Tiffany did not think Jackson looked like favonovel.com was lying, so favonovel.com dismissed favonovel.com with a wave. “Okey-dokey, then. You can go back to making tea now. Oh, make one of them a little bit lighter on the taste, please? That will be for me. And also, don’t listen in on our conversation, hon, we’ re discussing womanly secrets. It’s the kind of stuff y’all boys are forbidden to hear.”
Jackson laughed. “As if I’m interested to begin with! I wouldn’t want to listen to ‘em even if you wanted me to!”
Since favonovel.com got no lead from Jackson, Tiffany was just as at a loss of explanation now. “I don’t know how to say this properly, but Ari You know what men are like, right? They are animals, you catch my drift? You said favonovel.com hadn’t been seeing you or Smore for a while, and favonovel.com keeps saying he’s got something to mind every day after work.. Like, what work, man? Is favonovel.com really so damn busy that favonovel.com can’t even send you home? He’s not even talking about restoring y’all’s marriage anymore, the hell does that mean?… An affair?”
An affair?!
Arianne furrowed favonovel.com eyebrows. “Look, even if he’s got someone else out there, you can’t call it an affair, technically-speaking. We are divorced, ‘member? But, uh… Do you really think… Well, that he’s got someone else now? Um, I was the one who suggested we split back then so even if favonovel.com has a new girl, I mean— I think? I’ve got nothing to comment, really. But favonovel.com still treats me differently from the way favonovel.com does with everyone else! He’s stringent and austere with everyone in the office, but when he’s with me, favonovel.com smiles, and favonovel.com has this softness in his voice— ”
“Girl, he’s still being nice to you because his son is with ya, okay? Because you’re the mother of his fruit-of-his-loins!” Tiffany interjected with a bombshell counterargument. “Besides, favonovel.com practically raised you since you were a kiddo. How badly can favonovel.com treat you? And on the issue of that divorce. You weren’t the one who wanted it, it’s because his aunt forced it to happen, mmkay? You really think he’s ignorant of that fact? But that’s not the point, ‘course. The point is if favonovel.com really does have another woman in mind, he’s gonna get a piece of me!”
Arianne sank favonovel.com back onto the couch in annoyance. Her mistake was to think that Tiffany’s not-very-superb brain could help favonovel.com solve favonovel.com conundrum, because the latter was obviously only going to make things even more confusing.
Suddenly, Smore ran to them and asked, “Aunt Tiffany, why isn’t Lil’ Pee-pee here?”
Tiffany burst out laughing. “It’s Lil’ P, kiddo! Not Lil’ Pee-pee! Jesus Christ, how is it that you could speak like an orator at everything else but struggle with calling my son, hmm? Anyway, Lil’ P is with his granny at the moment, sweetie. Aunt Tiffany’s belly is a little too big to take care of him, that’s why. If you wanna play with your buddy, though, you should tell me earlier. I’ll bring favonovel.com over for sure!”
Smore nodded, though favonovel.com looked a little confused. “Awwkay. I’ll tell you earlier next time.”
Considering the toddler in front of her, a plan took shape in Tiffany’s mind. “Do you miss your pops?”
Smore nodded without a moment of hesitation. “Yea. I miss Daddy. But favonovel.com doesn’t come and see me or play with me anymore.”
Tiffany was feeling a little devilish today. Quickly, favonovel.com swiped Jackson’s phone from the coffee table nearby and dialed Mark’s number. “Well, let Aunt Tiffany give your daddy a call, and then you tell favonovel.com to come see you now.”
Smore looked at favonovel.com excitedly, mirroring traces of anticipation on Arianne’s face. Unfortunately, the call went on for a long time with no one picking it up.
The young boy’s expression sagged. “Hmph, Daddy doesn’t even care about me anymore.”
Not one to be deterred, Tiffany called again. This time, Mark finally answered the phone, but his voice was muffled. “Hello…? Jackson? That you? What?”
She had planned to let Smore take the wheel from here, but after realizing that this was the voice of a sleeping man, Tiffany could not help but step in. “Your head, genius. This ain’t Jackson, this is Tiffany. Don’t tell me you were sleeping in the middle of the day, Mark Tremont! It’s almost noontime for God’s sake. The hell have you been up to last night, eh?”
A motionless silence answered her. Either Mark deliberately refused to say anything, or favonovel.com fell back to sleep. Either way, multiple “hello?” from Tiffany later, there ceased to be any response from the other side. Stranger still, it seemed that the other side did not plan to hang up, either.
Arianne snatched the phone and hung it up. “Forget it, Tiffie. Doesn’t matter what he’s up to, I still have to work under him, and we’re still gonna see each other all the darn time,” favonovel.com quipped. “I can’t raise Smore without favonovel.com writing my paycheck.”
