I set out on a narrow way many years ago hoping I would find true love along the broken road but I got lost a time or two, wiped my brow and kept pushing through I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you.

/

"Mama, I am going to marry him! I love him and he loves me! Why can't you just be happy for me?"

Maya looked over her shoulder at her twenty year old daughter with disbelief and shook her head disapprovingly.

Man, if looks could kill..

Throwing down the dishrag and turning on her axis to fully focus on her daughter, Maya placed her hand on her hip and spoke, "Olivia, you've barely known that man for two months! I'm glad you're happy, I really am, but why can't you wait a little while longer and really get to know him before making such a commitment? Marriage is not some play thing, baby. Why are you in such a rush? Are you- are you pregnant?"

"We're not rushing, mama." Olivia sighed. "And no, I am not pregnant. He said that he doesn't want to wait any longer to make me his wife and I honestly don't see a reason to wait either. He's financially stable, he's in good health, he has no children, he has his on own home, his own cars and he's doing well in his career. Those are signs of a good man! This is a man that you should want me to marry!"

Maya laughed though she found nothing even remotely funny about this situation. Her daughter was moving entirely too fast. "Olivia, those are signs of someone that has a job," she said matter-of-factly. "Do you realize you've barely even scratched the surface with this guy? Can you tell me who he is as a person when he's not trying to impress you with all of the material things? What is he like when he's angry? How does he treat his mama? Is he trustworthy when you aren't around? What are his political views? What are his spiritual beliefs? Because right now, baby, the stage that you're in is primarily attraction, but when reality sets in and all the fairy dust is gone, you're going to wake up one day married to a man that you don't even know."

*

Ten years later

"Hey, Liv, have you seen my briefcase? I've gotta head out here soon. I can't be late," he said, checking the apple watch on his wrist.

Olivia huffed, really. Without lifting her head, she pointed to the kitchen table. "Over there."

With a single nod, he briskly walked over to the table and grabbed the brown leather briefcase. "What the hell?" His tone raised, causing Olivia to finally look up and over in his direction. "Olivia, what the hell is this on it," he asked as he held it up in the air, inspecting it further.

"Addison might've spilled syrup on it," she said apologetically. "I was going to clean it, but Zion called and it completely slipped my mind. Sorry."

"Yeah, well next time try not to forget or just keep my things away from the kitchen table and the kids."

After scrubbing the sticky substance off, he grabbed the rest of his materials and headed towards the foyer. "I'll be home late tonight. Don't wait up for me," he said, then walked out the door.

"I love you too? Happy Anniversary to you too, honey." She mumbled, rolling her eyes.

Once she was for certain that he was gone, Olivia inhaled deeply and forced her tears away. "Not today," she told herself. She wasn't going to let him get under her skin today.

It was not her fault that at his big age he was still irresponsible and couldn't put his own things away like a mature adult would. If he was upset, then oh-fucking-well. She had a more pressing reason to be upset than he did, he had clearly forgotten their anniversary...again.

"Mommy!" Addison, Olivia's daughter called, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Do I have to go to school today," she asked, climbing onto the couch and sitting next to her mom.

"No, honey, not today. Today's Saturday and-"

Wait.

With the day being Saturday, why was he going to work and won't be in until later tonight? Olivia wondered. Well, maybe he hadn't forgotten their anniversary after-all and was planning something special!

"And what, mommy?" Addison piped. Olivia looked at her little girl and grinned, "And there's no school on Saturdays, Addison Jo! You know that."

Both Olivia and Addison giggled before falling into a comfortable silence as they cuddled on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons. "Bubba's missing our cuddle time," said Addison as she looked up at Olivia.

"Bubba's fine, Addie. He didn't sleep well last night, so he's sleeping in late this morning," she said, brushing back her daughter's dark curls which were identical to her own then kissing her forehead. "He'll be up soon enough and terrorizing the both of us."

At thirty years old Olivia was a mother, a wife, and an elementary school teacher. Her babies, five year old twins Addison Jo and Zion James being her absolute world.

She often thought about what life would be like had she taken her own mother's advice all those years ago and not gotten married. The only problem with that scenario is that she wouldn't have her children, and Olivia absolutely loved being a mother. She wouldn't change that for anything.

However, her marriage and being a wife was not the same case at all. The love she thought she had for her husband was just that, a thought. During their short dating period, he was an absolute wonder, a magnificent man, really. She wondered why such a kindhearted, ambitious, good-looking man would want to marry her at just twenty years old. Olivia certainly had the brains and beauty, but she wasn't sure how she had gotten his attention.

But after marrying him, she got her why when finally his true colors began to show and like her mother had warned her, she married someone she did not truly know..

Come to find out, he was a silver spoon fed, conniving, arrogant son of a you-know-what that only needed the doting wife and children to make himself look even better, but when it came to actually being apart of the family he created, he had zero interest. And once Olivia realized that, it was too late, she was already trapped with his babies.

"Mommy, your phone's ringing," Addie announced, grabbing her mother's ringing device and smiling at the picture that stared back at her.

"Look! It says, Ky-Rah," she said. Slowly sounding out the name which made Olivia laugh. She knew her daughter truly knew that, plus the picture that glowed on the screen was a dead giveaway.

"Good job, baby, it does says Kyra." She praised, making her little girl grin before she took the still ringing device and answered.

"Hello?"

"Well, it took ya' long enough!" Olivia's dearest friend immediately fussed into the phone making Olivia snicker. She was always so demanding.

"Sorry K, Addie was reading your name on the screen."

"It's literally four letters, Liv."

"And she's five. She's at the stage where she wants to read and sound out everything, even the things she already knows." Olivia defended her daughter. "Why are you calling me?"

"Geez, maybe because I miss you and want to talk?" Kyra said, feigning as if she was offended by her question.

"We just spoke last night, K. But now you want something so, out with it." Olivia replied.

As she glanced over to her left side she caught sight of her baby boy coming towards her with a messy bed head and pouty lips.

Balancing the phone between her shoulder and ear, Olivia picked him up and sat him on her lap before brushing back his bushy hair and feeling his forehead with the back of her hand. Luckily he was a lot less warm than he'd been over in the night but she would still check his temperature when she ended her phone call with her friend. "So, I'm asking you again, why are you calling, Kyra?"

"Okay. Fine, you're right. Though this doesn't mean that I didn't miss you in between time." Kyra quickly added which made Olivia smile.

"Mhmm."

"Come out with me tonight? Stephen and I are going out with a few of his buddies and their wife's and you know I can't stand those snobby heifers. Come with me, please?"

"I would love to, but I can't tonight, Kyra. Do you realize what today is?"

"Uh, it's Saturday? January the twenty-second, I think. So what?"

"No, you're right. It is the twenty-second which means that it's my anniversary, Kyra." Olivia scoffed making Kyra pause.

"Well, you know, today's date might've stood out or meant something to me had I actually been invited to the ceremony."

"Come on now, K. It's been a decade, and you know he didn't want that."

"That day was about you too, Liv. It shouldn't always be about what he wants."

Olivia knew her friend was right, she told her as such every time the topic came up. But she knew Kyra was still hurt by the deed done many years ago, and rightfully so. It wasn't her idea to not invite any of her friends and family to her courthouse wedding, but she didn't necessarily fight for them to be there either.

Honestly, when her then fiancé told her that he didn't want many people at their ceremony, Olivia was okay with it because she didn't want to be rejected by anyone else that meant a lot to her. Her heart couldn't have taken it. She had already been told by her mother that she wouldn't be in attendance that day because she did not approve of their marriage and felt like Olivia was moving too fast, so Olivia was certain that her few friends and other members of her family felt that way too. To save face, she decided not to invite anyone. Her husband had been responsible for their three witnesses.

"Kyra... I-"

Kyra sighed, cutting her off. "No. It's fine, Liv. It's not just about the wedding anymore. I just wish you wouldn't let him treat you so badly in general, you deserve better and I know you know that. You're an adult and yes you can make your own decisions, but just don't forget about doing what makes you happy too...don't lose sight of you."

With that said, Kyra ended the call with a "love you" and "talk to you later".

Sighing, Olivia dropped her phone to the empty space on the couch. Her screen was still lit when she glanced at it and the time read ten a.m.. Sadly, she already felt so drained.

"Come on, Z. Let mommy check your temperature and fix you up something to eat. Addison and I have already eaten breakfast. Are you feeling any better, baby?" Olivia asked her big boy that looked exactly like her. Pouty lips, doe brown eyes and all.

"Yeah, mommy! I feel much better and I'm starving!" Zion responded as he followed her footsteps into the kitchen.

*

Later in the day, having checking her son's temperature and getting him fed, Olivia was made aware that her son was feeling much better which made her happy. She had hated to see him suffer over in the night.

Her kids were now going crazy from being inside the house all morning with nothing to do and Olivia knew she needed to get them out before they tore her house apart.

"Addison and Zion, put on your shoes."

"Where are we going, mommy?"

"We're taking a trip to Lovey's."

By the time they were all dressed with their curly hair neatly combed and slicked down, it was nearing lunchtime and Olivia knew her littles would be getting hungry. With her daughter and son now buckled into their car seats, Olivia buckled herself in and began the drive to her mother's, but not before having to make a stop at a McDonald's and feeding her growing children.

"Hey, mom! I found these two little hoodlums roaming the streets on my way over, what should we do with them?" Olivia asked, holding her daughter and son's hand as they walked inside of Olivia's mother's two-story home. The very home she had grew up in albeit being remodeled.

The children snickered as Maya came over and began to poke and probe them from head to toe. "Hmm, they're a little giggly, but they smell really good! You think they'll taste like chicken if I season them well," she asked, playing along.

"Oh, absolutely! We should definitely fry them up." Olivia nodded.

"No, Lovey! It's me! It's Zion and my sissy!" Zion said, patting his small hand against his chest then pointing to his sister, trying to get his own mother and grandma to recognize them, as if they truly did not know that already.

Even Addison had to giggle at her poor brother's nervousness.

Maya bent down and squinted her eyes. "Wow!" She gasped. "It is you, Zi! Lovey was 'bout ready to have you for lunch!"

Olivia laughed, walking into her mother's arms and giving her a hug. "Hey, mama."

"Hi, baby." Maya chuckled, hugging her back tightly.

Aside from the many disagreements Maya and Olivia had, their mother-daughter bond was still intact and thriving. After Olivia's marriage, it had taken many months for them to talk things over and they were finally able to settle their differences when Olivia told her she was pregnant. Olivia would always need her mother, just as Maya would always need her one and only baby girl.

After giving out warm hugs to her ridiculously cute grandchildren, Maya asked, "You guys hungry? I can heat up something in the kitchen?"

"We already had McDonald's," Addison said as she sat on the floor to pull off her coat and snow boots, urging her twin brother to do the same. The weather outside was ridiculously cold, per usual around this time of year, but boy did Maya Lewis have it warm and toasty on the inside.

"Yeah, they literally cried crocodile tears for McDonald's. They know they're only allowed fast food on the weekends," Olivia said, grabbing her children's coats and boots and properly putting them away in the closet in the hallway.

"And it was soooo good!" Zion chimed in.

"Well, I'm glad!" Maya grinned at her handsome grandson.

The foursome had a wonderful time watching tv together and sipping hot cocoa. Later, they colored page after page in the new coloring books Maya had purchased while snacking on cheese and crackers. But even with all the excitement, Olivia's mind still drifted. What on earth was her husband doing? Why hadn't she heard from him since this morning? It was nearing three o'clock, and there was no way he could be so busy that he couldn't even check in with her. It was their anniversary for goodness sake's. Why couldn't he even acknowledge that? She'd be happy that just a text message!

Surprisingly, Olivia's phone began to ring, and even more to her surprise it was him. She quickly stood, leaving her mother and children in the room to take the call.

"Hey, baby," she answered cheerfully. She just knew he had something wonderful planned! It was their tenth anniversary after-all.

"Yeah, hey, Liv. I know I said I'd be home tonight, but looks like things has changed. Boss man says I have a flight to catch."

It felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on her. All day she'd been waiting for him to call her, but this..this was not what she was expecting to hear.

"Are- are you serious? He can't have someone else fill in? It has to be you," she asked, not even trying to mask the annoyance in her voice.

He sighed over the line. "Liv, you know how this goes. What's your deal?"

"My deal is that it's our anniversary which you haven't acknowledged at all! You left our house at eight this morning and I'm just now hearing from you, and now that I am, it's only for you to tell me that you're taking some damn trip on our anniversary! It's almost like you don't even care?"

"It's a work trip, Olivia!" His voice raised. "It's not like I'm out partying, ok? You weren't complaining about my work when we first met, were you? You liked the money I brought in to spend on you and then the children, so in order for that to keep happening, in order for you to continue sitting at home on your ass all day, I need to work and not hear you whining about the shit I can't control. Understood?"

Rage.

Rage is what she felt.

"Sitting at home on my ass?" She repeated.

"You know what I meant, Olivia."

She had a job! Though, he never took it seriously because it didn't bring in half amount of money that he did. Squaring her shoulders, she chuckled angrily and nodded her head, though she knew he couldn't see her. There was no use in getting upset, he'd clearly made up his mind and now there was nothing left for her to do but to get even.

"Mhm. I...I understand."

"Very well. Goodbye, Olivia. I'll see you when I see you. Kiss the children for me," he said.

With the phone still pressed to her ear, Olivia was shocked to the core by his smug remark when he thought she was no longer on the line, "Oh yeah. She's pissed now, but I'll handle it. Send her a designer bag and a few hundred dollars and all will be forgiven." He chuckled.

Then click, the call ended.

Her body bucked and a throaty whimper escaped her trembling lips. Slowly pulling the phone from her ear, she went to wash her face with a splash of water, ridding any evidence that just she'd been crying. She did not want to give Maya Lewis any more reasons to give her that "I told you so" look.

But upon exiting the bathroom, she bumped directly into her mother and with just one look, Maya knew that there was something wrong.

"Jacob?"

With a sad nod, the tears returned as Olivia answered, "Isn't it always?"