Pyrite flipped the camera to his computer, which showed a video of a beautiful brown-skinned woman standing in the kitchen, talking to Xoey. When Pyrite visited, she was asleep in the car, and I only got out to give Pyrite a quick hug before getting back in. She looked like she was giving Xoey instructions, and all I could do was watch her in amazement. Everyone knew that Xoey hated cooking, and seeing them together, laughing, smiling, and relaxed meant there was something special about her.
“Now you get it?” he asked. “She’s a safe space for everybody around her. I want to be that space for her. When she’s sad, happy, excited, unsure, I want her to know that I have her for life and the next. I want her to have my last name, carry my babies.”
“Pyrite Stone, give me a few days,” I sighed, then wiped my hands over my face. I was going to do everything in my power to make him the ring that signified everything he’d just said because I knew he meant it.
“Legit, sis?” he turned the camera around. “You got me like that?”
“Yeah,” I answered, nodding. “I got you.”
“Bet, I’ll be in town in a few days. You think you’ll answer the phone when I call?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head, and he kissed his teeth. “I won’t be here. Check the plane flight logs. I have some business on thecoast, and then I’m going to spend the week with my sisters at the beach.”
“A week at the beach?” he asked, and I nodded. “Doing what exactly, and does Am know?”
“What I want, and I don’t know what Am knows, nor does it matter.”
“Yale--”
“I will call you when I have the ring done,” I said, cutting him off before he could start up with the lecture. “I love you, I’ll talk to you, soon.” I hung up before he could get a word in.
“You know he’s going to tell Amethyst, right?” Spelman laughed.
I leaned back in my seat, rubbed between my eyes, and shrugged. “He can do what he wants, but that’s not my business. I meant what I said when I said I was done stressing over what Amethyst is or isn’t doing or what he does or doesn’t know. He sent me here; I’m here living my life. He can live his.”
“You’re stubborn,” she replied as she looked up at me. Her brown eyes held a million and one questions and secrets that she wasn’t ready to tell yet.
“Pot.” I pointed to her, then myself. “Meet kettle.”
“Touche,” she laughed and shrugged. “How long is it going to take you to design the ring he wants?”
“I already have an idea of what I want to do, it’s just about finding the right stones and getting them,” I answered, and she nodded. My fingers went to the ring I wore around my neck, and I thought about what I could do for Pyrite. I knew enough about Fable from Mama Diamond and my sisters to know that she wasn’t flashy or over the top. “This is going to be kind of tricky.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because usually when I design an engagement ring, I have the man’s description of her and her personality, and then I ask them to bring in the closest person to her so I can have them tellme about her as well. It gives me a clearer picture of who the woman is, and let’s be honest, most of the time, men don’t know shit about jewelry. An engagement ring is an extension of them, but it’s also a statement of who she is. Having that close friend or family member gives me that added layer of understanding.”
“Did you have that with Hood and Givens?”
“I didn’t need it,” I laughed. “I’ve known Legacy and Mercy for years. We inadvertently talked about jewelry and rings over the years, and because of that, I knew what they did or didn’t like. The only thing I needed from Hood and Givens was suggestions on colors, and even that was minimal because I have a friendship with them, too.”
“So, you need someone who knows Fable?” she asked, and I nodded. “I got you.” She picked up her phone from the bed, swiped it a few times, and then the sound of a ring echoed through the room.
“Hello?” a woman answered.
“Yamari, Pyrite is going to propose to Fable soon. He asked Yale to design the ring, but she needs some details that only you can provide. You got a minute?”
“Finally!” she laughed. “Of course, put her on the phone.” Spelman got out of bed, walked over to me, and handed me the phone. A brown-skinned woman with a big smile sat on the other side. “Wow, you look just like your sisters. You are beautiful. I see why Amethyst is head over heels in love with you.”
“Thank you,” I laughed.
“Oh, I’m so damn rude, my name is Yamari, I’m Fable’s best friend,” she said, introducing herself.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I replied. “I don’t mean to take up all your time; I just have a few questions, is all, and then I can start working on this ring.”
“Ask away,” she laughed. “I’ve been waiting on this call since Pyrite called me a few weeks ago and said he took her to New Mexico and you made them dinner, and they watched the stars.”
“Honestly, me too,” I said, nodding. “Now let’s get to work.”
