Page 40 of Finesse
He shrugs and digs into his pie. “Was it a clean break?”
“Yes.” Cameron didn’t even attempt to run after me and hasn’t spoken to me since. He still follows me but he also follows like 600 other people so he probably doesn’t care enough to unfollow. Or he might be one of those idiots who wait for the person to unfollow so they could block.
“That’s settled, then.” My father sips his coffee before he wipes his mouth. “I want to talk to you privately about the shops and land.”
Daddy’s voice changed and it’s not the jovial, happy-go-lucky persona. He’s real serious about something. “What is it?”
“I’m going to leave everything to you when I die.” He states. “Everything is already set up. You’ll just need to talk to Alicia about the details of it all.”
Alicia is my father’s longtime attorney. She’s handled everything from a business and personal perspective. She also used to be his girlfriend at some point, but they both decided they were better off as friends and remained tighter than ever.
It was widely assumed I would take over once my father retired. He’s talking about death and dying and just killed any happy vibe I had. “Why are you telling me this on my graduation?”
“Because you need to know.” He takes another bite of pie. “That is all. I don’t want anyone to tell you any different. There is paperwork and will. All you need to do is file it with Alicia and that’s it.”
“Okay.” We drop the subject and start talking about other things. I can’t shake the feeling there was something amiss about this whole conversation. I will later find out there’s a reason why Daddy warned me.
~~~~~~
It seems listening to 80’s R&B hits different now.
Every love song reminds me of Cameron in some way. I hate a genre I love so much has been ruined by heartbreak. That is the very worst. Every song reminds you of the good times. Every heartbreak song reminds you of the bad.
I’m listening to “Nite and Day” and I think about our late-night phone calls where we playedNo, you hang up firstwith each other several times. We would talk about anything and everything under the moon and stars.
“Take Me With U” reminds me of how we went to New York on a whim and how Cameron spoiled me with a new wardrobe and trinkets to go along with it. We made copious amounts of love throughout that entire weekend.
“Heartbeat” takes me back to when we first met and hung out at the Waffle House. Cameron had a cool and collected demeanor about him back then. I was naturally drawn to how deep he was. He was the bad boy to my good girl.
I’m on Month Two Without Cameron and I’m starting to resemble a bit of the old me before. My appetite is back and I’m no longer moping around wondering if I made the right decision.
So many glorify the dope game and being a drug runner’s wifey. There is absolutely nothing glorious about that shit whatsoever. Yeah, someone’s pushing a nice whip and dope fits, but the DEA is always watching. Move too much money and they’ll give a welcome surprise by an early morning no-knock raid.
I’m more focused on my school work and preparing for graduation. After graduation, I’m going to straight to working Fresh Espresso. I don’t need any distractions right now.
Of course, that’s easier said than done. Every song, every emotion reminds me of Cameron. I haven’t even bothered stalking his social media because I’m trying not to care. But I also don’t want to unfollow him because…because I still care.
At least I’m graduating and I don’t have to worry about running into Cameron at any school functions or anywhere near the campus. I doubt any of his clients attend here given the state of his brother’s wife. I thought about his brother and that family dynamic. Why didn’t don’t Eric and Heather get involved? Surely, they have to know.
I shake the thoughts out of my head and push out a harsh breath. I’m knee-deep into getting ready for all of the graduation activities my Daddy is throwing. Tonight is just a shindig with me and the girls. Tomorrow, I’ll be with my family all day. The last thing I need are distractions from Cameron or anyone else, for that matter.
Still, I’m tempted to look at his IG account and see if he’s following me still. We’re playing the ignore game with each other. It’s so immature and yet, it’s so us. I decided to pick up my phone and just see for a smidgen if Cameron is following me. I have to know.
What I’ll do with said information is anyone’s guess.
Just when I open IG and head straight to Cameron’s account, I get a surprise phone call coming in from Morocco. Is that where Cameron is now? I don’t have to wonder why he would be in Morocco but I wonder if he’s safe doing whatever it is.
I swallow my excitement and answer the phone. The last thing I need is to give that man a bigger ego. “Hello?”
“Hello darling.” My cautious excitement gives away to grave disappointment. It’s not Cameron; it’s my mother. She calls every couple of months and that’s usually when she has a phone or a landline she can use.
Laurie pronounces darling as if there’s a h in it.Dahling.Maybe she thinks she’s Mariah Carey while she’s on her Lisa Bonet. I think she’s confused on whether she wants to be peace, love, and hair grease or the biggest diva of all time.
“Hello Laurie.” I’m cordial and polite. I have no reason to be mean to her. I still don’t really know her. “How are you?”
“I’m doing well, darling.” Thehrolls off her lips. This is a new reincarnation of Laurie. Every time she has a new man, she adapts to him. If he’s into Guns N’ Roses, she’ll suddenly become an Axl Rose stan. If he’s super woke, she’ll start quoting Stokley Carmichael.
If he’s rich, however, she becomes Zsa Zsa Gabor.
