“No and because of that, he gotta go.”
Eight
Rozalin: Hey, do you wanna catch a movie? I feel like we haven’t spent much time together lately.
Rio ignored her text and placed a big band of money in the counter machine. His life had consisted of nothing but hustling lately. Admittedly, ever since Cali found out about his affair with Rozalin, it seemed like the air had been sucked from their balloon. The thrill had dissolved without notice, making Rio realize that Rozalin was in fact just a plaything to take his mind off Cali.
Honestly, the distraction didn’t work. Even when he was with Rozalin, thoughts of Cali sat on his mind, protesting on her behalf. He couldn’t shake her—not even in his sleep. This hold Cali had on him was one that made him feel like a fiend; as if he would have to check into rehab to detox her from his system. How could he still be in love with someone who had inflicted the worse pain on him? Even with him getting her back, she still invaded his life.
“Aye, was I a good husband?”
Cee and Slime paused their count to look at him.
“Nigga, what?” Slime questioned.
“You heard me. Was I a good husband to Cali?”
Cee hunched his shoulders. “Shit, I mean, yeah, to me, you was. You always made sure she was straight. Paying for whatever she wanted and upgrading her car every year. I’d say you did more than a lot of niggas do for their ol’ ladies.”
“Yeah, you was way too good to her,” Slime chimed in. “She ain't even have to work like that. That big-ass house y’all had and all the shopping sprees you was funding, I’d say you was more than good to Cali.”
Rio immediately regretted asking them that question. It only confirmed what Cali had said in the parking lot. Ever since her rant, he continued to reflect and compare the times when he didn’t show up for her. There were too many to count. He’d let her down on more than a few occasions, promising to make up for his blunder when time allotted.
“Why you ask? You miss her, don't you?” Cee accused.
Rio shook his head. “She said something to me that I can’t shake. It was after she had the fight with Rozalin.”
“Damn, you just reminded me how bad she beat her ass.” Slime winced. “I ain't even know Cali had hands like that.”
“What she say to you?” Cee asked, getting back to Rio’s original point.
“She said I wasn’t…” He cleared his throat. “…a great husband. That I didn’t spend enough time with her and always canceled our plans.” Rio was so frustrated with her words, and they wouldn’t leave his mind even if he prayed them away.
“Man, she’s only trying to justify her bullshit.” Cee scornfully waved his hand. “Don't fall for that shit.”
“I thought that too but… I don't know. She got me thinking about everything.”
Slime chuckled while putting a rubber band over a stack of cash. “Cali only trying to play in your mind. She knows she was disloyal and now she’s trying to blame you for what she was doing. Her ass ain't slick at all.”
Rio wished his talk with them would have lifted his spirits, but it did the exact opposite. It left his feelings in disarray. They were jumbled like the Soul Train Scramble Board, and he couldn’t figure out what the emotion was that plagued him.
After counting the money, Cee and Slime invited Rio to the club but he declined. He needed a moment by himself so he could think. As soon as he got inside his car, he dialed his mother’s number. He needed to be vulnerable with someone, and she was the first person he thought of.
“Hello?”
Her voice provoked a faint smile to cover his lips. “What’s up, Mama?”
“Oh, hey baby. How are you? I was just thinking about you earlier.”
“I’m straight.” He sighed, dragging his hand down his face.
“Uh oh. You don't sound good. What’s wrong?”
Rio reclined his seat while trying to gather the words to express his true feelings.
“I don't know, Mama. Everything been so complicated lately. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
