Page 53 of A Don & His Doll

Yessss! Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

Promise replied, then scrolled to her banking app, and sent TJ a $300 dollar CashApp for getting straight A's on his report card. Then an immediate call cut through the music that played through her phone from TJ. She knew the second she heard his voice, he'd know something was wrong. Kids always knew, so she ignored the call, and sent a text instead.

I'll call you in the morning. I love you, and I'm so proud of you.

Ok. Thanks, Auntie. I love you too.

Promise smiled, then sat her phone down. Her flight had been booked the night before, and was due to depart in the next three hours. It was time to get up. She'd wallowed in her feelings long enough, and though she dreaded it, she needed answers. She had to face the bullshit.

Later On The Next Day…

Promise's flight had landed around six o'clock in the morning, and still, her emotions were out of control. The week away had given her distance, but not peace. Every sleepless night, every tear, every prayer whispered into the darkness had brought her to one conclusion. She couldn’t keep running. She'd spent seven days trying to outrun the images burned into her mind, and all she'd managed to do was carry them across state lines. Sleep hadn't helped. Prayer hadn't erased them. The ocean hadn't washed them away. If anything, the distance had given her mind entirely too much room to think. There wasn't a chance in hell she could go to work and pour into anyone, and she was a wreck, so she called out, and drove straight to the gym.

For almost two hours, Promise pushed her body harder than she'd ever pushed it before. She ran until her lungs burned, and welcomed every ache because physical pain was a whole lot easier to deal with than the kind sitting in her chest. Once she made it back home, she stood beneath the hottest water she could tolerate before easing herself into the lavender-infused jacuzzi in her ensuite to relax her body. The warm water hugged her tired muscles while Chalynn's Right On Time drifted through the speakers. The soothing sound of Chalynn's new song Right On Time soothing her mind as she leaned her head back against the edge of the tub, and closed her eyes for the first time for the first time in seven days without crying and simply breathed.

She was tired.

Promise was emotionally exhausted, and the imbalance of her mood was overwhelming. It had taken a full week, but she felt within herself that she was finally ready to have the right conversation with Monroe. Her heartbreak had slowly given way to resolve, and she didn't want to yell. She didn't want to become someone she wouldn't recognize once the dust settled. There has to be a solution, she reasoned internally as she lifted herself out of the jacuzzi and reached for her towel.

"There has to be more to this story," she declared lowly, her words spilled like a silent plea.

Feeling refreshed, Promise dried off in her ensuite, brushed her teeth, and moisturized her skin. When Promise stepped into her room, she walked straight to her closet to grab a brand new pair of light-washed, short denim shorts, a fitted white t-shirt that said Balmain in bold black letters, and black and white Jordan's.

Walking to her vanity, Promise quickly decided on wearing silver accessories that paired perfectly with the necklace Monroe had gifted her. Her gaze swept across the array of perfumes that decorated her vanity, and quickly chose Bal d'Afrique as her scent of the day. About an hour later, Promise was fully dressed, and gathered her curls into a messy bun. Her edges were laid, and the few curly pieces that didn't make it into the ponytail fell naturally around her face as she studied herself in the mirror. Her natural beauty was one of her best features. It was so effortless, yet powerful all the same. She glanced over her finished look as she stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, her rich brown skin glowed beautifully under the ray of sun that shone through her window.

She approved her appearance, then turned to grab her designer bag and key fob as she made her way to the elevator downstairs. In no time, Promise had made it to her car and pulled out into traffic, H.E.R's Gone Away pulsed instantly, filling the car as Manhattan blurred past her windows. She barely noticed, but the song effortlessly matched her mood as she headed to Monroe's house. Promise glanced at the envelope every few blocks to make sure they were still sitting in the passenger seat, and they were still there. Still waiting just like the questions that were laying dormant in her mind.

She hadn't taken Monroe to be a liar, but she didn't have the patience to bullshit around when her heart was on the line. Promise wasn't excepting anything but the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Internally, she went over her words, because no matter how hurt she was, she'd didn't have it in her to disrespect Monroe. Suddenly her phone lit up with a call from her nephew TJ, and a smile tugged at her lips despite the way she felt.

"What's up, superstar?" Promise reached forward to tap the answer icon that popped up on her dash on the second ring.

"Auntie! Coach said if I keep putting in work, I’ll start varsity next season," TJ excitedly revealed.

"I told you all that hard work was gone pay off," Promise encouraged.

"I know," he laughed. "You always right."

"Nope, I just know you." Promise smiled. “I know Truth and Rae were happy to hear this,” Promise replied, then took a sip from her water bottle.

TJ laughed, and it did something to her spirit. For a little while, Monroe wasn't on her mind. The pictures weren't either. She was simply Auntie Missy.

“Yea,” TJ nodded. “But, I just wanted to call and let you know,” he said, then paused.

“What’s on your mind, TJ ?” Promise asked.

“I know you be real busy, Auntie… But, can you come to my next game?” TJ asked.

Promise smiled. “When is it?” She asked, ready to move heaven and earth for her nephew.

“Next weekend,” he confirmed, his eyes roaming to one of the cheerleaders who had just walked by.

“I’ll be there. We can go to the movies afterwards too,” Promise said, knowing this was TJ ’s way of saying he missed her.

Promise had spoiled him and his baby sister My’Dymond since birth, and truth be told, she missed them too. She’d been so consumed with Monroe that she hadn’t made her normal rounds to spend time with them lately. That was going to change though. Their conversation continued for a few more minutes about basketball, day-to-day updates, and life in New York.

"A’ight, I gotta go, but I love you, Auntie."

"I love you more, TJ. Keep making me proud."