Page 4 of Impacted by Love

Danielle Mitchell is my ex and the woman I occasionally dip into when the backup within my dick reminds me that I'm too young for blue balls. Danielle and I broke up a year or so ago when the pressure of dealing with Andre and Valerie proved to be more than she could handle. Understanding her plight and not feeling any type of way about her feelings, I let her out of our relationship. Yet, the comfort and familiarity of her pussy kept me continuing to get in bed with her whenever the need hit me. With a full plate, I controlled how often the two of us got down, much to Danielle's displeasure. However, since she didn't want the responsibility of supporting me through my situation, I didn't feel the need to accommodate her sexually until it benefited me.

Beeppp.

The horn sounding behind me had me drop my phone in the cup holder and continue through the green light without responding to Danielle. I'm not a man who has to have sex often, which is why Danielle is sending thirst trap messages. Unfortunately for her, my dick and I are good, so she'll be waiting. The drive to my parents' place is quicker than usual since it's early afternoon and traffic is light. Pulling into the spot assigned for their visitors, I park and grab my phone before exiting my vehicle.

A sour feeling fills my stomach when I enter the building and worsens with each step I take toward the elevator. A frown slides into place when I enter the elevator car, and it ascends to the floor, where the unknown awaits me. Quicker than I'd like, I'm walking off the elevator and knocking on the door with my pulse racing. The sound of the locks disengaging on the other side spikes my blood pressure a minute before Mom's ashen face comes into view.

"Hey, Asaiah. What you here for?" The deep frown on Mom's lips and the tightness around her eyes let me know how she feels about my dropping in on her and Dad.

"Who at the… oh, what you want, boy?" Dad asks, standing behind Mom in a robe that's pointless from his inability to tie it, putting his naked body on full display.

My face contorts, deepening my frown and increasing the sickening feeling in my stomach.

"I didn't know I had to make an appointment to come check on y'all," I voice, squeezing through the small opening of the entryway.

"We were busy," Mom insists, closing the door.

"I see. Can you close your robe, man? I ain't trying to keep staring at all that," I say briefly, looking at Dad while motioning to his nudity.

"Tuh. I'm in my crib, and you're interrupting my nut, so no, I can't cover up. Shid, matter of fact, come on, Val, I need you to drain my dick. This nigga can wait." Grabbing Mom by the arm, Dad heads toward the area where their bed is.

Turning on my heels, I walk out the front door because I ain't about to wait for them to have sex. If they have time to dismiss me for sex, I can see that they don't need anything from me at this moment. Therefore, I refuse to subject myself to any more torment from them. With heavy steps, I eat up the space between the front door and the elevator, practically throwing my body inside the car when the doors open.

"This can't be my life. Ugh."

?

Not much longer now, things are about to shift quickly.

?

Rich Tolbert'svoice echoes around the small space where I have the pleasure of working, instantly charging me with the infectious lyrics I can't help but sing. Life hasn't always been good to me, nor has it always been bad, but I'm in a season in my life where looking at the bright side of things is best to keep going. While my work life is moving and shaking with ease, my personal life sometimes causes me to wonder if I'll ever find someone to look beyond the smile I wear effortlessly.

Ping.

A notification popping up on my computer has me shifting my attention to the new imaging order for a patient currently in the ER.

"Hm, I wonder what her story is," I ponder, looking over the request for films on a female patient with wrist, side, and back pain.

While my job isn't always glamorous and inspiring, I genuinely enjoy what I do and happily report to work every morning with renewed dedication. I'm an X-ray technician in the imaging and radiology department at Shadow Stew Memorial and have been for the last five years. One of the reasons I come in with a smile and a pleasant attitude is that I know what it feels like not to have a job. Before working here, I worked in corporate and was laid off after ten years of service. It took me a while to get past the devastation of losing the job I once valued more than myself.

My loyalty to that company had been to my detriment for ten years, because regardless of rain, sleet, snow, sickness, and health, I showed up and performed my duties. The joke was on me when the company felt the need to make me indispensable, choosing to ignore my dedication to their mission and vision. Rediscovering a new path took lots of prayer simply because I couldn't understand what God had been trying to communicate to me. No job is worth giving all of me to the point of losing myself. I had obtained that job fresh out of high school, thinking it would be the career to set me up for retirement, only to discover that I had been hired to fill a mark on a diversity chart.

At thirty-three, it's a lesson learned because now I find myself more fulfilled and happier than ever, even after taking a massive pay cut. Money is the root of all evil and can also place you in a chokehold from trying to sustain it. Thankfully, I now trust God to be the source of everything I need, so I worry more about living than I do about how much money I can add to my savings account. Getting the position here at the hospital has given me a new purpose in life and made me realize that I'm right where I need to be. I have always loved to care for others since I had a chance to nurse my Nana back to health when I was younger.

"Shoot, let me go get this patient." Snapping out of my wayward thoughts, I quickly leave the small office space I call my oasis at work.

* * *

"Good morning, Ms. Aiken. My name is Onesti, and I'll be taking you to get your X-rays," I announce, entering the ER room where my next patient is waiting.

"Mhm. Can you hurry up? I need these people to do whatever is necessary for me to get out of here," the woman snaps, hobbling to the wheelchair before I'm able to assist her.

"Sure thing. It shou?—"

"I don't need you to talk or explain anything to me. Just do your job faster than you normally do so I can be out of your hair," she sasses, cutting me off.

Wow. This is gonna be interesting.

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