Who's Matti? - Part 5

For the last 35 years, Matti had done everything in her power to make sure her children were shielded from her past mistakes. She jumped through every hoop that Orlando’s family, mainly Jennifer, threw her way when they found out about her and the kids. The fact that she accepted money to disappear was a regret she lived with every day of her life.

“Monicha needs to leave this alone. There’s no need to bring all of this back up,” Banner told Matti after she found out about Monicha traveling to DC to meet with Orlando’s family. “What was she thinking?”

“Mama, she was thinking she wanted to know her father’s side of the family. And, I don’t blame her.”

“You don’t blame her? Really,” Monicha’s grandmother said with a bit of huffiness in her voice. “You know what, I don’t blame her.” She pointed her finger in her daughter’s direction, “I blame you. I told you to get rid of that box years ago. What if they found out…” Banner stopped. She threw her hands up and started to walk off from Matti.

“Find out what? Find out that all of her life we’ve lied to her and we’re still lying.”

“Matricia Denise,” Banner stopped. Tears welled in her eyes. An overwhelming feeling came over her. “I haven’t called you that in years. I thought that was a name that would never come out of my mouth again.”

Matti took a deep breath, “Me too.”

Matti didn’t want to argue with her mom or drudge up the past, but the fact was that the past was now the present. And, it was going to be the future now that her children knew about their father’s side of the family. Even though Monicha had agreed to leave the entire situation alone, she knew that she wouldn’t. Especially not after she showed her the pictures of her with her father.

Monicha was truly a daddy’s girl. That’s why Matti knew she couldn’t keep the truth from her any longer. Telling her children, especially Monicha, the truth was something she had feared since they found the box with her and Patti’s picture. Now, she is faced with the difficult task of telling her daughter the deep dark truth.

***

“This little road trip was much needed,” Monicha said as she and her mom jumped on the highway for a girl’s trip to the mountains. Four days of just them and nature, was the ideal trip after everything Monicha learned over the holidays. Plus, she was long overdue for some one on one time with her mom.

Monicha had been a little on edge since she returned from DC and learning the truth about her mom, dad and Aunt Patti, had increased her anxiety. Promising to leave the entire situation alone was the hardest thing that she ever had agreed to, but it was the right thing to do. She knew that everything that her mom did, was for her and her brother.

The four-hour drive to Tennessee had drained a lot out of Monicha, so she decided to make a quick stop at a small country store. Her mom was fast asleep, so she didn’t wake her. She figured she’ll grab her a box of Boston Baked Beans and a Mountain Dew to have once she woke up.

A bag of salt and vinegar chips was the last thing that she threw in the basket that was filled with candy, cookies, marshmallows, and Mountain Dew. She walked up to the counter and set the basket down. The man working in the store had his back turned to her when she walked up. “Anything else, for you this evening,” the gentleman asked as he turned around.

Monicha was looking down in her purse for her card, “Yeah, do you have some playing cards?” When she looked up, the man was laying the playing cards on the counter. Man he is fine, she thought to herself.

“Here you go. Anything else for you, young lady?”

“No, that’ll be all. Thank you,” Monicha replied as she handed him her card.

The man bagged up her goodies and handed the bag to her. “I put in a few of these homemade cookies that our local bakery brings over in the bag for you. Hope you enjoy.”

“Thanks,” she replied.

Monicha got this uneasy feeling as if she knew the man, but she had never laid her eyes on him a day in her life. For a minute, she started to ask him if he was married because she figured he would be a good match for her mom. “Enjoy your weekend,” he replied as she walked out of the store.

As she was getting in the car she managed to get a picture of the man, to show her mom once they had settled down for the night. She couldn’t remember the last time her mom had been in a relationship. And, the gentleman in the store was just her mom’s type. Tall, dark and handsome.

Twenty minutes later, Monicha pulled up to the secluded mountainside cabin. “Wake up sleepyhead,” she said as she gave her mom a gentle push.

Matti slowly roused up looking around as if she was trying to figure out where she was. “Lord ham mercy, I was no help on this trip, was I?”

“Not one bit,” Monicha laughed. “But, that didn’t stop me from stopping to get you a Mountain Dew and Boston Baked Beans.”

“You stopped by a store? I was really knocked out.”

“Yes mam. I even grabbed us some cards. You up for a game of tunk by the fire?”

“Honey, I hate to take all your money. But, I will.”

“Yeah right,” Monicha laughed.

Their girls’ weekend had officially begun. Monicha’s only goal was to spend the weekend not thinking about her mom, dad, her sister and grandparents. She had even deleted her social media accounts for the weekend so that she wouldn’t be tempted to look on her aunts’ Facebook page.

“Where did your friend say the key would be,” Monicha asked her mom. The cabin that they were staying in belonged to an old friend of Matti’s, and they had offered it to her for the weekend.

“Under the flower pot on the table.”

Monicha found the key right where her mom said it would be. The moment she opened the door, the warmth from the cabin hit her in the face. The two wasted no time settling in and getting acquainted with the cabin.

***

She’s beautiful!

Did she recognize you?

No but if she did she didn’t say anything.

Good....

We need to tell her!

I will in my time.

I’m coming up to the cabin.

NO!!!

Matti’s hands began to tremble as she finished the exchange with the person on the other end of the text. Monicha was fast asleep in her room down the hall, and Matti was up trying to figure out a way to tell her daughter the secret that she was keeping from her.

Outside, when Matti saw the text come across her phone she almost had a heart attack. She peeped out of the window to see the headlights of a car. She took a deep breath and eased out of the house, making sure she didn’t wake Monicha up.

The moment she stepped on the porch, the headlights went out and the car door opened. Matti kept looking over her shoulder to make sure Monicha hadn’t gotten up. It was a little after two in the morning, and it was freezing cold. Her long johns weren’t working under her PJs. When her visitor approached the porch, Matti asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you.”

“Well, now you’ve seen me. You need to go before she wakes up.”

“I doubt that. She looked worn out when she stopped by the store earlier.”

Matti looked over her shoulder again just to make sure Monicha wasn’t moving around inside the cabin. “I almost lost it when she said she stopped by the store. I did my best to keep my composure because I figured it was your store.”

“I knew who she was the minute she walked in.”

Matti smiled.

“You’re not going to invite me in?”

“No. This weekend is about Monicha and me.”

“I know, but I thought you were going to tell her.”

Matti became agitated. “I told you that I would tell her in my own time,” she snapped.

The gentleman threw his hands up. “I know when I’m losing a fight with you.” He wrapped his arms around Matti, “You guys find everything that you needed?”

“We did. You didn’t have to stock the house with her favorite things. She was asking questions.”

He just smiled and tightened his arms around Matti. “You need to tell her. She’s going to have questions, that only we can answer.”

“I know. I promise you, I’ll talk to her in the morning.”

The two of them stood on the porch for a few minutes longer before Matti went back inside where it was warm and Monicha was fast asleep. The next morning, she was awakened by the smell of fresh coffee. Matti had planned on being the first one up, so she could prepare breakfast. But, Monicha had beat her to the punch.

“Good morning,” Monicha said as Matti walked into the kitchen.

“Morning baby girl.” She grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured herself a cup of coffee, “How did you sleep?”

“Like a baby. That drive up the mountain took more out of me than I thought.”

“Well, you can sleep on the way home, while I drive.”

“That’s fine with me,” Monicha laughed.

Matti finished her cup of coffee and began preparing breakfast while Monicha was taking a shower. The entire time she was cooking, she kept thinking about her late-night visitor wanting her to talk to Monicha about their huge secret. Truthfully, he was the entire reason that Matti decided to bring Monicha on this girls’ trip.

After Monicha returned from DC, Matti knew that it wouldn’t be long before all of her dirty little secrets would eventually come out. So, she figured that she needed to get in front of it and try to make sense of it for her daughter. She wasn’t worried about Montae because he didn’t care one way or the other about his dad’s family. But, Monicha was different. She was curious. And, like they say, “Curiosity killed the cat.”

"I think I’m going to buy a cabin,” Monicha said when she walked into the kitchen.

“Really?” Matti had this surprised look on her face. Her daughter had never been big on nature.

“Yeah. You know for a little getaway every now and then. Then, when I’m not using it I could always rent it out. Like your friend does?”

“Makes sense,” Matti said as she set a stack of blueberry pancakes on the table. She would much rather discuss Monicha’s real estate goals, but she would have to save it for another time.

“I know right. But, not here. I’m thinking Telluride, Colorado. So, I can be near Aunt Oprah,” Monicha replied as she placed three of the pancakes on her plate.

Matti knew Monicha was going to make it happen. The same way she had built her home with the smart technology that she created at her company. If Monicha put her mind to something, she made sure it would happen.

“I forgot to tell you, that I think the gentleman I met at the store last night would be a good match for you.”

Matti almost dropped her cup of coffee. She looked up at her daughter who had a huge smile on her face. “What do you mean a good match for me?”

“He’s tall, dark, and handsome. That’s what I mean.” She took a bite of her pancake, “And, I didn’t see a wedding ring.”

“Really Cookie Monster?”

“Yes, for real. When was the last time you’ve been with someone?”

Matti just looked at Monicha.

“Exactly. You deserve to focus on yourself after all that craziness with Daddy.”

“I’m perfectly fine the way I am.”

“You sure,” Monicha asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Monicha scrunched up her face, “Who’s cabin is this?”

“A friend. I told you that.”

“A friend who comes by at two in the morning?”

Matti just stared at Monicha. She figured that the headlights woke her up. Honestly, she didn’t know how to answer.

“I heard a man’s voice last night. And, the car that was in the yard was the same one at the store I stopped at.” Monicha had this smirk on her face as if she had figured it out. “Now, it makes sense why he was being so friendly and even putting those homemade cookies in the bag.”

Still, Matti didn’t know what to say as her daughter went on and on about her finding someone to be with. And, even suggesting that she invite the man from the store over for dinner. The more Monicha talked, the more she knew that she couldn’t hide the truth from her daughter. It was literally killing her on the inside knowing that she had been living a lie for so long. Then she couldn’t take it anymore. She had to tell her. In the middle of Monicha talking about calling Montae to get his opinion, Matti yelled, “He’s your father.”