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It's been three days since Justine has said anything to me; I'm not sure what I did to cause her to ignore me, but whatever it was, I intend to apologize. So I decided to put my cooking skills to use and make dinner tonight. I also ran her a hot bath to help her relax and relieve stress. I understand how exhausting and tiring it is to be a medical student and work nights as a nursing assistant in a hospital. I just hope she enjoyed this.
As I was putting the finishing touches on the table, I heard the door open, which heightened my nerves. I wanted to be sleep in my room before she came home, but she arrived early, so now I have to face her.
"What's all this?" I turned around to face her as she walked into the kitchen, and she looked amazing. "A-apology dinner" I said with a shaky voice.
"What are you apologizing for?" I shook my head, handed her the note, and ran upstairs to my room. I'm not sure why I ran; I was just nervous. Today was the first time she spoke to me in more than two words. I just wanted her to enjoy her meal without me interfering.
—
JUSTINE I. SKYE
"Why did she ru- nevermind," I thought to myself as I sat at the dinner table; she had prepared smothered pork chops, dirty rice, cornbread, and banana pudding for dessert. It looked delicious, and it would be my first time trying soul food prepared by a black American.
When I took the first bite of the pork chops, I thought to myself, "Damn, she can cook." They were juicy and tender, the rice was perfectly cooked, the cornbread melted in my mouth, and the banana pudding was probably the best part. I wouldn't mind if my baby girl cooked for me like this every day. After washing my dishes, I remembered Mani had given me a note, which I was afraid to read. What if she wanted to leave because she felt she was a burden because I ignored her? I didn't mean to ignore her, but I couldn't help myself from feeling jealous of her and Ryan.
I decided to bring the note into my room. My body was in excruciating pain, and I smelled like a hospital. When I entered my bathroom, there was a bubble bath waiting for me. Was this done by Mani? Shaking my head, I changed out of my uniform and entered the warm bath, which was the right temperature for me.
The setup was stunning. Four candles were placed in each corner of the tub, rose petals and sunflowers were placed in the water, and a stand with my iPad, red wine, and a self-care journal was placed on it. I relaxed in the bath and immediately felt the soreness fade away. I remembered the note that Mani had given me earlier and decided to finally read it.
Dear Justine,
I hope you enjoyed the food and bath I prepared for you. I knew you were stressed out from school and work, so I decided to help you out. It was the least I could do after you allowed me to stay in your home. Oh! And it was also a way for me to apologize to you for whatever I did; you'd been ignoring me since Ryan was here, and I felt I owed you an apology.
Anyway, I've been applying for jobs and dance schools. I received letters from 'Millennium Dance Complex' and the 'ELITE Dance Studios.' I got them a few days ago, but you weren't talking to me, and I wanted to share this moment with you. If I am accepted, I will have scholarship money to pay for my classes, so you won't have to pay for anything. So, yeah, I hope you enjoyed everything, and once again, Justine, I'm sorry, please forgive me.
- Manibear
P.S. I still haven't opened the letters yet.
Wow, I had no idea she was upset about me ignoring her; I should be the one apologizing and thanking her for the delicious food and relaxing bath. So that's what I did: I got out of the tub, threw on my robe, and dashed to her room. When I heard the shower running, I went in to wait for her.
—
NORMANI K. HAMILITON
As I stepped out of the shower, I felt the warm air hit my body, causing me to shiver. It's been an hour or two since I left Justine downstairs. I'm hoping she read the letter and that we can return to normalcy. I was sick of walking on eggshells around her
I wrapped myself in this silk robe that showed off my curves that I was gradually losing; I hadn't eaten a proper meal since I arrived because I couldn't; every time I ate, I threw it up, and I didn't have my pills with me, so I'd just been snacking on junk food. I froze in place as I walked into my room and saw Justine sitting on my bed, reading the letter I had written her. She was curvy in all the right places, but it was her beautiful skin tone that drew me in. I felt my core heat up as I continued to take in her figure.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer," the goddess said, jolting me out of my trance. I cleared my throat and looked down at my feet, and then I felt her lift my head up to look into those beautiful brown eyes. "Thank you, for everything, I loved it," she said quietly, staring deep into my soul; I was getting hotter by the minute.
"D-does that mean you accept my apology?" I asked, casually looking at her lips and quickly returning my gaze to her eyes; she smiled and nodded, and I returned her smile. "You're so beautiful, mani," she said, moving closer to me and moving my curls out of my face. "I'm sorry for ignoring you, I was just— can you forgive me?" I quickly nodded my head to her apology.
After a few moments of staring each other down, I decided to speak up, "W-we should probably open those letters," I said as I moved to my dresser and retrieved the letters from behind the TV. As I opened the first letter, I felt her move closer to me, putting her hand on my lower back.
12 May 2021
Dear Normani Hamiliton,
I received your application to be a member of our dance team for the upcoming semester. Following a review of the audition videos and additional research by my team, I am pleased to offer you a position at Millenium Dance Complex.
We also offer you a $20,000 reward to cover any expenses your instructor may charge (dance shoes, uniform, books, etc.).
If you accept this offer, please contact me at BGKMdirectory@gmail.com as soon as possible so that we can work out a schedule for you. CONGRATULATIONS!
Sincerely,
Beyoncé G. Knowles-Maraj Creative Director
I felt a hand wipe my tears that I didn't even know were there."Thee Beyoncé sent you a personal acceptance letter? I'd take that in a heartbeat, but I'm so proud of you, manibear" Justine said as she drew me into a hug. I can't believe I was accepted into my dream school, and my idol sent me a personal letter to confirm my acceptance. I didn't want to open the other letters. My heart was already set in stone.
I didn't think I had the mental capacity to continue life after my family disowned me and my girlfriend betrayed me, but meeting Justine motivated me to return to school and finish what I started.
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