Mid-Fall 2009

Derek's Nissan Versa stopped at a red light when Sara asked him that question. He had already forgotten about the ECM incident. It had been a little over the month. The college freshman looked at the single mother sitting in the backseat. Her sullen expression remained unflinching. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Do we really need to bring that up?"

"Yes, we do," Sara almost shouted. She double-checked on the sleeping toddler on her lap before she continued addressing her ex-boyfriend. "Samara has been having nightmares since that day. Then, I found out last week she's scared of some weird dude who got pummeled for supposedly kidnapping a child at a park. Not only that, but she told me she met him at the market. So, what happened when you found Samara?"

Derek recalled hearing bits of conversation about the assault at Lily Gardens Park. He couldn't believe that it was the same guy. The light turned green; he redirected his focus on the road and drove ahead to West Ogden Avenue. It wasn't until they were on West Roosevelt Road that the college freshman confessed what happened from his end. "I heard a little girl throwing a tantrum. It didn't take long to find out it was her. She might've wandered off from wherever you were at the time. I caught the dude from the news grabbing her arm and trying to leave with her. I told him to bounce or deal with me. He chose Option A." Sara was seething underneath her paler expression.

"Are you telling me… you waited 40 days… to tell me… someone almost kidnapped my daughter?!" She forgot that Samara was asleep until she shouted the last phrase. Needless to say, the former didn't like it very much. "I knew you'd lie to me again," the single mother expressed vehemently to the driver.

"I didn't lie on purpose. I thought you needed one less thing to worry about. You were stressed out when we found you."

"Thank you for the consistency," she scoffed.

He knew he made a mistake. At the same time, her attitude was starting to get on his nerves. "Look, I couldn't go to Georgetown. You know I'm obligated to my family."

"Of course," Sara flippantly remarked.

The Eisenhower Expressway was usually rife with bustling traffic. Today had a more adverse effect. Derek could only move his car every six minutes. At the same time, he learned two things about Samara. Her liveliness peaked following her afternoon nap. Unfortunately, that also meant she, like most toddlers, would need something to keep her engaged. Her mother berated herself for not packing one of her favorite toys. She only packed essentials—snacks, her daughter's sippy cup, and extra diapers—in the diaper bag. Derek, not wanting to die of boredom, turned on the radio to listen to WVAZ 102.7 FM. They all listen to Maxwell crooning "Pretty Wings" within the confined Nissan Versa. The toddler was drawn to the music; the emotive lyrics affected the two grown-ups with her.

The college freshman was minding the gridlock, but he couldn't help daydreaming having these kind of moments with the triplets. Derek imagined them fighting and hollering in the backseat. He didn't experience that in the latter nine months and 27 days with them. This only gave him more incentive to resent Nikki. Derek asked Sara, "How old is Samara?"

She flatly answered, "22 months."

"When's her birthday?"

"December 12th. How old is your kid?"

"Kids, actually," Derek corrected. "Three kids."

"Oh." He disclosed how old the triplets were, but, at this point, it was all going in one ear and out the other. "I shouldn't be surprised that Derek and Nikki would have two more children," the Juilliard alumna said to herself. On the other hand, something didn't make sense to her. "If things are so solid between them, why does he keep hanging around us alone?"

The rest of the drive was still tense; when they reached the Johnsons' front yard, Derek parked his Nissan Versa. He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door for Sara and Samara. However, one of them was adamant on getting out of the car herself regardless of her injury. "Do you think you should get that ankle checked?"

"It's just a strain," the single mother deflected. "It doesn't hurt that much."

"Then, why did you let me give you a ride?" The college freshman cheekily smiled at his second ex-girlfriend. She wasn't in a joking mood. Taking her daughter by the hand, the Juilliard alumna made their way into the house. She unlocked the front door and allowed the toddler inside. Sara was about to follow after her when Derek called, "I get that you hate me and don't need my help, but that ankle will be a sprain if you don't treat it. At least, consider it for Samara."

The single mother paused before she turned to face her ex-boyfriend. Derek was walking towards his Nissan Versa. "I don't hate you," she loudly clarified, stopping him. "I just can't trust you."

"What happened with Nikki was—"

"This isn't just about Nikki or your kids." Sara leaned against the porch railing to steady herself. "When I first moved here from Lemont, I couldn't talk to anyone about losing my mom. Remember that? If you'd told me sooner you didn't go to Georgetown, I would've tried to understand. But you never gave me that chance. That's what hurts." Afterwards, she retreated inside the house.

As Derek drove to South Green Street, Sara's words made him think about what happened between them. It didn't matter why he didn't tell her in the first place. One thing was for sure: they couldn't carry on that way. When he reached his destination, there was no signs of his grandmother or her car. He immediately called Chenille, who was, for lack of a better word, pissed at him.

"Where on Earth you been at?!"

"I got stuck in traffic. Is Momma Dean with you?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you," his sister declared. "She took the subway home and picked up Christopher from school."

"What about her car?"

"Ask her when you get here."

A/N: I pray you can read this while the server issue is being handled.