Page 19 of Through Treacherous Weather
Dating should never be as complicated as it had been for her. She was truly ready to say fuck it all and be a celibate monk for the rest of her days.
“I hope you had good enough of a time that I can see you again,” Mike stated as he walked Trinity to her car.
“We can go out again sometime. Just call me with the details.”
“Can I call you before I have the details? Like tomorrow?”
Trinity chuckled. “Yes, you can call me tomorrow.”
“Good,” he smiled wide and opened the door for her. “Drive safe. Call me when you get home.”
“You too and will do.”
Trinity smiled at him as he closed her door. She was willing to go on another date with him, but she also knew there would be no love connection. Maybe she was too picky. There had to be a really fine line between not settling and being too damn focused on certain things. At least six feet, sexy, muscular, big dick, high tax bracket, career man…shit to find all those things in one was almost the equivalent of finding a unicorn. She had to be willing to bend on something but height and looks were it so far, and she wasn’t happy about being on those.
It wasn’t too late, so Trinity decided to stop by Justice’s house. It was Sky’s birthday. Her party wasn’t for another two days, but Trinity wanted to tell her happy birthday and give her at least one gift on her actual birthday. Sky loved Justice and Lauren, but Trinity was sure the little girl was missing hermother. Enchanted and Carmen may have been lovesick idiots at one point over Justice, but they were good mothers. Thinking of Sky made Grey cross her mind. She loved that there were so many fathers out there stepping up to the plate and taking care of their kids, proving that the stereotype about black kids not having active fathers was ignorant as hell.
Trinity wondered if Shai’Ann’s mother would ever come back around, or if Grey would have her fulltime forever. When Lauren opened the door, Trinity didn’t miss the slight scowl on her face. She quickly forced the frown away and leaned in to hug Trinity.
“Hey, boo.” Trinity could hear children being loud in the background.
“Hey. They turned up in there, huh?”
“Yes. Shiloh got here a few hours ago, and he’s staying until Sunday. Him, Truth, and Sky are on one, meanwhile, my back is killing me.”
“Where’s Justice?”
That got an eye roll out of Lauren. “In his mancave. Either smoking and drinking or passed out from all the smoking and drinking. It’s easier to just let him do his own thing. I don’t even say anything to him.”
Trinity’s brow hiked, but she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t tell her nephew how to grieve or even how long to grieve, but out of the four kids in the house, Lauren only gave birth to one. It wasn’t fair for him to check out and leave all of the responsibility on her especially when she was very pregnant.
Walking into the living room with a large gift bag in hand, Trinity stood in the middle of the floor. When the kids noticed her, they ran over to hug her. All except Denim, but he smiled at her. “What’s up, aunt Trin.”
“What’s up, Denim?” Trinity directed her attention back to the kids. “I have a gift for the birthday girl, but you can’t openit until you take a shower and brush your teeth. Come on let me help you.”
“You don’t have to do that, Trinity,” Lauren walked into the room. She appeared exhausted.
Trinity waved the comment off and removed her heels. “Nonsense. I got you. Just sit down and get some rest. Denim, you trying to make some money?”
He looked at her with an excited gleam in his eyes. “How much?”
“One hundred dollars.”
“Heck yeah,” he sat up anxiously.
“Help Shiloh and Truth brush their teeth. Turn the shower on for Shiloh and when I’m done with Sky, I’ll bathe Truth. Once all the kids have baths, you get them settled and in bed.”
“Oh, I can do that fa’ sho’,” he bobbed his head eager to earn the easy money.
When Trinity was done with the kids and Denim had taken over, Lauren thanked her profusely. She went upstairs to take a shower, and she was going straight to bed. The house was finally quiet, and Trinity trekked to Justice’s mancave, so she could have a word with him.
Thick clouds of weed smoke hung suspended in the air. Justice sat on the couch with a blunt pinched between his fingers. A glass of liquor was on the table in front of him. Justice stared straight ahead as the sounds of Bryson Tiller wafted from the sound bar at a low volume. It wasn’t until Trinity sat in the recliner across from his that he lifted his gaze and peered at her.
“You plan on checking back in any time soon?” she asked in a soothing voice. “I know you’re hurting, but you have a pregnant girlfriend upstairs that’s taking care of four kids pretty much alone. You can’t sit around acting like they don’t exist anymore, Justice.”
He flexed his jaw muscles. “A nigga can’t even be fucked up mentally? He just gotta keep going and acting like shit is okay?”
“To a certain extent yes, because you have kids that don’t even know who Calvin was. You think they understand daddy being in his mancave all day while Lauren takes care of them alone? Go to therapy. Talk to someone. Grieve in a healthy way Justice because this isn’t it.”
