Tears Fall at Night-The Blessed One Box Set (Praise Him Anyhow and Blessed and Highly Favored Series) by Vanessa Miller Page A

was just thinking that you’re still the prettiest girl this high school has ever seen.”
    Was she blushing? Carmella hadn’t blushed in years. Probably because Nelson hadn’t said anything to make her blush in years.
    Ramsey leaned back in his seat and kept going. “Looking at you, I feel like we’re back in high school.”
    “Now you might as well stop lying, Ramsey Thomas. It’s been twenty-nine years since we were in high school and I know I don’t still look the same.”
    “You’re right,” he said with a gleam in his eye. “You look better.”
    Before she could respond, there was a knock at his door. Ramsey jumped up and opened the door. Dontae walked in.
    “Mom, what are you still doing here?”
    “I told you that I was going to audit your classes this week.”
    Ramsey held up a piece of paper. “I’ve signed off on her request and Mrs. Bell is about to print off a list of all your classes and the room number for each.”
    “Come on, Mr. Ramsey, help me out here. You know this isn’t right,” Dontae would plead for help from God Himself, if that was what it would take to get his mom to stop the torture.
    Ramsey turned to Carmella and said, “I think what Dontae is trying to say is that he’s kind of a big deal around here and having his mother checking up on him will make him look bad.”
    “I seem to remember someone else who was kind of a big deal around this school. When his mother visited this school, it caused him to straighten up and get his work done.”
    Ramsey’s mouth hung slack and then he asked, “You remember that?”
    “I sure do. And Mrs. Thomas was right in what she did…straightened you up.”
    “Yeah, but I was humiliated, Melly.”
    “The way you ran around this school acting like the king of the hill, you needed to be brought down a notch or two,” Carmella told Ramsey with a hint of laughter in her eyes.
    “Excuse me,” Dontae said, trying to draw some attention back to him. “Did he just call you Melly? Am I missing something?”
    Blushing again, Carmella told Dontae, “Ramsey and I went to school together.”
    “Oh okay.” Dontae glanced at Ramsey and then back at his mother. He then got back to the discussion at hand. “Can you just please go home?”
    “I don’t think I’m ready to go home yet.”
    “Look Dontae, your mom has a day pass, so she can go anywhere in this school she wants. But if you want her to leave rather than follow you around today, then I suggest you ask why she’s here and what she wants from you.”
    Dontae turned back to his mother. “Why are you here?” he asked while rolling his eyes.
    She ignored his insolence. “Because I want you to win.”
    Dontae sat down in the chair next to his mother. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Mom. I don’t get this at all.”
    She put her hand on her son’s shoulder and gently said, “I know you’re having a hard time with the divorce,” her voice turned sharper as she added, “but that doesn’t concern you as much as your school work does. I don’t want you to mess up your last year of high school and then end up hurting your chances of getting into college.”
    “I’m not going to sit here and cry the way you and Joy cried the other night,” Dontae told his mom as his lip slightly quivered.
    “I don’t want you to cry. I’ve done enough of that for the whole family. What I want you to do is strive to enjoy your life and keep getting the good grades you’ve always gotten.” She put her forehead against his. “Can you do that for me?”
    “If I promise to do my work, will you please leave?” A tear dropped from Dontae’s eyes as the two continued to lean on each other.
    Carmella pretended not to see the tear. “I’ll leave now. Just do your work, okay?”
    “Okay.” Dontae stood up and turned his back on them as he wiped his eyes. “I gotta get back to class. I’ll see you at home, Mom.”
    “Don’t you need me to pick you up after school?”