Chapter 27: Old friends meet up once again
"Come on Milani, open the door." Mason had been knocking on Milani's front door for over fifteen minutes. "No, you betrayed me." Milani shouted from the opposite site of the door. She had been avoiding her best friend and Mason since last night. They tried calling her but milani was too busy being mad that mason hadn't warned her that Caesar would've been at her restaurant and nearly meet her children.
"I'm sorry milani, I swear I called you like three times. Alana picked up the last time I called you and I told her to tell you to call me back. I even left a voicemail telling you that he was going to be there, check your call log and you'll see my calls." Mason said sighed behind the door. "Fine, I'll go and check." Milani said as she walked upstairs and grabbed her spare phone. She unlocked her phone then looked at her call logs, sure enough mason was telling the truth when he said he called her three times and left a voicemail. "Alana! My room now," a few seconds later Alana walked into the room in her Spiderman costume and crawled to her mother's legs.
Looking at her daughter in her cute little costume caused Milani to immediately not be mad at her again. "Did Uncle Mason call me yesterday baby?" Alana nodded at her mother's question. "And did you answer mommy's call?" once again Alana nodded at her mother. "So why didn't you tell mommy that uncle mason called?" Milani asked. "Because mommy was busy sleeping and then when you woke up you were too busy getting ready. I thought you were tire mommy, am I in trouble." Alana asked with tears in her eyes. "Oh no, no baby you're not in trouble and I'm glad you thought about how I felt and respected that much to allow me to worry about one thing and then another." Milani pulled her daughter into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Now go play with your brother," Alana nodded then ran off.
Milani walked back to the front door and opened it for Mason. "I owe you an apology for assuming that you didn't warn me on purpose at first. God why would I ever consider that you deliberately didn't tell me that Caesar would have been there at the restaurant." Mason laughed at her then hugged her. "It's okay I know how you feel. I saw Sarah there for the first time in years. It was a surprise as well but for some reason I feel like I've made peace with myself after seeing her in person and forgiving her." With a heavy sigh Milani turned towards her children who were playing with their toy cars and Legos. "Do you think he knows they are his kids yet?" She was uncertain if Caesar had recognized his children. Although Alana and Romeo were Caesar's kids they mostly took after Milani and her curly black hair and hazel colored eyes. The only things they got from Caesar was his perfect shaped nose and his lips. Alana takes after Caesar the most because of the freckles she has on her face. Milani knew that because no one in her family carried the freckle genes.
Mason didn't hesitate a second before answering back, "Not a chance." Milani's mouth felt dry and her voice was barely a whisper. "Am I doing something awful?" For a moment mason looked puzzled at Milani's question but then realized what she was talking about. Mason pulled Milani into his arms and tightened his grip around her, comforting her. "It's your decision, if you don't want to tell him then that doesn't mean you're doing something awful. But if you want the tell him that's on you." Milani felt sick to her stomach and wondered how her children would feel if they found out that she hid them away from their father. With a heavy heart Milani pulled away from mason and stared into his eyes. "I should tell him about them, he has the right to know." "It's all up to you little sis, but I have to go soon. Call me if you need anything." Milani nodded and walked him out the house, waving at him goodbye as he drove out of her driveway. Walking back inside Milani watched as her children played. She stood proud of every moment she had been there for her children. "Okay kids do you want to come with mommy to the store?" Romeo and Alana nodded.
"Can I get a new book mommy?" Romeo asked his mother. A grin appeared on Milani's face, "Of course you can have a new book sweetheart, and how about you Alana would you like to buy anything?" Milani picked up the Legos off the floor and threw them into the toy bin. "Mommy can we adopt a puppy!" Alana responded with a radiant smile across her face. Milani picked up the last toy truck from the floor and threw it into the bin. "Come on baby, you know Chris doesn't like dogs." she reminded her daughter. "But mommy!" Milani looked up at her daughter and noticed that the light from her eyes a few moments ago was gone and replaced with tears.
The expression on her daughter's face after Milani said no caused her heart to break. When Milani was younger, she had always wanted a dog but her family couldn't afford to raise one and because her mother hated animals. To Milani it felt like she was taking advantage of her privilege and not allowing her kids to have that experience because of her boyfriend. She sympathized for her daughters pouting lips and puffy red eyes. Milani didn't want to cause trouble with Chris but she also didn't want to say no to her two wonderful children.
With a heavy sigh, Milani kneeled down in front of her daughter and son. "If you two behave, then we can head out to the animal shelter after we go to the store." Romeo and Alana both nodded enthusiastically as they danced hand in hand out the house and into her car. Their mother face palmed as she got into her car. "Buckle up," she told them and then turned on the ignition. This isn't going to end well, Milani thought to herself.
After a brief drive they arrived at the grocery store and got out of the car. "Come on, my little babies hold my hand." Romeo and Alana held their mother's hand and glanced around the store for the things that were on the grocery list. "Can you guys help mommy find these ingredients?" Milani asked her children calmly. They nodded their tiny little heads as they let go of their mother's hands. "Yes mommy," they replied in union and then walked down the aisle. "Stay close by," their mother responded to them. "Mommy I found the peanut butter," Alana yelled from down the aisle.
Walking down the aisle to her daughter milani smiled at her gifted children. "Thank you baby," Romeo followed his mother silent close behind her with all the items on the list that he found. "Milani? Milani kekoa?" A tall man walked closer to milani giving her a better glimpse at who the stranger was. "Brian?? Oh my god I can't believe you're here!" Milani jumped into her high school friend's arms. Tear drops falling on her cheeks with no control. "When did you get back from the military?" she asked her friend still in disbelief that he was right in front of her. "I got back a few days ago, I tried calling you but your number wasn't the same," Brian's grip wrapped tightly around Milani as he sniffed her hair. "You're still using that strawberry shampoo, some things never change." he said smiling at her.
A gentle chuckle came from Milani's mouth as she turned around and pulled her children towards her. "Don't be shy," she told her children, reassuring them that the man in front of them wasn't a dangerous person and that he was a good man. "Brian meet Romeo and Alana, my kids," Brian kneeled down to them and beamed. "What's up kids, I'm your mommy's old friend, It's nice to meet you two." Seeing Brian embrace them brought a smile on milani's face. It wasn't like she had no friends, Milani had acquaintances but none of them were like Brian. He was like a brother to her and eventually seeing that brother after practically a decade of not seeing him made her genuinely happy.
"Mommy why are you crying? Are you sad mommy?" Romeo questioned his weeping mother. Milani picked up her son and adjusted him on her hip. "These are happy tears baby, I'm just really happy," His mother replied as she whipped her tears away. The four walked to the checkout and laid their stuff on the scanner. "God, I've missed you so much," The woman pointed out while Brian loaded the items back into the cart. "I've missed my little sunshine too," Brian laughed as he pushed the cart. They walked to her car, and he helped her gather everything into the back. "Do you need a ride?" she asked her childhood friend. "Yeah, that would be perfect!" Brian climbed into the passenger seat after they both buckled Romeo and Alana into their car seats. "Actually, would you mind coming over my house and fill each other in on the last few years?" Milani questioned him. "Oh heck yeah, is Caesar home, the three amigos are back again."
Milani cringed, an awkward silence filled in the car until she finally spoke. "Caesar and I are divorced," An oh came out of Brian's mouth and then silence took over the car once again.
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