Image source: party illustration: MilsiArt |��Dreamstime.com

Tyneshia admired herself one last time in the full-length mirror. Her youthful, feminine assets fit snugly inside her short red dress. She blew herself a kiss. You look good, girl.

In a swift motion, she snatched her clutch off her unmade bed. ���Mama, I���m leaving,��� she yelled when she reached the front door.

Debra burst into the cramped living room. Based on Tyneshia���s attire, she had an idea about her daughter���s destination. ���Girl, where are you going?���

Twisting the chrome doorknob, Tyneshia said, ���To Club Charisma. I told you I got a big tip at work, so I’m going out with������

���And I told you that you got a sick daughter,��� Debra interrupted. Her gloved hand pointed towards her five-year-old granddaughter���s bedroom. ���Imani is throwing up. You need to stay here and take care of your sick child.��� Her voice soared as she ended, ���Forget that damn club!���

���I don���t wanna do that!��� Tyneshia stomped her foot. She whipped around to face her petite, middle-aged mother. ���I wanna go out with my friends and have fun!���

���Let me hit you with some facts, Tyneshia, okay?��� Debra laid her hand against her stiff hip. ���You���re a grown woman with a child���a sick child. You need to have your ass at home with her, not shaking it up at some club!���

���Just because you���re my mother doesn���t mean you have the right to tell me what I need and don���t need to do!��� Her eyes ballooned to drive the point home. ���Like you said, I���m grown!��� She turned and opened the door.

Debra clasped her hands and stepped closer to her daughter. ���Don���t leave Imani, please. Don���t treat her like a doll you���ve outgrown. She’s your daughter. She needs you!���

���You���re here! You can take care of her.���

���Why should I?��� Debra���s hands fell at her sides. ���I didn���t supply the bed or the sperm to make her!���

Tyneshia slammed the door and spun around. She met Debra���s hard stare with her own razor-sharp glare and blasted out, ���You should do it because you���re her grandmother!��� She pointed at Debra and reminded her, ���Grandmama helped you with me, remember?���

Debra froze. Yes, her late mother had babysat Tyneshia many times. The reason, however, differed. She wasn���t clubbing. Instead, she worked long hours to earn a living for them.

Before Debra spoke, Tyneshia blasted another reminder at her. ���You persuaded me to have her���that it would be wrong to do the opposite, remember?���

���Go on, girl!��� Debra waved her only child away. She couldn���t take any more reminders. She felt her chest cave in as Tyneshia swung around, flipped her boxed braids, and laughed.

The door shut. Debra stared at the vacant space. She left without a word of gratitude. She didn���t even voice concern about Imani.

Tyneshia hopped in her Nissan Rogue and drove off. Club Charisma, here I come.

Debra slumped her shoulders. Fatigue weighed her down too much to nurse anyone. She had worked overtime all week. Regardless, Imani needed motherly care.

She won’t get it from her mama. This wasn���t the first time her daughter had abandoned Imani. Nor would it be the last. Lord, let me live long enough to see my grandbaby get grown. She���ll definitely need me. On that note, she straightened her back and headed to Imani’s bedroom.

While she was in Imani���s bedroom, she heard the front door shutting. What��� Tyneshia? She rushed towards the living room. She blinked at Tyneshia���something she���d never done before.

Tyneshia kept her tearful eyes low. She had never believed her life decisions were wrong. However, as she drove to Club Charisma, a new reality struck her. It���s time to kill your ego and give your life to your daughter.

She looked up. ���My daughter needs me,��� she said, her tone softer than earlier. She swallowed hard. ���And I need you, Mama, to������

���I���m here to help, baby,��� Debra interrupted with a warm smile. ���I���m here to help both of you.��� She opened her arms for Tyneshia���s entrance.

Tyneshia dropped her purse and ran into her mother���s arms. ���You���re right, Mama,��� she admitted. ���It���s time for me to be a mother to my baby.���

Debra pulled back and wiped Tyneshia���s wet face. ���Come on, lil��� Mama,��� she said, with a gracious smile. ���Let���s go take care of our baby.���

Stepping sideways, Tyneshia snapped, ���What? You expect me to clean up vomit?��� She wagged her forefinger while shaking her head. ���No way, Mama. I look too good for that!��� She cracked a smile. The two mothers laughed and then walked arm in arm to Imani���s bedroom, marking a new beginning in motherhood.

�� 2025 by Pamela Jones.

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