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We chuckled as she shot him the finger then went to the kitchen to get him a beer. When she came back, she sat in the chair across from us. “You know, I’ve been apologizing since I was able to see how much damage I caused you, Keke, but now, I’m glad I was a damn fool. Me doing that made it possible for Vegas to connect with his mother. I had no idea you didn’t know your mother. I thought I remembered you saying your mom had died.”
“I used to call Jungle’s mom, my mom. So when she died, my mom had died.” He cleared his throat and sat up slightly. “Honestly, I was pissed at you. Seeing Kee toss and turn in her sleep and having full conversations with her dreams, was hard as hell. I felt like you woke that up in her. I didn’t appreciate what you did until I started talking to a counselor as well. Although my baby was hurting, I could still thank God for His divine intervention.”
Yunique nodded and smiled. “Well, I’m glad we can put all this shit behind us.” Turning to me, she asked, “Do you plan to talk to Mama again when you get back?”
“Yeah. I have to accept what she said happened. This story actually sounds more believable than her not knowing at all. I never responded to anything she said. Her admission has somewhat put me at ease. I love Mama, and I don’t want to distance myself from her. The only person truly at fault was Mo’s crusty ass. He’s paid for his sins with his life. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Joel kissed the side of my head. Feeling his lips on me only made me crave for more. I’d done everything I said I wasn’t gonna fucking do. I should have known better. Denying him didn’t even feel right. Taking things slow my ass. That shit tasted bitter as hell when it rolled off my tongue. Joel slid that big dick into me like he needed my pussy for oxygen. I surely needed his dick. That nigga made my body shoot off fireworks in that hotel room. After our talk about my arm and how we were moving on from that, we went at it again.
I knew what I told him about my arm fucked with him. I was sure it probably was still on his mind. I wore a sling for a couple of days, but that shit was more of an annoyance than a help. It didn’t keep it stable at all. When I called my doctor for a follow-up appointment, she said I would need an MRI since the emergency room only did a scan.
I was hoping that whatever was going on would be something that could be fixed. Otherwise, I would have to get used to this muthafucka being limited. When I told Yunique, she was ready to light into Joel, saying there was no way she would stay or even be with a man like that. Joel wasn’t the man he was in that instance. I had to look at the part I played in escalating the situation.
She still didn’t understand my logic, but it wasn’t for her to understand. This was my life, and I knew who I was dealing with. If I fell flat on my face and it happened again, then I would know that it was developing into a habit. When I told her he was my gangsta, she’d said, Bitch, don’t be no fucking Harley Quinn though. I’d laughed hard as hell.
I was in love with this man, and before that admission, I was dickmatized for sure. Had I felt like he did this to my arm on purpose, then that would be a different situation. He grabbed me, but he didn’t know it would cause this magnitude of destruction.
“So, now that everything has been cleared up, when are you coming back to Houston?” I asked Yunique.
She glanced at Joel and said, “I really don’t know.”
“I know you have trauma with the lifestyle, but no one is living that anymore, well, except Ghost. Vegas and Jungle have been done with that shit for over two years. I mean… they still aren’t to be fucked with, but the drugs and hustling is done. They are hustling legally now.”
“We’ll see.”
I gave her a soft smile and left it alone, choosing not to push her. Glancing at the time, I knew I had better go shower and change so we could get to dinner on time. I kissed Joel’s lips and told him and Yunique to behave then went to get fly for my man.
“Hey! Y’all come on in,” Dr. King said.
We’d gotten here after six since Yunique insisted on dropping us off. That heifer couldn’t follow simple instructions. I didn’t know why she had the GPS on if she was just going to do what she wanted to do anyway. While I was getting dressed, I could hear her and Joel laughing and having a great time reminiscing about their days in middle and high school. I could only smile about their interaction, and I just hoped it made Yunique more at ease around him. I knew he’d seen her glances at him when we talked about her coming home to visit.
When Dr. King closed the door, Joel grabbed my hand. There was a slight tremble in his, and I knew he was seeking solace from me. He was nervous. While he knew what it meant to have money, I knew he was worried that he wouldn’t live up to their standards. He was a boss in the streets. Although he was no longer doing that shit, his presence still commanded respect.
She led us into their family room, and her husband stood from his seat. He and Joel were about the same height. He smiled as Joel extended his hand. He grabbed it and pulled Joel into his arms. “Welcome, son. I’m Daniel Senior. It’s nice to meet you.”
I could see the slight emotion in Joel’s eyes. I could also tell he was uncomfortable. I looped my arm around his as he said, “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Mr. King turned his attention to me, so I said, “Hi, I’m Keondra Mott, his girlfriend.”
“Nice to meet you, Keondra. Y’all have a seat. Giselle and Daniel Junior are on their way.”
“Does he go by DJ?” I asked.
“Believe it or not, he didn’t want to be called DJ. So he’s Daniel, and I’m DS.”
He chuckled, and I did as well. Joel gave him a slight smile. It was slightly awkward with as quiet as it became. I was sure Mr. King knew more about us than we knew about him, but it was like Joel’s tongue was paralyzed. Dr. King had gone to the kitchen, I supposed to check on dinner.
“Well, to tell you a little about myself, I was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, not far from Houston, but ended up in Birmingham for school. I have five siblings, two sisters and three brothers. Out of six, I’m number three on my dad’s side and the oldest on my mom’s side. My mother only had two kids. I have a younger brother on her side, and on my dad’s side, I have an older brother and sister and a younger brother and sister. Your mother and I have been married for thirty-four years now. I’m a physicist and have been for twenty-five years.”
“So there’s two Doctor Kings in one household. I’m sure that can get interesting,” I remarked.
He chuckled. “It can. We often have dick swinging contests, although I’m the only one that should be allowed in that competition.”
My face heated up, but Joel chuckled. I knew Mr. King said it that way to make Joel a little more comfortable since he was still quiet. “I’m sorry I’m so quiet. I’m typically like that around people I don’t know. The way I grew up, you don’t trust people easily, if at all. This woman next to me has sparked a change in me, and that’s why I had a desire to even be here.”
“I totally understand that. I’ll talk as much as I can to try to make you a little more comfortable. So, how did the two of you meet?” he asked.
I chuckled as Joel smirked. “So… I was in Puerto Rico about two years ago with a family that sort of took me in as one of theirs. Plus, my best friend, who they actually took in first, was getting married. Well, I was on the beach chilling, and this beautiful, black Barbie doll walked past me. She glanced at me like she was saying, yeah, I know I’m fine. Come tell me you want this.”
