The Only Exception

31

Letoya

Walking to her casket, I looked in and didn't expect what was on the inside. Sure she was gone, but nothing would ever prepare me for looking on to actually see my cousins lifeless soul in a casket. Apart of my family was gone, apart of my heart was missing now.

"Why is she here?"

"Oh now that she's gone, she wants to be evident in her life."

"Those faulty tears... who even let her in the doors?"

Here we fucking go. The voices met my ears like freight trains. Shaking my head slightly, I leaned over and placed a light kiss on the deceased woman's cheek. "I'll always love you Mo."

A hand was placed on my shoulder, as a voice whispered. "I'm sorry Toya."

Whipping around, with a glare iced down terribly, my voice rose. "No! Don't touch me!"

Kelly tried to speak to me. "Leto—."

"No! It should have been you! This is your fault! This is all your fault. It should have been you!" Pushing her back a few feet, I stormed out of the church house.

That funeral held nothing but dead souls claiming to be alive... and I learned that I had no time to waste on anything or anyone false claiming.

I had learned the story, how Monica went to the dorm looking for me and all of a sudden she was shot. How Kelly didn't do much of anything to save her. I knew that she single handedly let my family die. This wasn't okay.

5 months later

"So what we are going to do is use the stats from the first graph, attach it to the ones from last week and get back to me with the results. I'm pretty sure we should have a least a 20 percent increase, but if we don't, let me know." I spoke to my employees politely.

They all smiled at me and nodded. "We will get it done Miss Luckett."

I nodded back at them. "Meeting dismissed."

When the exited a voice called out. "Well lookie lookie at the beauty of this woman."

Turning around, I smiled when I saw it was David. "Davie! What are you doing here?"

We hugged as he smiled back. "I came to see you!"

As we released, I asked. "How's New York treating you?"

"Better than Chicago ever has honey. Okay?"

I laughed at him. This boy was the gayest soul I knew of, but I loved him none the less. "That's good. That's good."

"How are you though? A company?"

"Yes sir. A company."

"Stocks I hear..." He mumbled in reference to what exactly my company does.

"Mhm. This my baby." I motioned around the place. "I had a few cards in my hands. Played the hand right and I ended up with this beautiful place and my equally beautiful employees."

"How much you taking in for this stuff?"

Smirking, I shot him a look. "Oh now you know I can't tell you all of that but just know, that customized G Wagon isn't paying for itself."

David chuckled. "Oh hunty, that was your shit parked curbside? Well excuse the hell out of me. You spoke to Jo lately?"

I shook my head. "Now you know that I haven't. After Monica died and I quit, I left everything where it was. How is she?"

"She's about to go to elections today. She's about to find out if she won. Wanna go?"

"Oh I'll pass." I chuckled as I declined. "She sent me a invitation with a note attached, I avoided it. Jo doesn't need me there. I am sure her family is there."

I had gotten a invitation personally for me from Jo about a week ago. It held a letter to it saying that she loved me and that if she didn't hear back from me then she would know her answer and leave me be. I think she caught the hint that I didn't want to be bothered.

"Well too bad I contacted Gil before I came and he begged to differ. Come on Toya, talk to the woman. She misses you and you miss her. What's the damn hold up? You then cut your hair, got ya own grind going, ya thick bitch."

I laughed. "David shut up."

"I'm serious though Toya. Come with me. Come with me for the fact of love."

"A wise woman once said, 'What's Love Got to Do With It?'"

"That girl wasn't wise. She got her ass beat for a long as time. So love had a lot of shit to do with it."

"She lied to me David. Several of times."

"You know, when people are born they have a line between their lips. And as long as they can open and close their mouth, they will fucking lie."

Rolling my eyes, I threw my hands up. "If I tell you yes, will you leave me be David Webber?"

"Well, of course I will." He smirked.

"Fine. I'll come."

He cheesed. "Yes! Let me tell Gil."

Shaking my head, I sighed. I didn't want to face Jo. I had blocked her out of my life completely. I had moved in with Essence until I got myself a nice condo. I'd given her the car back, the right way this time. I told her receptionist to give her the envelope that contained the keys to it and left the building. Her number was blocked on my phone and well... I had blocked her out of my life completely.

David frowned when he noticed how quiet I'd gotten. "Letoya, if you really don't want to go then you don't have to."

"No. No. It's okay, I'll be alright. I can't keep away from her for long, we are going to have to cross paths one day. Might as well have control over it."

"I'm glad you know. Let's go." He did a happy dance causing me to smile at him.

"Alright, let me get my things." I walked to my Red Room, which was my office. They'd nicknamed it the Red Room for its theme which was red, white and black. The windows from the outside made it look better than it did in the dark, but I still loved it nevertheless.

David looked around in awe. "Damn bitch, this is beautiful."

"Thank ya. Thank ya." I grinned at him as I picked my wallet, phone and keys up. "It took me so long to get it all squared away but I finally decided these colors."

"Well I likey. Got everything?"

"Yes sir, I do."

"Great. We take your car. Straight G-Wagon on you hoes. Let's go!" He put his hands behind his back as he ran out.

I shook my head. Boy oh boy, what the hell was I signing up for?