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“I fully expected him to move on. He’s a great guy.I just didn’texpect to be slapped in the face with it. Even though he told me that he wanted to tell me first before I heard about it from somewhere else. It kind of hurt a little bit because that was the life that we were supposed to have, were going to have, but I just couldn’t bring myself to move to New York. Citrus Grove is my home. It’s where I wanted to die and be buried. It’s where I wanted to raise my kids. It’s where I wanted—”
“I don’t mean to cut you off, but you keep saying ‘wanted.’ Do you not want that anymore?”
Tears pricked my eyes.I couldn’t say anything as the tears slipped down my face.
“Quinci? Talk to me.”
“I wanted that…until I shook the hand of Mr. Dymon Danger.It’s like you light a fire under me that Ididn’t even know I had.I moved to New York,fully expecting tobe copying papers and plugging things into your calendar, but it’s beensomuch more than that.Inever thought that we’d be…you know, doing what we’redoingbecause of your rules. I never thought that I could fall so hard and so fast for someone because,although, I’ve never met a stranger really,it just wasn’t in my character.I even told myself that I was doing this for the money and then I screamed to myself‘Whatfucking money? He’s not giving you any money. Faceitgirl, you gone.’ Andthen seeing how easy it was to bewithyou, and how easy it is for me to say that I would stay here in New York with you, made me wonder why Inever even thought twice about moving here with Derek, even after he proposed.”
His eyes immediately zoomed in on my hand.“I know that’s not…”
“I told you I got this off a street corner.I didn’t lie about that.”
“Y’all were engaged,though?”
I nodded my head. “I guess you can say that, but not really because he wanted me to move with him, and we kind of called it off the week he left.”
“Damn.So, it wasextremelyshort-lived.”
While we continued to eat, he kept staring at me like he wanted to say something.
“Can I ask you a question? I don’t want it to come off offensive, but—”
“So, that means you’re about to offend me again? Ask the question, Mr. Dymon.”
“Nah,never mind. What do you want to do today?”
“Don’t say that and then say never mind. Ask the question.I mean, I may smack you, but I’ll answer.”
“Why are you so…I don’t know the word I want to use. Calm, maybe?”
My eyebrow raised. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ll say this. I know how I was at twenty-four, and you just seem very mature.”
“That wasn’t what you were going to say.”I picked up my mimosa and took a sip.
“I was, in a sense.”
“Well, un-sense it and ask what you were going to ask. I want to seewhere your mind went.”
He laughed. He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out.When he massaged the bridge of his nose, that made me laugh.
“Goddamn. Was it that bad?”
“Okay, so considering where I’m from and my background, and—”
“Dymon, if you don’t ask the question, I know some.”
He chuckled. “I was just going to ask if you went to a finishing school. Like Jack and—”
“Jill,” I finished his sentence. “Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yesterday, a lecturebefore I go around well-known people. Today, I went to a finishing school because I am an adult who acts like one. Great.What do you really think of people from the country?”
“Quinci, now you’re not being fair. I tried to change the question, but you insisted. But I don’t think anything of people from thecountry. That’s why I changed it up.”
“Uh-huh, but if you must know, Ididn’t go to a finishing school. That sound sonineteen-fifties.You used the word ‘calm,’ but I don’t know. Ireally don’t know. I just try to treat people the way I want to be treated, which is how everyone should operate, but of course, they don’t.”
“You right.”
