The atmosphere at Jamal's grandparents' house was thick with sorrow, a tangible cloud of grief that enveloped everyone within. Zuri, accompanied by her mother, Esha, moved through the crowded living room, each face a portrait of loss and remembrance. It was strange to be in Nancy and Paul's house under these circumstances, the air heavy with the weight of a life gone too soon.

Zuri's eyes fell on the mantlepiece, where a framed photo of Jamal in his college graduation gown, surrounded by his family, smiled back at her. It had been a simpler time, when death was a distant thought, an abstract idea, not a reality they were living.

Jamal's grandmother, a stately woman with an iron-gray bob, sat stoically on a couch, a picture of Jamal in her lap. Zuri approached her, feeling the pull of grief and comfort, wanting to offer solace, yet unable to find the words.

"Zuri," Nancy said, her voice thick with tears. She gestured for Zuri to sit next to her. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course," Zuri responded, her own voice choked with emotion. "I'm so sorry, Nancy."

Nancy nodded, a flicker of sadness in her eyes. She handed the photo to Zuri, who traced the outline of Jamal's smiling face. The familiar ache of loss tugged at her heart, and she couldn't help but feel the sting of regret, knowing she would never see him again.

Nancy's voice was a low, mournful whisper.

As Zuri navigated the somber gathering, a figure caught her eye, sending a jolt of disbelief through her. Standing there, amidst the mourners, was Jamal's mother. The woman who had disappeared eight years ago without a word, leaving behind rumors and speculation. Zuri's mind flashed back to the day Jamal had confided in her, his voice laced with confusion and hurt.

"I don't know what I did wrong, Zee. She left a note saying she had to get away, and I never heard from her again," Jamal had said, his voice a mixture of anger and resignation.

"It was last Thursday," Jamal had said, his eyes distant. "She just left in the middle of the night and didn't come back." He had tried to make sense of it, especially after losing his father to colon cancer just a few years prior. It was a wound that never fully healed.

Zuri stood frozen in place, her thoughts spiraling. A million questions raced through her mind: Where had she been all this time? What did she think about now, returning to the home she'd abandoned? Zuri's blood boiled, the pain of Jamal's loss suddenly mixed with the anger and bitterness she felt towards the woman who had chosen to leave her son, to disappear without a trace.

The woman, dressed in a plain black dress, her ass nearly showing, made her way to the kitchen. Zuri excused herself from Nancy, her eyes fixed on the figure who had haunted Jamal's memories. Zuri followed, her emotions a turbulent storm inside.

When Zuri entered the kitchen, the woman was rummaging through the fridge. Her back was turned, but Zuri recognized her immediately.

Now, here she was, tears in her eyes, as if she had been there all along. Zuri felt an unspoken bitterness rise within her, a resentment towards this woman who had abandoned her family in their time of need.

"I can't believe it," Esha murmured to Madeline, Jamal's aunt, as they stood in a corner of the room.

"I know," replied Madeline, a formidable presence with her thick locs cascading past her thighs. Zuri, who had always admired Madeline's strength and poise, found herself eavesdropping on their conversation while trying to make sense of the unexpected arrival.

"It's almost as if she's back from the dead," Esha said, her expression a mix of surprise and bewilderment. "I can't believe she's back here after all this time. I wonder what her family thinks."

Madeline's gaze drifted to Zuri, an unspoken acknowledgment that the younger woman had heard them. "It's a lot to take in," she said, her tone carefully neutral.

"She shows up as if she's been here all this time," Madeline continued, her voice tinged with frustration. "She doesn't thank me for picking up her slack, raising her three kids. And now she suddenly shows up."

Zuri felt a flicker of anger, knowing how much Madeline had sacrificed for her sister-in-law and her children. To have her return without any explanation, only to receive the same cold indifference, was infuriating.

Zuri silently agreed, her fork pausing in mid-air. The audacity of Jamal's mother's return was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Some people say that she's falling back into old habits," Esha added cautiously. "And this is a wake-up call for her."

"Fuck that," Madeline spat out, her normally composed demeanor giving way to raw emotion. "Her youngest son is dead. If you can't act like a Mom, don't go around this house telling everyone that you're his mother. He was my son more than hers."

Zuri looked down at her plate, the food suddenly tasting sour. It was a cruel twist of fate that Jamal's mother was back in his life, only to be confronted by the devastating loss of her son. As she finished her meal, her mind reeling from the shock of Jamal's mother's arrival, Zuri felt a renewed sense of determination to honor Jamal's memory and support his family.

It was clear that they needed all the love and support they could get. Zuri grabbed her jacket and made her way to the door. She had a long way to go to find the closure she needed.

She bumped into the last woman on earth she wanted to talk to right now. "Zuri, how've you been." Jamal's mom, who had the nerve to show up here today, greeted her.

Zuri was momentarily?" Zuri hissed through gritted teeth. "You show up out of nowhere, after being gone for almost a decade, and have the audacity to ask me how I'm doing? You've got some nerve."

Jamal's mother was taken aback by the sudden onslaught of emotion, her eyes wide with surprise. "Zuri, I'm sorry. I know I left and never came back. I had no choice. I felt like I was losing my mind, and I had to get out," she explained, her voice thick with emotion.

Zuri, her eyes flashing with anger, retorted, "No, you had a choice. You could've stayed and supported your family, instead of disappearing without a trace. Jamal was hurting, and you weren't there for him. Madeline was there. I was there. We were the ones who were there for him, not you."

"I'm sorry, Zuri. But you have to realize, when you're an adult some things come first. Even when it hurts those you love. I needed to put myself first before my kids." Jamal's mom defended, her voice wavering.

Zuri, her jaw set, stared at the woman in front of her, a mixture of disbelief and contempt. "You put yourself first? You put yourself before your kids? I hope you realize what you're missing out on. They grew up without a mother, and you have the nerve to show up here and try to explain why? You're pathetic."

With that, Zuri walked away, her heart heavy with grief and anger. Jamal's mother may have returned, but her absence was still a gaping wound in the family's life, a reminder of the pain she had caused and the damage she had left behind.