05:30
Mama H reclined on her bed with an open book on her stomach. She was praying before the day dawned but she had difficulty focusing because the things her and Kingson had done the night before last - phew! Her pussy and some other parts of her body were still a bit sore, but it was the soreness of hitting your elbow, the so-called "funny bone." Wasn't shit funny when you first hit it but yes, it was something like that.
A few people, including Mia, had asked what was wrong and she just replied that she had slept the wrong way, when the real reason was that the husband of her eldest daughter had broken off all kinds of horseshoe dick in her pussy a couple of nights ago. Against her better judgment, she had spent the night there and left yesterday morning. And now, Mama H realized, she was quite taken with Kingson.
What exactly was it that Mia was not seeing in him? Mama H had been thinking a lot about this last night and she believed that she had finally stumbled on the reason why. Mia was divorcing Kingson: it was because she secretly believed that Kingson had bad sperm. Obviously, Mia could get pregnant, but why could she not bear to term? It had to be Kingson's fault! That's what Mia believed. But Mama H knew better. She also knew that Mia was drawn to "bad boys."
Thug after gangster after drug dealer after drug addict had been presented to Mama throughout Mia's upper junior high and high school years.
All of Mama H's children had been sent to good schools, not boarding schools because of the vile rumors she had heard of surrounding them: hazings and introduction to homosexuality, even rape. Besides, in Mama H's view, it was better for the development of a child to go to day school and come home every day. It fostered stronger filial relations and, with greater exposure to an array of different personalities, day school also engendered stronger ties to the community.
Mia had grown up "well" (meaning well-educated and never wanting for anything), with good manners, knowing right from wrong, but when and where she picked up her propensity for bad boys was a mystery to Mama H. Her phone rang and she saw it was Mia calling.
"Hey, baby. What's the matter?"
"Good morning, Mama... How you know something's the matter?"
"As much as you love me, I know you're not calling me at six in the morning for a wellness check." Mia was silent. "I'm not saying you wouldn't, baby. I'm just saying that, normally, you don't."
"Yes, ma," Mia responded. "I get it, it's okay and I'm sorry, you're right, I need to just be checking up on you more often... Ma, you know that this nigga already got somebody staying with him at his crib?"
"Who are you talking about, Mia?"
"Kingson, Mama. I went to his house yesterday and some nasty bi-"
"Watch your mouth, girl!"
"Mama!"
"Control yourself, Mia! Just tell me the story but without the expletives."
"Mom, there was another woman wearing one of Kingson's shirts at his place yesterday."
"Was she a thief?" Mama H joked.
"No, Mama."
"Maybe an armed robber?"
"No, Mama!"
"Then how is whoever is in his home any of your business again?"
That, indeed, was the crux of the matter. The phone went silent as Mia struggled to find justification for why she would care that anyone else was in a man's house, albeit still her legally entitled husband, which man she had told just a couple of days ago that she wanted a divorce. She could not find said justification, and it bothered her. Apparently, there was still some love in her heart for Kingson... Or was it simply possessiveness? Well, whatever the case, a few years of marriage did not just go down the drain like that. Divorce was not as cut and dry an affair as people believed. Before the stage of marriage, each partner had likely invested years of time, energy, financial, moral and emotional support, and dozens of all types of other attachments, into their partner. Feelings did not disappear simply because a piece of paper pronounced a couple no longer in a legally recognized union. Of course she was jealous - shit, even Mama H, upon hearing the news had been secretly jealous too, but it could not be anything like Mia's own jealousy. And Mama H knew, for a fact, that Kingson was bitterly hurt by Mia's recent declaration for divorce.
Mama H also knew that Kingson was substituting his love for Mia to loving someone else, perhaps already projecting, as the term went, this love for Mia onto this new woman, whoever the woman was; but perhaps he was projecting even onto Mama H herself! Whatever it was, even if Kingson loved Mia, he had been so aggrieved and... offended that he had probably really put Mia out of his heart already.
"Mia, are you going to tell him you're pregnant?"
"Not a chance in heaven or hell, Mama."
"Hmmm..."
"'Hmmm' what, Ma? Whatchu think?"
"Well, in my humble opinion, if you're not going to tell him that you're pregnant, you should focus on your pregnancy, regardless of how you feel about who or whatsoever. The baby is of paramount importance right now. That is my advice to you." And they both knew it was sound advice. But would she take said advice? Mama H waited.
"You're right, Mama. I'll do as you say. I'll focus on the baby and its health."
And I'll focus on that fine soon to be EX husband of yours, the thought, unbidden, came to a startled Mama H. Was that really how low she had fallen, she thought to herself as her and Mia said their farewells? She continued questioning herself but in the meantime, she should better start cooking for Kingson now if she wanted to be there by at least noon.
The choices we make.