"Say something," I said. He was quiet for a good thirty minutes. We were done eating and we were waiting to pay. "Sure, no problem. I don't mind meeting your mom." he said. He was uncomfortable but he was trying to brush it off. Some parents are extreme, but mine are unbelievable. 'Why do they need to know who I associate myself with?' was what I always wondered. "She would like to meet you today," I added. "Today?" he exclaimed.

We both weren't ready for it, but I wanted to get it out of the way. 

I begged him to allow me to pay for lunch since he had already paid for our supplies. He was in a better mood since he had eaten but he seemed indecisive after I had sprung that surprise on him. "I promise it will go well," I assured him. I faked a smile to lighten the atmosphere. My words meant nothing to me because I knew that it was out of my control. 

Deniece was unpredictable and that was the only thing that I was certain of.

We went back to his house after agreeing that he should meet my mother at my house just in case Troy still had his friends over. Trent was anxious and was quiet the entire time. He parked his biked in his garage then we walked to my house. It was the logical thing to do since my mother would not approve of me getting on the back of a bike. Up until this day, she still doesn't know that I've been on the back of Trent's bike. 

My mother welcomed him into our home and prepared some finger foods because hospitality is a major component of my mother's personality.  She asked Trent a few questions, some that gave her an idea of who he was and his background and some that was her sly way of trying to figure out what his intentions were. My family holds morals which have shaped the person I have become. I didn't agree with certain beliefs but holding onto them whether I liked them or not helped me make the right choices.  Especially in the end.

"So, who do you live with?" she asked.

"Just my brother, my dad and occasionally his girlfriend," he said. 

"Mother?" she asked sincerely.

"Passed," he answered bleakly.

"I am sorry to hear."

It was a cordial conversation which I barley participated in, and all went well. Trent had to leave before my dad could get back home. My mother didn't say much to me about her thoughts which was irritating because it made me find their meeting pointless. I really just thought that she was being forward but that day I didn't realise that she kept her notes to herself. After he left, I needed to shower then take a nap from the long day I had.    

My nap didn't last long. My phone rang and thankfully I was a light sleeper because taking the call was important. 

"Natalie?" I answered after accepting the call. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. She seemed shocked about something, and I had a funny feeling in my core. "Tell you what?" I asked. "Shannon is pregnant!" I wasn't surprised that she told Natalie. 'Natalie is an innocent and a supportive friend', I thought. "Why would you assume that I know," I asked playing dumb. "She said that we are the only two people who know. Aside from her family. Brady doesn't even know," she explained. 

I was still trying to wake up and understand what she was telling me. Spending a day in the sun drained me and my body needed rest from a day of swimming. "What does Brady have to do with anything?" I asked perplexed. "Oh. You didn't know that he's the father?"   

I abruptly ended the call when my dad walked in. At the time, I had not realised that that was when the telephone broke. 

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked. 

"Just got off the phone with Jessica," I lied. In the past, Jessica was my saving grace on countless occasions. I switched off my phone and kept it screen down beside me. An unconscious habit.  "I just came in to say hello," he said. He hugged me and I found it a bit strange because greeting me after returning home wasn't exactly a norm. Natalie thought that I was rude, but I was just fine with her thinking that. Shannon's pregnancy was not my story to tell, and neither was it Natalie's. 

I didn't want to think into what she told me. I found it hard to believe because everyone knew that Brady had a thing for Trina. Then again, you could never put anything pass those kids.

Since the universe couldn't permit peace, I decided to study rather than following through with my initial plans to rest. It was a slow evening but still a good end to what I did consider to be a perfect day. 

The sun's rays warmed my face as it spilled through the gap between my curtains the next morning.

I opened my eyes then looked around the room as I tried to make sense of the loud drilling taking place outside. I got out of bed then walked over to my window where I flung open my curtains to find some guys setting up a fence around our yard. 'We were missing the prison fence,' I thought to myself. It was nine thirty which was disappointing because I usually wake up at seven on the dot to start a productive day.

But that Sunday was as productive as it was interesting.

After I showered and got dressed my dad told me that he needed to go to the nearest hardware store to get a few things and asked if I wanted to go with just to get out of the house for the day. I didn't think that it was such a bad idea but that was because I didn't expect to bump into certain people. 

Someone whom my dad was never supposed to meet.