Page 16 of Mr. Calloway

The love you give is something I cannot see myself ever giving up. Hell, you can say I’m obsessed at this point. Your nurturing ways make you a perfect mother, which I know you will be for our child. You are the definition of a strong woman, and I don’t take any of that for granted. You are the perfect lioness to this lion. You not only have a protective instinct, but your loyalty to a nigga like me is unmatched.

It's crazy because everything that you are, I thought my mother would be, but I guess I would never know.This may not be news to you, but it’s something I need to get off my chest. A nigga has mommy issues, and it fucks with me every day because that very thing is something I fight with. That very thing can affect how a relationship goes, and although you said I do, I don’t want to project that onto what we have, and if I did, Z, baby, forgive me.

Every day I wake up and try to be better than I was yesterday. I’m trying to find pieces of myself daily and put them together so that each time I present myself to you, a nigga is stepping forward whole and not broken.

What’s a broken man to a woman standing in her confidence? Not a fucking thing.What’s a broken man to a house where love feels one-sided? Not a fucking thing. What’s a broken man to a woman who is doing her best to make sure hedoesn’t feel less than a man? He’s a coward, and I may be many things, baby, but coward has never been one of them.

So, whatever it takes to keep our love flowing purely, I will do. Even if that means picking up this random-ass girl Dio sent here. You know, Z, Dio may be the one. Him doing something so noble as trying to save this girl reminds me of the girl I saved and fell in love with.

These letters are becoming kind of therapeutic and shit. However, because I do not know what the future holds for a nigga like me, I have to keep going so you will have a memory for every day you might have to be without me. You are the mother of my unborn child, you are the beat to my heart, you are the vegan queen I thought I would never find, you are my soul, you are my fucking wife, and I love you beyond this universe and into Calloverse, Z.

Signed,

Mr. Fucking Calloway

P.S. Does this mean we’re about to be parents before being parents or some shit? The last thing I need is to get attached to someone else.

I watchedMars as she slept. Between counting down the time and holding her in my arms, I knew this moment couldn’t last forever. The thought of wanting to be selfish and make her miss her plane ran through my mind many times, but I knew this was a part of being in a relationship, one I said I trusted. Leaning forward, I planted a kiss on her soft cheeks.

“I love you, gang, forever,” I whispered.

Just as I lifted, her alarm went off. It took her a minute, but her eyes opened, staring directly at me. “Today’s the day,” she groaned.

I ran my hand down my face. “I know. Get up, baby. You can’t miss your flight.”

She stretched before getting off the couch and heading into the bathroom. The moment she stepped inside and closed the door, I reached down to grab my phone to text everyone to make sure they were at the airport. We were a family, and it didn’tmatter the accomplishment or event; we had vowed to always be there for each other, and I expected nothing less for Mars. Once I got everyone's green light, I opened my tracker app to make sure the bitch was still working.

“Cool, cool,” I mumbled.

As I slid on my clothes, I smiled because the only things left here were this couch and a speaker. Mars and I had come a long way, and with the will of God and my village, I knew we would go further.

***

After what felt like minutes, which was truly a few hours, we were headed to the airport. I watched as Mars went from smiling one minute to looking scared in the next. I placed my hand on her leg.

“You’re going to be straight. Chill. Go learn some shit and have fun.” I winked.

She let out a sharp breath. “You know what? You’re right. Maybe when I get back, we can start planning for our wedding.”

I nodded. “The universe is yours, Mars. Whatever you want,” I told her.

By the time I truly focused back on the road, we were approaching the airport, where everyone was waiting. The biggest smile graced her face, and for those few seconds, I got emotional.

“Fuck, man!” I blurted out. “Mars, I don’t know if I can do this,” I choked up.

She turned to me. “Dio, I will be back. A lioness always comes back to her tribe.”

I shook my head. “Not the tribe, Mars. Come back to the prince.”

She laughed. “Okay, to the prince.”

I parked the car, hopped out, and grabbed her bags. The moment she stepped out of the car, her friends rushed into her arms. Chevy and Z stood behind everyone, looking like sad parents. It was as if their cub, whom they had nourished, was leaving to never return. Samara was a lioness just as Z was, and she was ready, whether any of us wanted her to leave or not.

Foe stepped forward, blowing smoke from his lips. “Damn, y’all acting like she’s moving away. Her narrow ass is just going overseas to do some painting and shit.”

“Nigga, ease up. Nobody talking about Harvey oldI’m wearing glasses to be coolass. She don’t need them shits,” I snapped back.

His eyes slowly rolled my way. “Yeah, nigga, what? Talking about my girl; what about yours?”