What is Love?

17.

Ms. Diana- when is Amani's next game?

Saturday, 10 a.m. You coming?

Ms. Diana- I want to.... and so does Alex

That's fine. When are yall trying to come? I can book the flight now.

Ms. Diana- Girl, you know I'm not about to get on no plane

Lol... So what you gon do, drive?

Ms. Diana- I might, how long the drive?

About 26 hours. Flying is about 4 hours

Ms. Diana- oh baby, no! pray fa me and this flight.

Lol... you need me to book the flight and hotel? or will you two be stayin at my house?

Ms. Diana- I don't know nobody in Cali, and I don't know my way around either, so we'll be at your house, if it isn't too much trouble. And I can pay for our flights.

You sure? I mean it's the least I can do after all you've done for me.

Ms. Diana- yes, I'm sure! Expect us, sometime on Thursday or Friday.

Ok. No surprises, right?

Ms. Diana- No, Adonis will not be there. It's too soon for all that

Ok. See you later this week

__

Adonis' mom, took me in after Chelsea kicked me out. I was at the diner, trying to figure out what I was gon do, and then he walked in. We talked fa a lil bit, and then when we started walkin out, he offered to walk me home since it was too dangerous for me to be out that late by myself. I explained to him what had went down. He felt bad, and put the blame on himself and insisted I stay at his house. I was a little apprehensive at first since I didn't know him at all, but shit at that point I ain't have nowhere else to go, so I went to his house. I took his bed, and he was about to sleep on the floor, but I insisted that we slept in the same bed, since it was a queen sized bed, I just put pillows in between us.

The next morning, he told his mama what happened with me, and she accepted me with open arms. They all treated me like I was family, and eventually I warmed up to them. Adonis and I had grown so close that I didn't even wanna go back to Cali when my dad found out what had been goin on. He talked to Ms. Diana and she said I was free to stay as long as I wanted, and after a while he agreed to let me stay. He did come down to meet her, and set me up a bank account, and even gave Adonis that threatening talk. Ms. Diana was like a second mother to me, she treated me the same way Chelsea did before the drugs, and for that I am forever grateful to have her a part of my life.

__

"So when you go to New Orleans, you takin me, right?" Danielle asked, as we were walking around straightening up the shelves and racks, the store closed about 10 minutes ago, and when she got done cleaning up her part of the store and sending her employees home, she came over to help me.

"Nope, I'm not even taking Amani. Maybe another time." Mani is with my dad today, she woke up with a stomach ache, and wasn't feeling too well. Of course, I didn't wanna leave her side, but my dad kicked me out... my house, and took Mani with him.

"I swear, you get to have all the fun." she pouted.

"It's not that, it's just, when I was living out there I wasn't Aurelia or Lia or Ari or Li-Li, I was Rel, I hate that name now. It reminds me of that dark past we all like to run from. As Rel, I was doing shit I wouldn't ever dream of doing again, shit that Adonis is still doing. When I left, I left all of that behind, even the money."

"Shit like what? Let me find out yo lil uppity ass was being a bad ass." she joked.

"That's not even the half, shiiidd Fetty Wap's trap queen didn't have shit on what I was doing, I just wasn't strippin. It's so funny though, now, I was doing big boy shit, just stayin at home.... until I learned to shoot, couldn't tell me nothin then." I laughed a little at the memory, I was bad as fuck, but I really didn't have shit on Baddie. Wonder what she been up to lately, last thing I heard was one of her boyfriends died. Willing to bet she had something to do with it.

"That's the Lia I would pay to see. Nobody would expect it tho, wit this baby ass face of yours." she said giggling. I smirked.

"That was the beauty of it. But we'll go down there for Mardi Gras next year."

"Aye! Turn up!.... Wait, I'm gon be in Houston by next year."

"They invented planes for a reason, who wanna drive anyway. But you won't be down there until like March or April, right?"

"Yeah, when Mardi Gras?"

"February."

"Perfect."

"All this reminds me, Adonis' mom and brother will be here either Thursday or Friday to spend some time with Mani and see her cheer."

"Cool, but why all them just now reaching out? it's been almost 6 years."

"His oldest brother been locked up. The other one is in the military, he left the year before I did. His mom tries to stay in touch with me, but either my number changes, or hers does. And Adonis has probably just been scared to reach out or has tried to make himself busy just to forget." We finished, and headed back to our offices, to pack up and leave.

"How is this talk gon go? Oh how I wish I could be a fly on the wall for that conversation." I shook my head.

"Who knows? I just hope he don't be on no bullshit. I don't have a problem with him wanting to be more involved in Mani's life, but if I hear the wrong answer come out his mouth, I'm leavin and we gon just have to try again another day."

"I don't believe it. He gon say baby in that strong New Orleans accent of his, and you gon come back knocked up, again. Hope Mani ready to be a big sister." she laughed.

"I can't promise that his accent won't make me feel some type of way, since I've fallen for it several times before, but I'm definitely not about to end up sleeping wit him, and I won't come back pregnant."

"Gon come back talkin bout OMG! I missed him, I still love him!"

"Not at all, if those emotions didn't come back in Houston, they not resurfacing any time soon, if at all. But I'll see and talk to you tomorrow, I'm going to check on my baby." I hugged her before we parted ways to our cars.

Adonis is about to be back in my life, let's see how this goes the second time around. Let the drama begin...