Page 65 of In the Safety's Zone
His eyebrows shot up so fast it was comical. “What you mean?”
“I had all my money moved out of my accounts. That and other ways to deal with him.”
“Oh shit. You gotta remember where I’m from lil baybeeh. You be sayin’ things like that and folk from my way think you trying to put that nigga in the dirt.”
“It won’t need to be that drastic.” Anthony gave me a look like I was being naïve and I could only shake my head. “I promise it’s not. I’d ruin his reputation before I risked my freedom or anyone else’s trying to end his life.”
“You say so. Them boys back home ain’t got much to lose.” We fell into silence with my head back on the left side of his chest and shoulder and I inhaled deeply, feeling every part of me relaxing the more I sat here with him. “I’m sorry ‘bout your people. I wish that one of us had parents that gave a damn. Was it always like this?”
I didn’t feel like moving but nodded my head to answer him.
“Yeah. They truly have never cared. It only got worse after Billy came into my life. She has always been like a big sister to me and she would come and shop with me and things when I needed someone and neither of my parents were around.”
“Which was a lot.”
I smiled at the memories because she really looked out for me. “Always a lot. They couldn’t be bothered because she was too busy running after him and he was too busy running after anything with a slit.”
He winced and shifted in his seat like my words were personal. “Damn, I’m shocked you don’t hate men.”
“I don’t blame anyone for the shortfalls of others. I’d been so used to moving on my own that I didn’t have a problem with just calling her up to hang out with me. I mean, she’s almost a decade older than I am but she had no issues hopping a flight. Probably because she enjoyed shopping in New York as much as I did.” I smiled thinking of how Billy’s love and friendship were protecting me even now when she was thousands of miles away.
“But what advice did she give you besides which red bottoms looked best?”
I pushed him in his chest as he laughed because we bought a lot of shoes together be he’d only seen me in athletic clothes and loungewear.
“She wouldn’t work with me until I became primary on all the accounts. She said too often she’d seen and heard how childhood stars were basically fleeced by their parents. She didn’t want that for me and when I began to win I deposited money into the accounts that I had control of. My original accounts would get some money transferred into them, but the vast majority of my money is separate. But really, this change is because of you.”
“What did I do?” Anthony’s face had a cautious look on it like he wasn’t sure if it was going to praise him or chastise him.
“Besides getting me out of that shitty situation in England?”
He looked bashful and I knew he was going to downplay what he’d done. “Not shitty, just something that I wasn’t going to let keep you down.”
“And I appreciate that about you. But what I meant was you gave me focus. Perspective. I’ve just been…existing at this point. Just going with the flow of things since I never had a reason to change. I didn’t feel like rocking the boat but you fanned the flames that had been embers before. Brought my desire back to life to get away from home.”
“Not me aiding and abetting your running away.”
“Something like that. Even when we were just talking and meeting up for dates and stuff I was normally hanging out at hotels or traveling with my trainer as a getaway. Right now, my things are being packed up in Jersey and put in storage.”
“You for real?”
The excitement in his voice wasn’t something I expected. I thought he might give me some advice but he seemed happy to think I’d be moving in with him. Wait, was that what I was thinking?
“Yeah. The idea of going back to that environment after this is too much for me. My family is toxic and my father might lose his mind if he has to see me moving out. That’s why I’m doing it without them being around. I’ll get a message when it’s done. The house staff is overseeing everything. She knows how they are and I can’t deal with them.”
“Damn, staff?”
I had to roll my eyes at how pretentious I’m sure the idea sounded. “My mother’s idea since she refuses to do anything but obsess over my father.”
“I know that up close and personal.”
“Yeah well I gotta think about what I’m going to do next.”
“As far as what?”
“Where I’m going to live and what I’m going to do.”
“You ever think about coming to Texas? I hear it’s nice and there’s a dude that’s kinda crazy about you down there.”
