Page 33 of Spellbound By a Sagittarius
I went through that shit with Moms when she dated my stepfather before they got married when I was twelve. It was difficult because I thought my mom and dad were supposed to stay together on some forever type of shit. That was also why I never entertained many women. I didn’t want Junior to think his fun had to come from multiple women. I wasn’t raised like that, and neither had Junior been.
I looked at my son in pure amazement. He had grown to be a brilliant individual all around. I couldn’t believe he would graduate soon.
“What is it, Dad?” he asked as he sat back in the seat on the patio at the brunch spot where we were.
“I’m just proud of you. That’s all.” I picked my glass up and drank a little more of my old-fashioned.
“Thanks, Dad. Without you and Mom’s guidance, I wouldn’t be here. I appreciate the both of you.”
“We love you and only want the best for you in this life and the next one.”
He nodded and dug into the omelet in front of him. I followed suit with my shrimp and grits. A few moments passed, and by the time I had finished my food, so had he. I sat back in my seat and scrolled through my phone for a minute.
“How do you feel about Lyra?” There was no need for me to try to sugarcoat the question.
“She’s dope, for real. I think y’all should get married.”
I laughed as I sat up in my seat. “Why do you think that, son?”
“Because she’s beautiful and smart. Those are the things you told me to always look out for when I was attracted to someone.”
“You’re damn right. There are a lot of other things to consider, too, but you’ll learn those as you get older and serious with someone.”
Junior had some girl that he hung out with often enough, but he’d never brought her around. They always met up, or he’d go pick her up or something.
“I’mma keep it a buck with ya, son. I do plan to marry Lyra. I just wanted to make sure you’re comfortable with her being around more often.”
“I am, Dad. She’s a good person, and I can tell that she’s good for you.”
“I trust your judgment, son. I wouldn’t talk about this with anyone but you. You don’t want to tell too much of anything to niggas that are your so-called friends. They’ll try to take what you have because they can’t get it themselves.” I always spoke with intent to him so he wouldn’t have to learn shit the hard way like I did as a youngin.
Our morning together had easily turned into an afternoon. Junior had some other things to do, and he wanted to hang out with his friends, so he took off before I did. I sat there and let everything sink in. I pulled my phone from my pocket and touched Lyra’s number on my recently called list.
“Hey, baby,” she answered before the phone rang good.
“When can I see you, beautiful? Daddy misses you.” She loved it when I said shit like that.
“I was just about to call you and let you know I’ll be back home in a few hours.”
I could tell she had a smile on her face by the tone of her voice.
“That’s what I like to hear. I have a light assignment today, and then I’ll be free for the rest of the night.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know when I touch down, baby.”
I ended the call and locked into work mode for the rest of the afternoon and night. After I got home and put my phone down, I didn’t realize it was a quarter after nine, and Lyra hadn’t called me yet.
What the hell?
My first mind went straight into panic mode, but I stopped myself. This had happened before, and it was usually when Lyra’s flight was delayed or when she had another flight to lead and couldn’t go home.
I went into my bedroom, then bathroom, and started the shower. No sooner than I’d stripped out of my clothes, Lyra called.
“Are you okay?” I answered.
“Yes, I am, but I have bad news.”
My brows furrowed, and I took a deep breath while she continued.
