Page 27 of Tell Me You Love Me Again

“Hey, trick,” she greeted when the call connected.

“Don’t ‘hey trick’ me. Where have you been?” I asked.

“Where I’m always at. At these people’s job. You know the holidays are coming up and I need all my extra monies,” she voiced.

“I guess. I was just calling to check up on you. I’m on the way to see Ma and Daddy. I haven’t them since the hospital and I want to check in.”

“They’ll love that. Call me when you get back in.” We said our goodbyes and hung up while I collected my things and got back into my brand new ride and headed to my parent’s house. Gabe had all my familiar places programmed into the GPS system so it wouldn’t be overwhelming trying to remember all these crazy streets that New Grove possessed.

It took all of twenty-five minutes to pull up to my parent’s single-level home. I sat in the driveway for a few minutes before I gathered myself and got out. I rang the doorbell and waited for someone to come and let me in. Moments later, I heard the locks turn and my mother appeared at the door.

“Chi, baby! Come in,” my mother rushed out when she saw me at the door. Ushering me inside, she shut the door behind us.

“Look at you, all out and about.” She beamed.

“I had a doctor’s appointment today. Gabe and I went to a late lunch afterwards. He had some business to handle, so I came to see you and Daddy while he was out.”

“Well, what did the doctor say?” she asked.

“Where’s Daddy? I don’t want to repeat the same thing twi-”

“Repeat what?” my daddy asked as he walked into the room.

“Hey, Daddy?” I greeted as he came and pulled me into a tight hug before he kissed my forehead.

“Hey, baby girl. How long have you been here?” He let me go…barely, and I reclaimed my seat by my mother.

“I haven’t been here long. I was just telling Ma that I had a doctor’s appointment today.”

“How did that go?”

“It was okay. I let her know I was remembering a few things, but it was still kind of fuzzy when it came to me and Gabe.” I saw my parents give each other a look, and that didn’t sit right with me.

“Why are y’all looking like that?” I quizzed.

“Honey,” my father started, but my mother cut him off.

“James, don’t start.” She warned.

“Don’t start what?” I asked, looking between the two of them.

“Nothi-”

“We talked to the investigator, and he told us that Gabe was calling when you had the accident,” my father said.

“Okay? He could’ve been calling to check on me,” I defended.

“I doubt that since you were leaving because he refused to treat you like a priority!” His voice boomed, startling me and my mother.

“Say what?”

“James!”

“No, Sharon. She needs to know why she can’t remember that piece of shit ass nigga. He was never any good for her and all he did was leave her alone in that house while he was out doing whatever, claiming it was work. I’m not about to tiptoe around the fact that if he put as much effort into his marriage as he does everything else, my daughter would have never had that dreadful accident trying to run from him!” I couldn’t believe the words that my father was telling me right now. Was I leaving Gabe? Was that the reason I couldn’t remember him? This was too much, and my head was starting to hurt. The back and forth they were doing wasn’t making it any better.

“I’m going to go.” I got up and snatched my purse up, too.

“Chiara, wait. Don’t go home and blow things out of proportion. Talk to your husband,” my mother insisted.

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