Page 32 of The Stones We Cast

“Guess who I ran into while I was at the airport?” Knowing Summer, it was probably Miley Cyrus.

“Mary J. Blige?” I tossed it out just to get an animated reaction.

Gasping, she didn’t fail me by being extra. “Girllll, I so wish I did but no. I ran into Derrick Union.” I almost choked on my spit. “He looks so down, Sunnie. I feel so bad for him. He loved Hillary so much.”

“Did he…Did he say anything?”

“Not really. He’s going on vacation before the season starts to get his mind right. Whatever Hillary wrote in his letter really messed up his head.”

“Shit.” My computer almost hit the floor from the force of me sitting up. “Letter? What letter? Hillary wrote him a letter too?”

Please say no.

“Yep. Hillary mailed it the day before she…before she…well, you know. I didn’t ask what was inside because I barely made it past the first paragraph of mine. Derrick said he wished he could’ve saved her from all the close evil people she had in her life. Weird, but I get it. Anyhow, have you read yours?”

Dear God, please keep secrets that don’t need to be revealed hidden.

“I haven’t. Let’s change the subject. I don’t feel like crying right now. What’s new with you?”

Hillary had a lot of secrets.

A lot of secrets.

Secrets that I prayed were buried with her.

“My therapist is quite sick of me. She has to be.” She smiled shaking her head. “Yesterday I was on a call with her and I mentioned that I think God is going to throw me in jail if I don’t stop living in disobedience by not fulfilling my purpose. I can’t use Hillary’s death as an excuse because my neglect to my purpose started prior. But think about it. All these innocent people are in jail and prison serving these ridiculously century-long life sentences for crimes they didn’t commit. Why, though? Why are they imprisoned for the rest of their lives? Is it because they didn’t obey God at some point in their lives and that’s His wrath? Is it because God got tired of them living in the world and fulfilling their dreams that they refused to fulfill God’s needs so he locked them up for life? I know I’m rambling and all of it sounds foolish but how can God say that He knows the plans He has for us when there are people in prison for crimes they never committed? Was that His plan for them? He freed His disciples from jail, so why not do the same for the innocent? Girl, I’ve had six margaritas. I’m drunk and rambling. Don’t mind me.” She waved her hand at the screen, yelling out for another drink.

Drunk or not, she had some valid questions that I couldn’t answer, nor her therapist.

She had to seek God on that one.

“What are your plans for today?”

That reminded me. I needed to hurry up and get dressed. “Today is the reading of Zeek’s mom’s will. He doesn’t want to go and neither do I. But that’s my man and I’m going to support him.”

Sitting up with a big smile on her face, she started clapping her hands and screaming. “Yassss girl. You better say it. Your man, your man, your man. Took y’all long enough.”

I hadn’t even realized that’s what I said, but I don’t regret speaking it into existence. “We haven’t made anything official let alone talked about us but you know how I’ve always felt about Zeek. That’s my heart and…” His doorbell rung. “Let me call you back.”

“Okay, bye. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Zeek was in the shower so I wasn’t sure who it was. Might’ve been a food order or Amazon. Staring at the sour-faced woman before me, I wish I had looked through the peephole first. Candice tripped me out. I don’t understand her motive. It doesn’t take a blind man to see that she’s in like with Zeek but she also knows that he wants nothing serious with her. He only sleeps with her because she’s available and when she started working for his company he was trying to get her name out there by attaching it to his.

That’s where his ass messed up at.

You can’t give stellar performance dick to delulu women.

It never ends well.

“Why are you here?” Candice mama raised her with no manners. How do you show up to somebody’s house and don’t speak like you got some sense?

Watching her take in my half-naked attire, I chuckled scratching my brow. I wasn’t in the mood for her shit today. “How can I help you, Candice?”

She tried her best to look over my shoulder and make her way in but I wasn’t having it. “Ugh, can you move? I’m clearly not here to see you. Can you go get Zeek? Damn.”

“Let me go see if he wants to see you.” Her mouth opened to say something smart, but my hand was quicker slamming the door in her face.

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