RIKI II: Play The Game

Chapter FOURTEEN

May 7th, 2021. I have survived April. This past week has been a mixture of sixties and seventies. with blossoming flowers. There's been a change of plan regarding my break. First off, I have successfully raised my throne to twenty thousand dollars. When I counted it in front of Ava, she praised me crying. When she asked me if I felt proud, I plainly said yeah. I couldn't feel anything not even pride. All I knew was I never had twenty K before and I worked my ass off to raise that money. No one knows except for Philip and Brasilia. I trust Phillip with that information. Anyone else in my family, never. This money has to stay put and cannot be spent except for one thing.

I asked Andy for a three month break from June to August. I was gonna do it from May, but I gave myself this one month of work to earn more money for my throne. When I get through this month, I can give myself the rest I need. I've earned it. This summer I'll party here and there, hook-up with a few girls, but the months ahead must be spent wisely.

I've been surfing on Rent Hop during work contacting real-estate agents. There were so many studios I could afford between thirteen hundred to sixteen hundred dollars in rent. Following Phillip's advice, I needed to speak to a real-estate agent on what to do because this is all new to me. I don't want to do credit. Twenty grand is better than that. If it doesn't satisfy the landlord then he/she can go fuck themselves. I need to figure things out. I need answers. For now, work first.

I need a home for myself because the truth is, I have no home. I've been living in the shadow of my toxic family for twenty-seven years. That was supposed to be my home, but my family was only my misery. The future I will make for myself is one without family, peace, and solitude; no one worrying about me, no one telling me when I can or cannot leave, no more deception. That is where, that is when, and that is how I can be happy. Phillip told me I'm halfway there. I just need to get the other half. And I will.

I gave Chill his workout routine for the month of May with Gold Standard Whey. I shouldn't have bought him shit, but this is game. As for Lisa, I made her a cardio routine she asked me for. I doubt she'll lose weight. She never does anything when she says she's gonna do something like the big procrastinator she is. For a beginner like her, she'll need ten to twenty minutes of cardio plus strength exercises. I gotta get that printed.

I've had routines set when I worked at TMPL. I wake up at nine, get to the gym for a full workout from ten to twelve then start my shift from one to nine in the evening. My break is at five. I like the prospect of closing down the gym like a boss.

I know when I'm shirtless on my skateboard, girls are watching and thinking certain things. They should say something to me; create a conversation.

Right now, I'm skateboarding to take my mind away from me losing three hundred dollars in rent money. My half and Brasilia's half. I know I put the money in my wallet when I left Franklin Plaza to go to Planet Fitness. I went to Target first to get some active boxers and bought them with my card.

After I finished my workout, I went to Milano's to get a chicken-shrimp salad. That's when I opened my wallet to only find a twenty. And that fucked my head up. Where the money went to? Did I lose it? I paid for my salad and walked out with my thinking cap on.

Don't panic. Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe I left it in my room. Most likely, I did lose it. If so, I'll have to pay 300 out of my account. First, think and look. Into my room, I stand in front of the same spot rummaging through everything and everywhere else. Nothing. I called Target and a man from guest services said no funds were returned. It was stupid to ask if someone would give lost cash to the lost and found. I would've took advantage too. I remained calm, tight-lipped as I sat down at the living room table eating. How could I lose three hundred dollars in cash out of my wallet? Maybe it slipped out while I was taking my card out to pay at self-checkout?