Paths

"Nairobi!" Her mother shouted at her from her doorway, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She sighed as she looked up finally acknowledging her, "Yes ma?" she questioned.

Sunny furrowed her eyebrows, "You didn't hear me calling you?" she questioned as she stepped into the room. "And since when do you keep your room a mess," her mom commented as she looked around the room where Nairobis clothes laid around.

Nairobi sighed as she sat up in the bed, she rubbed her eyes before she responded. "I'm going to clean up ma," she mumbled out.

Sunny shook her head, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Baby, I hate to see you like this."

"Like what?" Nairobi raised an eyebrow.

"Like this," Sunny waved around the room. "Sad and moping around."

Nairobi sighed again, not in the mood for a pep talk or a lecture. "I'm not moping ma," she spoke as she threw her feet to the side of the bed, standing up before she walked around her room grabbing the water bottles that littered the floor.

"Then what do you call this?" Sunny questioned.

Nairobi shrugged as she threw away the water bottles, "I don't know ma," she spoke truthfully.

Nairobi had no words to express her current state of mind. The past few days had been full of emotions that she didn't know how to process. Since the words "ten years" had left Kaier's mouth she had been desperately trying to gather herself. The was no proper way to prepare yourself for the person that you loved being taken away from you, and she knew that all too well.

But yet she found herself looking for a way to turn back time. She realized she had spent so much time trying to save him, and his love for her ended up being the exact thing that led him to this road. She could hear over and over that it wasn't her fault but she couldn't help but to think about the what ifs.

She felt herself drifting back into the Nairobi she was after she lost her father, and she hated it. Her mother was right, she was moping but it was because it was the only thing she could do at the moment. Nothing that she said or did could change his current fate. 

Sunny reached out, grabbing her daughter's hand, stopping her in her tracks. "Well whatever it is. Cut it out," she spoke sternly shaking her head. "Kaier signed his fate, and he gotta pay for that. This," she spoke pointing around the room. "Ain't going to change that."

Nairobi rebelliously snatched her arm from her mother's hold before she could think twice. "I know he did ma, you don't have to keep reminding me," she spoke before grabbing a pair of jeans from her floor and throwing them toward her closet.

Sunny chuckled, doing her best to keep calm. She understood her daughters emotions but it didn't mean that she could excuse them, "Nai i'm giving you chance cause I know your upset. But don't get smacked," she pointed.

"You know I love Kaier like a son, but you are my priority. I'm sorry that this is how y'all relationship ended, I know you never wanted to see him go to prison. But you have a future, Nairobi no matter what you better be mindful of that. I don't care who it is, don't let anybody stray you from that," she spoke as she watched Nairobi shuffle around the room.

"I'm not mom, can I just be sad for a little bit?!" she questioned as she spun around towards where Sunny sat on the bed, throwing her hands up. "I get it this is Kai's bed to lay in but why?" she questioned to no one in particular as tears filled her eyes. "Why couldn't he just listen to me?" she spoke again.

Sunny sighed waving her over, and patting the spot beside her. Nairobi sondered over, sitting beside her mother who immediately pulled her into her chest. "I just feel like how I felt after losing Dad, but this time I can actually see it coming," she said as tears began to stream her face.