Page 101 of All In

A minute later, Zambia’s oldest brother appeared at the end of the hallway. His face had gone pale. He walked straight to his father. The conversation lasted less than ten seconds. Whatever was said made Brother Anwarr’s shoulders stiffen almost immediately. Then everything moved at once. People scattered in different directions. Phones came out. One aunt disappeared toward the bridal suite. Another hurried toward the elevators. Cash stayed exactly where he was. His mother looked around until she spotted him. “Cassius.” He turned. Cash nodded once and followed his mother toward the private elevators reserved for the wedding party. Najee fell into step beside him.

The ride upstairs passed in silence. His mother stood rigid beside them, eyes fixed on the glowing numbers above the doors while Najee watched Cash from the corner of his eye. When the elevator opened onto the bridal floor, the quiet feltwrong.The bridal suite stood wide open at the end of the hallway. Women moved in and out with hurried steps, speaking in hushed voices that stopped whenever Cash drew near. He walked into the room and took everything in. Drawers had been left open. Garment bags were draped across the sofa. Makeup brushes, palettes, and bottles covered the vanity like somebody had been interrupted halfway through getting ready. Zambia’s wedding dress still hung untouched beside the bay window. One heel rested beneath the vanity. The other had been abandoned beside the chaise lounge. Cash’s gaze moved slowly across the room. Her perfume sat uncapped beside a bouquet of white roses. Her charger was still plugged into the wall, the cord hanging loose over the edge of the vanity. Everything she should’ve needed to become his wife was still there. Everything excepther.Then something else caught his eye. An ivory envelope rested neatly in the center of the vanity. One word written across the front.Cassius.Cash walked past everyone. Nobody tried to stop him. He picked up the envelope. Turned it over once. The seal hadalready been broken. Without saying a word, Cash slipped the letter from inside.

The room disappeared. And for a little while…

It was just him…and Zambia.

Cassius,

If you’re reading this… Congratulations. We finally kept our promise. Just not the one everybody else thought we would. Remember Fairmount Park? We were kids back then. Funny how the older I got, the more I realized sixteen-year-old me had a whole lot more sense than thirty-year-old me. Somewhere along the way… I stopped listening to her. I convinced myself I could learn to want this. That eventually duty would feel like destiny. That almost would count. News flash… It never did. Loving you wasn’t the mistake. Waiting for you to love me back was. And before you start feeling guilty… Don’t. You never lied to me. Not once. You gave me exactly what you promised. Respect. Protection. And eventually… Friendship. The problem was… I kept thinking maybe this would be the day I finally wanted the life everybody else wanted for me. That day never came. It didn’t hit me until one morning I woke up planning a wedding to the most solid man I’d ever known… and trying on dresses for a life I didn’t actually want. The crazy part? You would’ve given me a beautiful life. You would’ve protected me. You would’ve done everything right. Everything… Except love me the way I needed to be loved. And that ain’t your fault. These past few months have been both bitter and sweet. Please believe me when I tell you I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the real you. Learning your humor, watching you heal, and confront your own demons gave me the strength to finally face mine. And somehow, in spite of everything… We built the exact relationship we were always supposed to have. It just wasn’t a marriage. You’re my best friend, Cash. Maybe my only real friend. And you always will be. And I love you enough not to letyou spend the rest of your life pretending this is enough. I know you. If I walked down that aisle today… You would’ve married me. And I would’ve spent the next forty years pretending it was enough. Neither one of us deserves that. So today… I’m giving both of us something either one of us has ever had. A choice. Don’t waste it. Go build the life you actually want. Love because you choose to. Have babies because your heart says yes… Not because two families shook hands twenty years ago. As for me… Don’t come looking. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. And before your daddy sends out the National Guard… Yes. I know what I’m doing. No. I haven’t lost my mind. And yes… I’m smiling. Tell my daddy I’m sorry. And tell him I love him. Tell Fatima… Now she ain’t the only black sheep. Seriously though… Thank you. For loving me the best way you knew how. Even when it wasn’t the way I wanted. I love you, Cassius. Enough to let you go, and give you the freedom you would’ve never given yourself. Don’t let freedom make you ugly.

P.S. Fuck the plan. — Zamb

Cash carefully folded the letter back along the same creases Zambia had made and slipped it into the inside pocket of his Bisht. A phone chimed. Then another. Then three more. Cash felt his own phone vibrate. He pulled it out. An Instagram notification from@Zambinycfilled the screen. He tapped it. A single photo loaded. Zambia’s midsection. A private jet. One hand rested protectively over the swell of her stomach. An older white man’s hand covered hers.

The caption read:I’ll explain later.??

Cash stared at the screen for a long time. Then he laughed. Just one quiet breath of disbelief. He shook his head, slipped the phone back into his pocket, and started walking.

JACKIE

“Now that’s how a bitch go down the slide.”

Jackie looked up from the sweetheart table just as Kormia came powerwalking back into the ballroom, eyes wide and one hand clutched dramatically to her chest. The ballroom was nearly empty now. Hours earlier it had been filled with laughter, photographers, florists, caterers, and anticipation. Now it looked like somebody had pulled the plug on the whole day. Jackie sighed as she continued stacking charger plates. “Kormia…”

“What?” Kormia reached into the candy station and popped another chocolate-covered pretzel into her mouth. Jackie immediately smacked her hand. “Girl.”

“What?”

“That’s for—”

“For who?” Kormia asked around the pretzel.

“Ain’t nobody getting married today.” Jackie rolled her eyes. “Kormia.”

“I’m serious.” She shrugged. “Them people been running around here like somebody escaped prison. That bitch is gone. And I ain’t mad at her.” She reached for another handful of candy.

“See, if I was gon’ embarrass my family, destroy my social standing, and blow up an ole’ nasty arranged marriage from the nineties…” Kormia grinned. “I’d do it from thirty thousand feet in the air too.” She pulled out her phone. “Ooh… I know her story time gone do numbers when it drop.”

Jackie wanted to say she was surprised. She wasn’t, at least not really. She’d spent the last four weeks working alongside Zambia almost every day. And if she were being honest… it hadbeen surprisingly easy. That probably should’ve been the firstred flag.Zambia wasn’t the type to surrender control. She was a decisive, opinionated, take-over spirit through and through. But when it came to planning her own wedding… She’d let other people have opinions, she compromised and even opened the floor often. At the time, Jackie figured it was a trickle-down effect of motherhood.

Now… she wasn’t so sure. Truth be told, Zambia seemed far more invested in turkey jerky, dragon fruit Refreshers, and butterscotch Krimpets than she ever was in centerpieces or seating charts. Not exactly a bride’s diet. But an expectant mother’s?Maybe.Jackie waited until Newdy disappeared through the ballroom doors before looking back at Kormia. Who he was clearly waiting for.

Kormia was already gathering her purse.

“So… am I just supposed to act like I don’t know y’all living together or…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kormia answered a little too quickly.

Jackie raised an eyebrow. “Mmhmm.”

“I don’t.”

“You do. But I’m gonna let you be great.”

Kormia shook her head, fighting a smile.

“Bye, girl. He’s just giving me a ride back up the way.”