Page 5 of Lost In You
I released a sigh. “If you gon’ let me down, do that shit now. You would be the only reason I would show up at the barn. I don’t wanna pass my house up to go to Nome for nothing.”
She swallowed hard. “I want to go for it, Asad, but I’m scared of the drama that could pop up. I don’t think I’m ready. Let me think about it a little longer. Please.”
“Ashanni, no disrespect, but you’ve had a year to think about this shit.”
“Daddy! Let’s go!”
I looked down at my three-year-old, then looked around and noticed everyone was leaving. I grabbed his hand and stared at the woman I’d fallen in love with. “See you around, Ashanni.”
Before she could respond, I walked away with Jayceon and headed to my truck. As we walked, he said, “Daddy, you like that lady?”
“Yeah, man.”
“What’s wrong?”
I bent over and picked him up so I could walk faster. “Nothing. What you wanna eat?”
“Can we go to Sonic?”
I smiled slightly, reminiscing about when my dad used to go to Sonic every day for years after he picked me up from school. “Yeah, that’s cool.”
After strapping him in his booster seat, I walked around the truck to the driver’s seat and saw Ashanni watching me. I supposed I took my dad’s advice. She would have the opportunity to miss me.
“Hey, Mommy!”
“Hey, baby.”
I’d just gotten to Mila’s apartment to drop Jay off. After he went inside, I was turning around to leave. There was nothing I needed to say to Mila. Before I could get too far away, she said, “I’m more than sure you had my son around that slut. I heard the graduation you went to was for the Henderson twins mean asses.”
“You know, that’s always been your problem. You’ve always been worried about shit that either ain’t your business or about shit that don’t matter. In this case it’s both.”
“In case you forgot, nigga, Jayceon is my son. That makes it my business, and it definitely matters.”
“You act like you the only parent he has. Last time I checked, I was his father, unless you lied about that.”
She stepped outside and attempted to get in my face. “All I gotta do is make a phone call, Mila. Quit fucking with me. I love my son, and I wouldn’t dare do anything that would put himin danger, but I sure in hell wish I would have picked him a different mother.”
I walked off amidst her screaming out expletives. This bullshit was on my last fucking nerve. I already wasn’t in the greatest mood. My life was fucked up, and it was time I got shit on track. When I got home, I was gonna call my attorney to file for full custody of my son, then I was going to apply for that job with ESPN as an entry level sports analyst. Southeast Texas wasn’t for Asad Anderson any longer.
When I turned in my driveway, my cell rang. I could see on the screen in my truck that it was Red Squared. I didn’t wanna talk to that nigga. He was probably in the vehicle with Noni. He was the last one I needed advice from. We were about six and half years apart, with me being older. Secondly, he gave Noni a hard ass time about not committing to him. She still hadn’t committed to being his. They’d been doing that dance for almost two years.
The difference in their situation was that she gave him hope. She told him once she finished school and could move back home, she would be ready. So maybe they would establish some things today. Ashanni was already working in her career for her family business. She finished her master’s degree almost a year ago and said she wouldn’t dare waste a bunch of money on a doctorate degree. She was set.
She was letting fear change the trajectory of our lives. We were supposed to be together. I knew that without a shadow of a doubt. However, until she knew that, it didn’t matter. As I made my way into the house, my phone rang again. When I saw Red Squared’s number, I silenced the call and texted him.
I don’t feel like talking. Is it an emergency?
I didn’t feel like it was. Had there been an emergency, everyone else would be calling as well. His text came through.Naw. I was just trying to see where you went.
Just as I thought. He was that worrisome ass lil brother growing up that wanted to go everywhere I went. If we would have been closer in age, it wouldn’t have been so bad. The couple of times I let him hang with me, he tattled. So he was banned from my car. My sisters weren’t nearly as bad. My sister on my mom’s side, Kambel, had long black hair like a little doll. Girls flocked to me whenever she was with me. She had dark skin and pouty lips.
My sister on my dad’s side, Aaliyah, was always dressed to the nines. She was fair complexioned, like Dad, with natural, curly hair like Mama Shana. She was pretty quiet but was always smiling. She knew she was a cutie and loved the attention, although she wouldn’t say so. Had Red Squared been anything like them, I wouldn’t have minded him being around me when I was younger. He even got on my friends’ nerves.
I went to the fridge and got a beer, then went to my recliner. My phone chimed, and I saw it was a message from him.
You never did say where you went.
I rolled my eyes and responded.Home, nigga.
