hello! one more snapshot left. hope you all like this one :)
summary: two times Michonne was judged plus one time Rick was there. title from "they don't know about us" by one direction.
Chapter Five
they don't know about us
1. A birthday dinner
"You ain't right!" Nicole laughed at her older brother.
"I promise to God, Nicki," Michonne's uncle, Jerome, replied. "That child looked like he saw a ghost."
"Uncle Jerome, you a trip," Michonne shook her head fondly.
It was a family get together for Michonne's grandmother's 90th birthday. Andre sat in her lap picking off of her plate, separate from where the other kids sat at the kids' table where he will graduate when he's 3. Because of his age, Michonne still doesn't feel completely comfortable with him eating away from her, something he is ready for if his behavior when they first entered the gathering was any indication. He instantly ran for his cousins-who were Michonne's cousins' children, making them her cousins as well-where he was the youngest (though not by a lot), much like Michonne always was. The child wasn't letting that stop him, however, speaking his somewhat incoherent gibberish to anyone who would listen, which tended to be Cousin Mikayla, who loved her some Dre Dre as she called him.
"Maybe he shouldn't've been acting a fool," Aunt Ramona, Nicole's older sister, chimed in.
"Jerome, puddin', you ain't one to talk," Michonne's grandmother, Etta, laughed. "Where you think that boy got it from?"
"Daddy," Jerome replied, dead serious.
Nicole shook her head and smacked her brother's arm, "Gina!"
Michonne's older cousin fixed her attention to her aunt, "Yes, Aunt Nicki?"
"Get your daddy," Nicole chortled.
"I've tried," Gina teased. "The man don't listen."
"You know what," Jerome started. "I don't gotta take this."
"Leave then," Ramona instigated.
Jerome looked at his older sister exasperated, "Girl, whose side are you on?"
Ramona didn't reply, just simply snickered into her food.
In between all the commotion and bites of Michonne's collards, Andre gently tugged on one of his mother's locs. She locked eyes with her son, "Yes, Peanut?"
"Rick and Carl?" Andre questioned. He missed them.
And even though this was a conversation between mother and son, there was an extra pair of ears listening, like there always was at one of these things.
"Rick and Carl?" Halle, one of Ramona's daughters, repeated loud enough for the entire table to hear. "Who's Rick and Carl?"
Michonne mentally cursed her cousin's nosiness and loud mouth. Before Michonne could answer, Andre did.
"Rick is Mommy's friend! He's really nice. Carl is too!"
"Andre, this is a grown up talk," Michonne quickly replied. The child instantly closed his mouth and looked down. Michonne only said his real name when she was upset with him.
"Oh?" Halle's interest was piqued. "What kind of friend, Chonne?"
Michonne knew she didn't have to tell them. Frankly, it wasn't anyone's business but she had a feeling this relationship was going to be the long haul, so she might as well do it now.
"Andre, baby, are you done?" Michonne asked. The 2-year-old nodded. "Go play with your cousins."
Excited at the prospect, Andre hopped from his mother's lap and made his way to Mikayla, who took him to wash his hands before going to play, a big rule when at Grandma's house. When certain the children were away, Michonne turned back to her expectant family.
"Rick is my boyfriend and Carl is his son," Michonne revealed.
"Oh, Mich!" Etta clapped with glee. "And he has a child too? That's wonderful."
Michonne smiled, "Yeah, they're great. Andre loves them."
"You got a picture?" Gavin, Uncle Jerome's oldest child and the oldest cousin, inquired. Michonne looked to her mother and father who gave her encouraging looks in return.
She reluctantly pulled out her phone and flipped it open, heading to the gallery before settling on a recent photo the couple took together. She passed it around the table for the family to see.
She watched as everyone, sans her mother and father of course, bore surprised expressions one by one as the phone was passed around. Nothing negative-some looks were of approval, even-until the phone got to Gavin. She waited for him to pass the phone off before saying anything.
"Go ahead and say it, Gavin," Michonne probed. "I know you want to."
Gavin sat for a moment, "I didn't take you for a traitor, Mich."
"See, I knew you would say that," Michonne responded. "It's not a big deal. Not anymore."
"Michonne, we live in Georgia," Gavin scoffed. "We ain't in the '50s or nothing but c'mon…This ain't it."
"That's funny cuz you sure as hell dated some White girls when you were in high school," Michonne stated.
"Wasn't just high school," Gina aided. Gavin glared at her but she simply shrugged in return, taking a sip of her wine.
"Exactly," Michonne stated. "But now it's different when I do it?"
"Yeah," Gavin affirmed. "Sucks, but it's true."
"You know what?" Michonne said. "It is different. But not at all for the way you think it is, which is something you would never understand."
Michonne turned her attention to Halle, "Now, girl, tell me. How's your new job going?"
2. Wal-Mart
Michonne pulled up to the Wal-Mart parking lot and found a space. After putting the car in park she turned the car off.
"Okay, Bubbas," she turned her head to the back seat in order to address her sons. "Let's go in."
Taking hold of her purse, Michonne got out of the vehicle and went to the back driver's side door to gather Andre from his car seat and into her arms. After doing so, she walked around to the other side to open Carl's door for him. She really did not need the child crashing the door against the car next to them.
The child sprang out of his own car seat, exiting the car and slamming the door shut before grabbing hold of his mother's hand. The triad made their way into the store, Michonne keeping Carl inwards by the parked cars as they did so.
When the three made it into the building, Michonne sat Andre in the basket's baby seat and Carl held onto the side of the basket. Michonne began her journey to the chip aisle to grab the Nacho Cheese Doritos needed for the family's homemade Nachos, a weekly staple in the Grimes-Hawthorne home on Friday nights.
Taken as a family night, the family of four played games, watched films, and baked desserts that would likely be eaten within the first 12 hours of creation. The boys loved it, something Rick and Michonne knew to indulge in while they could before the pair got older and found time with them less and less appealing.
Michonne put two family sized bags of the flavored tortilla chips into the basket before moving further down the same aisle to grab queso and salsa. Ensuring those items were in the basket, Michonne took her boys out of the chip aisle to the meats.
Eventually getting to the beef, Michonne pulled the cart to a stop in order to inspect which beef would be best for her family's consumption. Per expectation, Carl hustled his way to the back of the cart in order to hang off of it, which is likely to be his position for the remainder of the triad's grocery trip.
Just as Michonne made her decision and reached for the plastic safety bags, she heard her oldest child gasp in delight.
"Mommy?" Carl's voice held a hopeful lilt. Michonne saw someone stumble a tad upon hearing the boy's name for her but ignored it as she turned her gaze to her son, "Yeah, boo?"
"Can we get Pop Tarts?!" his blue eyes twinkled as he took another peek towards the aisle adjacent to them. Upon hearing his brother ask for the famed breakfast pastries, Andre perked up as well.
"Ooh, yeah, Mommy!" the toddler joined in. "Can we?"
"Daddy promised we'd get them next time," Carl implored. Looking into her son's eyes, Michonne saw he was being truthful. Of course he did, she mentally chastised her boyfriend. She picked up the singular pound of beef and put it in its safety wrapping, placing it into the basket.
Looking up, Michonne saw both of her boys fixing her with large, glistening eyes. "Well, since your Dad promised…"
The boys exclaimed in triumph and Michonne fought the smile that was attempting to creep its way onto her face. She took the boys to pick a flavor-it took some time but they finally came to the decision of Cookie Dough after she threatened to leave the store today without the Pop Tarts-before completing her shopping for dinner ingredients.
Eventually, the three wound up at the checkout line with Carl telling his mother and brother a story about something that happened during recess that day. When it was her turn, Michonne began placing her items onto the conveyor belt.
"Do you need help, Mommy?" Carl interrupted himself, always eager to lend a hand.
"No, Boo, it's okay," Michonne responded, flashing him a smile. "Just make sure your brother doesn't grab anything again."
The 5-year-old nodded, turning his attention to the toddler in front of him. Michonne turned her attention to the cashier. "Kids," she joked, playfully rolling her eyes. "He's been talking my head off all day."
The cashier-Brittany-didn't answer, really, except for an awkward laugh and several glances between Michonne and the two children in her care. Brittany slowly continued to scan items in silence, much different than how she was with the previous customer, still looking at the children and their mother quizzically.
"Problem?" Michonne looked the slightly younger woman in the eye and raised a brow in question.
Brittany stammered, "Oh, no, no, of course not."
"Then you can stop looking at my children that way and give me my total, please," Michonne plastered on a grin that didn't reach her eyes. Brittany looked away and gave Michonne the total. After paying, Michonne gathered the small accumulation of bags from the carousel before walking out of the store.
Michonne got the children and the groceries into the car before placing her cart inside of the strategically placed kiosk before getting inside her vehicle and huffing a sigh.
"Mommy, are you okay?" Andre's voice piped up. The woman in question pivoted her head and was met with her children's concerned eyes.
"Yeah, Peanut, I'm okay," Michonne reassured. "Let's get home to Pop."
+1. Kings County
The air of Kings County was different from that of Atlanta. It was clean and fresh, seemingly unpolluted from the way of life that overpowered Michonne's home city. She loved that people around Kings County liked to take walks and were neighborly with one another.
In fact, she liked Kings County so much she would have considered moving there if it wasn't for the fact that it was so… White. She felt it important for Andre to live in a city like Atlanta, where there are lots of other Black kids. Some place where he wouldn't feel so ostracized. He would get that enough later on, he doesn't need it now.
But still, she loved to visit the small town. She loved seeing Rick's childhood stomping grounds and visiting his childhood home to have conversations with his mother, Kitty, and his father, Patty. She especially adored going to Rick's shop and seeing him in action, which is exactly where she was now.
She sat at Rick's desk in his and Daryl's back office, which is really just his since Daryl rarely ventured back to his desk. Especially now with their new receptionist, Connie, who-though, deaf-was popular with the customers.
With a sign highlighting her disability, customers were mostly considerate to speak a bit more slowly so she can read their lips, some even coming with pre-written notes for her to read. With her bright personality and quick wit, Connie has quickly won the heart of customers, as well as one Mr. Daryl Dixon, who Rick says he has never seen act in such a way before.
He had begun taking up American Sign Language as a means to communicate with Connie better and had started coming to work with non-wrinkled clothes and washed hair. Rick teased him for it but Michonne found it sweet.
Rick finished up a truck before going to wash his hands and make his way over to his office. "Hey, baby," He smiled at his girlfriend, giving her a quick peck. "Let me throw on a jacket then we can go."
He did just what he said he would and the two made their way out of the car shop hand in hand, passing Daryl and Connie having a conversation while the front of the shop was empty. Rick informed them he'd be back in an hour and then he and Michonne walked two doors down to the local diner.
The two were greeted with a kind smile from Carol, a regular waitress. "Go ahead. I already got your drinks ready and your food put in."
"Thanks, Carol!" the two replied, making their way to their usual booth. Like always, they both sit on the side facing the door and Rick placed his arm around the back of the seat with Michonne tucked comfortably between him and the window.
"So, I was thinking," Michonne started. "We can take the boys to the zoo this weekend?"
Carol came along with their shakes, burgers and fries, "Here y'all go."
"Are we that predictable, Carol?" Michonne laughed. "Down to the time?"
Carol shrugged, "Your fault." She chuckled, "Enjoy." The woman walked away to another table a little bit ways down.
"Why don't we stay in the house this weekend?" Rick asked.
"We stayed in last weekend," Michonne deadpanned.
"Chonnie, those boys are spoiled," Rick popped a fry into his mouth. "Two weekends won't kill them."
"You just called them spoiled so, actually, I think it could," Michonne retorted. Rick shook his head at her, his eyes moving up and catching Merle Dixon, fresh out of a year long jail sentence, with his eyes on him. Actually, not on him. On Michonne.
Michonne noticed where he was looking, "Rick, it's fine. He hasn't said anything."
"If he keeps looking at you like that, I will."
"Rick…"
He turned his attention back to his girlfriend's pleading eyes. He lets it go. He won't ruin their lunch date due to Merle's foolishness.
The two finish the date with little issue and leave cash to cover the bill and Carol's tip. They rise from their seat and clasp hands, walking past Merle where he sits at the counter, continuing to glare holes into Michonne's head. And Rick can't take it anymore.
"What's the problem, Merle?"
Merle sniffed and slowly moved his eyes over to Rick, "Your girl is. She shouldn't be wit' ya."
"Because…?"
"Rick, please, let's just go," Michonne tugged on his arm. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before facing her, "You're right."
The two made it to the door when they heard Merle say, "She know better. It ain't natural."
And then Rick knocked him out.
Sometime later, after talks with the police and Merle deciding not to press charges, Michonne and Rick were at their apartment where she was pressing an ice pack to his swollen fist, Carl and Andre with Michonne's parents.
"You can't do this every time someone says something," Michonne said.
Rick sighed, "I was gonna get him for looking at you like that before he even said anything."
"People are always looking, Rick," Michonne replied. "They're not used to it."
"Yes, Michonne, I know," Rick stated. "But this look held hatred. Not confusion. And it's always directed to you either way."
"Let me tell you something," Michonne forced him to meet her eyes. "It's always going to be on me. People are going to be confused by me and be disgusted by me and you can't fight them all. No matter how lovely that would be."
Rick was indignant, "I would do it."
Michonne cracked a soft grin, "I know but I won't let you. They don't matter here. We do. Carl and Andre do. Any other kids we may have do. Our family does."
Rick nodded and leaned in to give her a gentle kiss. The two pulled away and touched their foreheads to one another's, "You want more kids with me, huh?"
"Oh, yeah. I still got some good years left," Michonne pointed out. "Besides, little versions of me and you together sound wonderful."
"It does," Rick grinned and kissed her again. "I can't wait."
