Page 97 of It’s The Dawg In Him For Me

I hopped outta my car, walked up to the door, and knocked.

I saw her see me through the window, and a smile came over her face.

“Fuck,” I said under my breath.

“Hey, Rosama,” she said as she opened the door.

“Hey, Mariah, can we talk?” I asked softly.

She moved to the side. “Yes, sure. I would like that. Come in.”

I walked in, headed to the kitchen, with her behind me. I took a seat at the table and watched as she walked around.

“Can I get you something to drink?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Nah, luv, I'm good. This won’t take long.”

Mariah sat at the otha end of the table.

“I hope it does.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Hope what does?”

“I hope this conversation takes long. We have a lot to talk about.”

I exhaled slowly, trying to remind myself to stay calm with her crazy ass.

“Okay, well, Mariah, I came ova here to talk to you about us. I was thinkin’ that I was handling shit the wrong way.”

She nodded. “Yes, I agree with you on that.”

“I think that instead of demanding somethin’ from you, I should have come and talked to you about it⁠—”

“You should have. I have been trying to get you to talk for a long time now.”

I nodded. “I know, so I am here now trying to do things the right way, so I hope you can meet me halfway.”

Mariah reached her hand across the table. I was hesitant about what I was about to say, but I thought she was listening.

“Mariah, I am sorry for sleepin’ with Monica. I was wrong, and I am sorry I came between a friendship that was longer than me and you. That shouldn’t have happened as many times as it did. I know that I hurt you. I know you went through a dark time, and I take full accountability for that.”

She tilted her head, but gave me a slight smile. “Okay, Rosama, I forgive you.”

I nodded, feeling like we were off to a great start—a better start than any otha time—and I continued.

“Now, for what I'm about to say, you might be mad at me.”

“I won’t, I promise,” she chimed in before I could finish.

“Mariah, we have been down since we were kids, and to be honest with you, I fell outta love with you a long time ago. Probably when I started messing with Monica. I neva wanted to hurt you. That’s why I didn't file a year or two ago. When you caught me with Monica, I thought you would have filed, but you didn’t.”

“Because I wanted us to work out. I wanted us to fix things, to make us better,” she blurted out.

“I get that, Mariah, and to do that it takes two people, and I am not willing to do that. It’s crazy to me how you know her, but Nylah, I love her.”

I could see the tears forming in Mariah's eyes.

“I'm not tryin’ to marry her yet or anythin’, but when I do, I want to make sure this shit is straight. So please, Mariah, sign the papers for me—for us, really.”