Justice For Juniper (Tatienne Richard) novel Chapter 18

My Friends Call Me Beni – Part II

“No.” she shook her head. “I’m not ready. We’ve been together forever Mama. How do I pack up all my memories and

“You don’t.”

“What?”

cutlery and pots and pans

“You don’t bring any of those memories with you. You take your clothes. You take your toiletries. You take whatever dishes,

you want. You leave the photos, the albums, the gifts and the wedding ring and engagement ring on the counter.”

“You’d think you did this before or something,” she furrowed her eyes at her mother.

“I did. Two times before I found myself pregnant with you. After that, I realized who needed men who were going to disappoint me when a

I have daughter who could never let me down at all.”

“Huh.” She was stunned, “You were married? How did I not know this?”

“Engaged. I was engaged twice. The first guy cheated with a stripper at his bachelor party. The second guy,” she made a face,

“his mother was something else. It was when I was trying on my wedding dress for a fitting and found out she booked a hotel room adjacent to ours on our wedding night which sealed it for

She was coming to Niagara Falls with us for our honeymoon, Juniper. When I asked him if he knew about his, he said he did and then proceeded to tell me he expected after we were married we were going to move into her house with her anyways, so what was the big deal.”

“No way!” Juniper was on the edge of her seat. “For real?”

“Yup. I called the wedding off immediately. There was no way in hell I was going to live with her and him. Two weeks later, I was drowning my sorrows on the day which should have been my wedding day in a bar with some friends and met the guy who gave me you.”

“Please tell me I was at least made in a bed.”

“The bed of a truck,” her mother laughed.

“Mama! Why did you never tell me these stories?”

“I don’t know. You’ve always been so proud of only being with one person. I told you how your father and I met and how I didn’t know him well and I didn’t. He was from out of town, partying at the same club I was at and then he was gone, and you were here. You and Suki were always very judgmental about the girls in school who went through boys like underwear. You both kept steady boyfriends.”

“You thought I would judge you, Mama, for having a past?” A dose of guilt hit her in the chest.

“Maybe,” her mother leaned her hip against the counter.

“Mom’s don’t usually share their sexual pasts with their daughters but in this case, I know what it means to leave, and I can guide you through it.”

“The guy you were engaged to with the whack-a-doodle mom, you lived with him?”

“Yes. He actually lived in his own apartment, and I moved in with him. What he didn’t tell me was how his lease was coming to an end within weeks of the wedding and how he and his mother discussed in great length how he and I should move back home to help her take care of the house. She went on and on about how she was going to be the best grandma because she was going to be there all the time and forget a super close bond with her babies. Her babies. I’d stopped taking my birth control ahead of the wedding because we’d been talking about starting a family as soon as we were married. Then I found out he basically wanted to give the kids to his mother to raise. Man, I dodged a bullet.”

“I wouldn’t disrespect her this way. I live in their home. I would hate to make things informal or casual with her husband. It seems wrong.”

“You’re a good woman, Mama.”

“I know. Unlike your husband’s mistress, I don’t screw over or stab other women in the back.”

“Ouch,” she rose from her feet and then froze when there was a knock on the door.

Both she and her mother looked at each other nervously and her mother tiptoed to the door. Nobody should know where she was. Her mother looked through the peep hole and then a smile flitted over her face, and she pulled it open, “good morning, Benicio.”

“Good morning, Maeve. I’m here to drive Juniper and yourself to the other apartment.” He smiled at Juniper over her mother’s shoulder, “good morning Juniper. How are you feeling this morning?” Concern tinged the question.

“Better than I expected I would but still pretty cru

“Well, let’s fix that then.”

“Don’t you need to be at work?”

“We figure with all of us there it will take an hour, ninety minutes maximum to throw everything into totes and bring it back here. Plenty of time for my other activities.” He held out his hand to Juniper. “Come on, sunshine. Let’s go bring your grandmother’s throw blanket where it belongs.”

“Thanks Benicio.”

“My friends call me Beni,” he winked at her as she took his hand.