Kim couldn’t stop blushing. As flattering as it was to be loved by someone, she couldn’t honestly say that she felt the same way about him. For several months straight, they had been together day after day; whether it was just hanging out or having casual sex, Kim was with him. In fact, Brian was the only man she’d been with since she’d been in Philly. To say that she didn’t have strong feelings for him would be a lie. But the question at hand was whether she loved him. Kim wasn’t going to say it back to him unless she meant it.
“Brian, I missed you a lot too, and I do—”
“OK, break all this shit up,” George said as he came into the room. “Let’s go, get back to work.” He pointed at Kim, then threw his arm around Brian’s shoulder. “Time is money, son,” he joked, then led Brian out the door.
Kim took a deep breath. It was like being saved by the bell. She honestly didn’t know what she was about to say, But now she was afforded a little more time to think this thing through. And that was exactly what she needed to do.
* * *
Chris reached over and tapped Falisha, waking her up to let her know that they were back in the city. The four-hour ride had Chris tired too. All he could think about was taking a shower, then hitting the sack.
“So where do you want me to drop you off at, ya nut-ass boyfriend’s house?” Chris asked, looking out into the road.
All Falisha wanted to do was see her son, but she knew that going over to Lamar’s house right now would only cause an argument. Seeing baby Jordan in the morning was a better idea.
“So?” Chris said, seeing the blank look on her face.
Going to Fox’s house was out of the question, and Falisha didn’t feel like hearing her mother’s mouth either. Right now, she just wanted some peace and quiet, and a soft bed to lie on.
“You might have to clean out ya guest room today,” she said, looking over at Chris.
Lucky for her, Chris had just moved into a two-bedroom apartment, and had a bed in one of the rooms for Outlaw, whenever he stayed over. Normally, any chick that spent the night at his house would be sleeping with him. But this time, it was a little different. Although Chris had messed up intentions in the beginning of wanting to fuck Falisha to get back at Tammy, now she was only a friend who was in need. At least, that’s what Chris had to convince himself of.
* * *
Lisa sat in the waiting area of a well-known dental office in Durham, going over her résumé before her scheduled interview. Today was a big day for her, since it was her first attempt at getting another job since she’d been shot. This was part of the healing process in the loss of Ralphy.
“Hi, Lisa,” the short, thin, white dentist said when she walked out. “I’m Doctor Foster, nice to meet you. Come on back this way,” she said after shaking Lisa’s hand.
The woman introduced herself as the head dentist of the practice, and from looking around the room at all the plaques and awards, Lisa could see that she was, in fact, the boss. To see a woman in charge was a different twist. It was something that she wasn’t used to seeing in this line of business.
“Well, looking over your résumé, you fit all of the qualifications, but I also see that you haven’t been employed for the past year. Is there a reason?” Doctor Foster asked.
Lisa didn’t know how one question could bring back so many memories of the accident that took place at the dental office, as well as what happened to Ralphy. She sat there in a trance replaying parts of those tragic events in her mind. Doctor Foster’s voice is what brought Lisa back down to earth.
“Lisa, are you okay?” the doctor asked.
“Oh yes, I’m sorry. I was out due to the death of my husband,” Lisa explained.
“Oh God. I’m sorry for your loss,” the doctor sympathized.
Lisa didn’t want to go into the whole incident that happened at her job for fear that it might scare the woman away. Sharing Ralphy’s death was enough, and it was more than moving for Doctor Foster. She could relate to Lisa in more ways than one, having also lost her husband several years ago. Understanding and wanting to help Lisa’s life get back on track, she felt that offering her the job was the right thing to do.
Chapter 16
Falisha caught a cab to Fox’s house, but made sure she told the cabdriver to keep the meter running. She had no intention of staying; all she wanted to do was run in and grab some clothes and personal papers, like her and Jordan’s birth certificates and Social Security cards. Falisha also wanted to get the few thousand dollars she had stashed in the kitchen.
“I know this fuck nigga ain’t changed these damn locks,” she yelled when her keys wouldn’t fit in the door.
She soon realized that Fox had changed the locks, and it made her even more pissed, something she thought was impossible. Falisha began kicking the door and ringing the doorbell at the same time. She knew that Fox was inside, because both of his cars were sitting in the driveway.
“Fox!” she yelled loud enough for the neighbors to hear. “Fox!” she yelled again.
A few seconds later, he came to the door with his robe on. “Move outta the fucking way,” she screamed, pushing past him and entering the house.
“Baby, when did you get out? I was working on coming to get you tomorrow,” he lied, following her up the stairs. He definitely wasn’t expecting her to come home today or any day soon.
Falisha wasn’t trying to entertain his bullshit and only answered the question out of spite.
“I got out yesterday, nigga . . . Oh, and you might wanna add another twenty-five K to what you already owe Chris,” she said, opening the bedroom door.
Falisha immediately noticed the female lying in Fox’s bed. She turned around and looked at Fox with a scowl; he was so close that they were almost kissing.
Fox was about to grab her arms to keep her from swinging on him, but surprisingly, Falisha showed no signs of wanting to get into a physical brawl with him. In fact, she didn’t even look upset.
“She ain’t nobody—” Fox tried to explain, but was quickly cut off.
“You know, the sad thing is, I expected this type of shit from a fuck nigga like you. You’re just being the dog I know you to be. But I swear, I never thought you would just bail on me the way that you did. Your trifling ass didn’t even have the nerve to come back for me. You left me for dead,” Falisha spoke while looking in his eyes.
The young female who was in the bed got up and went to grab her clothes off the floor.
“Baby, I was about to come and pay ya bail tomorrow,” he lied, reaching out to grab Falisha’s hand.
“Don’t fuckin’ touch me,” she said, smacking his hand down, and then turning and walking toward her dresser.
The young girl was scared to death. Not knowing what Falisha was going to do, she just continued to put her clothes on.
“I’m sorry,” she said when Falisha got close to her. “He didn’t tell me that he—”
“Girl, I’m not worried about you,” Falisha uttered.
Putting her hands on that girl was the last thing on her mind. Falisha just wanted to get all of her shit and get out of there, which she did. She went to the kitchen as well, and got her money from the freezer.
Fox stood in the living room looking stupid, watching her walk out the door.
“Oh, and for the record, it’s over, nigga,” she told Fox as she walked out and headed to the cab.
Fox couldn’t argue with her or justify his actions, and being honest with himself, the only thing he was really concerned about was whether she’d implicated him in the case. If she did, it wouldn’t be much longer before the police came knocking on his door, and that’s what he feared most.
* * *
“I found a job,” Lisa said as she got dressed.
Nate sat up in bed so he could hear more about it. Another one of his good qualities was the fact that he was so understanding and supportive in just about everything Lisa did.
“Damn, babe, that’s great,” he said, scooting u
p to the edge of the bed where she was.
He grabbed her by the waist from behind, then lifted her shirt up to plant little kisses on her lower back. Lisa was tempted to jump back in bed and get another dose of the good good, but Naomi was about to get out of school, and she didn’t want to be late picking her up.
“So, are you ready for our little getaway?” he asked, spinning her around. “Our flight leaves at eight forty-five in the morning,” he reminded her.
“Yeah, I’m ready, but I start work on Monday morning, so we gotta come back on Saturday instead of Sunday. I don’t want to be tired or late on my first day of work,” she said.
Nate looked at her and smiled. He kissed her belly button, then a little bit below it until Lisa grabbed his head and stopped him.
“That’s not gonna be a problem at all,” he looked up and assured her.
What he had planned for the vacation wasn’t going to be affected by shortening it one day.
“I gotta go pick up Naomi,” Lisa said, leaning over and giving him a kiss before she left.
As Lisa was sitting in the car, she couldn’t help but to feel a little scared. It had been awhile since she was this close to anyone. Nate was beginning to invade her thoughts more than usual. Just the other day, she was talking to Tammy and referred to him as her boyfriend. It was crazy, and although Lisa thought that she was in control, her heart was constantly reminding her that it ran the show. She honestly didn’t know where and how this was going to end.
* * *
Kim had called Brian over so they could talk. She had a lot on her mind ever since he’d professed his love to her. There were a number of questions that needed to be answered. Some more important than others.
“Where are you?” Kim mumbled to herself, looking down at the clock on her phone.
Seeing that it was rush hour, she assumed it was the cause of his delay. She started to call and see where he was, but before she could pick up the phone, Brian was calling her.
“Yeah, where are you?” she answered, walking over to the window.
“I’m downstairs. It’s nice out here, and I thought that we could go for a walk and talk,” Brian said as people walked by him to get into the complex.
Kim didn’t feel like walking, but she didn’t want to be a party pooper.
“Hold on, I’ll be right down,” she said, walking into her bedroom to put on a pair of sneakers.
“I know you ain’t afraid to burn a few calories,” Brian joked when she finally came outside.
Kim had to admit, the weather was nice.
“When I was a young boy, I used to come down here to go to the arcade,” Brian began as they walked down Chestnut Street. “I remember my mom beat me and my brother’s ass when we took like twenty dollars in change from her coin jar. We came down here and spent every dime of it.” He chuckled at the thought.
Kim even smiled, picturing him as a kid.
“Can I ask you something?” she said, wanting to get some clarity about what was going on between them.
Brian was one step ahead of her. “You wanna know why I told you that I love you the other day, right?” he asked.
Kim looked over at him and nodded yes.
“Look, we’ve been seeing each other for how long now? Maybe six or seven months? Probably a little longer if you count those many late-night conversations we used to have when I first met you.”
“Yeah, and I specifically remember you telling me that you wasn’t looking for anything serious,” Kim shot back sarcastically.
“Yeah, but a lot can happen in six months. I told you that I love you, because I do,” he said, looking over at her. “You’re a hell of a woman, and over the course of time, I’ve watched you grow as a person. I’ve never been with someone like you who had their shit together. You have a career that you love, you got ya own money, and you’re gorgeous beyond words. How am I not going to fall in love with somebody like you?”
Kim and Brian turned into Rittenhouse Park, two blocks from Kim’s apartment. It may have sounded like game, but everything Brian said was the truth. It had Kim blushing.
“But how do you know it’s love that you have for me?” she asked.
“Kim, I’m a grown-ass man. You don’t think I know what love is?” he playfully shot back.
Kim laughed at him.
“I guess you wanna hear how I think about you until I go to bed at night. Or maybe you wanna hear how sick I was when you went back to Charlotte, and I had nobody to hold on to at night. Maybe you wanna hear how tears came to my eyes at the thought of losing you. If I could spend the rest of my life with someone, it would be you. I swear to God,” Brian said, raising his right hand.
Kim knew exactly how he felt because she felt the same . . . for the most part. Brian was a nice guy, and she could honestly say that no man had treated her as well as he had, nor was she as comfortable with anyone as she was with him. Lamar had potential, but he wasn’t consistent, and he had already broken her heart once. Over time, her heart had naturally become attached to Brian, and when she went back to Charlotte, she was missing him too.
“Let me ask you something,” Brian said, taking a seat next to Kim on the bench. “Can you honestly say that you don’t have any love for me?” he sincerely asked.
Kim had been thinking about this all afternoon and going back and forth with herself about it. The conclusion wasn’t what she expected it to be, especially after Lamar’s proposition back in Charlotte. But she had to be honest with herself, and now it was time for her to keep it real with Brian as well.
“I do love you, Brian. I think I’ve felt it for a while now,” she said leaning her head on his shoulder. “I just don’t want to get hurt.”
For Brian, nothing else needed to be said. He didn’t intend to break her heart or hurt her in any way. He had Kim now, and he was going to make sure he did everything in his power to keep her.
* * *
Ran into you yesterday, memories rushed through my brain. It’s starting to hit me now you’re not with me. I realize I made a mistake....
Lamar lay on the couch listening to John Legend do his thing. His thoughts of Kim were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. He jumped up from the couch, hoping to catch whoever had rung the bell before they could ring it again. Baby Jordan had just gone to sleep, and Lamar was hoping he could enjoy some quiet time.
When he opened the door and saw Falisha standing there, he knew that was out of the question. “When did they let you out?” he asked, stepping to the side to let her in.
Falisha was getting tired of people asking her that, especially knowing that they didn’t really care about her well-being. “I just stopped by to see Jordan,” she said, looking around the living room.
“He’s upstairs asleep,” Lamar told her.
Falisha put down her bag and headed up the stairs. Baby Jordan was fast asleep in his playpen in Lamar’s room. He looked so peaceful, she didn’t want to wake him like she had first started to. Instead, she simply sat on the edge of Lamar’s bed and watched her son sleep. She missed her little man and had thought about him every second that she was in jail.
Lamar made his way upstairs and stood by the bedroom door, watching Falisha.
“When he gets fussy, I show him a picture of you, and he stops crying,” Lamar said.
It made Falisha smile to think about him trying to eat the picture.
“I know you might not wanna hear this, but you gotta make better choices in ya life. You’re no good to our son if you’re stuck in jail or dead in a ditch. He needs you more than anybody in this world, including me,” Lamar spoke genuinely.
Those couple of days in jail had given Falisha plenty of time to think about what Lamar was talking about. She even thought about how nasty she had been to him over the past few months.
“I’m sorry I was acting like a bitch. I know by now you probably hate me, and I need you to know that I never once regretted having your son. He means everything to me,” she said, look
ing down on baby Jordan.
Tears sprang to her eyes at the thought of being taken away from him, or not being able to be there for him when he needed her.
“It’s okay if you wanna take him for a while. Just call me when you wanna bring him back.”
“I’m not gonna take him right now. In fact, I need him to stay here with you until I find my own place. I’ll come by and see him every day, and if you need me to watch him while you go to work, I can do that for you also,” she said as she continued looking down at her son.
Lamar could see that being in jail for those couple of days had really humbled Falisha. She wasn’t loud and obnoxious like she used to be, and for the first time in a long time, he saw submission in her eyes. He didn’t know how long it would last, but he sure hoped that she would stay like this. It was a good look on her, and Lamar could see himself getting to like this side of her again.
Chapter 17
Lisa, Nate, and Naomi landed in Orlando, Florida, and were at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa by noon. After checking into the hotel, they wasted no time hopping on the monorail and heading to The Magic Kingdom. Naomi had a field day running into all of her favorite characters and took picture after picture with each princess she encountered.
“A’ight, so according to this map, Crystal Palace should be right up ahead on the left,” Nate said, lifting his head up to see where they were.
He looked over and saw that Lisa was zoned out in another world as they walked along. “Are you okay?” he asked as he folded the map.
Lisa couldn’t believe how much she had been thinking about Ralphy. This family vacation wasn’t making it any better, especially since Disney World was one of the places Ralphy had wanted to take her when he was alive. She wasn’t sure why she was feeling guilty about being there with Nate. No matter how much she wanted to move on, her heart maintained that this family belonged to Ralphy.
“I really gotta use the bathroom,” she said, scrunching up her nose into the poo-poo face.
Nate found it a little funny that she had to take a dump while they were in the middle of the park.
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