"Wait, hol' up!" Mina screamed.
"I fucking knew it!" Emma chided along.
"How the fuck you figure that?" Mina spoke again once more.
"Syx took me to this club that reminded me of Pandora's Box. Emma, did you go?—"
"Oh yeah, that's where they be fucking in public like animals and shit. It's not my cup of tea."
"Well, I peeked behind a curtain and saw him getting his dick sucked by a guy. When he saw me, I'd already wandered off somewhere in the club with Syx," I told them.
"Girl, that's some wild ass shit," Mina cackled.
"Tell me about it. Then the crazy motherfucker had the nerve to call me and tell me he ain't gay, as if I didn't see him getting his dick sucked and enjoying it. If it ain't gay, then what the fuck is it called?" I spat angrily.
"He's one of those downlow niggas who thinks because he only participates in party acts that it doesn't make him gay.That's a crazy mindset to have because he hasn't accepted his sexuality yet," Emma mentioned.
"You should," Mina spat. "He had no problem being grimy and lowdown when it came to outing your business."
"How'd you feel being a pro football player, one of the best in the league, and your sexuality gets outed by your spouse? You are going to out him, right Nyne?" Mina questioned.
"I'm not going to do that, because I don't care. He's burning in hell, so what more do I have to do? That reminds me, he sent me $250,000 just to keep my mouth shut. That was very generous of him."
"You should," Mina spat. "He had no problem being grimy and lowdown when it came to outing your business, and bitch, tell him you got messy ass friends who need a piece of that cut too. Y'all know my cousin works for one of those messy ass blogs. All it takes is one phone call."
"Don't do that, because it'll come back on Nyne."
"Auntie has to get paid too," Mina retorted.
"It's crazy because I can't see him being gay."
Mina sucked on her teeth. "Bitch please, those be the nasty ass niggas doing the most dirt. It be those niggas who you'd least expect, going to kickbacks with their homeboys, but the whole time they're sucking dick and watching gay porn."
"He said he wasn't gay during our marriage, but I don't know what to believe. It's all shit and giggles when it comes to him."
"Yeah, I bet he wasn't. Did you recognize the guy?"
"Nope, but I knew for sure it was a guy though."
"That's crazy," Mina uttered in disbelief. "Dick in the booty ass nigga!"
I giggled at her antics, making Emma do the same.
"I'm more than certain he was downlow when y'all were married. Niggas just don't up and be gay out the blue. Then niggas' favorite color been pink!" She continued to snap.
"That nigga is dust to me now. Even if he didn't make it about money, I wouldn't give a fuck either way. He'll keep being a puppet master for the devil."
"I know that's right," Emma giggled again.
"Low down dirty ass nigga!" Mina continued to rant.
"I'm about to find something to do before it gets dark though. I love y'all," I said. The best thing for me to do was end the call here, or we'd be on the phone gossiping all night and I'd be forced to tell them about me catching feelings for Syx and I wasn't ready to hear them shame me about it.
"Love you too," they uttered together, then I ended the call.
After grabbing my yoga essentials together, I slid a pink matching bra and legging set from Alo and trotted downstairs before I could overthink it. The air was cool and damp, carrying the salt-sweet smell of the ocean mixed with something floral. Thankfully, the sun was still out and the sky was just beginning to shift from deep purple to pale pink at the horizon. I walked barefoot across the dewy grass to a flat stretch of lawn between the house and the beach. The ground was soft beneath my feet, still cool from the night air. I could hear waves in the distance. It was a steady, rhythmic whisper that seemed to sync perfectly with my breathing.
I unrolled my mat and stood at the front of it, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. The morning air filled my lungs, clean and fresh, washing away some of the anxiety that had kept me awake. I raised my arms overhead, stretching long, feeling my spine lengthen and ribs expand. This is what I needed amid the fire. It's making me regret what the fuck took me so long to do it and waiting so late.
