Standing in front of the sink, I washed my hands and studied myself in the mirror. I looked flushed and had sweated out my edges. I giggled at how nappy they looked, then dried my hands, leaving the bathroom behind. Before I knew it, I was wrapped up in my favorite blanket in the middle of my bed.
When I opened my eyes again, the sun was creeping above the horizon. I reached for my phone and saw that it was around seven in the morning. I didn’t know how I slept through the night like that, but I had. Sitting up, I stretched my arms over my head and noticed I still had no missed notifications from Port.
Quickly unraveling myself from the cocoon I was in, I went to check his bedroom, only to find it empty. My heart sank to my toes as I started to think the worst. I found myself out on the porch, hoping to find some answers about his absence out there, but I plopped down in my rocking chair without a clue if he was dead or alive.
Me:
Hey, just checking on you since you didn’t come home last night. Just let me know you’re okay.
I hugged my phone to my chest and sighed. The sound of a door slamming drew my attention to the next door. Like clockwork, Ms. Laila was coming outside to work on her garden.I knew it was the thing she looked forward to every morning. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Good morning, Ms. Lai,” I called out to her. Standing quickly, I moved toward the fence. She had the brightest smile on her face as she came over to meet me.
“Good morning, sweetheart. It’s a lovely morning, huh?”
I nodded. “Yeah, it feels good out here, but I’m sure it’s going to be too hot to breathe once the sun is high in the sky.”
“Oh yeah, that’s why I’m starting early today. Need to get these roses trimmed and to pull up some roots.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you from it. Have a good day.” I started to back away when a question crossed my mind. Since Ms. Lai was up early, I wondered if she saw Perfect leave yesterday. “Hey, Ms. Lai, have you seen the man who’s been living with me?”
She shook her head. “Not since he left with that older lady yesterday morning.”
I frowned, wondering what woman that could have been. I knew for a fact Perfect didn’t talk to his mother, so who could’ve come to get him, and why hadn’t he come back? I had a million questions without one clue on what the answers were. “Okay, well, thank you. See you later.”
Instead of returning to the porch, I headed inside. I figured a hot shower would help me feel better. Leaning against the counter, I went into my thread with Perfect again.
Me:
I don’t know what’s going on with you but ignoring me is pissing me off! Where the fuck are you? I need to talk to you. It’s important!
I placed my phone face down on the counter and picked up the test I’d abandoned yesterday because I was too afraid to look at the results. I swear, it was like I forgot how to breathe when Isaw the two lines confirming what I was afraid of. I was pregnant with Perfect’s baby.
Nearly three years later. . .
Removing my hard hat from my head, I used the back of my hand to wipe away the sweat from my forehead. It was the dead of summer, so the sun was relentless. I was finishing up the task of running MC cable from one junction box to another at the commercial site we were currently contracted for.
“Yo, Port,” my homeboy Titus called out when he spotted me. “You wanna hit the strip with me and Cell tonight?”
I unbuckled my toolbelt and set it down on the ground. I shook my head, letting my hair free. I just knew it was matted at the top, looking crazy. “Nah, I got plans tonight.”
He frowned and eyed me suspiciously. “Fuck kind of plans you got, nigga? You antisocial as fuck and barely wanna do shit with us.”
I chuckled because he wasn’t wrong. The day I walked away from El, I promised myself that I wouldn’t have any distractions. When Tashay came to pick me up, I found out my father had put money aside for me to attend trade school. He was so locked in on it that he had Tashay research information about every option available for me. I mean, from timeframes, to expected salary, and the hours I would be required to work in a day. All I had to do was read through the pamphlets and choose a future.
My only goal was something that would give me true financial freedom. I wanted to leave my old life behind, which meant I needed a reliable career. I ended up choosing to go the electrical route. Two weeks ago, I had officially completed my three-year commercial electrical apprenticeship and was now a licensed Journeyman Electrician.
The company I was working for offered me a full-time position, and I accepted. I was officially a six-figure earner, and all I could think about was Rockel. She was always on my mind, knowing I’d left without any forewarning or explanation, but I had to do this for me. I needed to feel like I was worth her love, but I couldn’t when I didn’t have a dime to my name. A nigga was fresh out of prison too. Shit was cliché as fuck and embarrassing. Now that I had a stable income, I was ready to get my woman back.
“I have a date,” I replied with a simple shrug.
Now he was really intrigued. “A date? Oh, you gotta tell me about this.”
I sighed with a shake of my head while packing up my tools. It was time to call it a day, and I had to get a move on if I was going to have enough time to go home and shower. “It’s a long story for another day because I have to go.”
He shrugged. “Aight.”
We bumped fists before I headed for my work truck. Once everything was put away, I climbed inside and headed toward headquarters. I had to switch to my personal car before I could head home.
