HUMBLE.

XVII. Tested Limits

Gerald

"What is there left to talk about, Pearl?" I sighed sitting across from my almost ex-wife. I should've known to keep my ass in D.C. once T went to jail, but I let her convince me to move back to Houston because she was pregnant with our second child. I should've just took my girls like Gina tried to tell me back then.

She fidgeted with her fingers like a dope fiend. I know damn well she isn't doing that again. "G I-I need help," she gasped out as if I was supposed to have sympathy for her fake tears.

"Help for what?" I crossed my arms and looked her in the eyes. "From what my daughters tell me, you have all the help you need down in Houston. Is that all this marriage was? Money?"

She shook her head vigorously, "No, Gerald!" By then the other patrons in the coffee spot directed their attention toward us. "I loved you." She then whispered to divert everyone's attention.

"Loved me? As in past tense? Crawling back on my doorstep while I was in Brenham told me different. I had to put my ministries on hold to sober you up. If I would have known what was really going on and how you stole from your own damn children, you would've been locked up," I huffed while smirking and shaking my head. "But thea' I was tryna be a good ass husband and shi-"

"Gerald?" she looked at me sideways. "This ain't you. What bein' up hea' done done to you already? You prolly been drinkin' and shit too huh?!" she raised her voice and flared her nose.

"Let us not be concerned about me. This is supposed to be about you. What gives you the right to even question me and what I do?" I sat with my elbows on the table almost in a prayer position. "When I was gettin' all that money up hea' did you complain? No."

"Don't tell me you -"

"What? That I'm pickin' up whea' I left off bein' me? The real me?" I narrowed my eyes. "You had to have known it was only a matta of time. What do you think I did in Houston otha than preach? Somethin' had to pay the bills, huh? I paid the damn bills. G did that shit."

She shook her head and the tears poured down for her chocolate face. The same woman that took me for everything I had, including my children, was in my face finally defeated. All this time she had my freedom in her hands. Statute of limitations is a bitch though. I can't be tried for any of my past offenses and she knows that now. This is why I let her have all the freedom she had the past years. I wish it didn't have to be this way and I could have murdered her like I did the others then. Me and my daughters would have been in a much better position than we were now.

I did call myself moving on to a lady that was genuinely there for me when I needed. She even wanted to marry me as did I. The legal bond I had with Pearl was the only thing in the way and she was not going to make it easy for me to simply move on. She didn't want to move on. Now here we are. Face to face. Sorrow in her eyes; disdain in mine. I loathed her. I longed for this day. The day I could put into effect every emotion I had pent up for twenty years.

"I hate you," she muttered breaking me away from my internal monologue. She knew I wouldn't kill her in a neighborhood like this in broad daylight. She's trying to play smart.

I stood and dug in my pockets to throw a couple twenties on the table, "You hate me? OK." I smugly smirked. "I know where your hotel room is also, love. Tell Deacon I said hello."

Jade

Being awaken from our slumber, Sapphire and I groaned at the frantic knocking on our door. "Who is it?!" I groaned pulling myself from my bed to see who in the hell is interrupting the most amazing dream I was having. When I pulled the door open, there stood my aunt with a police officer.