The car ride was silent until Nahlah put her headphones in and began to sing loudly.
"I'm sorry Doc. About him and her." Fin said.
"It's not your fault so why are you apologizing. It was him. It was always him. Always." She said softly. She sighed. "Nahlah, honey?"
"Yeah Momma?"
"Call Azeera. See if she can come meet you at the mall. I'm just not in the mood anymore. Here's thirty bucks." Melinda said.
"I sorta already did." Nahlah said.
"Great. I'll pick you guys up at one."
"Mmkay."
They dropped Nahlah off at the mall and continued driving.
"Melinda, are you okay?" Fin asked.
"No. just when I think everything is getting better. Bam. I'm reminded of it again. I hate him and I hate her. I hate them both for doing this to us. All of us." She said.
"You're not alone with that one." He said.
"What's your address?"
"1670 Beau St." he said.
The rest of the ride was silent they pulled up to Fin's house.
"Melinda you can come in for a while if you want to." He said. They got out the car and walked into his spacious house. It was very modern and had lots of chrome and steel.
"Nice place. Who'd have thought Fin had a bachelor's pad?" she said.
"Thanks you hungry? Thirsty?" he asked her.
"Thirsty. You got water?" she asked.
"Yea. Here." He said going to the fridge and pulling out a bottle.
Melinda walked to the island and sat down. She unbuttoned her coat and pulled it off, Fin coming behind and putting it in the closet.
"Why is that these things happen Fin? I loved Michael. I really did. I've never done anything to hurt him at all ever. Not even when we were dating." She said dropping her head on the island and groaning in frustration.
"You know, you can act like such a teenager sometimes Doc." Fin said.
"Yea I know. I'm a little on the dramatic side when I'm not at work." She said rolling her eyes.
"So that one day when I announced the engagement you just so happened to forget you were at work?"
"No. I was just sooo bored! I get hyper when there's nothing to do." She explained.
"You should act like yourself more often. It lightens the mood. We're always so serious. We lucky we got Munch or else, I don't know about the rest, but I'd definitely go crazy." He said.
Melinda got up and started walking around the house. She spotted a picture of Fin with two older people
They were both dark skinned with salt and pepper colored hair.
"Your parents?" she asked.
"Yea."
"I'm sorry Fin but you look nothing like your parents."
"I'm adopted."
"Me too."
"Ah common things. Since birth or-." Fin asked.
Melinda put the picture down and sat on the couch
"If you don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry Me-."
"No I don't-. I just-." She sighed. "No one knows my background all people know is that I'm, was married, have a daughter a dog, and was in the air force. No one knows I'm adopted. They don't know why and they don't know my past and the dark secrets I carry. Not even Nahlah. Michael didn't know either. I don't know why but for some reason I strangely feel comfortable speaking about it with you. I trust you." She said. He noticed that she was starting to tremble. She blinked a few times and began with her story.
"Now I know people expect since I'm so happy go lucky that I came from a nice two parent home in the suburbs. No. Not even close. My mother was the sweetest woman you could meet. My father was a drunk and abusive. My mother, Nahlah, was Cherokee Indian and Pakistani. My father was black. His name was Anthony. He killed my mother when I was eight I remember walking in and seeing her on the floor bleeding from the back of her head. My brother was thirteen and my sister was three. After my mom died, he turned to me for comfort and… and pleasure. I got pregnant at eleven" she paused and the trembling began again. She closed her eyes. "Miscarriage. I stopped eating and he started… becoming more violent towards my siblings and me. One day he hit me too hard. Cracked my ribs and damaged a few things inside. After that my brother fought my dad. He didn't win. We buried him the next week. CSS took us; me and my sister Yasmin. We went to a foster home and were adopted by the Turners they were a sweet interracial couple and since me and Yasmin looked biracial we fit right in. that's why no one knew I was adopted I didn't look different. We went on living with them and I changed my last name." she said.
"What was your brother's name?" fin asked.
"Amir. My mother loved the Arabic names. Amir Michael, Zahara Melinda, Yasmin Melissa. An Arabic first name and the middle started with and M. I continued it with Nahlah. I obviously named her after my mother; Nahah Michele. Yasmin named her son and daughter after Amir and I; theyre twins." Melinda said.
"How old?" Fin asked.
Melinda smiled; the first real smile he'd seen since this morning.
"They just turned two last month they come over every other weekend." She said. She pulled out her phone and showed him a picture of the twins. The little boy had his hair cut short like Fin's, it was light brown. The little girl had light brown tight curls clipped back from her face. Her dark brown eyes were wide with curiosity at the candle that flickered in her face.
"This is their birthday party. Zahara was so mesmerized by the candle; I just had to take the picture. Amir, not so much. He was more about the frosting. See?" she said showing him another picture.
The little boy was covered in frosting; the naked piece of cake tossed over on the side. He was smiling the small baby teeth showing. Then there was a picture of Melinda holding Amir, just in a diaper, in her arms. He was asleep with his head on her chest. She had her cheek against his head.
"That was when he was nine months old. He's auntie's boy. Zahara doesn't like to be held and cuddled. She isn't really clingy unless she wants something. Manipulative." She said chuckling.
"So you married a white boy huh?" Fin said smirking.
"Oh don't start with me but yea I did."
"So is that your type or something?" Fin asked.
"No. I met Michael in college. He was my first white boyfriend. I didn't think I would fall in love with him but I did. We got married. I graduated high school at fourteen so I met Michael in med school when I turned eighteen. I had Nahlah at twenty one. Yea I know I was young, we got married when I was twenty. We were married fourteen years." She said.
"You're only thirty four?" Fin said surprised.
"Yea, how old are you?"
"Thirty nine."
"Five years, and?"
He shook his head and looked back at the picture he saw himself walk up to Melinda and kiss her on the lips wrapping his arms around her and the baby
'Wait! What are you doing thinking of Melinda like that?' he thought to himself. He gave her back her phone.
"Why are you so worried about my type anyway?" Melinda asked.
"Nothing, just curious."
"So what's your story?" Melinda asked.
"Well my moms was a crack addict. She started after I was born cuz my pops left us she gave up her parental rights when I was seven. Tutuola's adopted me; they was this older African couple so yea thus the last name. I grew up with them, seeing my moms around the neighborhood. When I started working in Narcotics, we found my mom dead in the back of a house we was watching. She od'd that's my story. It wasn't as bad as yours but I feel your pain. I know what abuse is like. Mel, if you aver need to talk, I'm here. Okay?" Fin said.
She hugged him. "Thanks for listening, I've never told anyone that." The medical examiner said.
"Well it's good to know you trusted me enough to tell me that Doc." Fin said smirking at the nickname he always called her.
"You know I hate that you call me that?"
"Why?" he said his arms still around her.
She unwrapped his arms from her waist. "Because Doc is just unoriginal." Melinda said.
"Well what about 'Zams'?"
"What? No wait yea that does work and no one will even know what the hell your talking about. You can call me 'Zams'." Melinda said
"Okay 'Zams'." He said.
She laughed. "Well I should get going. Nahlah will be out soon. Nice talking to you Fin. Bye." Melinda said standing and walking out the door. Fin went and took a shower and sat and watched his tv.