To Caress My Day

Lowering her phone from her ear, Twigs let out a sigh as she leaned her head back to stare up at her ceiling. It was a cloudy day, and so the light was a cool gray on the ceiling from where it peeked between the curtains behind the couch. Closing her eyes, Twigs reflected back on her conversation with Simone.

According to her former roommate, Twigs had to have more patience with herself when it came to moving forward with her relationship with Seth. She felt so much for the billionaire that it didn’t make any sense to her that she STILL wasn’t ready to make it official to the public. Other than being madly in love with the man, Twigs realized that the idea of being his wife was actually a dream come true, not because of the money Seth procured, but because of the man himself. So then why the hell wasn’t she ready to be his girlfriend already!?

Simone believed if Twigs was patient with herself, she might one day wake up on the other side of the fence and finally be ready to walk down the aisle with Seth. To be honest, Twigs felt enough time had passed between her and Seth, so she should be ready by now. There was nothing about the man she didn’t like aside from the many eyes that would be snooping into their relationship through every crack they could fit their cameras into. Other than that, the man was superb, the epitome of her dream man!

Sulking in self-loathing, Twigs jerked up the second she heard her phone going off next to her on the couch. Swiping it up with the hopes it was her boyfriend, the young dancer’s face fell when she saw it was only her step-dad calling. Luther has truly been a remarkable man to both her and her mother, and for the rest of her life Twigs will always honor the man for every sacrifice he’s had to make for their family, but…she was really longing for Seth to spare her a single minute to pick up his phone and call!

Answering her phone, Twigs held it up to her ear as her body slacken back into the couch. “Hey, dad!”

“Hey, Tahliah!” Luther replied back with a fatherly smile in the confinement of his idling vehicle parked in his driveway.

“How are you doing?” Twigs inquired, snagging a couch pillow to rest her cheek against as she proceeded to chat with her step-father.

“I’m doing…alright.” Luther answered with some hesitation, his brown eyes locked on the splendid home he and his wife have been living in for some years now. The sight of the place after coming home from work, or simply the store was enough to overflow his heart with bliss. Today, however, only gave him a gloomy heart. “Just uh, calling to check up. How’s London treating you? Lovely, I hope.”

Just the mention of London reminded Twigs of the lump of bills sitting on the kitchen table awaiting her perusal. Suppressing a groan, Twigs feigned a bubblier mood. “Yeah, something like that.”

“Missing Simone, I’d imagine too.” Luther added in, remembering his step-daughter’s fondness for her roommate.

Not holding back the whine from spewing past her lips this time, Twigs pouted in misery. “Oh my god, yes! This place isn't the same without her! I miss her to death, but I wouldn’t dream of tearing her from her chance at being a famous pop star in the US.”

“Just like your mother.” Luther chuckled, recalling to mind his wife’s stubbornness to call on her daughter whenever something serious went down…which was exactly why he was sitting in his car in his own driveway, staring at his house as if there was great sorrow locked inside. “Never wanting to tell anyone anything that’s going on with her no matter how serious it may be. Never wanting to be seen as a burden to their loved ones. How can you two think such silly things? A burden, you two? Really?”

At her step-father’s scoff, Twigs began to feel a balloon of concern inflate her stomach, making her anxious. The man was rambling a little. Luther didn’t ever ramble unless something was going on, big or small. He hated to worry anyone much like her mother, but unlike her mother he wouldn’t take it to his grave, rather he’d eventually tell someone. “Dad, is everything okay over there with you and mom?”

Bracing himself for what his step-daughter was asking him, Luther inhaled a deep breath before exhaling it into the warm air of his car. “Tahliah…I’m sitting outside in my driveway safe from your mother’s ears to tell you that I’m doing perfectly fine. Fit as a fiddle, the Doctor keeps telling me. I wish…I could say the same for your mother though.”

“Mother?” Twigs repeated, sitting up on her couch and dislodging the pillow from beneath her cheek to send it bouncing off the cushion and onto the living room floor. Her heart was racing in her chest as she asked tentatively. “What’s wrong with mother, Luther?”

“She’s been feeling under the weather lately.” Luther blabbed, spotting the curtain sweeping aside from the window in the front of the house. He could feel his wife’s eyes spying on him from within their home instead of resting like he ordered her to before he left to go to the pharmacy.

“Under the weather…?” Twigs found herself echoing like a parrot, unable to do much else. Her mother being sick wasn’t normally made into such a secretive exchange between her and her step-father, and so it was scaring her that it was being communicated to her this way.

“Yeah, we’ll be heading to the Doctor first thing tomorrow morning.” Luther informed her, not looking forward to the following day. “And you don’t need to warn me. I know your mother is gonna fight me on it, but I’m determined to win this battle. Even if I have to threaten her with divorce.”

Luther’s forced chuckle didn’t reach Twig's ear. Not wishing her emotions to get the best of her now that she got them under control again, she grilled him “Do you want me to come down? I can help if you need some backup. Like you said, we both know how stubborn she can be.”

“Nope! You are NOT welcome here, Tahliah, and you know exactly why.” Luther forbade her, making himself clear not so much with his words, but with his steely tone.

“Are you sure? I can try and make it there in time. I’ll clear my schedule out, let me call Mikey first.” Twigs assured him, her thumb hovering over the button to end their call.

“Tahliah Debrett Barnett!” Luther raised his voice over the phone, predicting she was about to conclude their call to reschedule her gigs with her manager. “You better get your finger off that button, missy!”

Stunned that he knew her that well, Twigs obeyed him and mumbled sheepishly into the phone. “Yes, sir.”

Proceeding on, Luther reminded her of what they both already knew about the matriarch of their family. “I shouldn’t have to remind you that your mother wouldn’t appreciate you showing up out of the blue like this over her appointment, serious or not. She’ll be pissed at the both of us, especially me for letting you in on what’s going on over here.”

Luther was right. Twigs couldn’t quarrel with him there. Nodding her head in agreement with him, she made herself unwind back down on her couch. “You’re right, dad. As always. Thanks for risking your own life by letting me know what’s going on with mom. I know it wasn’t easy for you.”

Appreciating that Twigs understood the challenge it was to gossip on his wife behind her back with anyone, Luther accepted her apology straight away. “It most certainly wasn’t, but I’ll forgive you anyway. And I don’t want you to worry yourself sick about your mother in the meantime. I’m sure it’s just some kind of stomach bug going about that we don’t know of yet.”

“And mother naturally thinks it’s nothing, I imagine. Which is why we don’t ever listen to her.” Twigs added with an eye roll and a tender smile for her tenacious mother. “I’m sure you’re right. It’s probably just as nasty bug or something. It’ll pass and she’ll be as right as rain soon enough.”

“And if not, then you can come over for a visit.” Luther promised her. “I’ll gladly take the beating from your mother for it.”

“And I’ll come flying in to save the day.” Twigs giggled. “I love you, dad. Tell mom I love and miss her too.”

“We love you too, baby girl. I’ll talk to you soon and update you.” Luther vowed.

“Okay. Goodnight.” Twigs told him softly. After ending the call, she stood up from the couch, feeling physically, emotionally, and mentally sapped. Deciding to call it an early night tonight considering the emotional roller coaster she was just on, Twigs headed into her bedroom where she turned the TV on and set it to Family Guy. Immediately, she heard Peter Griffin’s voice, and smiled to herself as she slipped into her pajamas. Every night before bed was Family Guy night, and every night she longed to hear Brian Griffin’s voice the most because it was the only one that was Seth. When Twigs finally heard it, her heart sang. Quickly she fell into a deep sleep to her boyfriend’s endless humor.