Page 7 of Tell Me You Love Me Again

I stopped by to see my parents before I went back home to my wife. I didn’t bother her while she was out because I knew nine times out of ten she was with Chiquita, making me look like the worst nigga in the world. Besides, I knew if I reached out, she would just ignore it, anyway.

Taking Shannon’s advice, I made reservations at Nuni’s for me, and my wife and I was going home to let her know to get dressed because her man was taking her out on the town. I even stopped and grabbed a dozen of her favorite yellow roses. When I got home, she wasn’t there yet. It was no big deal because that gave me time to find something for the both of us to wear. Upongoing inside of the closet that we shared, I got a pair of chocolate colored slacks from the hanger and found a powder blue button up with brown designs placed sporadically throughout. Knowing Chi would want to match my fly, I got a brown bodycon dress off of the rack and placed it on the bed with a pair of gold strap heels.

I figured I would take my shower and get out of her way. She took longer than me anyway, so I would be doing the both of us a favor. After I got out of the shower, Chiara still wasn’t home, so I called her.

No answer.

“See now, she’s playing with me,” I said out loud to myself.

Throwing the phone on the bed, I went to my drawer and pulled out a pair of boxers and a tank top before slipping them on. I wouldn’t get dressed until after her shower. Plopping down on the bed, I flipped through the channels until I got to ESPN. I had a lot of highlights to catch up on and without Chiara in the house, I could do that in peace.

Chiara

I left Gabe at the house looking stupid as fuck. If he didn’t have time for me, then I didn’t have time for his ass either. I was pushing my luck, trying to leave without acknowledging him. He didn’t play that shit at all. Even if he was pissed off at me, he always kissed me and told me he loved me before he left the house or went to sleep if we were at odds. His reasoning is that prison gave him a completely different outlook on life. Whatever. Fuck him and his outlook right now.

I was on the way to meet my sister, Chiquita, at our favorite lunch spot. I wasn’t about to sit home and wait for Gabe to remember he had a wife. I might even treat myself to a fresh set of nails and a pedicure while I was out. When I pulled up, it was a little crowded, so I didn’t see Chiquita’s car. Grabbing my purse and phone, I locked my car and headed inside. When I got inside, Chiquita was sitting on the bench waiting for me.

“I thought you stood me up, trick.” She stood to give me a hug, and we both followed the hostess to our table. Once we got seated, I started spilling the beans to Chiquita.

“Wait. So, he flat out said ‘no’?” she asked.

“Pretty much,” I confirmed, sipping my pineapple mimosa. “He said now wasn’t a good time because he already had jobs lined up.”

“It’s just still him and Gary, right?”

“Yeah. For the most part. They have other drivers, but they only drive locally.”

“Does Shan complain about Gary being gone?”

“I guess she’s used to it. I don’t know. All I know is that my husband told me to quit work and he’ll take care of me, and I never see him. I’m home all day in that house alone, Quita. We don’t even have a damn dog.” I know I may have sounded spoiled and selfish, but I missed my damn husband. I understood he had to work, but he was part owner, so he should’ve been able to pull some strings.

“Sounds like you’re being a spoiled brat, Chi.” She shrugged. “I get you want to spend time with your husband, but look at it this way. You know he’s working to secure y’all’s future, so give him a lil’ slack. If you don’t see things turning around, then let his ass know that he didn’t marry that damn trucking company. He married you, and needs to act like it.” I heard her, but I was too busy coming up with my own plan.

“I’m going to go on this trip by myself. I deserve this shit. I’m not telling his ass, and you better not either. By the time I get back, maybe he’ll appreciate me more.” I nodded and sipped on my mimosa as I made a mental note of what I needed to pack for the trip.

“Wait a minute, Chi. I don’t think that’s a good idea. Don’t you think it’s a bit extreme?” she asked, but my mind was alreadymade up. I was taking myself on a ‘mecation’ since my husband wouldn’t give me a ‘baecation’.

“It’s not extreme at all. It’s me doing something for me before I snap my husband’s neck. I’m tired of being neglected, so if he won’t take me on a trip, I’ll take myself and he’ll see how it feels to miss me.” My decision was final, and I was sticking to it. I was taking myself on this trip and that was that.

We finished our food and Chiquita decided to tag along with me to get my nails and feet done. I was glad when my tech’s chair was empty. I didn’t make an appointment, so I knew I was taking a chance on coming and being able to be seen.

While we were getting our nails done, Gabe called, and I let his ass go straight to voicemail. I wasn’t thinking about his ass right now. It didn’t take long to get finished with our nails and I went to the mall to buy a few things for my trip. Afterwards, we went our separate ways, and I ended up at my parent’s house. When I pulled up, my father’s car was gone, so he was probably at work still. I knocked on the door and waited for my mother to let me in.

“Well, well. What brought you by in the middle of the day?” she asked as she hugged my frame.

“I just came to check up on you. I haven’t seen you in a few days.”

“You know I’m doing fine. Nothing can keep this ol’ gal down.” My mother found out that she had Polycystic Kidney Disease last year and it scared the hell out of me. Since she caught it early, she was able to get a handle on it. My father worked hard to make sure that he could provide her with the best care that there was. I know it sounded hypocritical, but they’ve been married over thirty years and enjoyed their years together. I wanted to experience that in my marriage, and nobody was going to make me feel like I was wrong for feeling this way.

“That’s good. Where’s Daddy? Work?”

“Yeah. He should be home shortly. Chi, what’s wrong?” she asked. My mother always had a way of knowing when something was wrong with either of us. I guess you could call it a mother’s intuition.

“Nothing. Well, not nothing. I asked Gabe to go on a trip and he said no,” I revealed.

“He just said no with no reasoning or explanation?” she asked.

“Well, no. He said he couldn’t go because he already had work lined up for the next few weeks.”

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