Page 83 of Exit: Us
“How was that your take on what I just said? I don’t want you to go back to London. Not ever. I’m on this truck with you, speaking marriage and kids. You just had your IUD taken out. All I was trying to say to you is that I’m a man with feelings. I feel bad that you’re getting pulled away from the things in London that made you happy. Even though I feel bad, I don’t feel bad enough for me to tell you to go back,” he said to me.
“Then word it like that the next time,” I shot, and with a shake of his head, he laughed, while pulling down on his beard.
“Either way, it means the same shit. You interpreted it the way you did because even though I’m on this truck giving you all this convincing, and love, there’s still a piece that lives in you that’s afraid that I’m going to do you like your clown ass ex,” he voiced.
“That’s not true. I know you won’t do me like that,” I defended myself.
“You do because the second I said what I said, you were quick to switch up my words and ask if I was trying to say that you should go back to London,” he went on.
“Because that’s the way I took it. I do trust you though, and I know you aren’t going to hurt me. Change the subject because you’re trying to start up a debate and my stomach hurts too much to be debating with you,” I sassed, and he laughed.
“It’s no debate, baby. We having conversation. I was checking you, yet again. Reminding you that I’m not shit like that goofy white boy that you had back in London,” he went on, and I allowed him to have it. Like I said, I was cramping, and I didn’t have the energy to go at it with him.
I had no plans to go back to London to live. When I did go back, it will be to visit my mom. As long as she was there, I was going to continue to make trips to London to see her. She was the only living parent that I had left, and I would never be able to forget about her. She was the only thing that would keep me coming back to London though.
Everything else was just a thing of the past. My present, and my future is wherever the hell Gemini was going. If it was Miami, then Miami is where I’ll reside. I’ll pick up where my father left out in Miami.
Maybe this was God’s way of bringing everything full circle. My father had already built a name for himself in Miami, but there was still so much work that he had left to do. I could come back to Miami and continue that legacy. I made a name for myself out there in London in the architectural world. With my father’s blood running through me, my smartness, and the eye that I had, I know for a fact that I could make a name for myself in Miami as well.
Chapter 22
Gemini Black
“Wait. Baby, before you go, which color do you think I should get? The light pink or should I just do white?” Amina asked me, as I was about to walk away from her.
We were at a nail salon inside of a mall, and she was sitting in one of the spa chairs, getting ready to get a pedicure. I’d gotten my pedicure, and manicure already. Amina’s nails took a while because her ass was picky as hell and wanted to see pictures and videos of everyone’s work before she went to them. When she finally decided on someone, he was already working on another client, plus he had another client waiting. You would think that she would have chosen to go to someone else, so she wouldn’t have to wait, but she didn’t. She waited on him to finish, wanting him to do her nails, and pedicure. That’s why they were still tending to her, while my services were complete.
“Get light pink. I like that one,” I let her know, walking over so that I could kiss her on top of her head, and her lips.
I let her know that I was going to walk around the mall and would be back by the time she finished. She was cool with that, so I left.
I had the day off today. We got in late last night to New Mexico. I didn’t have any jobs until tomorrow morning, so I was using today as a free day. I asked Amina what she wanted to do today, and she told me that she wanted to go to the mall. That answer didn’t surprise me at all. She didn’t want to go on a shopping spree, but she said that she wanted new pajamas, and shit like that. We did all of that already, and once she saw that the mall had a nail salon, she wanted to stop there too. I give her spoiled ass whatever the fuck she wanted. She even had me in the salon chair, getting a pedicure, and shit too.
Here I was, walking around the mall. I went into a few stores, picking up a few things for myself. As I was walking, I noticed that there was a Helzberg Diamonds to the right of me. Big as day. I couldn’t miss that shit. It was right there, and I felt like the sign had somehow become brighter than everything around it. The letters were glowing even more, trying to demand my attention.
My spirit was talking to me, telling me to take my ass inside that store, and get a ring for Amina. I’ve been on that truck with her, talking babies, and marriage nonstop. This had to be some kind of sign. Before I reacted on anything, I stepped away from the store for a little bit, so that I could call my pops. I knew he wasn’t going to be the one to steer me in the wrong direction, so I walked away, posted up on the wall, and I sat the bags down at my feet. I went for his number, called him, and he answered on the third ring for me.
“G, what’s up?” he asked.
“Nothing. What you got going on? You busy?” I asked him.
It felt like my heart was racing as I stood here talking to him. This was weird because I’ve never really been the type to get nervous about anything.
“No. I’m headed back to the campus to do my last lecture for the day. What’s going on?” he wanted to know.
I sighed when he asked me that. Sighed, nervously laughed, and picked my hand up, so that I could scratch my head.
“I’m off today. Me, and Amina at the mall. She’s getting her nails done right now, so I’m by myself. I just walked by Helzberg Diamonds. Pops, the voices in my head telling me to go in there and get her a ring. What you think? You think I’m tripping? Tell me something. I don’t really know what to do,” you could hear my nervousness in the way I was talking. I could tell that my pops was even surprised that I was nervous because he started laughing.
“Ay, first off, you need to calm the fuck down. You sweating already and you not even standing at the altar. Ain’t no harm in going in there and looking at some rings. What’s your plan though? You just going to look, or you plan to buy? If you buy, then what’s the plan after that? You going to propose soon? Let me know something,” the way he was firing these questions off back-to-back was making me even more nervous.
He just told me to calm down, but he stressed me out even more with the questions that he just asked.
“Man, if I go in there, I ain’t going just to look. I want to purchase a ring. Pops, this my final stop man. I love that girl. I want to get her a ring and ask her to marry me. I already know that’s the plan. I was just calling you to ask you if I was tripping,” I let him know.
“Nah. You not tripping. You being a fuckin man. You being the man that I raised you to be. Real men don’t waste women’s time and allow shit to get dragged out. You make your mark, put claims on it, and you lead and commit. You not tripping. You found the one, and your heart is at peace with your decision. Go buy the ring, son. Call your sister first, so that you can get an idea of the kind of ring that Amina may want. Don’t just walk your ass in there, and buy some shit because it looks good, and its’ pricy.Go through Gianna. That’s her best friend, so I’m sure Gianna will know,” he told me.
“Aight. Ima do that,” I said.
