“Right,” he replied, his tone nothing but professional. “Well, I’ll be out of the office next week. I have a family emergency.”
My stomach dropped. I was looking forward to our meeting. If anything, it would’ve given me a chance to be in his presence. I was so busy in my head, I missed Love speaking to me. “What’d you say?”
He paused and for a second, I thought he hung up. “I asked if you started your anger management classes, yet?”
I groaned, completely forgetting about that. When it was mentioned by the judge, I thought it was a suggestion and not a requirement.
He chuckled low, and the sound shot straight between my legs. “Don’t be like that. Ain’t nothing wrong with getting help. We all could use it. I took a few of them myself.”
He can’t be serious.
“For real? Why? Who ass, Love Hamilton kicked?” I teased, smiling when he laughed at my joke.
“You know how it is when you in high school,” he commented with amusement. “I was off the chain. My folks ain’t know what to do with me, so they sent me to see a counselor.”
Hearing him say counseling helped him, had me second guessing my decision. I’m one of them black people, that swear they’ll never go to therapy. However, if I can relieve some of this anger inside me, maybe it’ll help in the long run.
“If I don’t like it, I still gotta keep going?” I inquired, playing with the thread in my pillow.
“If you don’t like that one, I’ll find somebody you do like,” he told me, but I was doubtful. He’s the only man I'm willing to see multiple times a week. “But Baby, it’s mandatory. You have to go whether you want to or--.”
A loud scream sounded on his end, and it scared me half to death.
“Is everything alright, Love?” I asked in worry.
“Yes, ye--I gotta go, but make sure you get to those classes, Baby.” He hung up on me, and I sat there for a second, wondering what happened. It was still on my mind a few hours later.
I had the refrigerator wide open, peering inside. I wanted to see what I could make for dinner when Leah walked in on her phone. She didn’t acknowledge me until I stared her down.
“Oh, hey,” she mumbled dryly, giving me a half-wave.
“Girl, don’t tell me you still got an attitude about the mall situation?” I closed the fridge then leaned against it, folding myarms across my chest. She put her phone down, adjusting her body to face me.
“You shouldn’t have done me like that, Baby,” she said with hurt in her tone.
I can’t believe she so damn petty and salty about shit that happened days ago. I probably wouldn’t have added my two cents if I would’ve known how she’d reaction. She claimed she’s grown now, but her actions show something different.
“I don’t think it’s all that serious, in my opinion,” I snapped back, my face scrunched up in a scowl. “You took something so small and blew the shit outta proportion. But I'm sorry you felt a way. Next time I have a problem, I’ll come to you first.”
I told her what she wanted to hear so we could squash all this. Since I’ve been home, I spent more time with Jayda than her, and she’s my damn sister.
“Alright, good,” she replied, accepting my apology. “You need me to take you somewhere tomorrow? I’m free.”
This was her first time asking me that. I knew it had less to do with her wanting to help me, and more about proving Jayda wrong, but I'm grateful either way. I did need to sign up for these classes to get Love off my case, so I asked her to take me.
“Okay, use auntie phone to call me,” she announced, getting a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “I’m staying the night with my man. I just came home to get more clothes.”
“When you gone bring him back over here?” I wondered, watching her move around the kitchen. “We ain’t speak that much at my welcome party.”
She shuffled from one foot to the other.
“Oh-hh yeah.” She cleared her throat, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. “He just got a lot going on at work.”
“Where you said you met him again?” I inquired, cocking my head to the side.
“The mall,” she uttered out, and I can practically see the wheels turning in her head. “Nordstrom.”
I nodded, peeling the banana in my hand. Something was going on with my sister. She never used to lie to me, but it comes easily to her ass now I see.
