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“Is this all you have?”
“Mommas, don’t insult me.” He chuckled, squeezing every ounce of juice from my box.
“I-I mean… right now?”
“In cash? Yeah.” He nodded.
I peeled off two of the hundreds from the second stack and placed them on his lap.
“I can’t leave you with nothing,” I explained.
“Respect.”
He watched as I exited the truck, waiting for him to stop me again. This time, I wouldn’t bother unlocking my door and dragging my feet into my own misery. I’d gladly ride out in the night with him, no matter where we were headed. Unfortunately, his back rested on the seat as he watched me until I was out of the truck completely.
With heavy feet, I walked the short distance to my apartment, wishing my evening wasn’t ending. I wasn’t sure how, but I conjured the strength to stuff my key in the door instead of turning around and inviting the stranger I’d grown fond of inside my home.
Just keep going, I encouraged. You have a long road of healing ahead of you, Glacier. It starts now. Maturity led me inside where I shut the door behind me, pushing my back up against it so that I wasn’t tempted to open it and summon the man downstairs up to continue suffocating the pain that felt so real suddenly.
That’s unfair, I noted. Let him go.
Drawing my limbs as close to my body as possible, I soothed the achiness as best I could. The void that quickly formed could easily be filled with a single invitation. However, my heart wouldn’t allow me to cut corners or involve a completely innocent heart in my turmoil.
He’d seen enough of the broken me. He’d done enough for the damaged me. The best thing I could do for us both was allow him to leave and go on with his life while I began picking up the pieces of mine.
My cell buzzed in my hand. My initial thought was to silence it, knowing that Nelson was still trying to contact me, but the possibility of it being the man who hadn’t gotten very far prompted me to answer without even checking the screen.
“Hello?”
“Enjoy your freedom, Mommas. You won’t be free for long.”
The line disconnected after the second sentence, leaving me with unresolved emotions. Furrowed brows led to a satisfied smile. Placing the phone against my chest, I laid my head against my door.
Mommas.
NOTE.
Between the covers of this book is my art piece —beautifully paired words structured for my creative satisfaction and later consumed by others for enjoyment.
This is just a book to most. It’s art for me.
My art. I’ve had my time. Have yours.
happy reading
ONE
Three months later
Pulling from the blunt in my hand a final time, I passed it to Trent. Relieving my lungs, I pushed out the heavy cloud of smoke I’d inhaled, careful not to choke.
“The realtor needs to talk some sense into them motherfuckers.”
“Or, I could,” I offered.
“I’m not trying to strong-arm them out of their building, homie. Chill.”
“Nigga, you want the spot or not?”
