Page 34 of Enigma
“I—not really, can I come in so we can talk?” worry etched across her face.
“We were just about to eat dinner. If you’d like to join us, I’ll fix you a plate,” I offered.
“Yes, dear, if you don’t mind, I’d love to.”
“Mom, what brings you by?” Caleb was anxious to know what brought his mother to his home unannounced, considering she hadn’t even bothered to come here when Maria or Angel passed.
I’d only seen his parents 1-2 times since knowing Cal, the first being when he was drafted to the NBA. I assume that was to put on a front for the cameras, and the second was at Maria’s funeral; however, I can’t recall a time before or since that they checked on Caleb or the kids. Angel shared with me the strain between Caleb and his parents, and it only got worse when he and Maria became teen parents and refused to abort or give CJ up for adoption. The strain only grew when Maria got pregnant with Mario before they graduated from college, and Cal headed to the pros.
“Caleb, your father has completely lost his mind. After the fight you two had at Sunday dinner, he vowed to make good on his threat to ruin you and anyone you loved.”
Caleb hadn’t made any mention of a fight and only told me that we’d discuss it face to face.
“Wait, what fight Caleb?!”
Sighing as he put his fork down, “I didn’t want to ruin your trip by having you worry from hundreds of miles away, but Sunday dinner was a disaster.”
Caleb went on to recall the details of the disastrous dinner that ended in a physical altercation between the two men. I wish I could say I was shocked, but I didn’t put anything past a man who went out of his way to mistreat his wife and put his kids in the middle of it. Guilt began to slowly cover me like a cloak, remembering the argument Caleb and I had when I pushed him to tell his parents about us, and now our lives were headed for chaos because of it.
As if Caleb could read my mind, “Yanna, baby, don’t do that.”
“Cal, I shouldn’t have pushed so hard for you to tell him, I should’ve minded my business.”
Mrs. Black stepped in before her son could, “Oh, honey, this was bound to happen because Sr. resents Cal for being the man he wasn’t. Cal had always been a standup person, even as a child when his father took him to frolic with his mistress at the time. Cal told me as soon as they walked through the door where his father had taken him and what he had seen. It was the first time I’d learned of Sr’s infidelities,” my heart breaking for Caleb and his mother as she told me their story.
“I know my children think I’m weak, but I stayed for the longest time so they could have a comfortable life. Whenever I threatened to leave, Sr. threatened to take away our comfort and stability, and I would die before I let that happen.” Tears streamed down her face as Cal rounded the table to hug his mother.
“Caleb, I’m leaving your father; that’s what pushed him over the edge. He was served with divorce papers and told me that if I followed through with the divorce, he would ruin the things I loved most, my kids.”
Caleb’s body stiffened at the news his mother dropped in his lap, nothing but silence between us.
“It’s about damn time!” Caleb yelled as he hugged his mother tight, “This is the best news I’ve heard today, Mama. I’ve only ever wanted you to be happy and respected, and Sr. never gave you that. Whatever you need, I’ve got you.”
“Cal, I’m good, your father was so busy running through any bitch that would open her legs that I was managing the finances. The money you would send, I was putting in an account your father never knew anything about, so I’ll be using that money to start a new life for myself,” causing me to clap as I rounded the table to hug her as well. My mind then went to the conversation I had earlier with Liah as I hopped up.
“Cal! When I talked to Liah earlier, she mentioned some cheesy gossip blog reporting on you cheating on your wife while she was fighting for her life,” I handed him my phone with the story pulled up.
“This has Sr. written all over it,” they both said in unison as my anger grew.
I sat quietly because even with this wave of bullshit, I didn’t want to disrespect Caleb and his mother by calling Sr. a sack of old bitch ass niggas. Caleb was about to pick up his phone to call Jay, his PR manager, but before he could do so, a FaceTime call came through.
“Boy, your ears must’ve been burning because I was just about to hit your line,” garnering a chuckle from Jay.
“I wish I were calling on better terms, but I received two calls from different bloggers stating that your father and Jackson James have been shopping a salacious story about you and Layanna having an affair while Maria was battling cancer and Angel taking his own life when he found out.”
My anger had finally bubbled to the surface and exploded, “I WILL CUT BOTH THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS HEARTS OUT OF THEIR CHESTS!”
You could hear a pin drop as Jay whispered, “Shit,” causing us all to burst out laughing, easing some of the angst in the room.
“Yanna, before you go all mafia princess and start harvesting their organs, just know I have the police and the lawyers involved. They are being served as we speak with cease and desists, restraining orders, and gearing up to file a lawsuit against both idiots for slander, libel, and defamation.”
“That’s a start, Jay, but we all know the court of public opinion is brutal, and this has the potential to impact Caleb, Mario, and Liah’s careers and aspiring careers if we don’t get in front of this, so what can we do?” My voice filled with a mix of anger and concern.
Angel and I had talked in depth about the abuse he endured growing up. I convinced him to give therapy a try when we first got together, and over the years, therapy had opened the door for Angel to forgive his parents, but he wanted nothing to do with them and told them as much when they tried to reach out with their hands out ten years ago. They hadn’t reached out to apologize, atone, or even attempt to meet their grandchildren, proving they were the same self-serving egomaniacs that they had always been. I wish I could say Angel is rolling over in his grave at this latest stunt, but this is precisely the type of shit Angel would expect from his sperm loser ass father.
“I think the best way to get in front of this is to do an exclusive sit-down with Malaya Abrams, she’s at the top of her game in the sports world, known for her journalistic integrity, and she’s been trying to have a sit-down with Caleb since Maria passed. We could debut you two as a couple, have the kids there, and address it all, including your upbringing and the latest stunts your father and Angel’s father have attempted to pull,” Jay laid out the plan to Caleb.
“Let’s do it,” I replied before Caleb could even open his mouth.
