The Personal Trainer's Ex-Girlfriend

For the Better

Phedora

"BLAKE!" I call for my husband while I have my laptop on my lap as I browse on the internet to purchase some wigs online. "What, Phedora?" Blake asks, raising his voice. What's his problem? "Come get your doggone kids!"I yell and shush our two kids; Kelly and Theodore to sit down. I roll my eyes and suck my teeth as I hear the door opening. I turn my head to see my aunt in law, Lauren . What a relief! "Hey, hey, hey! How are you?" Lauren queries.

"I'm fine!" I reply, not paying attention to Lauren or the kids while I click on the purchase button on this long wavy lace front wig. "Is Sienna here?" Lauren asks.

"No, she's not! You might as well come back tomorrow." I suggest. "I'll wait." Lauren decides. Did she not hear what I just said to her?

"No, Lauren! I said she's not here!" I oppose.

"And I said I'll wait for her, boo-boo!" Lauren retorts, clapping back at me. I shake my head when I feel someone trip over my leg. I look down at Theodore and shout, "Stop running around the place and you won't be tripping all the time!" The expression on my toddler son's face features his lips quivering along with his eyes becoming glossy. He whimpers and runs away from me to Lauren, capturing him in her arms and picking him up. "Why do you have to be so hard on him? He is just a toddler, for crying out loud, Phedora!" Lauren argues and I just hunch my shoulders with my hands.

"He and Kelly won't stop running around the house!" I whine.

"They're supposed to run around! They're children and I don't understand why parents like you scream at your kids. It's as if you're arguing with them." Lauren shakes her head.

"Lauren, it's not that, I'm tired!" I explain.

"Well, tired or not; being a mom and wife is a twenty four hour job with nonstop duties. It is not easy, but it takes hard work to shape you into a mother. You are a mother ever since you were fifteen and a half. When you yell at my nephew's kids, it's not only a problem to me, yet it's a problem to Sienna and everybody else along with your slacking and disgusting attitude of yours. There is no excuse to yell at Theodore or Kelly! They are precious cubs." I turn my head back at the computer screen when Lauren grouses, "And you didn't do the dishes?!" I turn to look at a mountain of greasy and food stains on the dishes in the kitchen sink. "I forgot to do them." I hunch my shoulders along with my hands.

"Phedora, you know how my sister is about leaving the house dirty." Lauren disapproves with a hint of grim in the tone of her voice.

"Baby, can you fix me and the kids something to eat? I need to take the kids out to the mall!" Blake hollers. I snap my head at the bathroom door and roll my eyes, situating the laptop on the couch before I stand up from the couch. Storming off to the kitchen, I pull onto the handle of the cabinet, slamming it once I take a bowl as I mutter obscenities about Blake not coming out of the bathroom to fix his own damn breakfast. "This man is in the bathroom and he can't even come out to make his own damn breakfast for himself! I'm sick and tired of him!" I mutter, picking up a box of Honey Nut Cheerios from the top of the refrigerator and slamming the two ingredients on the counter top of the island. "Breakfast is served!" I yell with my hands resting on each side of my hips. "Dumbass."

"Okay, sweetheart. You're not gonna let my nephew go hungry without a hot meal, are you?" Lauren doubtfully queries. "Your nephew is a grown man and he can make his own damn breakfast." I reason. Lauren puts a calming Theodore back on his two feet and tells him and Kelly to go to their rooms to get ready. "You young ladies really need to learn a thing or two about being a woman, who knows exactly how to treat a man." Lauren professes.

"Oh, really?" I press the tip of my index finger against my cheek and nod my head. "So, where is your man-"

"He's busy working. He's just busy working." Lauren excuses while I, on the other hand, chortle.

"Right, so don't tell me what the f**k I should do and should not do for my marriage. I'll just hire a maid or you to do all that stuff." I decide and sit back down on the couch.

"You're gonna hire somebody like me to do the extra work around my sister's house after you and Blake lost your house in flames. Phedora, my nephew is a good man and the way you're treating my nephew and his two kids is a shame. As much as I want to give you an ass whooping just like Anita did to me and Sienna along with our brothers and sisters when we were growing up, I will teach you a thing or two as if you're back in school. You must cater to your man. How, you asked? Take care of him, cook for him, clean the house, wash your laundry, pay the bills, control that temper of yours, stop yelling at your kids, and give it to him on a regular basis when the kids are sleeping or visiting us. And when you do that, you'll thank me because you know I'm right, Phedora." Lauren advises as she leans back against the refrigerator with her hands behind the nape of her neck. I wave her off and laugh, sauntering to the living room couch as well as placing my laptop on top of my lap when a pair of soft lips smooches on my right cheek. "Good morning, baby." Blake greets.

I continue working on my purchase by typing the mailing address and the number of my Visa credit card to ship my order. As I complete my order, I listen to the conversation between Lauren and her nephew when the knock on the door interrupts me. I take a quick glance at my husband of five years putting his shirt on. "Come in!" Blake hollers and in walks Kirk, Blake's best friend from high school.

"Good morning, people!" Kirk yells and gives Blake their bromance handshake. After they did their handshake, he greets hello to my Aunt in Law, Lauren and I when I hear the doors opening from the hallway. While my eyes are gluing on the screen of my laptop along with my fingers on the keyboard, Blake asks me if I have seen my mother in law or Sienna. "I don't know and I don't f*****g care. She was supposed to be here to have the kids get ready, so I can make a purchase online!" Two of my hands slam against the wooden coffee table, making the laptop fall off my lap. Rolling my eyes at the corner of the living room, I let out this exasperating sigh and stand up from the couch, not being a hundred percent attentive when I nearly trip over the cord of my cheap ass Toshiba laptop.

"Phedora, you didn't make breakfast for me and the kids?!" Blake critically argues.

"Along with not doing the dishes!" Lauren adds. I shut my laptop closed, unplug the laptop charger plug, wrapping around it, and throw a plastic fork sealed with a plastic wrapper at him as I gait my way to the bedroom. Once I am in Blake and my bedroom-Well, guest room since Blake, the children, and I are just staying in his mother's apartment for a while until we find the perfect house for our family of four. Anyway, once I slam the door of our guest room, I insert the plug of my laptop into the outlet to let it charge when I hear the door squeaking, indicating the door opening. I turn myself around to face Blake with a scowl on my face briefly before I turn to face the wall in front of me."Baby, can you look at me for once before you turn away?" Blake asks. I swiftly rotate to glare at him.

"What do you want, Blake?! Nobody in your family respect me! I'm your wife and I'm also the mother of your children!" I snap at him. I watch Blake furrow his eyebrows and hunch his shoulders along with raising his hands.

"That's not the point, Phedora! What is it that is bothering you so much?" He questions. I stand with my arms akimbo while I angle my hip out, snarling at my husband. He approach in front of me, resting the palms of his hands on top of my shoulders and rubs them up and down. "Your aunt is bugging about me not doing the dishes. The last time I checked I married you to be your wife, not to be a maid!" I object and two of my hands grab a handful of my tresses as the front of my wig slides up to reveal my dire natural edges and baby hairs. Feeling embarrassed, I break eye contact with Blake to fix my wig and after fixing my hair problem; Blake tries to calm me with his words of comfort by encircling one of his arms around my waist with his index finger gently pushing my chin to look at him in the eyes.

"Baby, you know how my family is. They just want you to improve yourself being a better wife by cleaning up behind yourself, taking out the garbage, search for a decent job that is remunerative, and cooking... You need to cook real meals instead of ordering takeouts almost every night. And, Phedora, ordering weave and wigs cannot put our kids to sleep. They cannot feed along with putting the clothes on Kelly and Theodore's backs. And when today is through and night is set, I promise you that I'll run a nice, relaxing bath with your favorite essential oil and I'll give you a soothing massage. You will be fine while the kids and I are school shopping. And, Phedora, when we get back, I want to try out this new position that will have you weak in the knees." Holy cow! Blake's reverberating husky voice causes the center of my panties to drench in its natural essence.

He angles his head, inclining his face closer to me, and just as our lips are about to sealing a kiss, Blake reminds me, "But, you'll have to wait when the kids and I get back." My grin lowers into a disappointing frown and I cross my arms in front of my chest as I watch him leave the room before I begin playing with the ends of my wig while I giggle, tracing my bottom lip with the tips of my fingers and swinging my arms before I make the bed for tonight.