Cammie was shaking as she threw on some sweats and her sneakers.  She’d never heard Malachi like that.  He rarely ever cried so when she got his call and he was practically sobbing, she was scared.

“Mal what’s wrong?  Sweetie take a deep breath and tell me what happened.  Did something happen to Mom or Dad?  Are they hurt?”

Malachi took a few deep breaths before he answered.  “Dad’s been screwing around on Mom”, he said, his voice breaking.  

“What??  How do you know that?  What happened?”  Cameron fought to stay calm.  She didn’t want to set Malachi off again.

“The woman he was messing around with called Mom and she kicked him out.  She was SO upset, Cam.  I’ve never seen Mom like that.’

Cameron had never heard her brother sound so...young.  He was always so mature and self possessed.  This was killing him.  She could only imagine what Mom was going through.

“I’m on my way, Mal.  Just sit tight.”

*******************

Cameron made the 20 minute drive to the house from her dorm at the university in about 10.  She let herself inside and found Malachi sitting on the couch, his head in his hands.  He looked up at her when she walked in and her heart broke.  His eyes were red rimmed and he looked so dejected.  Cammie walked over to Mal and pulled him up into a hug.  After a minute or two, she pulled back and looked at her baby brother.

“Is mom okay?  Where is she?”  

“She went to bed.  She had a headache so I gave her ibuprofen and she went to bed.”

Cameron cupped Malachi’s face in her hands and kissed him the cheeks before she walked up the stairs to her mother’s room.

As she neared her mother’s door, she could hear her crying softly.  When she walked inside, her mother looked up.

“Cammie…” she said as she started to weep.

“Oh Mommy. Don’t cry.”  Cameron said as she walked over to her mother’s bed.  She climbed in behind her mother and wrapped her arms around her.  Her mom was the strongest woman she knew and it broke her heart to see her like this.

“Can’t believe he did this to us, Cameron.  I don’t understand why.”

“I know...I know.  How did you find out?  Did he tell you?”

“The woman called me.  She told me it had been going on for almost a month.”

Cameron would never have thought her father could stoop so low.  She got a knot in her stomach just thinking about it.

“Well who is she?  Did dad tell you?  I mean, what would she have to gain by calling you?”

“She called to do damage.  I should call her back and tell her she was successful in her endeavor.”

“Give me your phone...I’ll call the bitch back.”

“No, Cameron, this situation is already horrible enough.”  Lynne began to cry again.

“Mom…”  Cameron stroked her mother’s hair and held her until she fell asleep.

Cameron went to her room and took out her phone.  As she scrolled through the numbers her eyes fell on her father’s.  She wanted to call him and give him a piece of her mind, but she knew she was too angry for that.  She knew she’d say things to him that she’d never be able to take back and although she was disgusted with her father right now, she still loved him.

Cameron walked down the stairs to talk to Malachi, but he had fallen asleep on the couch.

“Mal...Mal, wake up”, she said as she shook his shoulder.  Malachi shot up to a sitting position and Cameron pulled him up and guided him up to his bedroom.  He walked over to his bed and threw himself down, face first.  He was probably back to sleep before his head hit his pillow.

She removed his shoes, turned out his light and headed to her room.  Cameron’s limbs felt like they were made of lead as she dress for bed.  It wasn’t until she’d turned out her bedside lamp and curled up under her covers that she’d let the tears that had been burning her eyes finally flow.

**************

Cameron woke from a fitful sleep at around 6am.  She didn’t give herself any time to dwell on the events of last night; she had work to do.  She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and dialed her Nana’s number.

“Now why is my Sugarbump calling me so early in the morning?”  Cameron’s grandmother Della asked, her voice brimming with amusement.

“Nana, can you come up?  Mom needs you.  She found out Daddy’s been cheating on her.”  Cameron could almost hear her grandmother pursing her lips.  She did that every time she was upset or disappointed about something.

“Lord a’mighty no!  I always thought Saul was better than that.”  she said, more to herself that to Cameron.  “How is your Mama?”

“Not good, Nana.  I think you should come up for a few days.  That might be good for her.”

“Well...okay. Imma have ya cousin make me a flight.  I love you, Sugarbump.”

“Love you, too Nana”.

Della’s sister, Ernestine was sitting in the kitchen listening to Della’s half of the conversation.

“What’s going on Dell?”  You thought Saul was better than what?”

“He been cattin’ round on Lynnie.”

Ernestine smacked her hand on the kitchen table and sucked her teeth.  “What is WRONG with some a these men?  Got a good thing at home, but wanna go looking for strange.”  She shook her head in disgust.

“Men gon’ do what they do, Ernie.  You wanna keep ya marriage ya learn ta accept that.”  Della said sadly.  “Lynnie love her husband enough, she’ll do what she gotta do to keep her family together.”

“No. Ya DON’T have to accept that!  I don’t know what’s wrong with you, Dell.  You mighta been okay turnin’ blind eye all them times Ray shook his tallywacker at some other woman.  That don’t mean Lynnie is willing to do that.”  Ernestine said vehemently.

“Ernie, if a man know he got a good thing at home, he gon’ come home no matter who he ‘shakin’ his tallywacker at.”

“Dell, I knew you was touched in the head, but I didn’t know you was plum stupid, too.  Let Henry step out on me.  He’ll be going home alright.  Right into Jesus’ arms”.