My heart fluttered, "Yeah, sure thing. See you then," I said. I hung up and walked back into the living room.
"Was that Scoota?" Drew asked.
"No Drew! Gosh. Why you irritating me about him? That's your brother, not mine. I cut all ties with him so don't ask me anything else about him!"
I stood up, got Imani from my mother's arms and bundled her up. I put her in her car seat and carried it to the car. My momma followed me outside.
"Was that Slim?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am. He wants me to come see him tomorrow and he says hi."
"Tell him I said hey and I miss him if you go." She opened the car door for me.
"I'm going to so I will." I got inside the car and started it. "I'm taking Imani."
"You're gonna tell him that she's his?"
"I might as well. Rather me tell him than anybody else tell him," I said.
She hugged me and closed my car door. I backed out of her driveway and drove to Zaxby's. I really pray that Slim gets out soon. That's all I think about now; how life is going to be when he touches down.
-- Two weeks later --
Slim
Finally, I'm a free man again. I don't have to live my the motto: three hots and a cot anymore. I can't wait to bathe, get dressed, and get back to this money but first, I want to meet my daughter. That's what's most important.
I heard the prison gates close behind me and that had to be the best sound ever. I looked around for my ride but it was nothing by an empty street. The same empty street I went down on the way here. All the visits and phone calls but I can't even get a fucking ride back to my house?
After sitting down beside the road and thinking for about five minutes, I heard a horn honk. I looked up to see the car I bought Platinum after her car got totaled out. She got out of the car and ran over to where I was. Before I could stand all the way up she had jumped on me and I was back on the ground.
"I missed you so much! Oh God Slim, you need a haircut bad! You need to shave too 'cause the caveman look isn't for you," she said, talking a million miles a minute.
"I missed you, too. I been here long enough, can you take me home?" I stood up after she did.
"Yeah, come on." She got into her car and I followed suit. I looked into the backseat but didn't see anything.
"Where's Imani? You said you were gon' bring her when you came to see me but you didn't and now when I get out, you still don't bring her."
"She's at my momma's house. I decided not to bring her the first time 'cause I didn't want her to see her daddy in jail even though she wouldn't know what was going on. Another reason is because we would've went home and you couldn't come home that moment to be with her so that probably would've been harder on you," she explained.
"Well I'm out now. I just want a good bath and to hold my daughter," I said not wanting to get into deep conversation. "You held it down though."
"Huh?" She glanced over at me and had a confused look on her face.
"I'm talking about recently, with Scoota."
"Oh, anything for you." She said nonchalantly, focusing on the road.
When Platinum and I first got together, I never thought we would break up. I never thought anything would separate us or come between us. Now here we are, not together and not the same.
About an hour and a half later, Platinum pulled into the driveway of a one story house in a quiet neighborhood. It wasn't in the busy part of the city but no too far away in case of emergencies. I got out of the car and we walked up to the front door. She put a key into the lock and both of us walked inside.
I was impressed when Platinum gave me the tour of her house. Everything was childproof even though Imani's still an infant. It was decorated mostly with red and black because those are her two favorite colors.
"This is your room," she said to me. We walked into a room almost as big as her huge master bedroom. I immediately noticed the bags on the bed.
"What is all this?" I asked.
"Just a little something for all the trouble I put you through," she answered.
Designer clothing was in every single bag. I noticed the closet was open already and full of my old clothes. She had bought personal hygiene stuff for me, too.
"Thank you," I said before hugging her. When I touched her, I could've sworn I felt a spark. Even though she hugged me outside of the prison, this one felt different. My hands slipped down to her ass out of habit and she buried her head in my chest just like when we were together.
"I have to go get Imani from my mother's house so you can bathe in the bathroom in the hall. Everything you'll need is already in there."
She pulled away before getting her keys and walked back up the hallway. It's gon' be hard as hell to stay here with Platinum without getting some but I have to remember, it's her fault that we aren't together now.
Platinum
When I walked back into the house, Slim was in the living room watching TV. He immediately got up and walked over to me with a nervous look on his face. I smiled and uncovered Imani's face.
"Damn, she the perfect mix between us," he said.
"You want to hold her? She's been asleep for a while so she's good."
"I guess so but what if I drop her? I don't want to drop her."
I laughed a little, "Slim just hold her and make sure you don't smush her, here." I passed her to him and showed him how to hold her.
"Aw shit, I woke up her up. What am I supposed to do?" He asked me.
"If she's not crying then you don't have to do anything, calm down." I got my phone out of my back pocket and went to my camera. I let if focus then I took a picture of them. It was so perfect. I set it as my home screen and locked my phone.
"I can't believe I'm a daddy. She gon' be calling me daddy in a while, damn. She so beautiful."
I walked over to the couch and repositioned her in his arms because she started to get upset. She calmed down quickly and started staring at Slim.
"Wassup daddy's baby?" He said to her. She made a little noise and cooed at him then it looked like she was trying to smile at him. "She love me already. I'm about to spoil the hell out of this little girl."
A few hours later, Imani was asleep and I was getting sleepy. I got her out of Slim's arms and took her to the nursery. I laid her down gently and was happy that she didn't wake up. I turned the baby monitor on and left the room.
"Platinum," Slim called my name from inside his room.
"What's up?" I asked as I walked in and stopped right in front of the door.
"Come here." He patted a spot on the bed beside him. I walked over and sat down. He pulled me to him and hugged me. I tried to pull away and he still wouldn't let me go.
"Damn Slim, did you miss me or something?"
"Yeah but I don't know how to thank you, honestly."
"Thank me for what?" I asked.
"That miracle in the next room. When I first held Imani in my arms, I thought about walking away from the game. She gon' change me for the better and keep me out of trouble. I thank you for having her."
"It took two people for her to get here, thank yourself."
I smiled at him and left the room. I miss the days where I fell asleep in Slim's muscular arms, feeling safe. I miss waking up to cook breakfast for him, the intamacy, all of it. I just want it all back.
The Setup
Start from the beginning
