“Wassup, sis?” I spoke to my sister, who was seated behind the counter on her phone.
“Morning. What you doing around here so early? You came with Nae?” She walked from behind the counter and hugged me.
“Yeah. I dropped her off. Had to handle some maintenance on her car.”
She squinted. “She let you take her car to get maintenance done?”
“Nah.” I leaned back against the counter. “I went by her crib this morning to check the car and saw that it needed maintenance.”
Her brows shot up. “That’s a bit intrusive, Aura. Don’t you think?”
“Nah. I don’t. It was a good thing I did stop by. She’s not feeling well.”
Amil snickered. “Bruh, I’ma hold your hand when I say this.” She grabbed both of my hands and took a deep breath. “Yo’ ass is crazy, and it’s giving stalker. I know, scratch that, we all know that you have Danae’s best interest at heart. Even she knows that. But I think the way you go about it is a bit much.”
I laughed, taking my hands back and placing them on her shoulders. “What you see as stalking, I see as protection. If I see a need, I meet it before she knows there’s a need to be met.”
She sighed. “Aura, you’re no…”
“Let me finish. Y’all so used to niggas doing the bare minimum that a man stepping in and doing the most is foreign to y’all. Well, to some women because it shouldn’t be foreign to you or any of the other women in our family. Daddy catered to Mommy, and he doted on you so much that you shouldn’t accept anything less.”
“And what did Daddy’s love do for Mommy?” she shot back. “She left us.”
“Daddy’s love held her together for as long as it could. But you and I both know that you can’t outrun your own mind.”
Our mother suffered from depression for years. She had spurts of happiness, but most times, she was sad and closed off. Both she and my dad did their best to hide her condition, but I knew. I asked my dad questions and wouldn’t let up until he told me something that made sense. When he did, I tried my best to be my best at all times when I was around my mother. I wanted to be the reason she had good days. I learned later that it didn’t matter how beautiful her life was on the outside. She was suffering inside, so much so that she just decided one day that she couldn’t do life at all anymore.
Amil crossed her arms and shook her head. “I hear all that you’re saying, but in this case, you’re not just stepping in. You’re taking over.”
I met her gaze evenly and shrugged. “I’m a boss, Amil. I only know how to take over. But my intentions have always and will always be pure when it comes to Danae. So, encourage me. Don’t try to talk me out of loving her in my love language.”
“And what language is that?”
“Real nigga.”
Danae walked from the back, face flushed, moving like she was trying to hide the fact that she needed to sit the day out. There was no need in pretending though. I took one look at her and knew her workday was over.
She was silent during the drive to my place. Her arm was in the window, while her head rested against it. There was a crease in her forehead like she was in deep thought. I had the music playing lowly to avoid awkward silence.
“You know this is kinda considered kidnapping, right?” She finally spoke.
“Am I taking you from one place to another against your will?”
“Yes,” she answered, and I chuckled.
“You gon’ tell the police that if we get pulled over?”
“No,” she snapped. “Why would I do some shit like that?”
“Shit, you tell me since you’re being kidnapped.”
She went quiet and remained that way until we pulled into the private garage beneath my building. Parking her car between my Aston Martin and the Lamborghini, I stepped out. Before I could make it over to her side to open the door, she had already beat me to it. I laughed inwardly. This girl was a trip.
“Come on witcho stubborn ass.” I put her key in my pocket and pointed in front of me for her to walk ahead.
PH41 sat at the top of the Ritz-Carlton Residences in White Plains. My realtor, who also happened to be a Sullivan – my cousin, Myia – had pulled out all the stops when she found the place for me. Sunlight poured through the floor to ceiling windows as the elevator opened directly into the penthouse. The panoramic views spread throughout the 10,700 square foot home made for perfect nightcaps. Although I barely saw much of the place, I spared no expense when it came to quality and tranquility.
Every corner of my place was custom, from wide-plank floors to the sculptured lighting I opted for instead of chandeliers. Every wall was decorated in some kind of painting or family portrait. Each portrait represented the Sullivan legacy and my love for family. My place wasn’t flashy, but you knew luxury when you saw it. Smoke grey and white with subtle hints of burnt orange was the color scheme throughout the house. It paired well with the imported marble and stone finishes.
