“I mean... yes and no. He went to jail because he was on probation and had a gun on him.Thattechnically was his fault.”
Orielle wanted to defend him but let it go. There were way too many scenarios that could’ve played out, but they hadn’t. The one they were in did, so she left it alone.
“Yeah... I hear you.”
“If you really feel so bad, have Saleem tell him to call you,” Cheyla suggested, yawning.
Her post-sex sleepiness was kicking in. Orielle’s brows dipped.
“Call me for what?”
“So you can apologize, I guess. Isn’t that what you want to do? I know you. It’ll take some of that weight off that you’re feeling today. And you can just hear him out. I’m sure he doesn’t blame you. He’s a grown man.”
Orielle was listening to what she was saying but not fully hearing her. Checking on him through Saleem was one thing. Having him relay a message to have Najee call was an entirely different ball game Orielle wasn’t sure she was ready to go up to bat with.
“You know what’s crazy? I was just about to call Saleem before you called me,” she explained.
“See! It was meant to be. Call him. What will it hurt? I’m sure he’d be happy to know you want to talk. You know them niggas in jail be too happy to talk someone’s ear off.” Cheyla chuckled.
Orielle knew nothing about that, but she was about to find out. “We’ll see. Get some rest. You’ve yawned in my ear twenty times,” she said, chuckling.
“Whew. I’m sorry. I’ll text you when I’m on my way to work.”
“Okay. And thank you for the push. Lord knows I wouldn’t be doing this if you hadn’t suggested it.”
“That’s what friends are for. Love you!
“Love you more.”
Hanging up, Orielle exhaled. Her days of needing validation or reassurance were few and far between. She only asked opinions from those she could trust to give her a real answer and nothing sugarcoated. It was okay to see a situation from someone else’s perspective, but ultimately, the decision was hers.
She stared at Saleem’s name for a while and dialed his number before she could change her mind. He never switched up during this whole ordeal, and for that, Orielle would always cherish their relationship and the real nigga he was.
“Hello,” Saleem answered on the third ring.
His background let her know that he had already gotten his day started.
“Hey, cousin. It’s Ori.”
Saleem chuckled. “I know. You’re number is saved.”
“Oh.” Orielle chuckled. “Right.”
“Yeah. So, what’s up? Good morning. How you feeling?”
Orielle smiled. Saleem had such a positive energy, it immediately shifted her dampened mood. He didn’t let the time she ignored his calls and texts sway the love he had for her.
“Good morning. I’m feeling like I let too much time pass between us, and I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
Saleem heard the emotion in her tone, but it didn’t sound like the last time they talked. He knew Orielle to be in tune with her emotions like most women, so when everything went down, she had cried more days than she could remember. Saleem didn’t hear any threat of tears spilling this morning. Her words were firm and from a place of love, like always.
“You know you don’t have to apologize for taking care of you. We were gon’ chop it up when you were ready,” Saleem assured.
“True, but I didn’t have to ignore you. I know you were just checking on me.”
“It’s all good. You straight, though?”
Orielle closed her eyes and cleared her throat. “Kinda. Not really.”
