Please excuse ANY grammatical errors.

March 1, 1999

~DeVanté's P.O.V~

"So why did the two of you decide to start premarital counseling?" Mrs. Doreen asked Tia and I.

Looking over at my fiancée, I noticed that she wouldn't answer the question because she wanted me to. I cleared my throat. "We're here because we want to strengthen our relationship. For the most part, we're pretty open with one another, especially me," I glanced at Tia. Tia and I get along very well. In fact, it's rare that we do argue. Umm..." I looked over at Tia.

"Donald and I are currently engaged and we refuse to enter marriage with underlying problems brewing in the depths of our spirits. You're basically the middle woman; the unbiased person who won't take sides because we don't know you on a personal level," Tia began to answer the question once I began to stumble.

"Yeah," I nodded. "We don't want family and friends in our business. They are more likely to take sides or despise the spouse they aren't as close to in certain situations. We don't want that either. People like to blow things out of proportion and hold grudges for something that has nothing to do with them. Oh, and my mother also recommended it after we already considered it from the jump."

After jotting down some things, Mrs. Doreen spoke. "Okay, you two seem to be onto a great start. Why do the two of you want to take this relationship further? What makes the two of you work?"

"Love. While my answer may seem vague, it's not. I'm a songwriter and I still can't completely express how I feel about this woman with words," I spoke up. "Ladies first."

I turned to Tia as she began to speak. "I can't even dive into it like I want. Just the tip." I twisted my lips at her words. "The magnetic field was and still is inevitable for all the years we've known each other. We waited until we grew mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and even financially before we made it official. Those things automatically increase the physical aspect of things," Tia sighed as her eyes closed in deep thought as she continued to speak.

"We, in some way, helped one another achieve the things I've just listed. Our love and admiration have grown in such a way that allows us both to glow whether we're around each other or not. There's no jealousy or competition between the two of us. We accept and understand most of one another's characteristics, but there's always room for improvement which we will go through together. He understands my difficult personality. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and try hard to avoid tapping into the weakness part. We uplift one another." Tia opened her eyes, "I think that sums up those two questions. I hope I was clear. I sometimes have a hard time expressing and gathering my thoughts and verbalizing them," she chuckled.

I grabbed her hand, "nah, you did good. That was beautiful." I caressed the back of her hand with my thumb, then brought it up to my mouth to kiss the back of it.

"That was great. You actually answered one of my follow-up questions with your explanation," Mrs. Doreen replied to my fiancée, then averted her eyes my way. "Do you agree, Mr. DeGrate?"

"Wholeheartedly," I nodded in agreement with a smile plastered on my face. "However, I will add, yes, you do have a slightly difficult personality, but so do I. I can be arrogant and too straightforward with people, which may come off as a bit rude. So yeah, we both have our little traits."

"What do you like about each other? The strengths, qualities, traits, etc?"

I sighed, looking in Tia's direction, "I guess I'll start, huh?" Tia nodded her head at my rhetorical question. "I didn't even get to answer the previous question. I'll answer all questions with my response. Tia is an intelligent woman who's about her business and multifaceted. She's family-oriented. My fiancée is great with children and they love her just as much. Kids will just come up to her in public and feel comfortable. It doesn't have to be a specific reason, but she smiles so much. She thinks of the craziest things which keeps me laughing. Our friendship is amazing and our bond is deep. I'm able to be vulnerable with her without judgment. I can't even be too vulnerable with people I've known longer. She's trustworthy. This woman's food is amazing. She's always smiling. I love the way her eyes smile with her cheeks. My fiancée loves all of me, even the things that I'm insecure about. When Tia asks questions, she's genuinely interested in the answer. She's attentive. My fiancée has been through so much sh-"

Stopping myself from cursing, I folded my lips. "Excuse me. This woman has been through a lot and despite that, she is able to remain on the positive side. She has started to stand her ground when it comes to certain people. It's something she struggled with in the near past and honestly, she still somewhat struggles with that, but there's proof of working progress. Tia has the ability to put a smile on my face in my most darkest times. I haven't been able to remain upset around her for too long. We usually resolve any issues in a few hours. My fiancée knows when it's time to isolate herself and does so when she feels overstimulated, so she doesn't explode. She has the ability to make everyone feel included, even if she doesn't feel that way. This is by far the best relationship I've ever had. I believe we're compatible. She's beautiful inside and out and I love her for the woman she used to be, the woman she is, and the woman she's becoming. I could go on and on, but Tia knows how I feel on account of me always verbalizing it." I finished what I needed to say.

"Ms. Andrews? How do you feel about his description of you?"

"I'm flattered. These are things I've been hearing since we've been together. Thank you, love. That was beautiful," Tia softly spoke.

"Now I think it's your turn to speak," Mrs. Doreen spoke to Tia. "What do you like about Mr. DeGrate? His traits, qualities, strengths, etc?"

Tia looked away from me, down at her lap for a split second, then turned to me. "Donald is a misunderstood man. He's very generous. To family, friends, strangers, and myself. He has given plenty of people a place to stay. Donald has given people the opportunity that some have blocked him from. That's giving back. He has become a happy man. He's extremely chivalrous. Donald can do just about anything- his hands are gold, but he's willing to learn new things; open-minded. Donald is the more patient one of the two of us in our relationship. He has the ability to calm me down, lift me up, and talk some sense into me when needed. Without me saying a word, he knows exactly how I'm feeling at the moment. That's a hard thing because I have Borderline Personality Disorder. He has the prettiest smile and the most beautiful nose. He does this thing where he doesn't like to show the bottom row of his teeth, but when he does whenever he smiles, it feels like a special moment. It's so beautiful. I don't feel like I'm open enough, but Donald is an open book. He knows his boundaries and voices them. When speaking to this man and being serious, he doesn't laugh in my face or dismiss my feelings. He doesn't just listen to me, he actually engages. Even when I'm talking nonsense which is pretty often," Tia chuckled.

"Donald is a confident man and that is sexy. Nothing anyone says can make him feel less of the man he has come to be. He's not combative in a sassy manner. You know? Combative. It's like you better listen because that's the end of it if it's a serious matter. He doesn't have to say much. This man can pull off any hairstyle and still look masculine and sexy while you're wearing it. Donald does his own thing. He's a trendsetter. The way his eyes get slightly darker or lighter when he's feeling certain emotions is unique. I love the way we're able to play with each other about certain features and he doesn't take it to heart. He trusts me and I can trust him. We're more alike than we are different. He has such a big heart. I know I mentioned that before with different wording, but that's the highlight. I could agree with his last statement, we're extremely comparable," she smiled. "And I love him."

"You both said a mouthful which wasn't expected, but that's a great thing. When I asked that question, not too many couples can get past the physical or even sexual aspects. I think you're both very compatible. Neither of you butted in to cut each other off. That was beautiful," she smiled. "How did you find out that he/she was the one?"

Tia smiled at me. "You could go first because my story will piggyback off of yours because I know exactly what you're going to say."

"A'ight cool. Give me a moment, please." I grabbed my bottled water, twisted the cap off, and took a few sips. "I knew Tia was the one years ago because we've known each other since we were kind of fresh in our careers. I told her she'd be my wife before we dated. The day I knew we were closer to it becoming a thing was February of 1998, at an awards event. I kept staring at a woman from across the room and I mentioned her to one of my friends. I didn't care whether or not the woman was with someone, I still approached, and low and behold, it was Tia. We hadn't physically seen one another in such a long time, so I didn't recognize her from so far away. Then and there is when I fell in love all over again, but this time it meant something more." After topping my bottle, I tilted my head towards Tia. "Keep it PG," I chuckled.

Tia playfully rolled her eyes at my words. "There's nothing Rated R about this encounter."

One corner of my mouth pointed downwards and the other side pointed up. "Don't stand next to me in the next thunderstorm because when you get hit, I don't want to be next to you."

Tia laughed, "After the February incident. The atmosphere sort of shifted. He would say little things that at first I didn't exactly think too far into. Then it became more blatant. I would catch the little hints he threw whether it was with his words or actions. Even the little stares. My feelings began to grow. One day I made my move and-" Tia glanced at me. "The rest is history."

"Everyone dang near thought we already were together due to how comfortable and close we've always been. We didn't even go out too many times to make it official. The first date was crazy because initially, I had been so nervous for some reason. Everything went smoothly and we had fun like we always do. We didn't have the normal first date where we get to know one another because we had been passed that phase in our relationship," I added. My eyes closed as I laughed. "Wow."

"Okay. What don't you like about one another?" She asked us.

Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on the top of my knees in deep thought. I glanced in Tia's direction. "Do you want to speak first and freestyle or do you need to gather your thoughts? Have you gathered your thoughts?"

"Not really..." she trailed off twisting her lips. "Oh! Donald speaks his mind, but sometimes it could come off as rude. I know he means well, but others may interpret it that way. At times, Donald can be stubborn. He's aware of that too. I still need to gather my thoughts." Tia nodded.

"While you do that, I'll say what I need to say. I don't have much to say, but it's enough. I think I said this before, but Tia has a hard time setting boundaries with her family. She mentioned that I know exactly how she feels, but I don't all of the time. Tia's not too great when it comes to expressing her feelings. I think I'm just a great guesser and that's how we get to the root of the problem or I comfort her. Tia isn't much of a fighter, so her words can be venomous. Tia is sweet, so it takes a while to get her to that point, but when she does, it's something so hurtful that whoever shes speaking to will never forget. I'll admit, sometimes I enjoy it because the majority of those people deserve the venom." I sat back. "Yeah, that's all I have to say."

"Have you anything to say about what Mr. DeGrate has said?" Mrs. Doreen asked Tia.

"Everything he has just said is something he's already told me or something that I've known for a while. I'm currently working on those things," Tia reassured our therapist.

"Those things that I listed off aren't completely negative though, they're much needed. Both of us shouldn't be too open with people on account of who we are. We are private. I hate everyone in our business because it becomes public knowledge, lies are added, and our words are twisted. Her venomous words make up for her overtly nice personality. She's just too sweet to people with trash personalities. There's a time and place for everything," I tilted my head. "The only thing you need to work on is setting boundaries with your friends and family. Other than that you're perfect. That last part may have sounded a little cliché." I rubbed my face and shifted my body in my seat.

"I can't think of anything else when it comes to Donald. All of what he stands for just makes him unique. So far so good," Tia shrugged her shoulders.

"So far so good, especially now," I hinted at the fact that she currently placed a distance between herself and her toxic ass family. "Our big problems are pretty much gone."

This won't last forever and I'm sure of that. I don't expect it to. Like I said, Tia is family-oriented. They'll come around eventually and realize Tia is just a human. Maybe I have too much faith in a group of people who seems to not give a fuck before. Then again, it just may be Tia, but I have faith that she won't go back unless she apologizes in a few ways. After all, Tia was the one to officially contact me after our year's worth of altercations. However, I did try and eventually gave up.

"What does that mean, Mr. DeGrate?" Mrs. Doreen asked me, then turned to Tia. "Ms. Andrews?"

"He's referring to the disastrous portion of our holiday trip. I had to cut my family off for my well-being and Donald's. It was very much needed. Donald here is the one who talked some sense into me because I'd become so used to it," Tia explained to our therapist.

"Yeah. Seeing Tia like that took a toll on me, especially witnessing everything with front-row tickets. Because I didn't want to disrespect Tia by disrespecting her family who disrespects her, I held my tongue. That's typically not my personality. Before then, her BPD symptoms started to dissipate. Then November came and it went downhill from there," I drank some more water.

"Being that you witnessed everything, how did that make you feel?"

Was this lady listening?

"I felt defenseless. It took a toll on me and I got us away from everyone. We were in another country and everyone stayed in the same house. One day, I decided that enough was enough and got us both the hell up out of there. Somebody had to do something and it clearly wasn't Tia. And I completely understand Tia's point of view too, so I wasn't being one-sided or anything. I don't care who anyone is, sometimes we just got to say fuck these people," I cleared my throat. "I apologize for my cursing and future cursing."

"It's okay Mr. DeGrate, you're an adult. You're paying me," Mrs. Doreen replied. "Did you tell Tia how you felt?"

"Of course. I'm an open book with this woman," I nodded.

"How did you respond?" She looked at Tia.

"Initially, my actions invalidated his feelings. Everything I did was at the expense of his feelings. I realized- I realized that if I kept that up, the person who loves me, understands me, and genuinely cares for me would eventually leave, because-" Tia took a deep breath. Her repeating some of her words and cutting herself off definitely indicates that she's about to break down. Tia laughed as she wiped underneath her watery eyes. "I'm sorry. Give me a moment, please."

The laughing is another indicator of the upcoming or potential breakdown. Standing up, pulling a few Kleenex from the box, walking to Tia's chair handing them to her, then grabbing her hand, gently pulling her up.

"Babe, you ain't got to hold it back. You can let it out," I whispered in her ear.

Tia wrapped her arms around me. "I'm fine," she whispered back with a sniffle as she nestled her face into my neck.

"A'ight," I whispered, not even feeling the need to argue against her false claims.

She took a deep breath. "Oh, the two of you can sit on the couch if you want to get more comfortable," Mrs. Doreen spoke to us.

The both of us walked to the couch and took a seat.

Tia cleared her throat as her right leg crossed over the left. "I would if the shoe was on the other foot. There's only so much a person can take and will tolerate. I knew that it was just a matter of time before that would happen. That's not something I want to experience and... Yeah..." She choked out.

"Would that have been the case, Mr. DeGrate?" Mrs Doreen questioned.

"I- I can't even say, but it was becoming a struggle for me too. I had so much pent-up anger because of the situations that I had to sit back on. I can be forgiving man, but the shit they pulled was just fucked up." With my eyes closed right, I shook my head, getting upset all over again just from reminiscing about all that happened.

"What is it that exactly occurred?" She asked us.

I looked at Tia because I'm not sure if she feels comfortable diving into what actually happened.

"She's legally obligated not to tell our business due to her career. Not only that, but she signed an NDA and Mrs. Johnson recommended her," Tia took another deep breath. "I think we're fine."

"Everything?" I asked Tia. "I meant from the beginning type shit?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Tia nodded.

"Okay," I sat up. "When I first planned our trip out of the country, I invited her family- all of her family. It just so happened that a week or so before we left, Tia got into a bad altercation with her brother, Yasir. Yasir is the biggest problem of them all. I butted in because I ain't like the way dude spoke to her. Tia gave him a SIX figure check and the nigga was ungrateful. There was so much disrespect towards Tia and he didn't even say thank you. He had the fuckin' nerve to be upset with her because she was a little late. He CALLED at night while we were minding our business. Anyway..," I huffed, "a day after we arrived, Yasir showed up, only he didn't have an address and the only person who liked him was their mother. Their mother had to tell Yasir the address. When I found out, I wanted to kick him out, but-" I looked over at Tia.

"Tia's mother insisted he stay and Tia being the person she is, listened to her mother. Nothing but bull occurred. Yasir is abusive in ALL aspects. Oh, I failed to mention that when he showed up, he brought a guest with him who was JUST as bad as him. There were fights and arguments that that nigga couldn't help but start. Out of respect for my fiancée, I didn't touch him, but oh... I wanted to beat him unconscious. That's just how mad he got me. Then her mother..." I trailed off.

"Her mother plays favorites. Yasir is the favorite child and she takes up for him no matter what. He threatened Tia and tried to put his hands on Tia in front of their mother and she still took his side. It's like Tia is a stranger to her. Nothing Tia does is ever right when it comes to their mother. I think she hates Tia, but I KNOW Yasir hates Tia. Her mother brought up Tia being molested in front of EVERYBODY. It was the most fucked up thing ever. It was Christmas day and it definitely brought the mood down. Being that Tia was so hurt and confused as to why her mother brought it up because Tia didn't want to accept the Christmas gift Yasir brought was fucked up. I scooted back, with my back against the backrest, and my head staring at the ceiling.

"Her dad- Daryl, her stepdad comforted her. Fast forward again. Something happened when Tia and I took a little vacation away from everyone. Her- Daryl jumped in it and got cut with something Yasir's dog got cut with-"

"Girlfriend," Tia chuckled.

"Same thing. She's on Yasir's leash. Back to what I was saying. We were nowhere in sight. Her dad ended up calling her and something told me- I just knew it'd go left. He said some vile shit. Daryl brought up the fact that Tia opened up to him because she was one of the only people Tia told about her being molested as a child for YEARS. That shit broke my heart. I told her to hang up, but Tia didn't listen. She remained respectful by not hanging up on a man who was supposed to be a father figure and someone she opened up to. Daryl threw it in her face like food at a food fight, except Tia didn't fight back," I looked at our therapist. "Her brother, Yasir? He's tried putting his hands on her multiple times. As far as my knowledge, I don't think he ever has done it," I glanced at Tia who remained quiet. I squinted at Tia, "Has he?"

Tia pursed her lips, taking a deep breath. "Yes and no..." Tia trailed off. What the fuck does that mean? My jaw clenched as my anger for this nigga began to rise all over again as I perked up. "Calm down," she placed her hands on my arm. "It was in the past. Yasir has this thing where he chokes people to avoid saying he put his hands on a woman. It's been years though."

Years ago? "Babe, that nigga is like ten years older than you and big as hell. Does your mother know?"

"Well, she's aware of it some of the time. I don't know if she believed me though because it was swept under the rug."

"She knew," I spoke aloud to myself. "Your mother knows he's abusive and still takes his side because she's done it in recent times. Okay..." I trailed off. "Alright," I calmly replied. Although, I'm fuming. It's on sight with this nigga. That nigga will catch a fade. Fuck whatever Tia says. "I didn't go too much into detail because you'd have to be there to completely understand. I missed so many other things."

"Not only that," Tia chimed in with her input, "but we suspect that Yasir went and told the press about my life and threw in some lies. Paparazzi showed up at the rental house. It went from me keeping my trauma to myself, to it being repeated to my family, then to the entire world. That's lower than low. Yasir went to hell where he belongs. I've never been so hurt. Imagine an entire world of strangers knowing something so disturbing about you, especially when you're a private person... It's been a few months and it still hasn't died down. I'm still dealing with that part this very day. So now that my family is cut off, I have strangers throwing it in my face. Questioning me about the trauma and personal portions of MY life. It's the worst feeling ever, especially because I suspect Yasir, my brother, to the the culprit for blabbering off for some cash," she sniffled.

"That's something I admire about his-" Tia nodded her head towards me, "family. No matter HOW upset they get with one another, things are kept private. They are dealt with privately. They wouldn't dare blabber off to the paparazzi or any stranger for that matter. There's still unity," Tia wiped her eyes and couldn't help but pour tears. "I've shed plenty of tears because of my family, but NEVER would I have thought we would get to this point. That's so low. It's like a wound that gets covered with stitches, but it keeps getting ripped off and I have to repair myself. It's as if I'm naked in front of everyone now. I hate feeling completely vulnerable. I'm healing from my trauma, I am, but hearing strangers ask me questions about it is a bizarre feeling."

"This shit feels like a movie that never ends. A fuckin' soap opera, but it's real. We're living it. Tia's living it."

"With you by my side," Tia added, grabbing a hold of my hand. "That's the important part. That and the fact that I'm healing. Like I said, not many would stay with a person with so much drama. As Donald stated, this is a soap opera."

"You damn right," I chuckled. "I'm right here and will remain beside you."

Tia grinned, pulling me into a hug. "Thank you."

I wrapped my arms around her body. "Thank you," I whispered to her, rubbing her back in a circular motion.

Why? Because despite what Tia goes through, she tries to remain positive which keeps my mind in the positive zone. She talks sense into me and is a person who keeps me grounded. Tia doesn't tell me what I want to hear but tells me what I need to hear and she's not disrespectful when she does it. These types of people are the ones who care about me the most. I mean, she can't take all of the credit because I did most of the work myself, but she's right there. We pulled away from our hug with a peck on the lips. As Tia sat back, we finally broke our gaze, averting our attention to our therapist.

"You never told me that," I spoke in a low tone. "Tia, you told me that everything was fine like you did right before we sat on this couch. That's another trait I dislike about you. You pretend as if everything is fine- at least that's what you tell me, but you aren't. It can become misleading."

"Donald, when I say I'm fine, I mean I will be fine. I'll get there, there is no need for you to worry. It'll dissapate. Life goes on. Have you seen me have any recent nightmares? Episodes?"

"No, you've been okay for the past month or so. I'm not there every time you decide to sleep," I frowned.

"I apologize. I'm sorry. I just don't want or like you to worry about anything I have going on. Things happen and I'm going to feel down. You're aware of that. Life is complicated and certain things I would have to explain to you will totally confuse you or bring your energy down. I don't want that for you," Tia replied. "And I know you're right here with me, going through the motions," she chuckled, thinking about the song I wrote, I'm sure. "But some things are better left unsaid for the best of us both."

"I'm so open with you, but you're still closed off."

"Babe, I've always been sort of closed off. The past was worse. I'm more open to you than I have EVER been with anyone else other than the therapists who are paid to listen to me. I love you with all of my heart and I don't want to see you in the state that I'm in when I'm feeling a certain way or thinking about certain things. It'll make you feel terrible and I feel worse. Please try to understand me?" She pleaded with me. "Please?"

"Mr. DeGrate, has Ms. Andrews always been this way? Closed off?" Mrs. Doreen questioned.

"Yes. Yes, she has been and I'll admit that she has been way more open than usual, but I feel that I'm left in the dark about certain things. It's like I'm missing out," I nodded, folding my arms, and kissing my teeth.

"How do we figure out how to compromise this situation? How do we fix this? I don't want him to feel terrible, carry ALL of my burdens, AND his too. I don't want him to feel left out either." Tia asked Mrs. Doreen.

Mrs. Doreen sighed. "The two of you should weigh out the pros and cons of each situation to make your decision."

I closed my eyes, "you keep doing what you're doing." I looked over at Tia, placing my hand over her hands that are now folded and resting in her lap. "You want what's best for us both and I realized that I'm being a bit selfish."

"Don't say that. It's not selfish. You're concerned and I understand. If I were in your shoes, I'd feel similar to what you're feeling."

"Tia, there's no need to explain any further. I said what I said. I just got to suck that shit up-" I took a glance at her. "Pause."

Tia snickered, then rolled her eyeballs at me. "My goodness."

"No, but seriously. Like I said, you're view of things are considerate of the both of us and not just one of us like mine. Your positives automatically outweigh mine," I responded. "That's the solution."

"Ms. Andrews?" Mrs Doreen turned her head in Tia's direction. "How do you feel about what Mr. DeGrate just said?"

Tia stared at me. "Babe, it's not that serious," I told her. "I promise you. It is what it is," I shrugged with a chuckle.

"Okay," Tia nodded. "I guess we won't make a big deal about it, but I ALSO don't want this to come out later on down the line."

"Unless it gets back to how it was a while back, then it won't. I promise you," I reassured her. "You have my word."

"And it doesn't bother you?" Tia asked me yet another question.

"Babe, I will be fine. I have the ability to let things go to where it doesn't bother me. This? This is easy because it's not an extremely large problem. It's miniscule. You and I, we're absolutely great. This is the compromise," I smiled.

"It seems like you compromise so much though," she replied. "It seems unfair."

"Tia, you're being a bit difficult. Just accept that. Please?" I asked her. "It's not like you don't compromise either. We both do it."

"Okay," Tia looked away from me and to Mrs. Doreen. "I'm okay about it," Tia replied and I chuckled.

"Good," I spoke up, holding her hand again with a smile.

Mrs. Doreen inhaled then exhaled loudly, "We're nearing the end of our session. I still have a couple more questions to ask you two. What have you learned from this first session that you didn't know prior? What will the two of you walk away with tonight?"

Something I've learned is that Yasir has laid hands on Tia and it's up when I see this nigga. I kind of figured that considering how afraid Ashari has become of Yasir. He likes to put his hands on women. Let's see how this nigga is when a real man lays hands on him. He needs a taste of his own medicine and I'm talking blood. He'll taste his own blood.

"The both of our positives outweigh the negatives. When we listed all of the things we loved about one another. We had a long list of loving things but a very short list of bad ones. It doesn't surprise me, because of our dynamic, but it definitely made me more cognizant now that we listed them back to back. It was all confirmed," Tia chuckled.

Smiling, I cleared my throat, "Yasir is the only new thing I've learned. Everything else, I knew about. Our love is deeper than anything we have going on. Now that certain people are out of the picture, our problems have become miniscule. None of this will make me love her less. In fact, it just makes me love her even more. We're on the same page," I spoke up.

"Okay. Great. Well, we're officially at the end of our session," Mrs. Doreen announced.

"I'm just going to grab our things," I spoke up.

Tia and I took a stand. I walked to grab our things from the coat hook. I helped her out with her jacket and handed her the purse. I then put on my coat before opening the door.

"Have a nice night. Bye," Tia waved at Mrs. Doreen before walking out of the door.

"Bye," I replied, walking out the door and closing it behind me.

There are about six different doors in this hallway. As we began walking Tia halted her steps as we spotted a couple exiting one of the rooms. I loudly sighed as I saw that it was her parents, LaZardia and Daryl. They, of course, spotted us and stared at us. These are the last people I was expecting to see in counseling. LaZardia looked Tia and me up and down before turning away from us, fixing to take off Daryl on the other hand, looked as if he wanted to speak. Her mother hasn't changed a bit and I didn't expect her to either, especially this soon. Tia squinted her eyes in disbelief, while I silently shook my head at the sight of the two strangers. Here we go again.

"Why'd we stop? There's nothing to see here. Let's go, babe," I spoke loud and clear. I want them to hear me.

Fuck them. The sound of Tia's heels echoed throughout the hallway as we walked away and past her parents. Their footsteps followed us because we both seemed to be heading out of the facility. We made it to the elevators and had to wait after pressing the down button. Eventually, her parents made it to where we are. They stood there waiting on the elevator with us. I don't have to even look their way to know it's them. It's obvious. I stared ahead at each set of elevator doors.

The elevator on our side opened up. Tia was about to step inside, but I grabbed her around her waist, pulling her back before she could step inside on account of her parents quickly stepped inside. Daryl held the elevator open, expecting us to join them.

"We should let the nice older couple have their alone time. I'm sure they have a lot in common," Tia turned to me as she spoke.

Daryl let go of the elevator as LaZardia visibly began to get riled up. I waved at them with a smile as the elevator closed. The other elevator opened up with what seemed to be another couple inside.

"Hello," Tia and I greeted as we stepped inside for the elevator.

"Hello," they smiled at us as we silently and peacefully rode the elevator down to the main floor.

Upon stepping off on the main floor, I noticed a back-and-forth happening between her parents. LaZardia saw us and began walking in our direction as Daryl tried pulling her away.

"Lil girl, I will slap the piss out of your disrespectful ass!" Her mother pointed a finger at Tia as we kept walking.

"Just ignore and keep walking," I told my fiancée.

"I'm so fuckin' tired of you, lil girl. You have no respect. NO RESPECT for anybody! That's why nobody likes you! All I ever did was," in the midst of speaking, her mother snatched Tia's arm to turn her around. Tia jerked away and ran out of the building, her heels clicking against the flooring.

"Mrs. Toussaint, you're an evil woman towards your own daughter," I told her mother in the kindest way possible.

This isn't me being sarcastic because my tone is respectful as well as my words. That is still Tia's mother and I'm sure they'll be on speaking terms eventually.

"DeVanté, don't talk to my wife like that. I understand that she's difficult, but there's no need to get disrespectful," Daryl spoke up as the other couple stared at all that was unfolding. "That's my wife."

"And that's my future wife," I pointed to the door. "The abuse your wife inflicted on Tia is not cool. You see it. You've said some pretty vile things yourself. Another thing before I'm off to tend to my lady, I didn't get disrespectful. I'm always respectful because that's not how I was raised. The two of you on the other hand? I don't know who raised y'all because that isn't even how you should treat your family, especially a family like Tia who has been very generous to you ALL. She's sweet and tall treat her like dirt."

I jogged out of the building once I spoke my peace. Once I made it outside, I had to remember where I parked, so I began walking as I searched throughout the parking lot for my car. Upon seeing Tia, I made my way in that direction and stopped once I was behind her. Wrapping my arms around her, I whispered.

"Are you okay?" I kissed her neck.

"I'm fine," Tia turned to me with a smile. "Can you unlock the door?" Tia asked me.

"My keys are in your purse," I raised my eyebrows with a grin. "Remember?"

"Oh, yeah," she chuckled, before digging into her purse.

"I ain't ever seen your ass run so fast in those tall ass heels. Especially that your equilibrium is a little off," I placed her hands under her breasts as a hint.

Tia rolled her eyes with a small chuckle. "you're irritating as heck."

She unlocked the door with the button and then stood back as I opened the door.

"You're beautiful as heck," I replied. "You alternate. One minute you're cursing, then the next you're using words like those. Make up your mind already!" I told her while laughing.

"Depends on the mood. I'm either mocking you, upset, or playing too much at the time," she replied.

"You forgot to add when I'm between your legs," I whispered very lowly.

Tia put her tongue in her cheek. "Can you close the door, Donald?" She giggled, "with your nasty behind."

"I'm the nasty one?" I pointed to myself. "You had me thinking you weren't in the beginning until you showed me otherwise. Surprised the fuck out of me." I closed the door, and then made my way to the driver's side of my car. Upon taking a seat, I looked at Tia. "I'm just sayin'. Your ass is a freak."

"Ewww! Never!" She replied with her hand on her chest as if she were offended. "Never that. I'm a virgin," she told me with the sweetest smile.

"As if that makes a difference." I put my key into the ignition, and then pulled out of the parking space. "At least not with you. That smile you shot at me doesn't make a difference. Anywho, so we're just going to ignore that back there?" I glanced at Tia for a split second.

"No, I'm not ignoring the situation. Just them. I'm alright. Though she was a little aggressive, I wasn't hurt in the process."

"Not physically, but what about emotionally?" I glanced at her to see her expression.

"Emotionally, yes. Yes, I am. At this point, I expect nothing less from either of them."

"I couldn't imagine my parents and I walking straight past one another parents as if we're strangers," I shook my head.

"Ghee, thanks Donald," Tia nodded with her lips folded into her mouth.

"Come on, you know I ain't mean it like that, T. I just mean that this is a fucked up situation," I told her.

"Alright."

After Tia's reply, the car went silent, so I pressed the button to play the CD. Tia used the handle to push the backrest further back. Her head rested on the headrest as she closed her eyes, deeply exhaling. Then I decided to turn it down.

"You not upset, are you?" I asked her.

"No, Donald. I'm not upset. There was nothing else left to say," Tia replied with her eyes still closed. "It's just late and I had a long day. We both did. Little sleep, working all day and it was hectic, then straight to couples therapy. Not to mention what just happened. Triggered my stress. My body just needs rest."

"Oh, okay. Thank God for leftovers. We don't have to make NO stops," I replied.

"I can't even eat if I tried," she muttered.

"Lost your appetite?" I questioned with curiosity.

"Guess so," she shrugged.

"Well, at least you don't have to make anything to go with your sides," I replied.

Because she mostly eats seafood now, she doesn't make enough for two days due to not really liking day-old seafood. She'll eat it, but she won't enjoy it as much. I don't know what's happening to this woman, but poultry is another one of her most hated foods. It stinks and she says it tastes disgusting.

"Maybe you should go to the doctor?" I looked over at Tia.

She opened her eyes, "for what?" She questioned.

"Your taste buds are dissipating. When I did a little research on the matter, it just so happens that it could be related to a decline in mental health. That's why I've been so worried," I told her.

"Okay. I'll get a check-up, but I believe I'm fine. I don't feel any kind of way. In fact, I've been feeling better since being away from those people. I do have my moments though," Tia replied. "I'll set an appointment up as soon as possible. And FYI, I did read about it too."

I smiled at her. "I'm glad you're compliant with my request. I just get worried about you is all. You have a bunch of different mental illnesses running in your family. Some are trauma and some are genetics."

"Mine is strictly trauma. Even when the mind forgets, the body somehow remembers. You know," Tia shifted her body towards me. "Excuse me, but do you mind if I get deep?" Tia asked me.

Loudly exhaling through my nose and my thumb pressed into the steering wheel, I nodded. "Go ahead. I'm listening."

"Donald, if you don't want to hear it then just say that," Tia replied.

"Nah, I do. I can't loudly exhale?"

"That usually indicates irritation or hesitance," Tia replied.

"That's not the case in this situation. Weren't I just complaining about you not being so open? I genuinely want to listen to what you have to say no matter what it is," I replied to her. "Go ahead." From the corner of my eyes, I saw Tia twist her lips and hesitation in her eyes. "I'm sorry. Okay? I'm just over the parent situation. That shit pisses me off, so it wasn't towards you. Just the situation that just happened in that building. Go on."

"Okay..." Tia trailed off. "Throughout my childhood, I never knew why I was so angry. While it wasn't outward, I felt it. My body was just so exhausted even at such a young age. Because I did tell you that-" she sighed. "The sexual abuse occurred before the age I previously stated. My body remembered the trauma. That's bizarre, don't you think?" She crossed her arms.

"I guess," I chuckled with a shrug my shoulder. "I've never experienced that, so I wouldn't know firsthand. However, it does sound crazy. That's why certain things can't be done," I hinted with a slight glance.

"It's true. How has your day been?" She smiled at me.

"It's been okay. That therapy session we attended was a little hard though. My mind traveled to the past and to the future," I chuckled. "I found out some things I've never known."

"Babe?" Tia called out as we stopped at a red light.

I turned to her, "yes?"

"Don't hurt Yasir," Tia replied. "It's not worth it and that's why I didn't want to tell you in the first place. I had told you during or before our family trip to Paris, that both of you would be seriously hurt."

"The two of us?" Moistened my lips with my tongue. "Ain't nobody gon' be hurt but that nigga."

"You're speaking in future tense..." Tia caught onto my words.

"Did I? My bad, babe" I chortled, rubbing her thigh. "It wouldn't have been me though, just Yasir. You've never seen me fight. Just the aftermath. I've become mentally and physically stronger since then."

Unfolding her arms, she placed her hand on top of mine. "Your demeanor and your eyes tell me that you won't let it go. You're going to fight him."

Pressing the gas to drive, I chuckled. "Eh, some people paint." I put a little pressure on her thigh.

"Your mind is set."

"Hm."

"Donald?" Tia called out to me.

"Tia, whatever you TRY to tell me to convince me otherwise WON'T work. I made up my mind in that lady's office. You can talk sense into me, but THIS? This shit makes sense. He needs to learn-" I huffed. "That nigga needs to learn how to stop putting his hands on women and fight a real nigga. My brothers got to him, but this is more personal."

"But this ISN'T personal. It's about me, babe," she caressed my hand.

"And that's personal," I winked at her. "I said what I said. What goes around comes around. And around and across his face I'll go. You know what I'm sayin'?"

"Violence isn't the answer to everything."

"While that's true, I haven't used violence in such a long time. Not to the extent I'm planning to use it. I have a list of shit he's done. Pages and pages. That- that hitting shit? That was the last of the ink on the last page. I won't kill him. Just hurt him like he does everyone else, but strictly physical," I explained. "You know me so well. That's crazy."

"Donald, just know he's going to get his licks in too. Not only that, but Yasir could pull out anything. Shoot or stab you in the process. Are you willing to possibly die or be placed in the hospital for something like this?" Tia asked me. I shot her a smile, exposing all of my teeth. Tia brushed my hand off her lap. "Think about it."

"Tia, I've thought about this long and hard. I've been contemplating this since November. Just have my bail ready," I replied.

Tia threw her head back with a mouthful sigh. "Yasir's a bad person. I agree with that, but what happens years down the line IF reconciliation has taken place."

"I don't need to be around those people. Besides, they thought you should stay around when you were being mentally abused, THREATENED, and physically abused. I think the same for him. What goes around, comes back around. You feel me, Tia?"

"Go easy on him," she finished, grabbing my hand again.

I laughed, then I turned up the music again. Tia then readjusted her body so it could face forward, looking out of the window. Asking DeVanté to go easy in a fight is like asking the Devil not to accept more souls in hell. That shit won't happen. By no means am I calling myself the devil, but that nigga will think I'm the devil when I get to him. When she said Yasir had put his hands on her and that it was so long ago, I didn't believe her. That shit has happened more recently than she'd like me to think. That's why he felt so comfortable hurting her at the rental house back in Paris. He's used to it and he's used to getting away with it too.

From Tia's explanation of her entire childhood, it seems like the male gender was favored over the female gender in every aspect. From the way her mother speaks, I figured that out. What the women said never mattered. The sexual abuse that occurred to many of the women and children was exposed and the adults didn't do shit. Honestly, it seems like her mother doesn't even care that Tia was sexually abused. She seems more hurt than she wasn't informed and wonders why. Her mother's behavior is disgusting, to say the least. I can't decipher who's the worst, Yasir or her mother.

Tia telling me it isn't personal is crazy. We're together and getting married very soon. She is personal. We're one. Anything that occurs to her will automatically affect me and vice versa. My upbringing doesn't have shit on Tia's upbringing. That's not to compare, but I'd be fucked up too. I've never had to disassociate during my childhood to feel loved or good. I don't understand how she dealt with all of that shit. I know she mentions forgiveness and she's done the work. Like she said, the body remembers. With Tia, it's not just her body because her mind remembers too, so it's worse.

She's healing and not taking that shit out on me. The lowest Tia has been is when we first became friends. We'd always have fun, but sometimes she'd disassociate. I knew something was wrong then, but not the intensity of it. I didn't even know that had a name to it. I didn't understand any of that until we were together. It wasn't until then that Tia became open with me. Hell, I didn't even know this family was this damn crazy before Tia and I got together. Things just started to make sense.

I wanted to know things and in order for me to understand I had to get the backstory or some things. She laid it all- well most of it out because she didn't want me going into this relationship blindsided. I was told about the reason for her needing therapy and her disorder and still agreed on giving this shit a try. Tia's a sweet lady and it took me by surprise how such a sweet person dealt with this. I couldn't remain the same person I was after I dealt with the robbery, so it was a lot to take. Shit, I'm still not the same and will never be.

Stopping at another red light, I caressed her chin, slightly turning her face towards me. Lifting up, with my foot still on the brake, I planted a kiss upon her lips. "I love you, beautiful," I told her as we pulled away.

"I love you," she replied.

After turning the music up, the light turned green, but I still looked both ways before pressing the gas. We're going to my house where she cooked and the leftovers are. After that, I'm taking my ass straight to bed and have some sweet dreams about future ass-kicking I'll be doing.

Word Count: 8,800

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