Can't Deal

Talik Blake stepped down from the car and walked into the mansion that he and his family lived in. There was a little fountain situated at the driveway and the place was lined with well-manicured vegetation. The walls on the outside had a stony look to them which gave a beautiful but medieval look -- and was also lined with bulbs that shone a warm yellow glow at night.

Talik loved the house but thought it was too big for just three people living inside. However, behind the main building was a little one that housed their home staff. Still, Talik thought a more cozy home would have been sensible. But it was his father's choice and he'd long since fallen in love with the place.

Using a code, Talik pushed open the door and walked through. Heading for his room on the first floor and trying his best not to make any sounds so as to avoid any interaction with his mother, Talik tiptoed to the stairs that would lead him there. However, he stepped on a plastic ball -- the kind that they used for relaxation and it squeaked loudly.

Talik closed his eyes and sighed.

"Who's there?!" Lenecia Blake called out from the sitting room. "Talik? Talik dear, is that you?"

He drew in a deep breath, "Yes... it's me, Mother," he replied. "Good evening."

"Why don't you come here let me see you..."

"Can I drop my bags first?"

"You should greet your mother first, Talik..."

"I'm tired but... oh well," Talik muttered under his breath, knowing that if he didn't do as she says, he wouldn't hear the last of it. He adjusted the heavy bag on his shoulders and walked to the sitting room.

Talik saw her in the state that she was always in. She sat on the large sofa with different kinds of desserts dis[played on the table that was in front of her. She had the television remote in her hands and the program on the tv was playing on full blast. There were fashion and gossip magazines on the chair beside her and there was frosting on the side of her mouth.

Talik didn't understand why his mother refused to find anything worthwhile to do with her life but he'd given up on trying to talk to her or suggest things for her to do. She hated being advised and one could easily become her enemy if they told her she needed to work.

"You have something on your face," Talik said as he stepped closer to her.

"It's none of your business," Lenecia responded to him. "How was that boring job of yours?" she asked as she stuffed another cake into her mouth.

"Same old..." Talik replied in a flat tone. He was used to the way he spoke to him and it didn't bother him anymore. It bothered him when he was much younger but somehow, his father had made it easier for him by sending him to a boarding high school and then to a far-away college. Lenecia and Talik's relationship was nonexistent and was strained and Talik didn't know why it was like that. Yet, he took every day one day at a time.

"Bring me the bottle of wine I told the housekeeper to put in the fridge for me," Lenecia said.

Talik sighed. He'd just returned from work and she didn't even ant him to drop his bag first. He couldn't understand why the woman liked to disturb him at the most crucial times. Most times, Talik would think about leaving the house but Therman was always against it and told Talik that he stood to inherit the property but Talik was always at his wit's end.

"I can tell her to bring it to you," Talik said. "I'm tired and can't run errands now..."

"Are you crazy, boy?!" she yelled. "Because you work in some fancy bank does not mean you should not be grateful for all we did for you and answer to my every whim, okay? Now, go get that bottle and bring it with a large wine glass."

Talik scoffed. He walked to the kitchen and met the housekeeper and chef there.

"Master Talik..." both the workers greeted.

"Would you like your food served now?" the chef asked with a smile on his face.

"When I'm ready... I'll come down to get it, thank you," Talik said as he turned to the housekeeper and said; "Take the wine to my mother...with a large wineglass."

The housekeeper who had heard Mrs. Blake's yelling nodded slowly as her eyes danced from one side to the other. She knew she was going to receive some shouts of her own when she delivered the wine and she wasn't looking forward to that.

Talik used the kitchen's exit and linked the stairs from there. He didn't need to pass through the sitting room anymore and didn't need to deal with Lenecia. He pushed their encounter to the back of his mind as his thoughts drifted to Hanita -- and a smile appeared on his face. He found himself looking forward to making a call to her.

Moments later, after he'd had a refreshing bath, Talik picked up his phone and saw 12 missed calls. His phone had been on silent since work and he'd not removed it as he returned home. He tossed the phone back to the bed after seeing who the missed calls had been from -- they were from Lenecia, his mother.

'I'm sure she'd calling regarding the wine,' Talik thought as he shook his head lightly. He looked toward his door to double-check if it was locked because she'd barged into his room in the past.

'Nothing was beyond that woman,' Talik thought. Having Lenecia as a mother was stressful enough then he had to live with her. Talik rubbed his palms on his head and called the kitchen with the house's landline. He'd decided that he wasn't going to eat in the dining area anymore and needed his meal brought up to his room.