Page 5 of A Don & His Doll

They all laughed at once.

“Aye Tru, what’s good wit’ Amor?” Syn asked out of nowhere. “I been tryna call her ass for a week straight, and my ass been goin’ straight to voicemail.”

“Shit, her ass prolly ain’t tryna talk to yo’ ass!” Tru told his ass straight. “She replaced yo’ ass man. Just appreciate the fact that she still lettin’ you holla at them kids. Let it go.”

“Fuck you, black ass mu’fucka. I ain’t talked to my kids either. Somethin’ ain’t right. I can feel that shit.”

“Yo’ ass ain’t feelin’ shit nigga. They took a family trip to Japan, the reception probably ain’t too good out there,” Monroe revealed.

“How you know?” Syn quizzed, relieved simultaneously.

“She told Promise when they had their last girls weekend,” Monroe told him. “She’ll be back in a couple days to be at her mother’s wedding though.”

“A’ight, man. Good lookin’ out,” Syn replied.

“Shoulda let his ass sweat a lil’ longer, bro,” Truth said, taking another drink from his Henny bottle as Rae walked into his mancave naked.

Monroe, Mitch, and Tru cracked up laughing while Syn sat on the side of his cot tight-lipped, and pissed that Amor hadn’t told him where she planned on going. Deep down inside, he knew everything he was going through was no one's fault but his own. Therefore, all he could do was grit and bear it because there was nothing he could do about it. He had massive pull behind bars, but that didn’t mean shit when it came to Amor’s heart. Losing her was his greatest mistake, and he regretted his decisions every day.

“Where the wedding gon’ be at?” Syn asked, changing the subject.

“St. Lucia,” Tru answered. “A’ye, I’ma holla at y’all later. I got some shit to handle,” Truth said just as Rae straddled his lap and unbuttoned his shirt.

It was after two in the morning, so they all knew what that meant.

“Later, boss,” Monroe concluded.

“I’ma be up there once I get back to holla at you, bro,” Tru told Syn.

“A’ight, bet,” Syn replied. “Aye Roe, was you able to holla at Janelle?”

“Yea, me and Tru was there when she had your daughter. She named her Alara Jane Carter. She look just like Aaleya and Alexis,” Monroe said, remembering his new niece’s face. “You a lucky man, bruh.”

“Hell yea, man. I can’t wait to see her. Shit, with that situation happened so fast. I just-”

“It’s all good. Deal wit’ that when you get out. Right now, you gotta survive. Me and Tru got you covered,” Monroe encouraged.

Reality was a mu’fucka when it came crashing down all at once. There was no saving Syn from facing it, but as a friend, Monroe tried to soften the blow. He knew how much Syn loved Amor, life and bullshit just had a way of creeping in. He’d get the opportunity to rewrite his reality again, but he had to wait for his turn to come back around.

“You right. What good wit’ you and Promise though?” Syn pried.

“Hell, now you askin’ the right questions,” Mitch chimed in.

Monroe chuckled. “That’s my baby,” Monroe told them. “I finally got her to move to New York, and her job transferred her. So, make sure you sign up to be in her program.”

“Fa’ sho. You already know I’m in there,” Syn agreed.

“You ready for that parole hearing, Unc? It’s comin’ up soon ain’t it?” Monroe quizzed.

He’d pulled strings and rubbed shoulders with the people who had the power to rule in his uncle’s favor.

“Ready is an understatement, nephew. I’m countin’ down the days,” Mitch replied, ending his second set of twenty push-ups.

“I already got everything straight for when you touch down,” Monroe assured.

“Already, nephew. I taught you well,” Mitch replied.

Monroe glanced at his phone after it chimed. “A’ye, mom dukes beepin’ in. I’ma see y’all soon.