Because of You

“Addie what are you doing?”
I turned around and looked at my grandmother as I got ready for work.
“Getting ready for work Momma.”
“So you got it?”
“Yes I’m the store manager and it’s a great job… she doesn’t mind if I bring Grayson and I can do payroll and all that stuff.” I said as I put the finishing touches on my outfit and looked at the sleeping Grayson. I grabbed all of our shit and took it to the car and looked at my grandmother as I walked back in.
“Do you need the car?”
“Knuckle Head you’ll be off by the time it’s time for me to go to work.”
“Okay.” I picked up Grayson and walked to the car and buckled him into his seat then walked to the drive side and got in. I was stuck in traffic with my phone rang.
“Addie?”
“Yeah?”
“Where are you?”
“In traffic but I’m on my way… do you need me to take Layla to school?”
“If you don’t mind… I have to handle something with the other store.”
“Okay I’m be there in a few.” I said as I hung up with my boss Olivia Sanders. I loved working for her and she was the coolest person to hang out with and besides Tye she was my only friend. She knew what it was like to be a single mom so we just kind of took to each other and she was slowly becoming my best friend I can say. I drive into her driveway and saw Layla run out to my car.
“Aunt Addie.”
“Layla…” I said as I hugged her as Liv walked out of the house and locked it then walked over to me.
“Thanks Addie.”
“No problem… I’ll see you at the store.” I said as I watched Layla bucket her seatbelt and started to kiss at Grayson causing him to laugh at as they played in the back seat. Once Layla was safe and sound in her classroom I drove to the shop and opened the store. Around two that afternoon the door opened to the shop and Tye walked in with a girl I had never seen before.
“Hay Hun how’s work?”
“Good… who’s your friend?”
“Oh this is Kenji’s girlfriend.”
“Who?”
“You didn’t get to meet him… he came after you were gone.”
“Oh.” I said as Grayson run into the show room and looked at me.
“Momma?”
“What?”
“Auntie Tye!” He screamed as he ran to her and she picked him up and hugged him.
“Gee~Gee Uncle Phil and I have missed you.”
“Momma works all the time like daddy.” He said and frowns and Kenji’s girlfriend looked at me and then back at Grayson.
“Is he… you’re…. wait… I’m so confused.” She said as I looked at her.
“You can’t tell him Dion she has to tell him on her own.”
“He doesn’t know?”
“No we didn’t either until a week ago… really don’t say anything because she going to tell him when they come back right Adele?”
“Yes I am.”

~The next day~

“Momma I want that?” I looked at my son was pointing at and it was the CD of his father.
“Baby I don’t have the money for that.”
“But Momma daddy on it.”
“I know baby but Momma can’t afford it.” I said as I looked at all the shit I had in the shopping cart. It was 1:30 in the afternoon and I had just gotten off work and I was getting something for my grandmother so she could have dinner ready by the time Liv, Layla and the two of us got back from Chucky Cheese. As I made it to the counter I saw two guys that looked so familiar but I mean it couldn’t be. They were pretty much famous and I would seriously doubt the would be shopping in Wal-Mart.
“Momma…”
“What Grayson?”
He looked at me with the pout that his father use to give me and I sighed as I looked at him and knew I was going to give in into a request he was about to have.
“Candy momma?”
“Lord little boy you are going to be the death of me…. What do you want?”
“That?”
He pointed to a bag of sour patch kids and I smiled because that pretty much all I ate when I was pregnant with him so naturally that what he wanted.
“Are you gonna share with Momma?” I asked.
“I always share with you Momma… I love you.” He said as he hugged my neck and kissed my cheek.
“Awe I love you too.” I said as I grabbed a bag and placed it on the counter as my favorite cashier looked at me.
“Hay Addie you look cute hot date.”
“Hay girl and I do as a matter of fact... my son is taking me to Chucky Cheese.”
“Hay Gee-Gee.”
“Hi.” He said shyly and reached for me to take him out of the cart but I told him to sit down.
“Do you want me to check first?”
“Yeah you know how they do me sometimes.” I said as I handed her the card and she swiped it.
“It’s all on there.”
“Hell yay!” I curse as I looked at her and the people behind me.
I paid for Grayson’s candy and all the shit I got for dinner and started to push the chat to the door.
“Dude is that Addie?”
“I don’t know call her.” I could hear someone say and I knew that I was wrong it was who I thought it was and this wasn’t going to end well.
“Adele?!?” I stopped tho I didn’t want to and turned around and was met with Jamaero and Eric.
“See I told you that was her….”
“ Yeah with a kid.” Eric said as he looked at me and then and the child in my cart.
“Hay Addie how are you?”
“I’m fine it was good seeing you but I have to go.”
“Wait what have you been up too?” Eric asked as he looked at me weird.
“I work in a club as a DJ, I’m also the store manager of a high end clothing store and I’m a full time college student at the moment.”
“Are you babysitting or his he yours?”
“He’s mind.” I said as Grayson looked up from his candy and looked at Eric and Jamaero.
“Damn he looks like someone I know I just can’t put my finger on it.” Jamaero said as Grayson raised up his hat and look at the guys.
“Hay kiddo what’s your?”
“Grayson Gene Hernandez. I know you… you play with my daddy.” He said as the color drained from my face and Eric and Jamaero started to put two and two together.
“I have to go.” I tried to walk away by Eric grabbed the cart and reached over and gently took the hat off of Grayson’s head and looked like he was going be sick.
“We have to go.” I said as I took the hat away from Eric and quickly walked outside and to my car.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“So what did he say exactly?”
“Momma he knew… Gee~Gee told him his whole name and then told them he knew who they were they played with his daddy. Eric grabbed the hat off off his head and went pale. Momma I wanted to tell him I really did. They said they would be back until Monday and that’s when I was going to tell him.” I said as I started to cry with the doorbell rang.
“Oh God it’s him…” I said as I started to freak out.
She got up and opened the door and Liv and Layla walked in.
“What’s wrong?”
“Long story…”
“It’s going to be a long day…we’ll be gone about an hour Nana so we can get back at help you.” Liv said as she hugged my grandmother and soon we were off to Chucky Cheese.
“So who is the father Adele? You have never told me who he is.”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore…What the hell? Why is that woman grabbing Layla?” I asked as we grabbed our stuff and walked quickly over to the woman holding Layla.
“Who’s child is this?”
“She mine and if you don’t take your hands off of her we are going to have some problems.” Liv said as I grabbed Layla and pulled her and Grayson to me.
“What the hell? What is that?” I asked as I looked at him arm and it look like someone bite him.
“Her kid bite Grayson and I told him no one bites my cousin so I punched him in the face.” Layla said as she cut her eyes at the little boy who was bleeding.
“You damn kid bit my son? On hell no.” I said as I stood up and Liv grabbed me.
“You need to teach those hooligans some manners.”
“Bitch you’re fucking kid bit my child… are you serious? What is he a dog you haven’t house broken yet? I mean who does that? If anyone needs the home training and manners it’s your punch ass kid.” I said as I started to see red.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“How the hell did you get kicked out of Chucky cheese?” My grandmother asked.
“We didn’t just get kicked out Nana we got banned.” Liv said laughing.
“Yeah for life.” I added as the door bell rang and Liv got up and answered it.
“Holy shit!” She said as my grandmother and I got up and walked to the living.
“Fuck…” I said as I saw Bruno and Eric standing in the living room.
“Bruno….”
“I have a fucking kid?” he yelled and the power in his voice made us all jump.
“Look… can we talk about this in private?” I asked as he looked at me and I noticed some things about him did changed. He had slimmed up a little and he wear his gold ring a lot more and he had cut his hair a little.
“I don’t have anything to say to you but I want to see him first.”
“Bruno…”
“No Adele I have a son and I want to fucking see him and from what I hear he looks just like me…”
“Wait here.” My grandmother said as she walked to go get Grayson but I stopped her.
“We need to talk first because once he sees you he won’t leave your side.”
“Well I just told you I don’t want to fucking talk to you… I want to see my fucking kid.” Bruno said as he stood in the living room staring at me with a hard stare.
“Fine.” I said as my grandmother walked out of the room and returned.
“Where’s Grayson?”
“I told him his daddy was here and he said he had to chance.”
“Are you serious?” I asked noticed Bruno chuckle to himself a little as I walked out of the living and into Grayson’s room to see Layla helping him get dressed into what he wore to Chucky Cheese.
“Gee~Gee really?”
“Momma I have to be fly…” He said as I looked at Layla and laughed as I walked out of the room and back into the living room.
“Where is he?” Eric asked.
“He said he had to be fly... so it may take a minute.” I said as Eric burst out laughed and looked at Bruno.
“He’s your kid alright.”
“Yep only two year old I know with so much swag. I’m Liv by the way it’s now to meet you.”
“Hi I’m Bruno and that my brother Eric.” He said as nicely as he could be I knew he was mad as hell.
“I’m going to get going because if Layla see’s him she’s going to freak out. You know she loves her some Bruno Mars.” Liv said as she got Layla and they Nana walked them to the back door and outside.
“What is he doing?” Eric asked again trying to cut the tenson.
“Bruno…”
“Just shut the fuck up Adele really… I’m trying not to flip the fuck out on you but you’re really making it hard… I just want to see my son.”
“You’re going to flip out on me? Are you fucking serious?” I asked as I started to get pissed off.
“I have a two year old son I didn’t know about but it seems everyone else did.” He yelled and I jumped up out of my chair.
“You keep you’re fucking voice my son can hear you.”
“The last time I check I helped make your son.”
“You don’t get to talk to me like that… you know what get the hell out of my house.” I screamed and he looked at me.
“Fuck you Adele I’m not going anywhere.” He said as I tried to hit him but Eric grabbed me.
“Addie stop…”
“Fuck you too Eric… I wanted to tell him… I was going to tell him... I was going to tell you.”
“When?” Bruno yelled as my grandmother, Tye, Phil and Dion walked into the room.
“Stop it you two…I know Grayson can hear you because we could hear you all the way outside and we were in the damn car.”
“Shit Grayson. You can see him but we will talk.”
“I don’t have shit to say to you.”
“Fine then bitch I’ll talk and you’re punk ass is going to listern or you will never see him.”
“You going keep me from my son?”
“I have this long.” I when it was a low blow when I said it but he had pissed me off.
“I swear Adele….” He said as he took a step towards me scaring the shit out of me. I had never seen Bruno angry and this side of him really did scare me but I couldn't let him know that.
“I wish you would… you touch me cause you know what I got in my purse boy… try me Bruno I dare you.” I said as we stared at each other for a minute and Tye looked at us.
“Stop this shit… let him see Grayson and once they have spend some time together Eric and Nana will take him to see Liam.”
“Who’s that?”
“My son.” Eric said.
“On… okay.”
“You two will talk while he’s gone.”
“Fine.”
“Whatever I want to see my kid and I’m not going to say that to many more times you feel me.” He said as he stared hard at me.
“I'm not doing this for you I’m doing it for my son.” I said as I saw he jaw clinched and at that every moment all I could think about is how sexy he was angry.
“GRAYSON GENE HERNANDEZ GET YOU BUTT IN HERE NOW OR YOUR DADDY’S GOING TO LEAVE!!!” I yeah and short after I heard his heavy footsteps running down the hall into the living.
“My shoe Momma.”
“You don’t need shoes Monster… your daddy doesn’t care if you don’t have them on baby.” I said as he looked to his left and saw Bruno standing by the door.
“DADDY!?!?” He said as he ran full speed to Bruno as Bruno picked him up and hugged him to his body.

~Few hours later~

Bruno and I were sitting at my kitchen table staring at each other with angry stares as Tye, Phil, Dion, the guy Kenji and Jamaero were in the living room and outside.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
I asked as I looked over at him and he frown at me.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Why would you keep him from me? He’s my fucking son.” He hissed and looked at me.
“And why did you left me for a bitch that wasn’t pregnant?”
“She said…”
“She was lying and everyone knew it… I was pregnant but the truth is I didn’t know until months later. I wanted to tell you but I saw you on TV and I didn’t want to mess up your dreams.”
“Fuck my damn dream Adele I have a son and you didn’t tell me. I mean were you hurt that damn bad? Did you want me to hurt as much as you were or something?” He asked as that was it.
“You are not the fucking clean in this Bruno… you told me she said I couldn’t have any contact with you or she would kill the baby am I right or wrong? And once you found out she didn’t have the baby you could have come to me and told me.”
“Are you really saying this shit to me? How do you justify not telling me I had a seed out here in the world growing up without a father?” He yelled at him and I stood up with so much force the chair I was sitting in fell to the floor. I lunched for him and hit him twice before he grabbed me ruffly and pushed me to the side and moved towards the living room but I ran and attacked him again.
“Fucking come get her before I shake the shit out of her.” He yelled as cause Jamaero and Phil to run in the kitchen to see me biting punching him in the chest and everywhere else I could because I was beyond mad.
“I fucking hate you…. You said you would never leave or choose her over me and you fucking did. You told me you loved me and you would never hurt me and you did. You think I wanted to raise Grayson for two years by myself? You think I wanted to work at that nasty as strip club servicing drinks to those dirty ass men? You do know one followed me home a few weeks ago and I had to get a protection order against him? You think I want to be on fucking food stamps?!? No Bruno I didn’t ask for anything… I wanted to do was explaining my fucking side jerk off and you would ever let me do that… because if I was like Sasha the moment I saw you ass on TV or heard you on the radio I would have slapped your ass with a parental case but no I was trying to let you live your life because this was something you worked so hard for. I always put your needs before my own… when we were a couple and just friends. I two three jobs to help you guys pay for studio time because I believed that much in you and your music and this is how you’re going to talk to me? The mother you’re fucking child…. Like I’m trash… fuck you… get out of my house now or the next thing I throw wouldn’t be a punch.” I said as I looked at the knives on the counter next to me.
“I just have one more question?”
"Fuck you Bruno!"
"He fucking you is what's got us into this in the first place... wait you you not telling me is." He said as I stared at him and tried to hit him again but Phil grabbed me.
"Damn it Adele will you let me ask you something shit?"
“What?”
“If Eric and J wouldn’t have seen you in the store today would you have told me?”
“Yes. I was waiting for you to get back… I talk to Tye and she said you would be back on Monday. I didn’t want to do it over the phone I was going do it in person and so he could meet you.”
“So Tye knew?”
“Yes.”
“So that meant Phil knew too?” He asked as Phil let me go.
“Yes.”
“That explains why he’s been weird all week.”
“He gave me two weeks to tell you… they came over one night last week and he was so excited he thought you were with them.”
“So he known this whole time I’m his dad?”
“Yes… I told him that you work a lot and that you love him. So he watches MTV for your video’s and today he wanted me to buy your CD just because his daddy was on it.” I said as we started to have a normal conversion but Jamaero and Phil stay in the room.
“Why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t have the money. I’m a single mom working two jobs, and paying my way in school… I couldn’t afford it.”
“Well that’s about to change.” He said as he looked at me and picked up the chair I knocked down and walked back to where he was sitting and sat down.
“What are you talking about?”
“You being a single parent… I can’t say I know what was going though you mind and I’m betting it hard raising him, but I here and I know he’s mine… will you let me be a part of his life? If you don’t want to talk to me that fine because right now I don’t really care to talk to you either. I pissed and I don’t want to say more things I know I will regret later so until I’m calm if it’s not about our son I don’t care to talk to you.”
I looked at him and tears started to fall as I turned around so he could see me but I knew he did and looked at him.
“Call Eric I want my son home now.” I said as I turned and looked at Bruno and continued to talk.
“If you hurt my baby I will kill you… you will never choose a bitch over my son do you hear me because the first time you do it will be your last. You will not break my son’s heart like you broke mine. Do you understand me? No drinking around him… no smoking because he has Asthma and try to limit your cursing… I do but sometimes shit happens. If I find out you have a bitch around my son it’s a fucking wrap you understand me? You think you’re seen me hood… but you ain’t seen shit when it comes to my son. I got banned for life from Chuck Cheese today because I don’t play when it comes down to my child. I will wear yo’ ass out if I find out and he will tell me. He’s just like you if something is bothing him he’s going to tell you and there is no telling what will come out of his mouth."
"You got banner for life from Chucky Chesse? What the hell did you do?"
"That's not the point... the point is don't fuck with my son..."
"I get it."
"You better... anyway during the weekdays I work Monday thru Friday 8 to 5pm. If you want I can drop him off with you or you can come pick him up.” I said as he nodded and stood up and walked over to me.
“I’ll see you tomorrow I’m coming to get him to that him to get shit for his room at my house.”
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“I’m asking.”
“That’s fine but I’m going with you.”
“Fine I’ll be here at noon.”

Addie @ work

Grayson @ work

Grayson @ the store and Chucky Cheese

Addie @ store and Chucky Cheese