Page 101 of Waiting for Friday Night

Imani nodded. “I’m ready to go off on anyone that has anything to say about you. And you know my mom, Cyril and his dad will do the same. You won’t have to face this alone, Tracey.”

Tracey gave them a grateful smile. Another tear spilled down her cheek and she hastily wiped it away. “Fuck Bernard. He’s not worth my tears.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore. Not tonight. Tell me something good.”

“I got to eat lunch today,” Imani said brightly. “Sit down and eat and everything.”

Tracey laughed. “That is good.” She looked at Halle. “What about you? No fights at the school?”

Halle sighed. “Shania caught me and Quinton kissing this morning, and this afternoon his parents bought her a car. So, my day’s been interesting.”

Imani sputtered. “What!”

Tracey’s grin widened. “You must have lost it.”

“I didn’t,” Halle said, lifting her chin. Her friends eyed her and she sighed. “I did. Quinton calmed her down when it came to us being together. She just wants us to keep it quiet for a while. The car thing. That’s not going to settle for a while.”

Tracey shook her head. “In-laws.”

“They aren’t my in-laws,” Halle shot back.

“Maybe not now, but if you and Quinton stay together, they will be. Girl, nip this in the bud now. Bernard’s parents were always in our business. Telling him that I was too busy and filling his head with nonsense. Get them together before things get out of hand.”

Thirty-Two

“What were you thinking, buying her a car?” Quinton said as soon as he was back inside with his parents.

His mom raised her chin defiantly. “She’s going for her learner’s permit in a few weeks. She’ll need transportation.”

“She has transportation. Her mom has a car. I have a car. She doesn’t need her own car.” Quinton didn’t raise his voice, but frustration sharpened his tone to a razor’s edge.

“Don’t talk to your mom like that,” his dad jumped in. “Is this because of Halle? What did I tell you? Don’t let her control you and how you treat your daughter.”

“Dad, did you hear anything I said the other night? Halle and I are Shania’s parents. We’re responsible for figuring out what’s best for her and what she needs. You two can’t come here and undermine everything we say.”

Dawn came down the hall. She gave the three of them a worried look. “What’s going on? Why are you all arguing?”

Quinton turned to her. “They bought Shania a car.”

Dawn’s jaw dropped. “No, they didn’t.” She came farther into the room until her chair was next to Quinton. “Mom, Dad, why did you do that?”

“It was a good deal,” his dad said stubbornly. “The girl will need a car. Let us do this for her.”

Dawn shook her head. Disappointment clear in her eyes. “You saw how Halle felt about the shoes. Why would you think she’d be okay with a car?”

Laura crossed her arms. “She should have at least talked to us about the car. There’s no reason for her to get so upset. I thought she was supposed to be calm and in control.”

Quinton stared at his parents. Could they really not understand this? “You completely went against her wishes,” he said. “Who’s going to remain calm after all of that? You’re going to have to take back the car.”

“I’m not taking back the car,” his mom said. “Me and your dad got it for her, and she can have it.”

Quinton ran a hand over his face. He tried to remain calm, but they were pushing him to lose his temper. “Why are you being so stubborn? I don’t get it. You never used to splurge like this. I know you wanted grandkids, but you’ve got to realize this is doing too much. You can’t just buy Shania expensive gifts.”

“Let us do for her what we couldn’t do for you,” his dad said.

Quinton pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I didn’t want cars when I was a kid. I didn’t care about material stuff. All I wanted was for you to support me and back me up. That was it. Just to listen and help. That’s all Shania wants and needs right now.”

“We did that,” his mom said. “We can do this now, too.”

Quinton dropped his hand. “No, you didn’t. You worked and you provided but you didn’t listen. Not then and not now.” Irritation and anger that they’d completely dismissed him kept him going. They’d been like this when he was younger. Just pushed what he said aside. “When I told you that Khris was bullying me, you didn’t do a damn thing until it escalated to him breaking my leg. Maybe if you would have listened then things wouldn’t have gone so far.”

---