Page 44 of Desire

“I eat lunch with Miss Chammies.”

“Not today, but you can have dinner with her.”

“But why her not take me? I wanna go with her, Daddy.”

The next thing I knew, my baby girl had a full-blown tantrum. This wasn’t the first time she’d had a tantrum, but it took me by surprise because it happened so infrequently. I consoled her with soothing words, hugs, and kisses for the next five minutes. She ended up crying herself to sleep in my arms.

Azaria had been spending a great deal of time with Desire and had grown more attached than she’d been before the wedding. However, this was the first time she’d behaved this way when Desire left our home. I honestly didn’t know what to make of it.

After laying her in bed, I went to my office to finish some work before Desire returned. I wanted to give my girls my full attention for the rest of the weekend. Before starting, I called my mother to get some insight into Azaria’s behavior.

“Hey, estranged son,” my mother answered.

“Estranged? Come on, Ma. Don’t do your baby boy like that.”

“No, my baby boy shouldn’t do his mama like that. Boy, I haven’t seen you since the wedding. Is your new wife holding you hostage?”

“No, Ma. My jobs are holding me hostage. You know I’m a busy man. Why you gotta make me feel guilty when you know I’m coming to see you tomorrow?”

“Because you should feel guilty for not coming to see your mother. I won’t be around forever. You’ll miss me when I’m gone. People get married and start acting funny.”

My mother was a trip, but my love for her knew no bounds. I’d been her most challenging child, always going against the grain and causing her grief, as she would say.

“I’m not acting funny, woman. I’ve been working a lot and learning how to be a husband.”

“Well, you’re failing at being a son if you were wondering.”

“You coldblooded, but I love you anyway.”

“I love you, too, son. To what do I owe the honor of this call?”

“You stay playing, but I did call for a reason.”

“I knew it wasn’t just to talk to the woman who gave birth to your ten-pound ass. What is it?”

“Desire left to have lunch with her sisters, and Azaria took it hard.”

“What do you mean she took it hard?”

“She had a tantrum.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I was surprised, too. She was upset because she wanted to go with her.”

“I guess that means she likes her.”

“She’s always liked Desire. Whenever I picked her up from school, she was the only person she talked about. That’s good, right?”

“Son, you’re the mayor of a whole city. Do you really need me to answer that question?”

“I mean, I know it’s good, but you don’t think having a tantrum was a bit excessive?”

“She’s three, son. What did you expect her to do to express her feelings? Ria is smart as a whip, but that doesn’t mean she can properly communicate her feelings. What is she doing now?”

“She cried herself to sleep.”

“Well, when she wakes up, she won’t remember having a tantrum, and she may be able to express herself better.”

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