“Is this a promise or blackmail?”
“Both, I guess.”
I take a minute to pretend like I'm thinking. “As long as what you want is reasonable.”
“Reasonable is a social con—“
“I don’t wanna hear that shit, Raya. I don’t give a fuck about your class right now. You’re my wife. I know I fucked up, but I love you. I’ll do what I gotta do, but I ain’t killin’ nobody else. I’m not pistol-whipping anybody else. You get me?”
“Yeah. Now, do you promise you’ll do what I ask? Within reason?”
“Yeah.”
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out two small keys on a tiny silver ring. “Okay, well, the first ask is that you don’t attack me when I untie you.”
I chuckle at that. “I would never put my hands on you, Raya. You know that. Now come take this shit off.”
She approaches me gingerly, and my face balls up as I wonder if she really thinks I'd put my hands on her. And if so, that tells me we're even more fucked up than I thought.
As soon as the cuffs are off, I go straight to the bathroom and relieve myself. I barely slept last night, I had to pee so bad. She didn't even leave the bucket within shooting range.
With that done, I wash my face and brush my teeth, then I meet her back in the bedroom where she's staring into space.
“I have an ask for you," I say.
She turns to me with a look of strong disapproval. “You have a lot of nerve, don’t you think?”
“I want us to go to marriage counseling.”
She laughs at that. “For what? Our marriage is fine.”
“I ain’t even gon’ dignify that with a response. Will you go to counseling with me?”
"How did you even think of that? Why?"
I take a seat next to her on the bed. "Dayton's wedding. It reminded me that it doesn't have to be like this."
"All weddings are happy. Then it all comes crashing down at some point."
"Whatever, Raya. I want this shit to work. Cuz this right here? We can't go on like this."
"Ughhhhhh." She takes a deep breath. "Fine. I'll go. But don't expect anything one way or the other. And you have to make the arrangments."
"I can do that." I raise my hand to brush her hair back, but she stiff arms me.
"I'm going to make breakfast. You need a shower."
I stare after her and wonder if a trained professional could even fix this shit.
30
Ace
“Aight, that’s game!”
Me and my boys ran a good one today, but it's too fucking cold out here to sit and talk. So we head over to a sports bar near the court and post up near the pool tables.
I’m sitting here listening to my boys share the shit that’s going on in their lives, the happy shit, and I can’t say a word about my news.
