She rang the doorbell and waited for her brother to open the door.
�Lee, hi.� He flung into her arms. She and her little brother were close. She always made sure to call him once a week. She wasn�t very fond of people shortening her name but she endured it for her brother�s sake. When he was little Lance couldn�t say Maleeyah so he called her Lee.
�Hey, what�s up?�
�Come in. I want to show you my new trophy.�
She laughed as she followed him into the house. Things were pretty much the same. Her mother loved the classic French look. Poor Lance had to feel like he was growing up in a museum.
�How did you get here?� Their mother was taping a show so Maleeyah had to take a car service.
�Car service from the airport.�
They entered his room of achievement with all his trophies, ribbons and certificates all over the walls. He went over to her with a trophy,
�Here it is.�
Her brother was the league soccer player of the year. It didn�t surprise her, he was a phenomenal athlete.
�Good job.� He heard he should play football, basketball or baseball not soccer since he was so athletic; that was where the money was but Lance made sure he told people he would be making his money wearing a suit not a pair of sneakers.
She sat down on his bed. One wall was dedicated to nothing but his father�s alma mater, Harvard. His dream was to graduate from Harvard, get his M.B.A, then move back to Atlanta and become the Donald Trump of the South.
�How is school going?�
�Great; how�s school for you? If you need any help let me know.�
She laughed at his cockiness.
�I�ll be sure to do that Mr. Prep School.� From kindergarten, the kid had been in private school. His father wouldn�t have it any other way. Gary, her ex-stepfather, was a good guy. He only wanted the best for his son but he never pushed him madly. He did what any good parent who loved his child did; he was going to send his son out into the world with every opportunity to succeed and the best way to do that was through knowledge; both in the books and real world.
�Are you spending tomorrow with your dad?� Tomorrow was Thanksgiving Day and she was tagging along with their mom who was co-anchoring the Thanksgiving Day parade festivities.
�Yeah and eating dinner there too. But no worries, by the time dad drops me off here I�ll be hungry again.�
Just like a 14 year old, they had insatiable appetites.
Last year Maleeyah didn�t go home for Thanksgiving but she didn�t feel bad because her mom was with friends having some fabulous adult chic celebration with other society people who didn�t do the traditional holiday festivities.
She usually reserved her holiday trip for Christmas but her mom bought her a ticket; so how could she refuse? The holidays could be lonesome if she allowed herself to think about it. The only person she knew on her father�s side was her deceased grandmother and her mother�s family was from Nigeria.
**
It was well into the evening before their mother returned home. She didn�t bother to call and tell them she would be late and they didn�t bother to expect it. Their mother was somewhat of an absentee mom. Maybe that wasn�t completely fair but when a woman works and has children one of them has to sacrifice to a certain extent. Her mother�s career most definitely hadn�t been short-changed.
She and Lance went out to dinner. She finally got him to try one of her favorite Indian restaurants in town. At first, he was a little apprehensive; he was accustomed to his mom and dad�s bland love of American, French and Italian cuisine. Maleeyah on the other hand was adventurous when it came to her dining experiences. Indian, Greek, Thai; she was willing to try anything.
�Darling, I�m home.�
�We�re in the TV room.�
�We who?�
She wasn�t surprised in the least that her mother forgot she was coming. Not that she would have rearranged her schedule or anything.
She stepped down into the TV and smiled at her children, �Maleeyah, darling. Why didn�t you tell me you were coming in?�
She stood up and hugged her mother, �Hi, mom.�
Actually, she did call her mother last night but all she got was the voice mail.
�Did you guys find something to eat? I�m sorry I couldn�t come home and cook dinner your first night in.�
�We went to some Indian restaurant.� She refused to tell Lance the name of the restaurant one more time.
�How did you get there?�
�I drove your truck.� My mother was the classis suburbanite. She needed to have one luxurious car and an SUV.
�How was your day?�
She ran her fingers over Maleeyah�s hair, �It was long. I think we went over the entire script for the parade four times.�
She had her mother�s jet-black hair and a seemingly mix of her parents� eyes which gave her, her envied hazel eyes. She was tall just like her mother. Her mother stood at 5�10, Maleeyah the same. Her mother had dark smooth skin, the kind they show on Dove soap commercials.
�Lance, what time is your father coming to pick you up?�
�He said between 10 and 10:30. That way we can get back to his house in time to watch football.�
�I�ll be long gone by then; just make sure you eat breakfast before your father gets here.�
She didn�t need to tell him; the kid never missed a meal.
�Are you coming to the parade with me?�
�Yes.�
�Good, I�m sure there are some people I can introduce you too who have connections in Florida. You should be able to get a job at one of the stations probably doing something on air. You�re too pretty to waste time selling clothes.�
She didn�t plan on selling clothes for the rest of her life. If she did she wouldn�t be in college but there was nothing wrong with it; and to be honest, it was stress free. The lsat thing she needed was a job that she was required to think about once she was off the clock. Besides, she was really good at selling men�s clothes.
�Mom, we�ll see; maybe.� Even though she stood by what she felt regarding her working status there was no need to fight to the death with her mother about it. She wasn�t giving in; she was smartly chose her battles.
012 | No Ordinary Girl