Daddy Taught Me Better (10 page)

CHAPTER – 17 KASEY

I jumped in my truck and waited for Jaden and Kaden to get all buckled up before pulling out of Nic’s driveway headed to my parent’s home. I was engrossed in my thoughts about how all of this was going to play out. My daddy knew everything that was going on between Jaden and I, but my two brothers and mother were totally in the dark. I carried my daddy’s ways as far as being meek and reserved. Now my brothers and mother were never on zero, they would go from fifty to two-hundred for minor situations so I can only imagine what drama was about to unfold once I began to speak.

“Hey, mommy, where daddy at?” Jaden asked me.

“Dummy you know mommy mad at daddy because that lady left our little sister at our house. Why you think we had to stay at God mommy house.” Kaden interrupted Jaden.

I was at a loss for words at Kaden’s observation of Friday night. I always did my best to shield my boys from any hardships that Jaden and I have gone through. I did not want them tainted of the harsh realities of this thing we call life and I surely didn’t want them to have any ill feelings towards their father for the substandard treatment Jaden dished out to me. Jaden may not have amounted to a good husband; however he was a good provider to the kids and bonded with them like any caring and supportive parent would have. Jaden always seemed oblivious to the people, places and things that surrounded him, where Kaden was very observant. Since Kaden was a baby, he has always pushed the envelope. He was the first born, which is why he had contemplated naming him Jaden after his father but decided to go the other route. My first born was named after me and we name the second son born after Jaden. Kaden was the first to walk. If he felt something was not aligned, he would definitely question it.

“Kaden what would make you say something like that.” I inquired.

“Because mommy she looks like me and Jaden, well she really looks more like Grandma Ellie. Plus I smelled that funny stuff coming from your room when she was there. Then when you were taking us to God mommy house, you had that adult drink that we not allowed to have yet. Mommy, you know you only do that stuff when you mad at daddy.” Kaden spoke as a matter of fact.

If I could just disappear for the moment, I would have; however my parents lived about thirty minutes away from Nic’s house so I was about to face the inevitable. I would have preferred to speak with the boys about me and Jaden separation him but I knew that wouldn’t be happening from the conversation that we had last night. Then I thought I would be able to break it down to them in children terms with my parents; however with Kaden revelation, I said a quick prayer in my head for God to order my steps and to guide me in this controversial conversation with my boys.

“Well, Kaden you are right. That baby is your little sister and her name is Jade. How do you guys feel about that?” I asked the both of them while I stole glances of their facial expressions when I confirmed what Kaden said.

I watched as Jaden faced lit up with joy as he replied, “That’s awesome Mommy, now I can finally be a big brother like Kaden is to me.”

I watched as Kaden elbowed Jaden in the side and gave him a menacing look which did not sit well with me. They were taught earlier on in their childhood that they don’t fight each other; they fight to defend each other. This child was always testing me; Kaden knew I didn’t play that.

“Kaden why would you hit your brother, don’t get beside your self today.” I sternly told him.

“Sorry ma but can I ask you something Ma?”  Kaden asked.

“Of course, you can Kaden, you can ask mommy anything,” I said in a softer tone because I peeped through my rearview mirror and noticed the sadness that had come over his face.

“I know you and daddy are married and Jade is not your baby. Isn’t that wrong for daddy to have a baby then? I don’t think she really is our sister if she’s not your baby. That’s dad baby, not my sister.”

I had to sit and think of my answer to Kaden because I wanted to tell my son your dad is a lying cheating son of a bitch, but I knew that would not be the motherly thing to do so I took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Kaden that would make her your half-sister, and yes it may have been wrong for daddy to have a baby but moms and dads make mistakes just like children do.”

“Okay mommy, well when I do something bad Dad puts me on punishment, so he is on punishment with me now.”

“Kaden please tell me how do you think that you are going to put your dad on punishment?” I asked him laughing at the same time.

“He can’t play with me and Jaden and he can’t play our games until I say so. Jaden do you got that?”

“I don’t want to put dad on punishment, I like when he plays with us,” Jaden responded to his twins demands.

“I’m the big brother, so I’m the boss of you and dad is on punishment okay.” Kaden sternly told Jaden.

By this time I was pulling up into my parents’ driveway, I saw my two brothers cars already parked in the driveway so I knew they must have all been waiting on the honoree to get this party started.

I had to stop myself from laughing at the way the boys interacted with one another. I finally spoke up and told them the both, “Look, I am the boss of both of you and as far as your dad being on punishment we will finish that conversation later, come on and get out this car so you guys can see Memaw and Papa.”

The boys unbuckled their seatbelts, jumping out the truck racing to my parents’ door. They loved my parents to no end. I thought me and Jaden spoiled them, but my parents took that spoiling thing to a whole different level.

My mother had already made it to the front of the door waiting on the boys to get to her. She hugged both of them while kissing them on their cheeks.

“Daaaang ma, I can’t get no love? I guess it’s all about the boys huh?” I jokingly said to my mother while hugging her.

“Chile, you know you going to always be momma baby, get in this house girl.” My mother stated while hugging me.

As soon as I walked in the house I saw my two older brothers play wrestling with my boys.

“I know y’all better not hurt my boys,” I spoke making my presence known to my brothers.

“What’s up stranger, I almost forgot I had a sister,” Kasiya said to me.

Kasiya was the younger of my two brothers and we were only a year apart, so growing up we were very close. I would follow him around everywhere we went, we were inseparable as kids.

“Why you acting like that bro, you know you could never forget about your baby sister.”

“Yeah you got that one,” Kasiya said while giving me a hug.

“Stop whining ain’t nobody going to hurt these knuckle heads, I’m not about to let my nephews grow up and be no punks. It’s bad enough we barely get to see them as is.” My eldest brother Kason stated. Kason was a real hot head like my mother. Neither one of them had a chill button.

“Shut up big head, I said while mushing him in the shoulder.”

My brothers had daughters so they always enjoyed the time they were able to spend with my boys. Kasiya and Kason had the same chocolate colored skin as my father but looked exactly like my mother with those high cheek bones; they definitely looked like black Dominicans. I always told them God took the best attributes from my parents and created me. I had my mother skin complexion; Dominican styled hair and body shape, the rest of my physical qualities were inherited from my father.

“Jaden and Kaden go play in the backroom and tell your papa to come on so we can talk to your mom.” My mother stated.

“Memaw why we got to go in the back, we already know that my mama mad with my daddy because he has a new baby,” Kaden said shocking the room.

All eyes were on me now and I wished that Calgon could have just taken me away.

“Get y’all grown asses in that room before I go get a switch and tear your behind.” My mother yelled as she replied to Kaden.

My boys went running to the back after hearing my mother yell, nobody tested my mother when she laid the law down. My father came walking down the hallway and took a seat in his recliner. As my father sat down he winked at me, I felt it was his way of assuring that he had my back and everything will be okay.

My mother jumped out of her seat staring my father down with a menacing look as she began to speak to my father, “So Senior you knew about this bullshit, huh? That’s what the hell Kasey called you about the other night?”

“Liza sit your ass down and let Kasey speak.” My father told my mother.

“Senior you don’t run shit up in here, that’s Kasey damn problem now. All of you have babied Kasey her whole life and now she done sat her ass down and let that arrogant, pompous son of a bitch walk all over her. She definitely took after you because if it was me, I would have cut his dick off and fed it to him.”

“Liza the last time I checked, I’m the man in this house. Who the hell are you to judge Kasey about her situation? It’s not a person in this room that has not went through something, you standing there throwing rocks at glass houses.”

“Please stop, I don’t want the two of you fighting because of my problems. I’m just going to go get the boys and we will be out of here.” I said standing as the tears begin cascading down my face.

Kasiya stood up right after me and grabbed my arm, “Nall sis, sit down and let’s talk about this, we family and if don’t nobody else have your back I do.” He said while locking eyes with my mother.

Kasiya had always been overly protective of me. That was the main reason I avoided him because if we were still close like we were growing up, the secrets of my marriage would have been exposed a long time ago. He always knew when something was bothering me; I could never lie to him. I sat back down with Kasiya right next to me.

“Kasey go ahead and talk, your mother was just sitting down.” My father said looking directly in my mother’s eyes, surprisingly she sat down.

“Ma it’s not all Jaden fault,” I said

“What the fuck you mean it’s not all his fault, well tell me who else fault it is Kasey.” My mother said sitting up on the couch.

I turned to my mother and the look of disappointment was evident on her face which made the tears fall even harder from my face.

“It’s mine ma, I allowed Jaden to treat me like this. A man can only do to you what you allow them to do.”

My mother let out a big sigh when I said that and just fell back in the chair, shaking her head.

“Ma I know you think I’m not like you, but I actually do have a lot of your ways. When I met Jaden, I never intended for our relationship to go this far. When we were started kicking it, I would always have to fight Mary, Jane and Sally because he was always messing around with some other girl that thought it would be okay to confront me about a man. I messed up when I got pregnant from Jaden, which I know wasn’t the smartest thing to do. When Jaden proposed, I accepted it because I wanted my kids to grow up in a two parent family home the same way that I was raised. Things were really good between us for the first couple of years. Then the late nights came and I brushed it off because I knew I married a street man. I honestly didn’t even question it, he swore to me when he proposed that he was done with playing the field. Next thing I know I started waking up to any empty side of the bed. Of course, I questioned that, he always came up with some dumb reason as to why he stayed out all night. The staying out all nights always aligned with a shopping spree for me and the boys or vacations. I knew it then that he was cheating and that those shopping sprees and vacations were his way of buying my cooperation. I wanted to leave back then but I didn’t want to hear them, I told you so’s. I accepted that main chick mentality, As long as he taking care of home, I could care less what he do in the streets. It’s like he knew that too because his disrespect was at an all-time high. Mommy, you have no idea what it’s like for your husband to climb in bed with you with the scent of another woman, mixed with a sexual scent. This nigga didn’t even have the common decency to wash away the sins of him and his side chicks’ escapade’s.” I told my family letting that wall of shame down.

I watched as Kason was leaning his head back on the couch staring at the ceiling biting down on his bottom lip. I guess Kason felt me staring at him because he looked at me and said, “I’m fucking that nigga up on site and I put that on my life, the only reason he, not a dead man walking is because he my nephews’ dad.”

I knew Kason meant every word he said. There was no sense in me trying to talk him out of it, especially right now seeing how upset he was.

Kasiya finally lifted his head up from out of his hands with watery eyes, “So that’s it Kasey, all this time I thought that I had done something to you when in reality you was trying to hide from what was going on with you.”

I just shook my head up and down.

“Kasey, The hardest thing for a parent, is to see their child get hurt and there is nothing you can do to stop it. I know I’ve always been hard on you, you’re my only daughter, my baby; I never wanted to see the day where you would have to endure this kind of pain, but here we are and you are going to get through this. I was wrong earlier and I apologize for that. I let the anger I had for not being able to shield you from this heartache make me lash out at you and your dad. If I could take the pain your feeling away, I would.”

I got up to hug my mother because I knew that even though my mother was rough around the edges, she had a heart of gold and there is nothing she would not do for me and my brothers. Just when I was about to let go of the hug I was sharing with my mother she whispered in my ear, “Jaden better hope that Kason get to him first, because if I get ahold of him he going to wish that his mother never birthed his ass and I’ll be ready for his mama for having his ass,”