The Stranger On The Roadside
AN: Thank you for reviewing this story. Covid is on steroids. It does not discriminate... so don't become a statistic! #BlackLivesMatter #FlipGABlue
The Carter's home
Michonne walked through the front door of her mother's home shortly after midnight. She dropped her overnight bag in the guest room and walked down the hall to her old room where RJ slept. She opened the door and stepped quietly inside.
RJ lay twisted in his sheets like a pretzel.
Michonne shook her head and smiled because her son was a restless sleeper most nights. She detangled his limbs, fluffed his pillow and arranged his head on his pillow. Michonne tucked him in once more and kissed his forehead and RJ rewarded her with a soft snore. Choked with emotions Michonne stared at his innocent face and stole another kiss then quietly left the room.
...
In the guest room down the hall, Michonne changed into her purple silk pyjama shorts and top, but she remained too upset to contemplate sleep.
As a child, Michonne developed an affinity for food. She found comfort in her mom's cooking because her mom often experimented with new recipes and Michonne was her designated taste-tester. As a result, she was a little rounder in her teen years than most girls her age. As an adult, her love for food remained, but with Malyk in her life, the two channelled their energies into their businesses, family, swimming and hiking.
That night, however, Michonne's troubled mind and sleep conspired against her as she sat up in bed, so she elected to raid the refrigerator and find solace in her mother's cooking.
Michonne walked quietly down the dimly lit hallway so as not to disturb her mother who was almost certain to be asleep due to the late hour. Her mother was a light sleeper who caught her many a night when she snuck into the house way past her curfew. Michonne recalled the never-ending lectures and was in no mood for a lecture at the moment, so she silently crept past her old room where her son slept and down the stairs. She turned left and headed directly for the kitchen.
She arrived at her destination undetected but opted not to turn to illuminate the kitchen, instead, she used the interior refrigerator light for her clandestine adventure. Michonne opened the refrigerator door and stooped down to survey the spoils in the fridge, but to her disappointment, the leftovers were all takeout. It was good food but she had hoped for her mother's cooking.
A preoccupied Michonne hadn't heard her mother's approaching footsteps until she heard her voice.
"Darling, what are you doing here?" asked a surprised Toni as she hastily pulled her robe about her slutty candy striper get-up.
The sound of her mother's voice startled Michonne. It caused her to jump and she bumped her head on the top rack but managed to close the door with her arms closed around her bounty with a crab cake stuffed in her mouth.
Michonne placed the containers of what appeared to have been a seafood feast of lobster tails, battered shrimp, veggies and rice on the countertop and turned to face her mother who opened the overhead light.
A surprised Michonne took in her mother's appearance. She noted the red silk robe haphazardly tied about her mother's curvy form but did little to conceal the skimpy red and white candy striper uniform underneath with her breasts threatening to spill from the scanty thing. Her red gloved hands and white stockinged mahogany legs in white heels finished her look.
Michonne choked on the crab cake as it forced its way down her throat. It resulted in a coughing fit but it bought her a few minutes to recover from the shock of the situation as she drank from the glass of water her mother offered.
Michonne gazed at her mother, Toni who others quite often mistook for an older Viola Davis. Her mother stood before her unabashed with her slightly crooked cap on her Bantu knotted head and her red heart-shaped lips were slightly smeared. It didn't take much for Michonne to realize what she interrupted.
Michonne being a grown-ass woman knew exactly what it was, but her inner child cringed because she found it hard to come to terms with the evidence before her. For as long as she could remember, it had always been her mom and her. She knew her mother had boyfriends or she hoped she did, but nothing serious or so she thought because there had never been introductions. Plus, her mother swore she'd never marry again. But as she grew older and eventually left home, she worried that her father's death had dealt her mother's heart a deadly blow, but as long as her mother was happy, she promised herself to be supportive of her choice. That said, however, she never expected to walk in on her mom and her special friend and certainly not when her son was in her mother's care. Michonne was upset because her mom volunteered to watch RJ for the night when she would have gladly paid a sitter for the night, but before her mouth formed intelligent words, a man's voice called out from upstairs.
"Love muffin, the doctor's staff is ready for another go at it."
"I'll be a minute, sugar."
Michonne cringed. "Really, Mom? RJ's sleeping down the hall from that. How could you?"
An unapologetic Toni replied, "Did you think I didn't have company when you were little? Are you telling me that you and Malyk don't indulge in such pleasure with RJ down the hall from your room?—I know you do because that man walks with a smile and swagger which means his wife's keeping him happy."
Michonne stammered. "It's— it's not the same thing, Mom and you know it."
"Darling, how's it any different? I'm your mother, but I'm not dead. I have needs too."
"I know you do, Mom, but did you have to have a stranger in the house when your grandson's here? You offered to watch him."
"I did, but this was a surprise," Toni answered pointing to the food on the countertop. "By the way, my gentleman friend is no stranger to little RJ?"
"Potatoe—potato. You know what I mean."
"Well, last I checked, I'm a grown-ass woman in my own home and I'll do whomever, whenever and however and as often as I damn well please."
"This is my home too, Mom."
"Correction, sweetheart, this is your childhood home. Your home is with your family. What are you doing here anyway? Weren't you and that husband of yours supposed to be having a romantic night?"
Michonne opened her mouth to speak, but before she uttered a word, both of their faces registered surprise when an older white gentleman with a severe receding hairline and a white ponytail walked into the kitchen wearing his white doctor's coat over red pyjama pants with a noticeable bulge and a stethoscope draped around his neck.
Dr. Hershel Greene reminded Michonne of a horny Santa with white brows and a bushy white beard covering his face.
"Oh, hi, Michonne. We weren't expecting to see you tonight," a flushed Herschel added, clearly disappointed at the mood killer.
A mute Michonne's eyes bulged like saucers. Oh my god, all this time mom had been hooking up with my old pediatrician? she thought.
Dr. Greene lived next door to her mother and their properties separated only by a fence and a back gate. He also treated RJ whenever the situation arose while they were in King County, so RJ would never tattle on the kind Dr. Greene because he gave suckers at the end of every visit. Then the thought popped into Michonne's head, she wondered just how long they had been seeing one another? Had they been having an affair all along? If so, it made perfect sense, her mother never dated that she could recall but Dr. Greene was always around; he occasionally helped her mother out by trimming the trees and mowing the backyard—If the two had had a lovechild and placed her up for adoption, then Charmaine could very well be her sister.
Michonne felt ill and she suddenly lost her appetite altogether. Unfortunately, however, she had no choice but to remain in her childhood home because she needed answers, so she turned to leave.
"Dr. Greene," Michonne answered, unable to look the man in the eye.
"You're not going to leave the food on the counter like that," Toni argued.
"I'm not hungry!" Michonne replied angrily, as she walked past the lovers in an attempt to flee their presence.
...
The next morning an excited RJ woke up and found his mommy sleeping next to him in his bed. He silently crept out of bed clad in his Black Panther pyjamas to share his surprise with his nana.
RJ followed the scent of bacon and eggs to the kitchen where he found his nana. "Nana—Nana!" RJ cried out, "Mommy's here!"
"Is she now?" Toni asked, feigning surprise.
Just then, the back door creaked open. RJ turned to see his father entering the kitchen from the back porch.
Malyk carried in his arms two bouquets of flowers and a small fishing rod.
"Daddy! Daddy!" RJ cried. He raced Malyk's side and bounced around waiting for his father to pick him up as was his custom.
Malyk placed the bouquet of flowers on the countertop and stood the fishing rod in the nook next to the door then stooped down and lift RJ into the air and kissed him on both cheeks. "Good morning, son. Did you have fun with your nana last night?"
RJ's head bobbed up and down and he giggled, elated as his tiny arms encircled his father's neck. "Daddy, mommy's sleeping in my bed," he whispered conspiratorially into his father's ear.
"Is she?" Malyk asked, surprised by the news.
Again, RJ's little head bobbed up and down confirming his answer.
Malyk walked over to Toni and kissed her cheek and RJ mimicked him.
"Mornin, Toni. How was our little man last night?"
"Mornin', Nana."
"An absolute angel," Toni added and kissed her grandson. "Mornin, baby, go on and get cleaned up and come have something to eat."
"Mommy's sleeping, Nana."
"Then you and your daddy should tell her breakfast is ready," Toni added in a melancholic voice.
Malyk noted the fact that his mother-in-law's demeanour was off. He chalked it up to the fact that Michonne and her mother had had their talk.
...
Michonne woke that morning to tiny kisses peppering her forehead, cheek and neck with tiny arms across her body.
"Mornin', Mommy!" an excited RJ cried out. "Wake up, Mommy, daddy's here and breakfast is ready."
Michonne stretched and slowly opened her eyes. She yawned.
RJ and Malyk yawned too.
"Mommy, you slept in my bed," RJ giggled.
"I did because mommy missed her little man," Michonne added and tickled RJ until he squealed, pressing his arms close to his body with his legs flailing wildly in the air
Just then, Toni's muffled voice drifted upstairs through the open bedroom door.
"Breakfast!"
"Mornin', beautiful," Malyk's voice called from the doorway.
Michonne looked away from RJ and acknowledged Malyk's presence. Her body tensed up because she wasn't prepared for a fight this early in the morning. "What are you doing here, Malyk? I don't want to fight with you."
"I'm not here to fight, Michonne. I came to apologize.—After you left, I realized I could have chosen my words more carefully and for that, I am sorry."
RJ sensed the tension between his parents and ran to his father and jumped into his arms. His tiny arms wrapped around Malyk's neck.
"Hey, sport." Malyk greeted him once more with a kiss. "It's going to be okay, I promise."
"Daddy, are we going home?" an eager RJ asked from his father's arms.
"Not yet, son. Nana made breakfast and we have to eat, right?"
"Yup!" the little man replied.
"RJ, honey, why don't you go help nana set the table? Mommy and daddy will be right down."
"Okay, Mommy," RJ replied as Malyk set him down onto the floor.
…
Malyk entered and surveyed the modest little room then added, "I take it your conversation didn't go very well if you slept in RJ's bed the entire night.
"We didn't have a chance to speak, I interrupted her night."
"Interrupted what?" he asked with a raised brow.
"Oh God, Malyk, don't ask—I can't get the image of my mother in her candy striper outfit out of my mind."
"Damn! Toni, got game, eh?" Malyk snickered. "I guess I can cross that off my bucket list, eh?"
Michonne tossed a pillow at him and Malyk chuckled.
"Seriously though, despite what you may have witnessed, you still have to eat so hiding in here won't change anything."
"She's hooking up with Dr. Greene next door? I think that's how it happened, then they put her up for adoption."
"You won't know for sure until you speak with Toni, which means you will have to leave this room."
"UGH! I hate it when you make sense. I need to take a shower first."
"That's why you married me, I keep you grounded.—Run along. I'll go keep an eye on those two," Malyk added and turned to leave but stopped. Malyk turned and embraced Michonne. His lips gently grazed her forehead. "Everything will be okay. People make mistakes all the time. It doesn't change who she is, she's still Toni and she loves you very much."
"I know. But how could she love her less? All those years, Malyk. All I ever wanted was to have a family and she gave her away."
"We don't know her story yet—give her a chance to explain herself."
...
The Sheriff's Department
"Sheriff's department. May I help you?"
"Sheriff Grimes, please."
"May I announce who's calling, ma'am?"
"Mrs. Kennedy."
"Very well, ma'am, please hold."
"Thank you."
Dawn Lerner, the skinny brunette probie who manned the phones at the sheriff's department rolled her eyes at the evasive Mrs. Kennedy. Unfortunately for Mrs. Kennedy, she fielded many such calls for the straight-laced sheriff before and they usually ended up the same way. He never took them. So, she chomped on her gum a few more times and dialled the sheriff's extension.
"Rick Grimes."
"Sheriff, I have a Mrs. Kennedy on the line for you."
"Put her through," Rick answered without missing a beat.
A stunned Dawn thought she heard wrong, "Can you please confirm that for me, Sheriff?"
"Put the call through, Dawn. Thanks."
"Sure thang, Sheriff," Dawn added in a lazy drawl and transferred the call through and stared at the receiver.
...
"Mrs. Kennedy?"
"I need to see you, Sheriff."
"Is that wise?" Rick asked, his voice laced with concern.
"I wouldn't have called unless it was important."
"Is my son okay?"
"RJ's fine, but we need to talk."
"Fine. When and where?"
"In two hours. Our place."
"At your lake house?"
"No. Where it all began. Please—no uniform and no cruiser."
"You don't ask for much, do you?"
"You know I'm right."
Rick chuckled and Michonne relaxed.
"Alright. I'll see you soon."
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