I would never be able to be cordial with them for the sake of Gabi. Not because I didn’t want to, but because they would never respect boundaries. They would always have this sense of entitlement. Derek being the breadwinner made them believe I didn’t get a say-so, but they were about to learn.
Either they would get in line or have nothing to do with my child. I didn’t have to deal with this.
“Get out of my house. You have no right to use your spare key whenever you like. I don’t care who paid for it.”
Whitney ignored me, turning her attention to Cara. She stared at her with a sour expression. Nicole stood behind her with a cocky smirk. Her face was still bruised up from the beating she took from Sara. Whitney opened her mouth to say something, but Cara swiftly cut her off.
“Before you come over here playing with me, you better think twice. I spared you while I was with your son because we weretogether, but that isn’t the case anymore. You had better ask your son about me. I’ll hit you on the top of your head and shatter the bones in your frail ass feet. Find you something safe to do, Whitney, because I promise you, I’m not it.”
Whitney stood there with her mouth hung open. The fierceness in Cara’s eyes was not to be taken lightly. Whitney turned to me, seething. “You see what kind of trash you have in my son’s home. God knows what my grandchild has seen and heard since you decided to surround yourself with people who have no class.”
Cara snatched her purse off the coffee table before standing. Sara, Bear, and Viper followed suit. “Giovanna, I’m going to get out of here. I can feel it in my bones. This woman is going to make me knock her and that crooked-ass thrift store wig on her head straight. I would hate to explain to my mother that I slapped a senior citizen.”
My mom barked out a laugh before slapping her hand over her mouth. I giggled as Cara and Sara came over to me and hugged me. As they were leaving, Cara was still ranting.
“Got the nerve to be talking about class while wearing a wig that’s more crooked than Forrest Whitaker’s eye. That damn thing is just screaming‘all my life I had to fight,’” she mocked Oprah Winfrey’s famous line fromThe Color Purple.
You could hear Bear and Viper roaring in laughter right as the front door closed.
Whitney stared at Capone who was trying his hardest to not laugh. His eyes were shut tight as he bit his lip. “Aren’t you going to leave with them? This is family business.”
Capone’s amusement washed away as he opened his mouth, but I placed my hand on his leg, shaking my head. I didn’t need him to intervene. Today, she would finally get what she’s been asking for all these years.
“He doesn’t have to go anywhere. He’s here because I want him here. If you don’t like it, you can turn around and walk right back out that door you weren’t welcomed in.”
“How dare you speak to me this way!” Whitney yelled.
I stood up, followed by Capone and my mother. “No, how dare you. For years I have tolerated you, but enough is enough. I have done nothing to deserve the way you’ve treated me, and it stops today. Get out of my house before I call the police and have you removed. I’m done.”
“Done? I’m not leaving. I came here to see my grandchild and I’m not leaving until I do,” Whitney said.
The more this went on, the more I wanted to pack up all my belongings and never return. Mentally and emotionally, I was drained. This family was nothing but miserable. If they even sensed I had a little bit of joy, it was like they set out on a mission to kill it.
“My daughter asked you to leave, Whitney. Either you get out or I’ll revert back to the woman I used to be and drag you out,” my mother threatened. My eyes bucked because I had never heard my mom speak this way. I guess her mama bear was coming out and I couldn’t blame her. She knew firsthand how much this family had worn me down over the years.
“Drag me out? Please, Gia, have some decorum. Shouldn’t you and your husband be somewhere trying to sell her off to the highest bidder?” Whitney sneered.
“Bitch!” my mother snapped. She raced forward and slapped Whitney so hard that the wig on her head was a little more crooked than it was before. Capone pulled my mother away as she struggled against him.
I wasn’t surprised that something I told Derek in confidence, he then went and repeated it to his family. I begged him to never speak of it to anyone. What my father did was embarrassing. Itwas almost as if he wanted his mother to hate me because why would he tell her something like that?
And for Whitney to turn this around on my mother, as if she tried to force me into a marriage, was below the belt. While my father pressured me, my mom stood firm that if I wanted to marry the man he picked out, it should have been my choice.
Whitney held her cheek in her hand, completely caught off guard. “You just made this so much easier.” She pulled a manilla envelope out of her purse and slammed it onto the table. “I’ll see you in court.”
She and her family made a quick exit. I didn’t need to open the envelope to find out what was inside. Whitney had finally done good on her threat and was suing me for custody of Gabi.
If she thought she was taking my daughter away from me, then she was in for a rude awakening. I wasn’t going down without a fight.
Chapter Eighteen
GIOVANNA
It was the day after all the drama with Whitney had gone down. I was still in a state of disbelief. I couldn’t believe this was what my life had come to. All I wanted to do was be happy. Was that too much to ask for?
I couldn’t think of anything I’d done to deserve all the terrible things that had been done to me. The past couple of years of my life had been filled with turmoil. The only bright spot I had was my daughter and now Capone.
