“Man don’t even, you acting like I’m a bad uncle. I always come over here when I’m in town, I hang here more than anything unless I’m in the streets with Iceman.” I shook my head at Bleu.
“You a good uncle and brother-in-law. You just been neglecting your big bro.” He took the blunt from me and inhaled sharply.
“I’ll do better bro.” I reassured him.
“I know you will…I just think it’s fucked up that you will only do better now that Jatavia is in the picture. Something tells me that you’ll be headed in my direction. Iceman ain’t gone be much of a friend when he finds out y’all will no longer be tag teaming hoes together.”
Leave it to Bleu to think far ahead into the future. He was always good at doing that. I stared up at the sky for a second, then brought my eyes back to the pool.
“Jatavia.” I murmured lowly.
Bleu nodded like he already knew what the weight of just saying her name meant to me.
“It’s like all the years in between disappeared between us. I been around and done had a lot of women, bro. Bad ones, beautiful ones. Ones who was just after the bag…they ain’t care about shit but the lifestyle…Bitches ain’t give a fuck how I was coming, as long as I could cash out and make their lives easier.” I stated.
“That’s what men are for though. Doesn’t matter if a woman is a hoe…Men are here to protect women of all breeds. Any man that can lay with a woman and explore her treasure should never leave a woman empty handed. Which is why any past hoe of mine, got compensated. It just becomes intense when it’s your soulmate.” He stated seriously.
Bleu used to be the biggest ladies’ man I knew besides our dad. One thing about him was any woman he dealt with got paid or offered the job of a lifetime making six figures.
“What does a soulmate supposed to feel like?” I asked seriously.
Bleu didn’t answer right away. That’s how I knew the questioned mattered. He leaned back in his chair, cigar resting between his fingers. His gaze drifted toward the trees like he was searching for the right words instead of making his statement easy.
“Shit ain’t fireworks all the time…that’s the lie people try to sell when it comes to describing what finding a soulmate feels like. Truly felt like the peace I didn’t know I was missing until she showed up.” He sat up to tap the edge of the ashtray.
“It feels like somebody seeing your mess and not trying to fix it right away…Truly sat in my mess with me while I cleaned up hers. Then when I least expected, she got me right.” His voice cracked.
Without him having to tell me what his mess was, I already knew our parents played a big part in it. Growing up, they put a lot of weight on Bleu. He didn’t know what it was like to choose him first until he met Truly. Our mother placed a selfish ultimatum on him in order to remain the CEO of Maison Langston’s. She honestly only did it because she knew how much Bleu put into the company. Moms knew that Bleu would break his neck to stay in position because he worked damn hard for it. I personally never gave a fuck about wearing a suit and tie, nor talking proper like Bleu and being around uptight ass people.
“With Truly, I don’t feel like I gotta perform. I don’t feel like I’m Bleu the brand, Bleu the provider or the man with the answers. I can just be me while still being all of those things in more. Truly know and accept my flaws like I do her. I’ve exposed to her my weak spots, my insecurities as a man that no one else knows about. She chooses me bro…chose me in a way that doesn’t make me feel trapped but anchored. She challenges me without disrespecting me. She pushes me to grow but don’t shame me for who I used to be. The biggest thing, is that Truly feels like home even when everything else in my life feelsunstable.” He finished his statement looking me in the eyes full of emotion.
I nodded my head slowly.
“That’s how this woman makes you feel?” He asked slowly.
“Yeah.” My voice came out rougher than I expected.
“Even years ago, she always felt like somewhere I could rest at comfortably. Be myself without putting extras on it. She wanted me before I became Big D. Caters to me… Jatavia is beautiful on the inside and out.” I meant every word that I said.
“Then she’s your soulmate.” Bleu took a slow drag from his cigar.
“I know,” I muttered. “And that’s the problem… I’m not going to let momma disrespect her…I gotta have a talk with her.” My jaws clenched tight as my heart rate picked up.
“Why would mother have a problem?” Bleu asked curiously.
“Because momma is superficial as fuck. I can just hear her now…” I licked my lips and tried to sound like our mom to the best of my ability.
“You just trying to copy your brother, Bleu!” I mimicked.
Bleu fell out and laughed full-fledged as I continued.
“What is it about overweight women that y’all like? She doesn’t look good on your arms Dreu Langston! My goodness her breasts is nearly covering her?—”
“Alright bro that’s enough.” Bleu cut me off waving his hand.
“I’m saying bro, Jatavia is beautiful, but momma not gone see her that way. I really don’t give a fuck how she sees her; I just don’t want her disrespecting her or giving her fucked up looks.” I shook my head.
“Mother has bigger issues right now…” Bleu’s words trailed off.
