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Clenching his jaw, Elite sighed. This was the first time in about three months that his brother had called and said those words, but it happened regularly. Elite hoped with them reconnecting with their father that would help Supreme with his trust issues and the way he viewed women, but that didn’t appear to be the case. No matter how loyal and faithful Nicole was, there was a part of Supreme that always believed she was cheating. While their marriage was good and stable for the most part, Supreme had cycles where his paranoia would cause conflict.
“What you do?”
“Aight, so Nicole was out and about, but I wasn’t expecting to run into her ass. She told me she was going to get drinks with Teri, and I thought it was a woman. So when I see her at the restaurant a man was sitting at the table. I told her to send me a picture of Teri and she sent me a picture of a woman, so I confronted them.”
“And?”
“And Teri hadn’t arrived yet. The nigga that was sitting at her table was there because they didn’t have any available ones and she didn’t want their reservation to be canceled because the rest of her party wasn’t there. Teri came in the middle of me going off, and the nigga was also married.”
Elite wanted to laugh, but he knew that would only upset his brother more. “Supreme…” He chuckled. “What thefuck, man? Why are you always on a hundred? You couldn’t just calmly go speak to your wife and let her explain the situation?”
Supreme sucked his teeth. “I wouldn’t have believed her ass no way. That’s the fucking problem.”
“Nicole ain’t cheated on no man a day in her life, but if you keep on accusing her of that shit, you just might speak it into existence. Eventually her ass gon’ leave you or do it just because you always think she is.”
“Iknow,” he stressed. “I don’t know what the fuck to do. I know in my heart that Nicole would never betray me like that, but my mind just can’t process that. And it’s been even worse since what happened with you and Jah. Nicole tired of my shit, brotha.”
“So what are you going to do about it? You don’t want to go to therapy and work on yo’ shit, so what are you going to do? Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how great she is, this is a you issue. Not her.”
Seconds passed before Supreme said, “I’on know. I see how you’re getting better because you’ve been talking to Pops. Maybe I’ll talk to him too.”
Elite smiled. “I think that’s a good start. And stop taking your insecurities out on Sis. When you think she fucking off, keep it to yourself until you process it and let it go. That’s your problem, don’t make it hers.”
“I hate when you’re right.”
“Long as you know I am.” Elite chuckled. “Apologize to my sister before I beat yo’ ass. And take her on a trip too.”
“Aight, aight. I’ll be at you.”
“Aight.”
After disconnecting the call, Elite cut the music up and prayed that Supreme would find his own healing. That God would meet him wherever, through whatever or whoever. Because his brother needed it… just as bad as he did.
twenty-two
Jacintha
June
After serving three months,Jacintha was released because of overpopulation and good behavior. Though she felt more in tune with God and herself, one thing couldn’t be denied… her hatred for Henry had definitely increased. Almost every day that she was gone, she thought about how different her life would have been if she would have refrained from ignoring God’s first warning the night they met. If she would have taken being confronted by a scorned lover as her sign to remain faithful to her marriage, she wouldn’t have entertained Henry, but she had… and that decision ruined everything.
On the bright side, Jacintha believed she’d receive beauty for her ashes. She and Dedrick talked almost every day, and he had been looking for jobs and apartments for her in Washington. The twins were having too much fun there with their other family for Jacintha to pull them away when there was nothing really keeping them in Memphis.
Though she planned to allow them to stay in Washington and wait for her to arrive, Jacintha had arranged for them to return to her that weekend. She’d been out for a week and couldn’t wait to see them. Instead of staying with her parents, she used some of the money she had saved to rent a furnished apartment for the next three months. Her plan was to secure a job in Washington and move before then, but just in case it took longer, she wanted to make sure she had her own place for when the girls visited.
At first, Jacintha didn’t plan to reach out to Elite. Their divorce was finalized, and though they were on good terms the last time they spoke, she wanted to keep her distance. Elite told her that things had gotten pretty serious between him and another woman, and though it hurt Jacintha in the beginning, she was happy that he was happy. From his description of their bond, Elite seemed to be with someone who was a better fit for him than her, and Jacintha couldn’t allow her pride to try to ruin that.
The invitation was extended, but Jacintha didn’t actually expect Elite to pull up. When he let her know he was outside, she met him at the door instead of letting him in. There was something she wanted to talk to him about before he saw the girls.
“Hey,” she spoke, resisting the urge to hug him.
“Hey.” Elite pulled her into his arms, giving her the hug she desperately needed. “How are you?”
“I’m… really good, Elite.” As he released her, she asked, “How are you?”
“Same. Glad to see you out.”
“You and me both. I can’t wait to get out of Memphis too, but it’s a few things I wanted to take care of before I left.”
