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I collected my things making sure I’d packed my new underwear sets I’d purchased. I found a fantastic lingerie designer online. Her pieces were sexy and unique. I looked forward to modeling them for Samuel.
I found Ray waiting at the elevator in my lobby. He was dressed down in a pair of jeans with a Saint Louis Cardinals t-shirt and ball cap. I’d never seen him in anything other than a suit. With his arms exposed I could see his full sleeve tattoos on both arms. I couldn’t make out all of the tattoos, but I did see a cross, a gun, and some names, among other things. He took my bag and led me to the car.
“Hey, Ray. Are we going to the airport?”
“No. We are going to the house then to the airstrip out there.”
“Cool. Are you traveling with us?”
“No, not this time. My wife’s family has an event she wouldn’t let me miss. I will stay behind.”
I didn’t know he had a wife. I looked down at his hand and saw the black wedding band on his finger I hadn’t noticed.
He opened the back door of the car for me to get in.
“I can sit up front if you don’t mind.”
He closed the back door and opened the front door.
“Make sure you tell El that sitting up front was your idea,” he said as he closed my door.
“I will text him now and tell him I asked to sit up here.”
“Cool.”
He pulled out into traffic headed to Samuel’s house.
I sent the text like I said I would. Samuel replied with a thumbs up.
“How long have you worked for Samuel?” I asked trying to break the ice and spark a conversation.
“Almost five years.”
“What did you do before then?”
“I hustled,” he glanced at me then back to the road.
I guess he was looking for a reaction, but I didn’t have one to give. I wasn’t surprised or taken aback. It is what it is. I try hard not to pass judgment on people. Which is one of the reasons why I hate for people to prejudge me.
“What made you start working for Samuel?”
“My lady made me leave the streets. Not in the sense, that she forced me because she didn’t. She loved me exactly how I was. Her love is what forced me to change.”
“Wow.”
“I met her when she was coming into the hood to take care of one of the older ladies on the block. She’s a good girl and not from the hood, but she didn’t walk clutching her purse or anything like that. She spoke to everyone out on the block and would go in to take care of Ms. Hattie. I spoke to her, and she spoke back but not in a dismissive way but a genuine, I care about your well-being sort of way. I asked her out, and she invited me to church.”
“You stopped hustling after you started going to church?”
“No, I didn’t. I didn’t see a life outside of the hustle, but I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t mess around and get locked up or killed and leave Savi. I spoke with my Pastor about my dilemma. He connected me with El. El gave me a job in the mailroom at the firm. I was faithful to being on time, doing my job to the best of my ability and never missing a day. Savi was proud of me, but I was prouder of myself. I grew up with hustlers and gangbangers, so that’s the only life I knew but El and Pastor D showed me men who worked hard and made a positive impact on the world. One day El offered me the position to be his assistant and the rest is history. He’s taught me how to build credit, invest and save money. I’ve been able to start the plans on a house for my wife, and I’m taking college courses. We live in a house on El’s property out here because it’s close to my wife’s job at the hospital.”
I saw his house when El and I were touring his property.
“Ray, that’s so beautiful. How long have you been married?”
“We just got married a couple months ago. I wanted to provide her with some stability before I made her my wife. She saved me. For real. I don’t know what my end was going to be out there, but it wasn’t going to be nice. Now, working with El, I am exposed to an entirely different side of life I never knew existed.”
We continued our conversation until he pulled to the front of Samuel’s house. He was standing in the doorway with a pair of black Nike sweatpants and a sleeveless white Nike shirt. He pushed off the side of the doorframe and walked down to the car. He opened my door and helped me out of the car.
