Page 18 of I Heard It All Before

Three weeks after he and his father went to the car show, Camden was rushed to the hospital for shortness of breath. It was then determined that his cancer had spread and no surgery or treatment could be done to help him. Cam and his mother found out from a news broadcast because nobody cared enough to even tell them. He wasn’t surprised about not being informed, but his mother was pissing him off. She kept trying to get him to go up there, but Cam wasn’t having it. She could feel how she wanted to feel, but Cam’s mind was made up.

“I’m not trying to upset you, baby, but it’s not looking good from what I’m hearing. Your father has been sick for a long time and things have just gotten worse. I just thought that you would want to go see him before... you know,” Nora said, referencing his father passing away.

“I hate what’s happening to him, but I’m not going up there around his people,” Cam replied.

“That’s your people too Camden,” Nora reminded him.

“I gotta go Ma. I need to get to work,” Cam said before they disconnected. He summoned the waitress to pay his bill as he got ready to leave.

“You’re all taken care of. Your bill has been paid already,” the waitress said with a smile.

“Paid by who?” Cam questioned.

“The lady that just left. There she is,” the waitress said as she pointed to Demi, who was just getting into her car.

“Who is she?” Cam questioned.

He’d seen Demi the moment she walked into the restaurant and he kept his eyes on her up until his mother called his phone. Demi was just his type, with her smooth, dark chocolate skin and sexy frame. The pencil skirt that she wore hugged her curves perfectly and showcased her small waist and huge ass. She appeared to be on the phone arguing with someone and that turned Cam all the way off. He had enough dealing with Asha and he didn’t need any more drama in his life. Asha had been the perfect girlfriend lately and he wondered how long that was going to last.

“I don’t know, but she comes in here for coffee all the time.” The waitress shrugged.

After giving her a tip, Cam left for work with another woman on his mind the entire time. As soon as he got close to his destination his phone rang, displaying Asha’s number.

“What’s up?” Cam asked when he answered the phone.

“Nothing, I was just calling to talk,” Asha replied, making Cam remove the phone from his ear and look at it like she was crazy.

Asha had never called to just talk before and he was almost certain that she wasn’t doing it now. She had a reason for everything that she did, and he found out her motive as soon as he pulled up to the shop. His boy, Lo, was walking out of the building and over to his car. When he saw Cam’s truck pulling up, he waited for him to get out.

“The fuck you sent this nigga to my job for?” Cam snapped in anger.

“Huh? Who?” Asha asked like she was dumb.

“Bye Asha,” Cam said, hanging the phone up in her face.

He got out of his car and took his time walking over to where Lo stood. Cam had known Lo for years, but he didn’t know much about him. Lo had one friend that Cam knew of and that was how he ended up meeting him. Lawrence, Lo’s, best friend and Cam were cool, and he put in a good word for him. Lo never talked about a woman or kids, and Cam wasn’t sure if he had either. Seeing his old connect standing there had Cam tempted to see what was up, but common sense quickly kicked in. Asha didn’t know it, but his savings were just about gone. He had enough to get them through the next few months, but that was for bills only. Shopping and all the extras were going to be cut out because he just couldn’t afford it. Things were so bad that Cam was entertaining the idea of selling one of his cars. He’d made a few connections at the car show that he went to with his father, and the dealers paid top dollar for cars that weren’t half as nice as his were. A few of them were better than his, but the price tags on them were ridiculous.

“What’s up pretty boy? You ain’t fucking with your boy no more, huh?” Lo asked as he and Cam shook hands.

“Man, you just don’t know. I really feel like jumping back in head first, but I just can’t do it. Those eighteen months got my mind all the way right,” Cam replied.

“You need to get at me, bruh. The money is even better than it was before. I got some new contacts and shit is sweeter than sweet,” Lo replied, tempting Cam with every word that he spoke.

“I’m tempted, but I can’t fuck with it. Shit is all messed up right now, so don’t count me out for good. I might be back at it if I have to,” Cam said honestly.

“Alright bruh. You know how to reach me whenever you’re ready,” Lo said as he gave him dap and got back into his car.

Cam watched as he pulled away, fighting the urge to yell for him to come back. Cam had always had more than enough money for what he needed. Adjusting to the life of a working man was harder than he thought it would be, but he was trying. If Asha had her way, he would have been back at it the same day he came home. She wanted him to get close with his father for financial reasons, but Cam wasn’t having it. Just thinking about his father had Cam feeling guilty. He wondered if he should pay him a visit or at least try to call him. Cam felt like a damn fool for thinking about a man who didn’t give a fuck about him, but that was how Nora had raised him.

“Damn bruh, I was just about to call you,” Kobe said as soon as Cam entered the break room at the shop.

“Why? What’s up?” Cam asked, figuring he was speaking of Lo being at the shop.

“I see your pops been all over the news and shit,” Kobe replied, as Cam took a seat.

“What’s new? That’s the only way I saw his ass most of the time,” Cam chuckled.

“They said that he’s not expected to make it through the night. Damn, man. I knew I should have applied to be his driver or some shit. All I had to do was say I was your best friend and I was in,” Kobe said, making Cam laugh at the serious look on his face.

Cam sat down next to him and listened to the news reporter as she spoke about his father as if he were a God. They spoke about some of the high-profile cases that he’d won and all the famous people that he’d represented. They spoke of his parents, his wife, and some of his colleagues. They mentioned every aspect of Camden Blaire’s life from high school and beyond, but Cam wasn’t mentioned once. He tried to act unaffected by it all, but that was the part that hurt him the most. As much as he wanted to play hard, a part of him wanted to reach out to his father. He had been feeling like that a lot lately, but he didn’t tell his mother. Cam figured that if it was meant to be, it would happen on its own.

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