Page 11 of Nothing Even Matters
“Eli, you can visit the children anytime you like,” Faith shrugged.
Eli chuckled and shook his head. “I can visit the children anytime I like.” He went into the cupboard and grabbed a spice. “That’s rich.”
“Oh?” Faith challenged. “How so?”
“You mentionedIwould have to visit my kids if I wanted to see them.” He retorted. “You didn’t mention sending them on a plane or bringing them here yourself.”
“First off, I wouldn’t put my children on a plane by themselves.” She shut it down. “ Secondly, I’ll visit but I just don’t know how often that’ll be.”
“You’re getting thirty-five thousand a month which equates to four hundred and twenty thousand dollars a year. I say that should be all of the motivation you need to get on a plane.” He quietly replied; his baritone voice quivered with a bubbling anger. “Of course, when I file papers challenging the move, I’ll also put in a request to reduce child support. You and your new rich husband don’t need to be eating off my dime, anymore.”
Faith felt like throwing a saltshaker at him. “Jeremy has his own money, Eli. We never lived off you, anyway. He has plenty to go around.”
“Oh yeah?” Eli finished kneading the bread. “How many people is he supporting?”
“Well, me and the kids, but also his parents, sisters, and a few friends.” She shrugged.
“So, how many is that?” He asked.
Faith counted on her fingers. Jeremy was supporting ten people, at least. They all lived richly. “Jeremy can afford it.”
“Him affording it is not the question,” Eli popped the bread in the oven, “it’s what will happen when he can no longer afford it.”
Faith was about to argue how good Jeremy was with his money, but it wouldn’t have been the whole truth. Jeremy spent just as soon as he got it. Eli always saved much of his money in various holdings like real estate, businesses, and stocks. All of the brothers were very good with their money and it was partially because how they were raised.
They grew up poor with barely anything between them. When Nick went to college, he often supported his family by doing tutoring sessions or DJ gigs. When one brother had money, he shared it with the others, no matter how little it was. It was something all of them still did to this day; Eli’s wealth was the family’s wealth.
It was a value Faith hoped he would instill within their children. “I’m moving because Jeremy plays for the Lakers and I just want to be closer to him. I think I could get used to living in L.A. It surely can’t be any worse than living here.”
Eli softly shook his head. Faith was a Harlem girl through and through. She may have traveled here and there but she knew where home was. “You’re born and raised in Harlem,” Eli stirred his sauce, “Harlem is home.”
“Well, maybe it’s time for me to spread my wings and fly away,” she replied, “maybe it’s time I just expanded.”
“What about the shop?” He asked. “You have stylists and other people there.”
“I gave them notice. I told them nothing was set in stone. Once it becomes official, I’ll give them plenty of time to find other employment.” She explained.
“Okay,” he checked on the bread and took off his gloves. Eli sipped his wine glass and swirled the burgundy liquid around before he swallowed. “I’m not signing off the papers. If you want to go to L.A., that’s fine. I’ll make sure the kids visit you but you’re not taking them with you.”
“I had a feeling you would say that,” Faith sighed, “I don’t want to go to court over this, Eli.”
“You don’t have to go to court because you’re not going to take the kids with you,” he restated, “if you want to fight me on this, that’s fine. You’re not going to take my babies from me because of your dick du jour.”
“Screw you, Eli,” Faith sneered, “I’ve been with Jeremy for six months. I don’t have any other man coming in and out of my house at all hours at the night. Whenever Jeremy wants to go on a trip, I’m ready to go. Whenever he wants to fly me to a different city, I’ll make sure you or our parents watch the children while I’m away. I’m responsible and not careless. I take our children into every consideration I do, regardless of how you feel about me.” She watched her ex checked his manicure. It was clear she was humoring him. “Am I boring you?”
“You say you’ve been with Jeremy for six months but has he been with you for six months?” He finally asked.
Jeremy’s groupie exploits were as notorious as his on-court play. While he promised Faith he wasn’t going to cheat on her (anymore), she wasn’t too sure he held up his end of the bargain. “What goes on with my fiancée is none of your concern.”
Eli nodded and stirred his sauce. “Interesting…”
Whenever Eli saidinteresting, it was short for ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ and they both knew it. “Spill it, Eli.”
“I cheated on you once, went to therapy to work on our marriage, and you still hung it over my head like a scarlet letter. This nigga cheats on you left and right and you ignore it because you want to be a baller’s wife.”
“Eli, just because you have Black children, Black friends, and you love Black pum pum, doesn’t mean you should be saying that word,” Faith warned.
Eli calmly set down his spoon and cast a sharp glance at his ex, who visibly shivered. “I think me saying that word is the very least of your concerns,” he shot back.
