Mama kept making eyes at Dad all night during the reception, but it wasn’t her usual fan girlish secret crush thing. It was blatant and not meant to be a secret. He noticed and tried to avoid her gaze, but at the table, he couldn’t help it. I saw the moment he realized she wasn’t trying to make him uncomfortable but relaying a message. Call me nosy, but I wanted to know too, heh. He nodded at her in an affirming matter, so I assumed it was one of those proud parents’ things.
“I’d like to make a toast,” she said, still looking at him. “I might get in trouble for this, but it’ll be alright.”
I have to admit I got really nervous. Mama was usually pretty professional when it came down to her love for my dad, especially when Dwayne was around. But something about that warning unsettled my stomach.
“This is for you, Ali.”
It was a cool night, but suddenly I was really hot. I think Dad was too. His eyes grew twice their size, and his posture was so stiff. I’m pretty sure we were both wishing for the same thing.
“I wasn’t the best wife, and I certainly wasn’t the best mother. But you’ve always been so gracious, especially when you had every right to be bitter and hateful toward me. Most people don’t realize that parenting never ends. It just changes. I’m really glad to have you as my partner on this co-parenting journey.”
“Even at our lowest point, no matter how you felt about me, you always kept the children first and never allowed our problems to get in the way.” She finally broke her gazed and cast her attention on Sophia. “That’s the kind of man that raised my son to be this beautiful sim you’re married to now.”
She turned back to Dad.
“Thank you for fighting through everything you had to fight through to keep me in the loop. I know Luca is who he is because of you. To you, Ali.”
“To Ali!”
