pregnant by our father. My mother has been happy about every pregnancy, whether planned or not, because she and my father were great co-parents. Alexis's father seemed like a great guy at first, but once Alexis was born, he showed his true colors. I think my father was a little heartbroken, but he tried to get over it since they weren't together when the conception happened. They were off and on, and when things were on, there was always another baby on the way. My father never expressed how he really felt about my mother's pregnancy, but once Alexis was born, we saw it. He was never rude or mean to Alexis, but how he interacted with us was different from how he interacted with her. I know he didn't mean any harm, but I guess his feelings got in the way when he was around the product of my mother's relationship with another man. And Alexis never said anything, but I noticed that as she got older, she always kept to herself when my dad came around. I think she wanted a relationship with him since her dad was absent. She's a sweetheart and looks up to me a lot, so I try to be careful about what I say and do around her. My mother spoiled Eric and Alexis the most because he was the baby boy, and she was the baby girl. It got on my nerves because those two were always the last to be called on if she ever needed something. I would be called first, then Wayne and Raquel, and as much as I loved my mother, I hated being her go-to. There were five of us, but somehow I was the one who was responsible for cooking when she worked late, cleaning when she worked the weekends, caring for Alexis, making sure Eric and his friends didn't burn the house down and watching out for Aniyah's freeloading ass. Sometimes I felt like my mother was already grooming me to be a mother way before I was even ready to. I never complained to her or expressed my frustrations because my mother worked hard to take care of us. She never complained about the money she dished out for bills, groceries, clothes, and shoes. Not to mention haircuts, salon appointments, school projects/trips, birthdays, and Christmas. She never even asked for us to step up and help out more financially. Hell, she still gave Wayne money for whatever he needed as well as his kids. I was beyond grateful for her but also knew that's why I was scared to tell her that I was pregnant. She expected more from me and telling her this news would crush her. My only job was to excel in school, look after the house, graduate, and go to college. That's all she ever wanted for me because she reminded me weekly of it. She never pressed Wayne or Raquel to go to college after their high school graduation. Raquel went off to Florida because she wanted to get away from the family. Wayne already had two kids, so college was off the board. Eric made decent grades, but not worthy enough to apply for school and luck up with scholarships. That left Alexis and me, and since I was older, it was my job to lead the way Alexis followed. Again, more pressure and responsibility.
If you read, Good Girl, Bad Habits, my cousin Keisha's story, then you know a little about my mother, Aretha. If not, I'll give you a quick rundown about Aretha Mae Moore. She is the fifth child born from Kelsey Mae and Kalvin Moore. She was thought to be the last child that her parents wanted to have and so they spoiled her. Her oldest sisters babied her and showered her with love, except for the twins, Coretta and Loretta. The twins couldn't stand her and always bullied her behind their parents back. She never knew why they were so mean to her, but as she got older, she knew that it was nothing but jealousy. Growing up, she was a good child that listened to her parents, did well in school, went to church, and was very popular around the neighborhood. My grandparents lived in DC since they married and bought a three-bedroom house to start a family. By the time my mother was born, her oldest sisters Gloria and Charlotte were already out of the house, so while the twins shared a room, she got her own. As far as I know, she had a normal childhood because she had everything she could ever want. I think my grandparents were willing to spoil her since she was such a good kid and never give them a problem, unlike the twins. It wasn't until my mother hit puberty and started to shape out where the good girl image would soon be erased. My mother wasn't fast or into boys except for one, my dad Kingsley, her first and only love. They met in seventh grade, became best friends then lovers. It's actually a cute story if you ever hear about it. Even when she first got pregnant, he got a job and supported her and Wayne. They love each other a lot, but for some reason, they can never stay together long. I think it was because my mother never wanted to get married. I stayed in a child's place and never asked her why, but my dad and I are best friends, and he tried to explain it to me. From witnessing her parents and sisters' relationship after having Raquel, she no longer wanted marriage. However, in my father's culture, marriage was expected, especially before babies. Still, his family let it go because they assumed eventually it will happen. But it didn't and probably never would. So over the years, they would get together, have another baby then break up once my father brought up marriage. After I was born, my dad
