TLWM: The Hate Experience

\XIX/ Crush

     Wizzo played me. Any day now, every word I said to her during those intimate hours were gonna be printed in black and white for the world to see... That's what I kept telling myself when I couldn't get a hold of her for seven days straight. She sold your story to the highest bidder. Probably recorded the whole damn conversation. Why else would she be ignoring your calls?

Rewinding: that post-Christmas night, I woke up around three and couldn't fall back to sleep. I called her name about five times but she didn't budge. So I hung up, called an engineer and went to Paisley Park. Didn't leave there until it was time to head to the airport to get Bam.

Ace was hype on sugar. "Mommy say if I eat all my fruit I can have cookies so I ate all my fruit and had all the cookies and all the candies too! You want some, Daddy? Nana wants me to share it."

Looking at the homemade goods in the red crinkling wrapper, I shook my head. "Nope." Nana probably put adult poison in it.

During the car ride home, Ace rambled about the Rosario Christmas party. By time we reached Galpin Blvd, he was telling on his mother. "Mommy was crying last night, Daddy."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I think she misses seeing you and stuff."

As soon as we stepped in the house, I was pleased to see the work my Oompa Loompas did in such a short notice. Presents were overflowing the skirt around the tree in the entry hall.

"Oh my goodness, Daddy! Look it!"

"Looks like Santa came here too." After I helped him out his coat, he was off and ripping. I sat on the cold, tile floor with him and was just as surprised with every reveal. I didn't give them a list, just said get whatever a 4-year-old kid would want. The real gift was for me, just watching him have this moment.

All the tags said From Santa but then there was that one From Jax. "I think there's one more gift for you in the living room."

Ace went running and I quickly got up laughing, jogging after him not to miss his reaction.

"Ahh! It's a little one of your car!" he said pointing.

"I know, cool, right? It's from your buddy Jax."

"Jax!?" He gasped. "Oh man, this is so crazy!" Then as if I said it was from me, he wrapped himself around my legs. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

While he hopped in and played with the controls, I tried to get Jax on the phone but the answering machine picked up. "Hey, it's Vylette. I'm either not home or too much into a good movie right now to get up, so leave a message. Bye!"

Hanging up, I told Ace we'd try again later. But later was no good either. Ace wasn't even thinking about Jax as we ate junk food and had our Christmas movie night, yet, I kept trying to get a Wizzo on the line—but they weren't biting.

Ace's school was out for winter break so we had the week to ourselves. And waking up Sunday morning, that dawned on me. Originally, Raven was supposed to be here with us but now it was just the two of us... What are we going to do for a whole week?

Raven was always in and out but Ace always had school. Now that he didn't and would rely on me to keep his day entertaining, I was anxious trying to write down a schedule for the week.

Sunday, it was a day at Paisley Park. Ace wanted to play drums. It was a little scary at how good he was. By the end of the night, we recorded a hit together.

Monday, we took a trip to the new Mall of America. They said it was the largest mall in the U.S. but that still didn't prepare me for how massive it truly was. The joint had a theme park up in there and then some. Ace had me and his "bodygods" all over the place.