Snuggling underneath the covers, I got comfortable. I turned on my side and sighed. “I for sure know what that’s like. I hope it’s nothing too stressful.”
“Oh nah, just my younger brother getting expelled from college, and my mom needing pretty much round the clock care after being discharged from the hospital and despite me hiring nurses, she gives them and my sister hell.”
“Oh no. That does sound like a lot. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all good. I already threatened my mother and told her if she keeps it up, she’s going to a facility to get better.”
“What did she say?”
“Nothing. But she did stick her middle finger up at me though.”
That got a laugh out of both of us. “That’s not funny, but it is. How many siblings do you have?”
“Two. My mom was addicted to drugs. My grandparents raised me and my sister, and my brother’s pops raised him. Up until she went to the hospital, my mom was still on drugs. At this point, as long as she’s on pain medication, technically, I can’t say she’s clean. But we’ll see.”
Biting my bottom lip, I tried to think of something to say that wasn’t cliché. “That seems like a lot and though I don’t know you, it seems that you handle it pretty well. I’m sure at times it can get to be too much.”
“Tell me about it. Especially when everyone thinks you’re Superman, and you’re not supposed to get tired or need a break from being needed. I didn’t call you to trauma dump my shit on you though. How was your day?”
“About as stressful as yours.” I yawned and wanted to roll my eyes because don’t get sleepy now, bitch. “Excuse me. But my girls aren’t fully grasping why we’re at my parents’ house, and they can’t be at home. I don’t talk negatively about their father to them, plus, they’re only five. I’m not going to tell them he cheated. So, I take the blame. I’m the big, bad, wolf that left daddy and made the girls leave home.”
“That’s tough. Damn. And you don’t think you’d ever take him back, like once you cool off, and if he attempts to change.”
“Hell no,” my face contorted into a frown. “I let that man play in my face long enough. Anytime anyone said we should have been married after seven years and three kids, I brushed it off. In my opinion, he was going to propose when he got ready to propose, and I wasn’t about to beg that man to marry me. When he changed and stopped being as affectionate, and we stopped having sex as much, I blamed myself. Wondering if I’d let myself go and thinking he was tired of seeing me look throwed away allthe time. I did everything but make him take accountability for his actions. Cheating was the last straw.”
“I get it.” Hymn yawned, and I laughed.
“It sounds like we both need to get some sleep.”
“You’re right. I have to be up in five hours. It was nice talking to you, Brion.”
“It was nice talking to you too.”
Placing the phone on the nightstand, I got comfortable in bed, and closed my eyes. The entire time, I had the goofiest smile on my face.
CHAPTER 9
HYMN
Walking into my kitchen,I went over to the stove and gave my chef dap while peering inside one of the pots. “Smells good,” I continued my observation.
“It’s gon’ taste even better too,” he assured me. “I should be done in about fifteen minutes.”
“Bet.”
As I walked over to the bar area to fix myself a drink, Huncho entered the room. When I got in from practice, he was asleep. Now, he was alert, dressed, and about to walk out the door. We still hadn’t been saying much to one another.
“I’m going to Atlanta tomorrow,” he stated as I opened a bottle of tequila. “I’m staying there until classes start. I enrolled in community college yesterday. Even if I can’t play ball, I’m still going to work toward my degree. When I get my two year, I’ll figure something else out. Maybe finish up at an online university.”
A wide grin lifted my cheeks. “That’s what the fuck I’m talking about. I’m proud of you, Huncho.”
“Thank you. I’m about to head out to a movie with one of my homegirls.”
I gave him a curt nod before sipping my drink. Huncho telling me he was going to continue his education even without football was a shocker, but it was a good one. I just had to pray that he didn’t go to Atlanta and get into any trouble before it was time for him to come back and start classes.
I was in the comfort of my own home, so I didn’t feel the need to get dressed to the nines, but I didn’t want to look completely homeless during dinner with Brion. I put on a pair of black pajama pants, a plain black tee, black Versace slippers, and put one of my diamond studs in my ear for a lil’ razzle dazzle. I also moisturized my beard and put some cologne on. That was as good as it was gon’ get.
After only a few conversations, I still didn’t know a lot about Brion but what I did know was, aside from work and her kids, she didn’t do much else. Hell, she didn’t really have time for much else. That was cool with me. She also didn’t give star struck groupie vibes. We were two adults, and I for sure wouldn’t look at her sideways if we had sex after dinner, but I didn’t expect it. And that was fine too. Her heartbreak was fresh, and I was more than fine with moving slow. I couldn’t even be sure what we would lead to, but whatever happened is what it was.
