Page 7 of Aquarius Awakening
“It’s nice. I can’t wait to get upstairs to see the place,” I replied as we made our way to the elevator.
“The amenities here are very similar to your place. There’s a rooftop pool and barbecue pit. In the back area, there’s a walking path. On the second floor, there’s a communal sitting area and a game room. There’s also a full luxury gym on the ground level. I know how much you love a good run,” she teased.
“Oh, whatever. You need to come join me some time,” I replied.
Milani rolled her eyes at the suggestion.
When we reached the unit, she used a key fob to open the door. The view of the Brooklyn Bridge took my breath away. I could envision myself seated outside on the spacious, beautiful balcony. The view of the water made me never want to go back to Park Avenue. It would be hard for me to leave this place when the fashion show was over. I continued my tour around the three-bedroom condo with three bathrooms, while Milani watched me take in the beauty of this home with a smile on her face.
“How did I do?” she asked.
“Perfect. This place is perfect. It has everything I need,” I commented.
Milani feigned relief by wiping imaginary sweat from her forehead. “Now that you have your perfect getaway, what’s next?” she asked.
“You know, I have no idea. I had dinner with Imani last night, and she got me thinking about my relationship with Mason. There were some things I brushed off, but I’ve decided I can no longer ignore the red flags. Last night was the second night in a row he didn’t come home. I didn’t get married to sleep alone. It seems we are on two different pages. I need to clear my head and decide what I want to do,” I expressed.
“And whatever you decide, I’ll be here. It’s been hard watching my favorite free-spirited Aquarius walk around like a caged bird. I know you’ve been passive about his behavior for a while. Once you’ve had enough, you will know. Why don’t we hang out here in this beautiful place today? Tomorrow, you can focus on the serious stuff,” she offered.
“Sounds good to me. Where can a girl get something good to eat around here?” I jokingly asked.
“Come on, silly. The handsome concierge gave me the scoop on some spots. I didn’t want to say anything. You’ve been looking extra thin, bookie, so I’m happy to hear you have an appetite,” she said.
“Girl, leave me alone. You know I’m always stressed around this time of year. Hurry and feed me since you are so concerned.” We laughed as we headed out to find some food.
Just as with Imani last night, Milani had said everything that had been on my heart. My behavior with Mason had been passive for quite some time. I blamed that trait on being an Aquarius. Confrontation to me was like kryptonite. It weakened my spirit. I preferred to allow people to argue with themselves. That was another reason that the uncomfortable conversation that turned into a shouting match a few days ago bothered me. I allowed Mason to take me out of character. It wasn’t the firsttime, and I was almost sure there would be more challenging times ahead.
Another Disappointment
After a pleasant,relaxing evening with Milani, I was awakened by the constant ringing of my phone this morning. I swore I had turned it off before I went to bed last night. Once my eyes adjusted to the sunlight, I peered at the phone. I was surprised to see a bunch of text messages and missed calls from Mason. Before I got the opportunity to read any of his messages, he called again.
Groggily, I answered the phone. “Hello.”
“You finally woke your whoring ass up. What kind of married woman sleeps out at night? And you left this stupid ass note.” Mason berated me.
“When I said to call me, I didn’t mean in this manner. You didn’t come home for two days. What did you expect me to do?” I asked.
“I’m a man. You can’t do what I do. I expect my wife to be home when I get home. Every day, you give me more and more reasons to leave your ass. First, you can’t have kids, and now, you can’t come home,” he continued on his rant.
With each word that left his mouth, my heart ached. I continued to wonder how things had gotten so bad between us. The man I married used to tell me he loved me daily. Now, every time we spoke, his words pierced me like venom from a poisonous snake.
“This conversation is solidifying what I have been feeling. We need time apart. This marriage isn’t working. If we’re being honest, it hasn’t been working for a long time. I can’t keep allowing you to verbally abuse me because it hurts too much. No matter how disappointed you are that I can’t get pregnant, I don’t deserve to be your punching bag,” I proclaimed.
“You think you are leaving me. Baby, let me tell you something. I have been done with this marriage for a very long time. Don’t worry about the rest of your things. I’ll be sure to burn them,” Mason seethed as he disconnected the call.
I looked down at the phone in disbelief. Like any other heated discussion with Mason, my stomach churned. As if speaking to him wasn’t enough torture, I decided to look over the messages he sent me. With each message, my stomach continued to tighten. Mason had been texting and calling all night like a crazy person. Relief came over me when I remembered I had turned my location off before I left the house yesterday. The thought of Mason knowing where I was worried me. While he had never been physically abusive to me, there was no way to confirm that he never would be.
As I attempted to gather my thoughts, I glanced at the time. I needed to get to the office for the meeting with the design team. Leon was going to showcase some of the designs the team had been working on. I hoped he took my feedback into consideration. Time was winding down. We were only two weeks away from the fashion show. I didn’t have time for any of Leon’s usual antics. What a shitty way to start my morning in such a beautiful place.
Two hours later, I walked into my office. It was unusually quiet, but I took that as a positive sign. One thing I respected about my team was their desire to succeed. Everyone who worked with me took pride in their work. Aside from this morning’s antics, I was determined to have a good day. I silently hoped the fashion show would put us ahead of schedule.
In the middle of catching up on some emails, Milani walked into my office.
“How was it waking up in Brooklyn’s version of paradise?” she asked.
“It was fine until the devil… I mean, Mason, called to ruin my day.” I sighed.
“Let me guess. He wasn’t too happy that you weren’t waiting on him hand and foot for once,” she joked.
