"Now wait a damn minute-" Sincere's partner Gregory Harvey put his hand up to stop him from talking. He was still trying to process what the hell his partner had got himself into.
"I know..." Sincere blew out a frustrated breath. 2 weeks had passed since Thanksgiving, and he had a lot on his mind. He contemplated talking to a therapist, but he knew in less than a month all of this would be over... like David said.
"This is a lot to unpack bruh. I mean damn..." Greg was speechless for the first time in a long time. He truly didn't know what to say but he didn't blame Sincere at all. Sometimes life gives you lemons but in this case wasn't no lemonade being made. Nothing sweet was coming out of this situation. He knew it and Sincere did as well.
"So, what you gone do?"
"Man..." Sincere looked down at his cup and back up at Greg. Picking up his glass, he tossed his drink back and slammed the glass back on the table while asking the bartender for another round.
Greg had never seen Sincere in this way. He was distraught, stressed, anxious... hell everything. "David's on my ass about this shit he thinks all this shit happens overnight... or in his case 3 more weeks. But this shit aint easy man... it aint." The bartender sat his new drink down in front of him, but Greg grabbed it swiftly.
"You don't need this." He poured his into his own empty glass. "You called me for a reason, and you know I got you. So, what's up? What you need me to do?"
"That's the thing. I don't know." Sincere rubbed his forehead. He shouldn't have taken those shots, he didn't even drink for real.
"Ight.. here's what we gone do," Greg grabbed a pen out if his pocket and the napkin next to him. "What are your goals for each person in this situation. What do you want to see happen?"
"Uh... I don't know I haven't thought about that." Sincere replied.
"So, think about it while we sitting right here. What are your end goals for Maya... Marie... whatever her name is. You say you're going to protect her but what are you going to do with her after this is over?"
"Hopefully her pimps are in jail so she doesn't have to worry about them. According to her she doesn't have any blood family... the only person she knows is DeMarco... maybe I could put both of them into a nice apartment and they can live their lives together..." His voice trialed off a little.
"Ok..." Greg wrote down what he was saying on the tiny napkin. "What's stopping you from doing that?"
"Truthfully...." He took a pause. He trusted Greg not to run and tell his business, but he knew that he couldn't tell him everything. But if he didn't speak his mind it was just going to sit on his heart.
"I think I love her." He blurted out.
"You think?" Sincere glanced at Greg and sighed heavily. "I do. We've gotten close during these past months, and she makes me happy, honestly. I don't remember feeling like this since I first met my wife."
He was waiting for Greg to call him stupid and to tell him that he couldn't fall in love with a prostitute that he was harboring in his house, but he didn't.
"Ok... then what's plan b for her then?"
"Divorce my wife, get her to turn on DeMarco, resign from my position and move to Italy with her."
"You've told her this?"
"Of course not but I've been thinking about it for a while. Serenity could study aboard, Semaj grown ass would be fine. It's about time he got his own shit. And NaTasha... man we haven't been tight for a while. She knows it, I know it. The kids know it. Our ship has sailed man, for real."
"Damn Cole." Greg placed his hand on Sincere's shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that. I remember yall used to be like Donald and Daffy. Times do change for real."
"Yeah.. and I think she's cheating. Shit just aint right and a shrink can't fix this shit, you know."
"Wait... why do you think she's cheating?"
"She aint never home.. she be out all hours of the night.. Maya be telling me so I know something is up. Ima figure it out sooner than later."
"Hmm..." Greg continued to write on the napkin until both sides were filled with black ink. "These are your goals. Stick to them and it'll happen. Don't forget to pray over them as well. You know better than I do that prayer works."
-
Several hours later, Sincere had arrived to a quiet house with a bag full of groceries. Placing the bags on the kitchen counter he pulled out his phone to dial Maya's number. What surprised him was when he found her ringing phone in one of the drawers.
"Fuck." Sincere cursed. He wanted to throw the device against the wall. Why did she have to be so disobedient? Why couldn't she just listen to him. He wanted her to be in the house for a reason... he made her his nanny for a reason. He didn't want to make it seem like he was in control of her life but he damn near was. He had to be. He was her protector and whether she like it or not she had to depend on him... shit, she didn't have nobody else.
After putting the groceries up, he settled in the living room with a cold bottle of water and a bowl of chips. It had been a minute since he was home alone. It was an eerie quiet and an eerie feeling he felt in his own home. It was hard to explain. His own house was giving him chills and he didn't like it.
Several minutes had gone past before he heard keys jangling at the door and a woman's voice on the other side. The door opened and in walked his son with a brownskin girl.
"What's up Pops, I didn't know you was gone be here." Semaj greeted him.
"Had me a little off day, what's up with you? Who's your friend?"
"This is Halle, Halle this is Sincere." Semaj introduced the two.
"It's nice to meet you Sincere, I've heard so much about you." The young woman smiled brightly as she snuggled up closer to Semaj.
"About me huh?" He glanced at his son. "I haven't heard much about you."
"Oh well me and Semaj are still taking things slow so that's probably why." She giggled and Sincere looked her up and down. He bought the bottle of water to his lips and the pair looked at him awkwardly.
"Ight well we'll be upstairs." Semaj and the Halle girl slowly began to turn to walk towards the steps but Sincere called his son back.
"Let me have a word with you." He said.
Semaj wondered why he was acting weird. Anytime he brought a female over he was friendly and engaged in conversation with them. Why hadn't he had done that?
"Where'd you meet this girl?"
"A couple of weeks ago... why?" Semaj questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't say when, I said where."
"Damn what's the problem? Why does it matter?"
"Why you getting so hostile I'm just asking you a question."
"It doesn't matter, I'm happy."
Sincere burst into a fit of laughter. "You met this girl a couple of weeks ago and you're happy? You just can't be bringing random girls up in this house. You don't even know her. You don't know who she could be affiliated with." Sincere looked behind him to see if she was still standing by the stairs but she wasn't. "Then you gone let her roam the house? You're 26 years old man. When you gone grow up?"
Semaj kissed his teeth and waved his father off. He didn't have time for his bullshit. "You wanna talk about random women up in the house when we have a maid that nobody even knows! Shorty been working in this house... living in this house and you wanna talk about not knowing somebody? Get the fuck outta here."
Sincere stood up of the couch, his voice raised a little. "Who you talking too? This is my house," he pointed a finger at himself. "And if you don't like who's living in here you don't have to stay."
"You know what... I might take you up on that offer." Semaj walked away from his father and up the stairs to go check on Halle. She was sitting on his bed flipping through the tv channels. She had already made herself comfortable by taking off her coat and shoes.
"Is everything okay?" She asked him. She could tell he was upset by the way he flung open his closets and drawers pulling clothes out.
"Yeah. We're leaving." He simply said.
"Leaving? But we just got here..." Halle pouted. She was too busy trying to find something to watch on tv she didn't even get the information she needed for Milan.
"And we're leaving back out I just said that didn't I?" Semaj began to stuff all his belongings into several suitcases including toiletries.
"Ok don't be mad at me because you and yo' daddy got into it." Halle hopped off the bed and began to put back on her shoes.
Semaj stopped what he was doing and sighed. He approached Halle and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm sorry. I ain't mean to come at you like that. It's just he usually don't act like this when I have women around."
"What do you mean?" Halle wondered.
"He's usually cool, you know. But he talking about I'm bringing randoms in the house and I don't know what you could be affiliated with. Like you a drug dealer or something."
Halle chuckled and wrapped her arms around Semaj's neck. Pecking his lips softly she said, "Well I definitely don't sell drugs."
"I know that. I know it be his cop antennas going off or whatever but damn. Not everybody out to get us."
"Is it too early to say I love you?" Halle looked up into Semaj's eyes and his heart fluttered a little.
"It's never too early. I love you too." The two shared a passionate kiss before they broke apart to continue to pack his things.
"So where we going?" Halle asked Semaj with one of his suitcases in his hand. After about 30 minutes most of his clothes were packed and ready to go. He knew he'll have to be back to get the rest of his shit.
"I was thinking about the Four Seasons downtown. What you think?"
Halle's eyes lit up and a smile formed across her face. "Yes I like it there."
"You've been?" Semaj asked.
"Yeah, a few times."
"For what?"
"Um... a few business opportunities."
"Yeah?" Semaj grabbed the suitcase out of her hand. "Ima go take these down to the car and then we can leave. Just stay put." He gave her a quick kiss and then left the room leaving Halle to do what she had come over to do in the first place, but she didn't find shit but a piece of mail. It had to be of some value, so she stuffed it in her coat pocket.
Halle did like Semaj... she didn't know if she loved him, but she was just playing her role. Just like her pimp told her too.
