“Nothing.” She sighed. “I just made my monthly visit to Daisy.”
“Oh, that’s why you sound like that.” He chuckled. “What was she talking about today?”
Kissing her teeth, Irish scoffed. “What you think? The same damn script every single time. I’ve memorized it so much that I can recite her words.”
“I don’t know why you even bother with her ass. She’s too damn miserable. Always wanna throw a damn pity-party and blame you for her poor choices. I keep telling you to distance yourself from her ass.”
Jovanis had no understanding of how much she wanted to write Daisy out of her life. It was easy for him because he had never developed a bond with his mother. He’d never experienced the emotional attachment that mothers provided to their children. She, on the other hand, had and that’s why she couldn’t totally cut Daisy off. Irish remembered how good her mother was until Emanuel showed up. The sweetness of her mother was something that she continued holding on to. What she would give just to receive a semblance of that Daisy again. Memories of what used to be kept her showing up on her mom’s doorstep every month.
“Yeah, well, I don't wanna cut her off right now. But look, what are you doing tonight? Let’s go to Escape and get dinner and listen to live music.”
“Damn, Irish, I can’t. I got plans tonight.”
“With who? Your boo thang,” she teased, making him chuckle.
“Bruh, stop saying that childish shit.”
“What?” She tittered. “That’s what he is though. Your boo thang, right?”
“No, he’s not. He’s more than that.”
As happy as Irish was for Jovanis, she couldn’t help but feel envious. Not because she wanted him, but she wished she had a person to be with. Every night, he got the chance to lay up with his lover while she fell face first into an empty bed. A bed with no action. No good morning kisses. No hugs that covered her with warmth and nervous jitters. Just an emptiness that she carried around like luggage.
“You know, I’m starting to think this guy is taking my place, Van.”
He scoffed, inciting a giggle from her. “Never. You know no one comes before you, Irish.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t tell. We haven’t hung out in weeks.”
“We just went to the club,” he pointed out.
“That doesn’t count since you only went to show your face. You dropped me off immediately afterward.”
The absence of conversation made Irish wonder if she’d truly made Jovanis feel bad.
“You know what? You right. Me and you are gonna go kick it this week.”
“Thank you,” she jested. “I thought I wasn’t your best friend anymore.”
“Irish, you’ll never not be my best friend. Me and you are locked in for life. I love you more than any person. Never question your position in my life. If it’s you versus anybody, you’ll always come out on top.”
Simultaneously, water congregated in her eyes while her mouth lifted into a smile. Jovanis had always been open with her. He had no problem expressing how much she meant to him. Their love should’ve been bottled up and sold at the nearest grocery store. It felt so good to possess but it didn’t fulfill her completely.
“I appreciate you so much, Van, even though you’ve been neglecting me.”
“Here we go. A nigga just poured his heart out, and you still focused on the wrong shit,” he joked.
“Look, you know it’s my job to give you a hard time.”
“Yeah, you my biggest fucking headache. But listen, I told you, Irish, you need to go find somebody. You deserve to be happy, baby. Just make sure you protect what we’ve worked so hard to build.”
“I will,” she promised.
“I got some shit to handle. I’ll holla at you later.”
“Bye.”
Irish ended the call and started the engine. Since Jovanis had blown her off for the night, she figured she would go out alone and enjoy her own company.
