Destined

46.

Me and Vincent had spent the rest of the night playing card games and video games. Everything began to come to a slow stop when we noticed family members were leaving, and kids crying because they didn't wanna leave. I remembered doing that same thing when I didn't wanna leave my grandma's house.

My mother had been casually sitting on the sofa watching us play the game while she drank the last bit of the champagne in her glass, hugging the family as they left. She surprisingly hadn't said a word to me since I came back. She did however agree to let Vincent stay with us for a couple days and his mother had no problem leaving him with us either. My grandmother had fallen asleep hours ago, I was pretty sure it was 12:00 am by now.

My sister was also asleep in the same room as my grandmother. The fireworks were amusing to watch for awhile, until me and Vincent realized that we had gotten to old to watch them.

"Jayon, are you staying over here tonight?" My mother asked.

"I wasn't planning too, why?" I ask her, pausing the game.

"Your sister is asleep and I don't wanna wake her up. I was gonna go for the night and ask you to bring her home with you in the morning,"

I smack my lips. Here she go again volunteering me to do shit I really didn't feel like doing.

"Mom, why can't you just take her with you?" I ask, annoyed.

"Like I said, I don't want to wake her. I'm tired Jayon, I spent all day cooking food,"

"Which was hella good tete," Vincent butts in.

"Thank you Vincent," she says.

"I wasn't staying here," I tell her.

"That's fine," she says, taking the last shot of her champagne.

"Tete should you be driving? I can drive you home. You've been drinking," Vincent was concerned.

"Oh, Vincent I've been driving drunk since Jayon was 9 , I'll be fine. Thank you for offering though," she stands to her feet, grabbing her purse from the counter she had just cleaned.

"You sure?" He asks.

"Positive," she answers.

I roll my eyes at their interaction. He acted more like a son to her than I did.

"Play dumbass," I tell him. We had been playing 2k16, and he was causing our team to lose by not paying attention.

He looks at me sharply before beginning to put his fingers to work. My mother had went to the room to wake Jasmine up, it didn't take her long.

"Your grandmother is completely knocked," my mom says, guiding Jasmine down the hall. She had been half-sleeping.

"I bet," I say without turning around. Vincent laughs.

"Alright, were out of here y'all. I love you both, see you later," my mother blows a childish kiss to me and Vincent, who seems to think that that's the best shit ever.

"Psh. Jayon, you have an amazing mom and you don't even cherish her," he says as soon as he sees the door closes.

"What are you talking about?" I turn to him, pausing the game.

"The shit she does for you is shit my mother would never do,"

"Nigga you dont even know what she's done," I say.

"I bet it's been a lot, and just for you and Jasmine," he tells me.

"She's done what any other single mother has done, provide for us. She's no better than any other mom,"