The Kindness of Strangers - Sex Stories

The Kindness of Strangers

... questioned and she momentarily looked toward the door before drawing a breath.

'Sugar,' she once more paused and I began to get frustrated with her stalling. 'I love yo uncle, you know that. And by extension, I loved yo daddy. But Honey. Do you recall him working an honest day in his life!?'

I didn't have any idea why she would raise the issue right then and there and threw back what I hoped was a look of incredulity.

'What's that got to do with...' I began before she interjected.

'How you think yo daddy could afford that car he was giftin' you?'

'I don't... what are you talking about?' I shrugged.

'It wasn't my call Sugar,' Leticia frowned. 'While he was alive, I mean,' she shook her head. 'Hell, yo uncle'd probably have a fit, me tellin' y'all this.'

'Telling me what? You haven't said anything!' I disputed and Aunt Leticia was silent for another extended moment.

'It was yo momma child,' she revealed. 'That car. All the money. We all knew. It was yo daddy didn't want you knowin'. Who was we to go against his wishes? I thought you'd'a figured it out befo' now!'

I took a moment to process the information, feeling my face redden as I began to understand my ignorance.

'You never went without. Did ya Honey? Who you think paid for all them fancy art books you wanted over the years?' Leticia added, not intentionally turning the dagger, but it hurt all the same.

I should have known. Maybe I subconsciously did, but Dad never had a nice word to say ...

... about Mom so by osmosis I too thought her incapable of doing good by us, or more pointedly, me.

'Uh-huh,' Leticia nodded, rising from her seat. 'And that fancy university is right near yo momma's house out there in Los Angeles. Now I know you two ain't seen eye to eye all this time. But I also know there ain't no momma on Earth don't want to be near to her baby. You think about that when yo decidin' where yo gonna complete yo "free" education!'

She gave air quotes to the "free" in her sermon and though I might've potentially been the first on my father's side of the family to go to college, I was clearly not the most intelligent in even my current household! Nothing was free. Leticia had just made that abundantly clear. I began to wonder if it was Mom who had indeed paid the price for my happiness over the last decade.

I wasn't brave enough to call her. Approaching by way of Facebook to enquire if she'd be willing to house me for a few days while I got myself established in L.A.? And contrary to a long-held belief, she was eager to help, even enthusiastic about me staying. I thought of how nice she'd been to me throughout Dad's funeral and my graduation and wondered if this was the real woman and not the monster my father had painted her to be. There was only one way to find out.

*

My flight was changed. Originally, I was to arrive at LAX on Saturday evening, but a cancellation saw me bumped into an earlier departure that had me in around midday. Again, organized ...