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Crystal glanced over her shoulder, checking for Brianna. “Lower your voice.”
     
    I did as I was told, but I didn’t lose the anger in my voice.  “And you’ve been seeing him? What, are you two dating now?”
     
    “No.  Not exactly.”
     
    I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  “What do you mean by not exactly ?  Either you’re seeing him or you’re not.”
     
    Crystal stood up to face me.  “It’s not so easy to explain.  If you had asked me two months ago what I would do if Jermaine suddenly showed up on my doorstep begging for forgiveness, I would have told you I’d send his ass packing.”
     
    “That’s what you need to do.”
     
    “Who are you to tell me what I need to do?  You have no idea how hard it is to raise a child in New York City alone.”
     
    We were eye to eye and I refused to look away.  “You are not alone. You have Uncle Troy, my mother, me. You know that and so does Brianna.”
     
    “But neither of you are her father. The reason I’ve been spending so much time with him is because I want to get to know him all over again before I can decide whether or not he gets to meet her. She has questions that only he can answer.  She doesn’t have to walk around thinking her father doesn’t love her anymore.  Who am I to turn him away if he’s genuinely sorry and wants to be her father?”
     
    “You’re her mother, that’s who, and it’s not your responsibility to make him look good in her eyes.  He should have thought about that when he took off years ago.  If he’s worried about what she thinks of him he should have stuck around to make sure it was positive thoughts.” I gestured towards the wine glasses and CD player. “And what’s all this?  You have to wine and dine his ass to get to know him?  What’s all this got to do with him proving himself?”
     
    “That is none of your business.”
     
    There was a thin line between protecting your privacy and not telling your business because you know anyone in a ten-mile radius with a brain would tell you that you’re a moron. Crystal not only crossed the line, she left it blurred in her wake.  
     
    “Does Uncle Troy know about this?” I asked with my hands on my hips.
     
    “No, and you better not tell him.”
     
    I sucked my teeth and we were again staring each other down when we heard a small voice from the doorway.
     
    “Ma, I’m getting hungry.”
     
    Her eyes never leaving mine, Crystal replied, “Dinner’s almost ready, baby.  Chloe was just leaving.”
     
    It was my turn to blink, several times, as if my eyes and ears were playing tricks on me. Was this my closest relative, my own sister in a sense, telling me to leave and putting some trifling man who had abandoned her before me?
     
    “Bri honey, can you go back in your room for one more minute? I want to tell your mother one more thing and then I’ll be in to say goodbye, okay?”
     
    Brianna was not a stupid child and could sense the tension in the air. It was that same good sense that prevented her from dipping into what was going on. She turned and left the room.
     
    “Crystal, I love that girl like she was my own. You know that.  Even though right now I feel like choking the crap out of you, you know that I love you too. You’re like my sister.”  I took a deep breath and tried to control my shaky voice. “I just want—all I’ve ever wanted was the best for the both of you. I’m not sure this is it. If you were spending time with him solely for Brianna’s sake that would be one thing, but it’s obvious that this has taken a romantic turn and I don’t think that’s very smart.  It’s liable to cloud your judgment, and if it turns out that he’s not changed and he’s still the irresponsible boy who left you before, you’re guaranteed to have your heart broken again.  I know what you must be feeling—”
     
    She didn’t let me finish.  “You do not know what I’m feeling so don’t even fix your lips to