The Personal Trainer's Ex-Girlfriend

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Kehlani

Right after my shift ended at the gym, it is time for me to pick up Tessa from Kevin and Savon's apartment and subsequently getting out of the car to enter their apartment complex. Once I set foot in front of their apartment door, my knuckles knock on the door and almost instantly, the muffling bark yells at the door. "Who is it?" Kevin asks.

"It's Kehlani Armani!" I sing like an Opera singer. "It's Auntie KeKe!" I hear Harper gasping behind the door. The door springs back to display Kevin greeting me with a beam in addition to spreading his arms wide open and pulling me in for a hug. "What up, little sis?" Kevin greets and I swathe my arms around his back. "Hey, big bro! How is my big girl doing while I was working?" I query.

"She's doing good and we all just had Popeye's. Do you want to make a plate?"

"Yeah." I answer and go to the kitchen when Benny hurryingly runs to my direction with his paws resting on each legs of mine while his nine inch stature stands across from me. "Hello, Benny!" I coo and pick him up in my arms just as he leans forward to my face; his tongue laps my puckered lips and cheeks. I giggle at his licks and carefully put him down to the floor, so he can run to either play with his toys or accompany his loved ones. I head to the nearest kitchen to wash my hands as well as washing my face with a damp paper towel before I open the box of fried chicken as well as the boxes full of fries and biscuits before going to the refrigerator to see if there is hot sauce on the drawer of their fridge. My eyes widen at the bottle of hot sauce and I take it out of the fridge to put it on my chicken prior to putting my dish in the microwave as well as setting it for a minute and a half. Putting the bottle back on one of the shelves in the refrigerator, I walk to Tessa, who is seated across the table and leans forward just as she is doing work from school. I walk towards her and wrap an arm around her. "Hey, Dimples-Bunny!" I lean to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Hi, Mom!" Tessa greets with a smile in her voice. 

"How was your first day as a fifth grader?" I ask.

"It was good. We didn't even have homework today. So, my new teacher handed us out a piece of paper about information about us. I've started on this in the bus this afternoon and I'm onto the last question." Tessa explains and I chuckle softly. "I used to do my homework in the bus and I even used to do it during lunch time after I ate my lunch!" I recall.

Tessa turns her head with her eyebrows furrowing at me. "What if you accidentally have a piece of your lunch drop on your homework and your teacher failed you?" Tessa curiously queries.

"When I was in middle school and high school, I used to do my homework after I finished eating my lunch or I would do it in the bus and study hall. You could get study hall when you enter middle school and don't lose your homework when you're in the bus, also." I caution. "So, what question are you working on?" I inquiry.

"The last one is asking me on what my favorite television shows are. I don't watch these pitiful kiddy shows on Nickelodeon. I like to watch some of the shows on TeenNick along with the Maury Show." I nod my head, but I narrow my eyes and tilt my head to the side. What does a nine and a half year old like my daughter know about the Maury Show? "Tessa, what do you know about the Maury Show? You're almost a preteen."

"I like to watch the Maury Show when they're doing segments like the paternity tests. I don't like it when they do abusive and controlling relationships because I really feel remorse that a woman, who has been crying about why the man that they love would fracture their self-esteem along with their opinions by leaving them with a bruise, cut, and black-eyes. I feel that women who are being physically, mentally, and emotionally abused by their man, they should leave them and defend themselves as well as fighting back. It is not love when a guy puts his hands on a woman and some men need to learn about self control before they do. They're nothing but boys because if they claimed to be, so called men; they would support, love, honor, obey, and respect their girlfriends and wives." Tessa professes.

"That's right, sweetie." I nod and agree with my daughter because most women deserve equality and unity because not every woman is a b***h or a ho. "You could put the Maury Show or any other shows that you enjoy as your answer." I encourage her by swiftly rubbing her shoulder in an up and down motion before the ringing of the microwave goes off. I go to take my dish out of the microwave in addition to picking up the napkin from the napkin holder prior to sitting down on the couch along with sitting the plate on the table in front of me. I begin eating a piece of chicken when the corners of my eyes just witness a figure doing cartwheels one time. "Hi, Auntie KeKe!" Harper chirps and I turn to greet her with a beam while she is giving me a grin.

"Hey, Harp! How was your first day of school?"

"It was good. I made fifteen friends for one day at school today!" Harper jovially exclaims. "Harp, that's fantastic!" "Yeah! And one of my new friends' mother works at Bath and Body Work. When are we going to Bath and Body Works again, Auntie KeKe?" Harp queries.

"When I receive my next paycheck from YouTube and I'll ask your mother if you, me, Tessa, and your mother could go together, okay?" I promise. "Okay, Auntie KeKe," She sighs and her shoulders drop.

"Harper, how would you feel if you, Tessa, and I go get some ice cream after school with our friends?" I mention. The room is filled with gasps and I glance at both Tessa and Harper, who have their mouths agape. "Are Auntie Giselle and Daria coming along with the other aunties?" Tessa intriguingly queries. "No, sweetie. We're going to get ice cream with an new employee from work."

"Who's the new employee that you were talking about?" Kevin jumps in the conversation. Just great, I roll my eyes. "Kehlani Armani, who is the new worker at your job? Because if it's that dumb mutt that you were with a long time ago; I'ma call Tyler and Anthony up, so the three of us would swarm around and he would not be able escape from us this time." Kevin seethes with his eyebrows knitting in a frown and shaking his head with disapproval. "No, he's not."

"Good, because your three big brothers would be darned to catch him in the act in front of us."

"Uncle Kevin?" Tessa questions with her soft voice.

"Yeah, Tess?" The first signal I give her as her eyes avert from her Uncle Kevin to me is me placing my index finger against my lips along with shaking my head, so Tessa wouldn't tell Kevin that we already made face to face with him.

"Never mind." Tessa hunches her shoulders and puts her sheet into her folder. I wink and nod my head, approving her change of mind.

**********

Soon after Tessa and I leave Savon and Kevin's apartment in Coram, which concludes with driving for nine minutes. Once Tessa and I enter our apartment, I close the door behind us in addition to locking the door with my keys and walking to the living room while Tessa is in her room. I pick up the remote from the living room couch and turn the TV on as the screen fades in one of the shows airing on the Investigation Discovery channel. I then press on the menu button, head to the extras tab, and select Pandora Radio. "Oh, Pumpkin Tee?!" I call with my hand cupping around my mouth.

"Yeah?!" I hear Tessa's response muffling behind the door. "Are you ready to work out?" Within a second, the door opens with Tessa running out of her room. "Finally, it's time!" Tessa claps her hands and I smile at her. "Okay, I have to go to the bathroom first and then, we'll start our workout. Okay?" I assure her.

"Okay," Tessa nods and I go to my bedroom to change from my work attire to my black leggings and a mesh short-sleeved shirt prior to going to the bathroom. After that, I announce, "Okay, Tessa. It's time to work out!" While Tessa is starting off with touching her toes, I lay on my back on the soft carpet around the same time that my knees are up while my arms resting on each side. I then squeeze my pelvic floor muscles for five seconds before releasing my muscles. After doing four more, Tessa and I begin stretching by touching our toes while we are sitting on the carpet along with doing twelve jumping jacks, ten push-ups, elbow-pulls, and performing forward and reverse strokes as if we're swimming in a pool.

Just as Inner City's "Good Life (Unity Remix)" comes on, Tessa and I position ourselves to start doing our forty five second squats. After the first squat, Tessa gets a water bottle from the refrigerator and she returns just as we continue our second squat. Squeezing the three muscles of my butt as I sense them being firm, I mentally count the seconds as the pain occurring in my knees and butt begins. "Mom, is it enough?" Tessa strains with her eyes slamming shut.

"Ten more..." I reply with my voice straining and I count the last ten seconds in addition to taking a three minute break to listen some music and drink water. Subsequently, the two of us perform our last squat for the day before moving on to do a new exercise that I recently learn from one of my best friends. Tessa and I position ourselves in all fours, squeezing our glutes, and swiftly raise our right legs together with bending them to our hips as well as carefully lowering our leg fifteen times. Just as we move on to the left leg, the ringtone of the f*******: Messenger goes off and I stand up, careening towards the edge of the couch. "Ow!" I wince at the pain targeting on the side of my thigh. Picking up my phone, my eyes read the caller ID. "Lilwayne Davis," I scoff and snicker briefly before answering to reveal Blake's face glancing at me with a grin flashing on his face.

"Hey, Key."

"Hey, Blake," I greet while I'm panting for breath. He furrows his eyebrows at me as his face sets into confusion. "What are you doing?" Blake queries.

"Tessa and I are working out." I answer.

"Is Tessa home with you? Can you put her on the phone please? I mean, put her on the phone with you." Blake corrects. "Sure, no problem." I turn my head at Tessa.

"Dimples Bunny, your Dad wants to talk to you!" I notify her and she hurries by my side on the couch.

"Hi, Dad."

"Hey, sweetie! How was your first day of school as a fifth grader?" Reluctantly surprised, I slowly nod my head at Blake remembering our daughter's recent grade. "It was good. Dad, where do you work at?" Tessa questions. "I work at Planet Fitness with your Mom. Tessa, how would you feel if I want to take you kids and your Mom to get some ice cream after I get off work on Friday?" Blake suggests.

"Yeah, Mom already told me and my Cousin Harper that we're going." Tessa mentions. "Yeah and I'm bringing your half-siblings with me when we go for ice cream—"

"ICE CREAM?!" I hear the voices of Kelly and Theodore cheerfully exclaiming in the background just before they appear on the screen as they stand beside Blake. Their eyes expand and beam at us. "Hi, Kehlani!" Kelly and Theo greet while they wave their hands from side to side.

"Hi, Kelly and Theo!" Tessa and I wave our hands at the two adorable kids. "How was your first day of school?"

"It was good!" Kelly and Theo reply simultaneously.

"Is it true that we're going out for some ice cream with you?" Kelly queries. "That's right! On Friday after your Dad gets off work." I assure. Kelly squeals and Theo leans his face closer to the screen. "You look really pretty, Kehlani." Theo gushes. "Aw, thank you, Theodore!" I smile.

"You're welcome, Kehlani!" He exclaims. "Anyway, Kehlani and Tessa, we'll see you guys on Friday and, Tessa, always do your best at being the best student and always know that I love you so much even though I missed some of the remaining years of your life." Blake apologizes. Even though he broke my heart when we were teens and missed some of the years of our daughter's life, he still has a chance to be in her life regardless of and I can't discard him from her life for the rest of her life.

"I love you, too, Dad." Tessa says before the footage of him, Theo, and Kelly are cut off in pitched black; not realized that Tessa stopped the video chat. "Tessa, why'd you end the chat?" I question. "Why did he wait for so long to get a hold of me?"

"Tess, he's been your father ever since I had you in my belly and he is still your father. And he wants to make up for the years that he missed out on by being present in your life." I declare and Tessa walks to me while my arms wrap around her, rubbing her back.