Back to Love

3

February 13, 2026
Los Angeles, California

| Third Person Omniscient |

"Hey y'all, come in!" Karina said with a big smile. Today was the party for Chris and all his family and friends were there. A lot of people were showing up and Chris had yet to come down stairs. Karina closed the door and ran upstairs to their bedroom. "Chris, are you ready yet?"

Chris walked out his closet and fixed his shirt, looking in the mirror to make sure he liked what he had on.

"Yea give me bout two more minutes."

"Chris we don't have ten more minutes to spare when people are showing up right now." Karina said putting her hand on her hip.

"I said two."

"We both know two means ten. So hurry up please." Karina was about to walk out the door but Chris called out for her to come to him.

"Come here, Rina." Karina walked to Chris and he grabbed her waist pulling her close. "I really appreciate you for holding this shit down while I was gone. It means a lot to me." He pecked her lips.

"Of course." She said with a smile. "Now come on and don't do too much tonight either." She said referring to him drinking tonight. Chris couldn't smoke so she knew he would try and get drunk off his ass to compensate.

"Yea yea whatever." They left out the room and went downstairs to join everyone.

The party ended around 11 pm and Karina was downstairs cleaning up the small mess from the party humming a song she heard earlier. She let the dogs out while she washed dishes and put the left over food up. She could hear Chris upstairs talking angrily, which concerned her so she went upstairs to see what was wrong.

"Chris, what's wrong?" She asked standing in the doorway.

"I'm just aggravated as fuck right now." He said while he paced around the room.

"What's aggravating you?"

"Where my weed at?" Karina sighed.

"It's not here."

"Where you put it at?"

"Chris, you can't smoke while on probation and you can't smoke while taking those pi-"

"I'm not taking those fucking pills." He spat and Karina sighed, feeling herself getting frustrated. She walked back downstairs to finish cleaning in hopes he would calm down after a while. As she wiped down the counter, she heard Chris walking down the steps with his keys.

"Chris?" Karina heard the front door open and slam shut. She groaned and went out after him. "Chris come back inside." She said but he ignored her and got into his car. He pulled off quickly, leaving Karina irritated and emotional.

She couldn't believe that he was willing to throw away his freedom for a temporary high. All he had to do was not smoke for 6 more months, after that she didn't give a damn what he did. As long as he took care of mental health and was around for his kids. She called for the dogs and they came running in and she put them in their kennel. She swept the kitchen and went upstairs to shower and go to sleep in one of the guest rooms.

Around 3 am she heard a lot of noise downstairs and got scared, thinking someone was in the house. She put on her house shoes and slowly walked downstairs and peaked into the kitchen to see a drunk Chris trying to fix him something to eat. She rolled her eyes and went back upstairs to get in bed and go to sleep since she had a lot to do in a few hours.

At 8 am, Karina was up and getting ready for her day. She did her morning routine and got dressed in something more laid back and went downstairs to cook breakfast. As she plated her food, Chris came downstairs groggy and moving slow.

"Morning." Karina spoke as she watched him sit down at the island. Karina fixed him a plate, grabbed a bottle of water and aspirin and sat them in front of Chris. She liked to eat outside in the mornings so she grabbed her plate and drink and went outside to eat. As the birds chirped and the cool wind hit her face, she thought about what to say to Chris. She didn't want to fuss at him like a child but she did want to be serious and straightforward. After she was done, she went inside and saw Chris with his head on the counter. She grabbed his plate and washed their dishes. Once she was done she stood there looking at Chris and took a deep breath.

"Chris, I love you and I admire your artistry...work ethic...and the relationship you have with your kids. You've been through so much over the years and still came out on top." She stopped talking once Chris sat up and looked at her. "But right now, I am frustrated with you and quite frankly borderline disappointed." Chris's face softened. "Last night, I felt like you were ready and willing to throw away your freedom for a temporary high that hasn't solved a damn thing since you started smoking. Drugs and alcohol has never and will never fix what you're dealing with mentally and emotionally. Chris..." She sighed and closed her eyes feeling herself getting emotional. "I sat in this house by myself for 6 months...6 months Chris while I worked on my own business and some of your stuff too. You missed a lot of time with your kids and I would think that would be a good enough reason to do what you need to do to stay out of trouble. All that time away from people who love and adore you and you flipped your shit over some lousy fucking weed?!" She raised her voice a little but took another breath. "What I'm really getting at is this...it's time to start choosing shit that actually matters because once you start choosing the stuff that doesn't...you lose the shit that does." She stared at Chris for a while and walked over to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

Karina grabbed her purse and keys and left the house. She needed to go to the warehouse and check on the hair products and sign cards for the sample kits she was sending out to promoters and friends. She was there for a couple of hours customizing the boxes and cards for 20 promoters in various places around the country. She was so excited to be launching a hair oil, cream, and water based leave in conditioner to go with the shampoo and conditioner.

After leaving the warehouse, she went to a private gym to run on the treadmill even though she hated running. Running was just a quicker workout that she could get out the way. After her run she left and made her way home so that she could shower. When she walked through the door, she smelled food and saw her favorite flowers in various places in the house. She walked into the kitchen and saw Chris plating Chinese food.

"Wassup ma." Chris said walking to her and hugging her tightly.

"I'm sweaty, I just came from the gym." She said.

"Sweat ain't never stopped me from nothing." He said kissing her neck and jawline. "You wanna eat now or take a shower?"

"Let me take a quick shower then we can eat." She ran upstairs and took a 15 minute shower. She then put on her night gown and went downstairs to see Chris pouring her some juice. They sat down, prayed, and then ate in silence.

"I'm sorry about last night, Rina." He said while putting his fork down and looking at Karina.

"It's okay."

"That shit not okay. I'm trying Rina I am but this shit hard as fuck. Weed the only thing I feel that keep me mellow but that shit only last for so long."

"I know Chris...you just got to hold out for the next 6 months and then after that, you make the decision on what you want to do. I might not agree with it but I love you and I'm here to help and support."

Chris nodded and they continued to eat and have small talk about Karina's day. Once they were finished, they decided to watch a movie in the theater to end their night.