FRI, MAY 6TH, 2016...
"Hey, you dropped the kids off yet?" Siddiqah's dulcet voice, a complete contrast of her twin sister's rich one, came through loudly on the speaker of Carnation's car.
Usually, if she wasn't working over the weekend, she was spending time with her best friends. It took some time getting used to not having the kids on weekends because she was so used to her those two days being occupied, time taken up by caring for her children.
"Yeah, I just left Michael's house. Why, what's up?" Carnation should've known that they were up to something. They always were.
"Me and Saaki are on our way to your house. How far are you from being home?"
Carnation's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she still answered as if undoubtful. "About forty-five minutes. The roads are pretty clear right now."
"We'll be waiting when you get here," Siddiqah said.
"What's the occasion?"
"You'll see, girl. You're gonna have to change if you don't got nothing cute on though," she added. Her tone wasn't at all telling, so Carnation hadn't a clue of what to expect.
"What in the world are y'all plotting?" she questioned apprehensively. Siddiqah and Saaki would never put her in a situation where she was uncomfortable or disliked whatever was going on—intentionally—but Carnation still couldn't help but worry. Her friends were truly unpredictable.
"It's honestly not bad," Sid reassured her, "I think you're gonna enjoy it. Jus' hurry."
Exactly as promised, when Carnation pulled into her driveway, her friends were sitting in Saaki's car as they waited on their friend. As she got out of her car, the twins were jumping out of their own with Set It Off by Boosie Badazz playing loudly from their radio. Saaki, being the unapologetically spirited woman that she is, was throwing her ass in a circle as soon as she was out of the driver's seat, turning the music up just a bit more. Carnation deadpanned and cocked her head to the side in faux disappointment, but it was impossible to hold her straight face.
"Don't act like you weren't the same way in your twenties!" she exclaimed as the song ended.
"I wasn't! I had a baby on my hip by the time I even hit twenty. You're just ghetto," she joked with Saaki. They had the kind of relationship where they could insult each other and there were no ill feelings towards one another. "Are y'all gonna tell me why y'all are posted outside my house like you have a warrant for my arrest?"
"Just go get dressed," Siddiqah said once she came around the car as Saaki was reaching inside to turn the music down. "Wear something real sexy but not too revealing."
"Why? Where are y'all tryna take me?" She trusted her friends but knew they were up to something. She knew solely by the way they wouldn't answer any of her questions and went out of their way to dodge them with more questions.
"Can't tell you yet, it's a surprise. Unlock your door so we can get you out of these bummy ass clothes," Saaki said, closing her car door and locking it up with her key. The twins urged her to let them inside and forced her upstairs.
They foraged her closet as Carnation hopped in the shower, figuring she may as well since she had to get cute. As she was combing through her hair, prepared to flat iron it and save herself some precious time instead of engaging in a long battle with her grain, she saw Siddiqah and Saaki bickering over what they felt would be a cuter outfit, each one portraying their own vibes.
Siddiqah went for a more mellow, reserved look. She chose an umber pair of leather jeans that she knew would still hug nicely around Carnation's thighs and curves. Her shirt was a bronze sleeveless mesh shirt, and of course a white bra to put under it since the black one was too noticeable. To match, she had a pair of black open toe heels out and some jewelry she found on Carnation's dresser while she was still in the bathroom, handling her business.
Saaki's choice was simpler but sexier; an orange two-piece set—leggings and a tube top that had a long string of fabric to tie around the waist. No jewelry was needed to add to the outfit that was already enough on its own. She didn't have a pair of shoes quite yet but knew some black heels would go just fine.
"I am not wearing that," Carnation declared as the twins were still arguing over which outfit.
They both cut their eyes in her direction. "Which one?" they asked simultaneously.
"The orange one. I'm not twenty-two anymore, Saaki. I'm thirty-three with three kids. I'm not even sure I could fit that."
She remembered the outfit from when she was younger. A couple years after Solay was born, Michael and Carnation had realized that their rough patch—the first of a few before their divorce—was caused by the amount of stress they were experiencing on a day-to-day basis. Lots of work, graduating nursing school and starting a new job in an unusually fast paced environment, Michael trying his best to make his mark in the music industry and, most of all, less and less sex put enough strain on their marriage as is. But not having fun while still being so young? That made their lives all the more difficult. They started making time where time could be made, going out together or on their own. Those were the kinds of outfits that made Michael ask for more kids.
Sadly, things were different now. She had no one to wear an outfit like that and doubted she could even jump into the pants.
After finally getting her into the outfit Siddiqah picked out, they were in her car and on their way to wherever the twins were dragging Carnation to this time. The leather wasn't the most comfortable to sit in but they were pulling up to some fancy building in DTLA within fifteen minutes, much to her delight.
When they went inside, she saw that the place was packed with Black people mingling amongst themselves, all dressed in nice clothes to present themselves accordingly. The smell of soul food charged Carnation's nostrils. Not good for her diet.
"What is this supposed to be? Y'all invited me to one of your work things without asking?"
Saaki was a life coach with a PhD in psychology and counseling. She had her own practice, which took years to acquire, but with lots of support from her friends and family, everything worked out in her favor. There was a lot of stress and times where she thought she didn't have enough money, especially during the first seven months where clients were scarce, but there were always people that had her back and helped her chase her dreams.
She was still very involved with her job previous to working for herself, well acquainted and even friends with many of her old coworkers and bosses, so these work events that Carnation spoke of weren't sporadic. Saaki often invited her to them. She'd gone once. Not having a good experience—many tried to flirt with her despite the rock on her finger—she had long ago sworn not to come back because she wasn't comfortable in that setting. Not to mention, it was boring as hell.
Siddiqah was a human resources manager, making almost as much money as her sister, but still earning a great salary. She didn't have much of these—her job was a bit boring, in her words, but the pay mattered far more than that. Whenever she did have some kind of work event, Carnation could never make it. Genuinely. Not that she wanted to go anyway. The twins knew that very well.
"Not quite," Saaki answered as they emerged scoured the crowd for any attractive faces, her smirk mischievous. She took a quick glance at her sister. "It's speed dating."
Carnation jerked her head back and looked in between her best friends. "Oh, absolutely not. Hell no. I don't wanna do this. Y'all know I'm not tryna date."
"Babe, it'll be fun," Siddiqah attempted to reason. "It's a nice lil thing for Black people only. You might meet someone really nice."
"Why can't I just not be ready to date right now?" Though she and her ex had been separated for over a year, their divorce hadn't even been legal and finalized for nearly as long. They had a few months to go until then. The last thing on earth she was worried about was finding another man to put up with and bother her.
"You can," said Saaki, "but don't you wanna put yourself out there?"
"No, not really," Carnation responded matter-of-factly.
"Then let's make some friends. If you aren't feeling it, we can leave," Sid said.
Carnation squinted at her. "No one is here to make friends, everyone's here to date."
"Everyone's willing to make friends. It's like Tinder!" Carnation's face fell to apathy and Siddiqah giggled. "Just try it," she drawled out, taking Nation's hands into her own.
As much as she wanted to let her friends have it, right here and right now, she held her tongue and let it go. It could genuinely be fun, and Carnation already didn't get out enough as is. Sure, she wasn't going to take any offers, that she was sure of, but it didn't hurt to do something as spontaneous as this. She gave in.
Carnation already knew that Saaki and Siddiqah weren't going to back down. So, the moment she was feeling uncomfortable and out of place, or a man slipped up and said something she didn't like, she was making them take her right on home. With her consent, their eyes scanned the crowd for anyone who wasn't talking to someone else or was seemingly ending their conversation and picked their poison.
It honestly wasn't that bad. She didn't meet anybody she'd necessarily date, but she engaged in good conversation with some outwardly decent men. Carnation took a few numbers, having felt a bit obligated due to what may have seemed like chemistry to other parties, but had no real intention of texting or calling any of them. There were a few that were definitely better off contacting one of the other women who were here to mingle.
Once she started getting tired, she requested to be taken home. For the past nearly hour and a half, they'd been politely declining compliments and corny, reused jokes about them being twins. They didn't want to leave the building, ultimately leaving Carnation by herself, so they all made some sacrifices tonight. They inquired impertinently about her night, but she was not in the mood to disclose any details with the people who forced her into this situation in the first place. They could talk about it some other time.
••
SAT, MAY 7TH, 2016...
"So, who's on the list?" Saaki asked. They made sure to call Carnation's phone that next morning to follow up with their dying questions. Each of them was getting ready for something this morning—Carnation for work, Siddiqah for her morning run, and Saaki for work as well. Her first clients weren't until 8:30, but she preferred an early start.
"Nobody," Carnation admitted. It was the truth. She hadn't even contemplated dialing any numbers she was given and even started deleting some of them before bed last night.
"You ain't get no numbers, Carnation?" Siddiqah's voice told her that she wasn't believing that.
"No, I did. I got a couple, but..." She shrugged.
She slipped the pants of her blue scrubs on, pulling them up and past her thighs. She tied the yellow tie around her waist. Now that she and Michael got into their flow of him having the kids over the weekend, she preferred to work all day on Saturdays and Sundays, then once a week while everyone is at school after dropping them off. That way she wasn't worrying about the kids being home alone while they were working.
She had to admit, this was so much easier, especially now that she had a much more stable work schedule. Carnation could count on bringing the kids to Michael's house every Friday and working for the next two days, which she didn't mind at all. She truly loved her job. She just hoped that Michael would keep this up. She knew how he sometimes had a bad habit of not balancing is work and family.
"Who was your favorite?" Siddiqah inquired.
"That's a good question 'cuz I don't know." Carnation grabbed her Degree deodorant and applied some to her underarms before slipping her shirt over her head.
"Liar, yes you do!" Saaki exclaimed. They could hear her car starting up after she turned the key in the ignition, meaning she was already on her way to her office. "Who was the most charming?"
"Girl, they all had the same amount of phony charm and no personality. I only took numbers 'cuz I felt obligated. Half of 'em have been deleted outta my phone, believe me." She let out an amused chuckle, as if proud of herself. Really, she just wasn't looking for anything. After being single for a year, she'd gotten used to it. As long as she had her kids, everything else was trivial. "I gotta go, y'all, before I'm late." She always left the house at a time based on what she understood LA traffic to be at its worst. She had a surgery that she did not want to be late for, and it was pushing 7am. If she got caught in traffic, she would never make it on time.
"Whateverrrr," Saaki dragged. "I'm on my way to work anyway. I'll talk to y'all later."
Siddiqah and Carnation bade their farewells before each hanging up the phone. She grabbed her KILIAN Paris perfume, spritzing just a small amount down her body, before sliding her shoes on. She looked in the mirror, smoothing back any fly aways and grabbed her scrub jacket. She went downstairs to fill her insulated bottle with some cold water and fill a small Tupperware container with strawberries and mangoes she chopped up two nights ago before the kids got home from school.
Her phone rang. She thought it was going to be Siddiqah or Saaki calling her back but when she removed her phone from her back pocket, it was Michael's name that popped up on her screen. She knit her eyebrows together.
"Why is he calling me so early?" she questioned before picking up. "Hello?"
"Mommy!" It was Sayon. Carnation started to smile and rolled her eyes as her head shook. She already knew he was on some foolishness this morning, and by the whine in his voice, something must've happened with one of his siblings. Most likely Solay. It seemed like they didn't get along very well.
"Say, what's wrong? Why are you up so early?"
"I wanna go home," he mewled. This wasn't the first, second, or even the third time he called Carnation with this. More often than not, it was because he got into it with his older sister, or he didn't get what he wanted and was on the verge of some kind of tantrum.
"What for?"
"'Cuz Solay is mean."
"Sayon," Michael's irritated voice could be heard saying in the background.
"Give the phone to daddy, Say," Carnation requested as she popped a strawberry into her mouth. Looking at her fingernails that needed a repaint very soon, her son responded with an okay, and there was a moment of silence as he handed the phone back to Michael. "Hello?"
"Yeah, man," he mumbled.
"What's wrong with him now? Why's he beefing with Solay again?"
"Not a clue. He fuckin' woke me up about this bullshit."
"Watch your mouth around him, Michael." Her hand smacked the counter gently before she placed the red top on the Tupperware and turned to lean against the marble structure.
"Sorry I'm jus' irritated. I think he and Solay got into it last night over something irrelevant and it's still bothering him today."
Carnation wasn't surprised. "Well, tell him he'll come home tomorrow with his siblings. I have work and I can't get him. He's gonna have to get over it."
Michael gladly passed on the message. He wasn't trying to deal with this mess so early in the morning. "Mommy said you're going home tomorrow like everybody else." Sayon let out a whine. Carnation just knew he'd thrown his head back and maybe even stomped his foot. "Go in your room with that... and close my door. Thanks so much."
She couldn't help but chuckle at the interaction. Sayon truly was the biggest baby ever, but she loved him so much. He was her baby.
"Taking my ass back to sleep," Michael uttered in slight irritation.
"Oh," Carnation spoke before he could say he was getting off, "before you hang up the phone, I wanted to let you know that you're about to start bringing the kids home on Sundays. Use some of your damn gas instead of all of mine."
She already tasked herself with driving the kids to and from school, and that was fine. But now she was driving an hour to drop them off or pick them up from their dad's, and that was one way.
Michael didn't mind, and his tired laugh told it all. "That's cool. You want me to drop them off tomorrow?"
"That would be great. I work so I'm gonna be too tired."
"I got you. See you tomorrow." She heard him get comfortable.
"Bye."
••
SUN, MAY 15TH, 2016...
"Kids, let's roll out!" Michael exclaimed as he exited his bedroom and started down the L-shaped stairwell. He jangled his car keys in his hand, further alerting his three babes that it was time to go. "I got work early tomorrow and I'm sure your momma wants y'all back."
Solay was downstairs, laying on the floor in the middle of the living room, in front of the electric fireplace. She turned over so that she was still on the ground but looking at Michael as he passed through the area, to the front door to put his shoes on.
"But it's only four o'clock. I don't wanna go yet."
"I know what time it is, lil girl, and you got school tomorrow, so you're SOL." The boys were already on their way down. When he heard their footsteps, he turned. Sayon was at the top of the stairwell. "Sayon, do you have everything packed up. You forgot your toy last weekend and was sick about it."
"Yes, I got everything," he promised, his suitcase dragging behind him. Michael reminded him to slow down, not wanting him to topple down the stairs and hurt himself. They weren't carpeted and he would surely break something.
Solay stood and hurried upstairs to check that she had everything together, leaving whatever she didn't mind waiting to have next weekend, and then made her way down. They were on their way to get in the car when Michael spoke up.
"Lay, come help me put these suitcases in the back. You two can get in the car."
Usually he had Saint help him, but Michael wanted to talk to Solay about this little boy she called herself dating. Still in denial about his baby growing up on him, he felt that, as her father, it was only right that he knew as many details as Solay was willing to offer. She didn't talk about Josiah much with him, likely because he wasn't fond of the idea of her dating, but there was nothing he could do about it. Carnation was going to allow it and he didn't have much control over the situation.
Michael first showed her how he wanted them to fit in the back, and he closed it up once everything was neat and he was sure his view wasn't being obstructed. She started to walk around the right side of the car to get in the passenger seat, but Michael pulled her back by her shirt.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry." He chuckled. "I wanna talk to you about something important."
"You coulda stretched out my shirt," Solay exclaimed, rubbing the fabric with her fingers to make sure he didn't mess her clothing up. "What is it?"
"How's that lil boy you're..."
"Dating," she finished for him. He was clearly struggling to do so himself. "You can say it."
"Aye, don't be getting smart with me." He pointed at her, but his gaze softened when she flashed about impressionable smile. He could absolutely never stay mad at his baby.
Instead of egging it on, she just answered his question. "It's good."
"So, y'all still doing whatever y'all are doing?" he asked in surprise. He figured that was already the case. Had it not been, he would've seen signs a long time ago. Sometimes he just felt like he wasn't as involved in the kids' lives as he wanted to be because of his divorce with Carnation. The dating thing was something she decided on her own that, if Michael was still married to her, they would've decided together. She didn't even take his feelings into account, and it bothered him.
"Dating," Solay emphasized once again. "It's good, daddy. Me and Josiah are fine."
"Y'all ain't doin' nothing right?" he asked.
"Daddy, no." She grimaced, her countenance turning to irritation. "Ew."
His hands shot up in defense. "Look, I'm jus' making sure! I gotta make sure 'cuz you're too young." He felt that, in this point in Solay's life, while she was young, blissfully ignorant, and unexperienced, he had a right to know. He's just as much a parent as Carnation is, and he was certain they had this talk already.
"I knowww, daddy," she grumbled. "Mommy already told me I can't be doing anything like that.'
"Okay, good."
"Plus," she said, "'Ion wanna do anything like that. It's nasty."
Michael wasn't going to argue because she wasn't wrong. He just shrugged and went on. "And he shouldn't either. Y'all too young for all that, but I know how these lil boys be." She pressed her lips together, almost rolling her eyes at her father before she was walking away and getting in the car.
He started the drive back and when he arrived at Carnation's house after a damn near two-hour drive caused by relentless traffic, he was surprised to see her car wasn't parked outside like he expected it to be. He knocked on the door and received no answer, so Solay unlocked it with her key. They got inside and all the lights in the house were off. Despite her car being gone, Michael went upstairs after the kids to check the bedroom and see if she was possibly sleeping and could answer for her missing ride.
Seeing that she was gone as well, he picked up his phone, made sure the kids were unpacking, and went back downstairs to give her a call. When she answered, Michael was met by her fatigued voice.
"Mm hm?"
"Nation, where you at?"
Fatigue turned to confusion, she responded, "At work, what you mean?"
He smacked his teeth. "Girl, I'm at the house right now. You're supposed to be here-"
"Excuse you," she cut him off before he could finish up his thought. "I'm not supposed to anywhere but at work. You forget yourself and your place." He jerked his head back and opened his mouth to respond, but she hammered on. "I have a job just like you do, and this job gave me an eleven-hour surgery, so I'm not really in the mood to play with you right now."
"Well, goddamn. My bad," Michael said. "When are you gonna be home? I gotta start getting ready for work tomorrow. I got an early day."
"And whose problem is that? I never even told you to bring them this early. It's not even six o'clock."
"Yeah, but I thought you would be home. You usually get them around this time anyway."
"Well, you're dropping them off now, so there's no need for all that. I'm too tired to be driving around right now so I'm taking a nap."
"Carnation. I can't jus' leave the kids here by themselves."
"Exactly, so stay with them in the house until I get there. I'll be back in about an hour and a half. An extra hour with them won't hurt."
"That's not even what I was getting at." He rolled his eyes.
"I'll be back in an hour and a half," she emphasized, causing his face to blank, "that way you can get back home around eight. I'm saving you from traffic, you should be thanking me instead of giving me all that attitude."
"You know what, girl."
"Goodbye, Michael. Get off my phone..." Before he could hang up, she continued, "Oh! And order the kids some pizza or something. I'm not cooking tonight. Bye." Three beeps went off in his ear and Michael kissed his teeth.
Since he knew there was no arguing with Carnation, he decided to lock up the house and go upstairs to help the kids get their things unpacked. Michael mostly had to help Sayon because he liked putting dirty clothes back into his drawers, and he did it constantly. Michael helped him put the fitted sheets on the bed and then did as his ex-wife asked and ordered them some food.
He had them all shower, allowing Solay to use Carnation's bathroom to make the process faster, while they all waited for the Chinese food he decided to get. He made sure to get something for his boo as well.
Finally, almost two hours later, Carnation was walking through the door. He could see the tired written all over her face. Michael stood from the couch, turning the television down before she could complain about the volume being that high. She placed her bags down and looked around the room, silently making sure everything was orderly.
He started immediately. "What happened to an hour and a half?"
"Michael, give me a damn break. You can go home," she mumbled.
"Mommy!" Sayon ran to greet his mother and give her a hug. A small grin touched her lips as she bent down to give him a kiss on the top of his head. Her next two came running into the room as well. She kissed their cheeks.
"'Ion get no kiss?" Michael asked.
"In your dreams. Go home."
"Why you kicking me out?"
"You were so hellbent about getting home on time, so goodbye."
He rolled his eyes. "No need to be all curt with me. I'll leave... come give me a hug, guys." The children rush over to say their goodbyes to their father. "Love y'all."
"Love you, too, daddy." Solay smiled.
"Love you!" exclaimed Saint and Sayon.
Michael looked up at Carnation and smirked, making her deadpan. She rolled her eyes once she opened his mouth. "I love you, baby mama," he teased.
"Bye, Michael." She shooed him away.
"Alright, alright." He stood up straight and patted the pockets of his jeans, searching for his keys. "You're so mean." As he pulled his keys out, his phone buzzed from his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at Zaire's text message. He sent a Michael a SoundCloud link.
Mena Studios
Zaire: man, this shit is vicious
Zaire: we have to get into contact with this dude. i don't think he's signed but i'm not sure
He pressed the link and paused the music as it had started playing the moment the app opened. Michael didn't want it to play until he was in there where he knew he'd actually listen. He texted Zaire back just as Nas sent a heart to the message.
I'll make sure to give it a listen when I get on the road.
He knew that it was time to head out now. He glanced at Carnation and said, "Alright, I'm outta your hair. I'll see y'all next weekend." The kids waved and Solay returned to the kitchen where she'd been sitting since finishing her food. "I ordered you some Chinese, Nation. It's in the fridge."
"Oh, thank you." She was sitting on the couch now, right leg crossed over the left as she clicked through different streaming services in search of something to watch.
Michael left out—Carnation standing to lock the door after him then grab warm up her food—and jumped in the car. When he started on the road, he played the song he was sent by Zaire, sung by a man named SiR called All in My Head. Much to his surprise, a strong, yet velvety, male voice filled his car. He nodded his head in approval, along to the beat of the music.
Once he stopped, having stopped at gas station to fill up and go inside and get something to snack, he called his A&R representative, not in the mood to text back and forth in the group chat.
"How you find him?" Michael asked upon getting an answer. If he was signed already, he had no business stealing him away. Not unless SiR had some kind of shitty contract. In that case, Michael was happy to step in.
"See, I was just tryna find some new music, get some inspiration, and I came across this dude. His music is too good," Zaire answered. "I wanna get into contact with him ASAP. I just wanted to check in with you first."
"Yeah." Michael nodded. He opened the door and hopped out of the car and locked it up, leaning against the door for a second. "He's talented. I think you're making a good call with him, and we don't got enough big male singers anymore. He could be something valuable."
"So, I'm free to contact him?"
"For sure. Tell him I'm interested as long as he is."
"Got you. I'll hit you back once I hear something..." Zaire trailed off before adding, "Don't forget we have things to do tomorrow, so make sure you get sleep and eat well. It won't be any time for all that too much tomorrow."
Michael sighed. This was a rare occasion; he usually didn't go to the talent shows because he trusted his team to handle all of that for him. He usually met the artists during meetings to negotiate contracts, and hoped they could sing and write.
"I'm already knowing."
Zaire exhaled from his nose in amusement. "Peace."
Michael made his way into the gas station store, shoving his cellphone into his back pocket. He went to the counter to hand the cashier seventy-five dollars for the pump his car was at. He then searched the aisles for something small to munch on while he was on the road, which wouldn't be for much longer. While deciding between king-sized Reese's or Kit Kats, he felt eyes on him. Michael looked up and to his right, noticing a group of girls taking a video of him. They turned immediately when they saw him looking in their direction.
Michael wasn't the closest too famous—he merely helped other people get famous and gained a little bit of publicity from that—but he was fairly known for his work, having worked with influential artists. As of right now, Sasha was his biggest. Her Lemonade album was doing numbers on the charts, thanks to him breathing down her back, and he was receiving good royalties off of that. Hopefully it'd open up more opportunity for bigger artists. To this day, even after fifteen years, he was still expanding and making a name for himself. Was he trying to be on Pharrell's level, perhaps not, but he wanted to be known.
Michael chuckled and shook his head. He went to pay for his items. On his way out, he was stopped by a young woman. One of the girls who was staring at him from across the store. He turned around and she smiled gently.
"Sorry for taking a video of you like that," she first stated. "We were just scared to approach you."
"It's all good. I'm not worried about it."
"You produced the Lemonade album, right?"
"I did." He nodded. Michael's smirk was barely noticeable. He wanted to come off as humble, but he appreciated anyone who appreciated his work.
"It's really good," she complimented.
Of course, he couldn't take all of the credit, but instead of going on a tangent about how Sasha was the one who did all the hard stuff, he just accepted the compliment. "Thank you. I appreciate that."
"My friend over there actually makes music."
He saw what this was. "Does she now?" he questioned with his brows raised to the top of his forehead.
The girl nodded her head. "Yeah. Her name is Christy, and she actually has a beautiful voice, and she writes really well, too. I could show you some stuff if you have time," she offered. Michael found it admirable that she was promoting her work. Christy had some good friends on her side.
"I'm actually on my way home right now," Michael told her, and a defeated frown touched her lips. "But look. Tell your friend there's auditions in Anaheim all day tomorrow. 6am to 8pm. If she's serious about this, she should look into it and sign up on online. There's still spaces left."
"Oh my gosh, okay." She was more than happy to hear that. "I'll tell her. Where exactly is it?"
She gave Michael her cellphone so he could guide her through it quickly, leaving her to figure out the simpler stuff with her friends. She thanked Michael and he went on his merry way, finally free to fill up his car.
••
MON, MAY 16TH, 2016...
"He hit me back last night and I happened to be up, so we were texting back and forth for a lil while before I ended up getting him on the phone," Zaire relayed upon the room finally being empty. This would be the first "break" in four hours, and more were expected to hopefully pull through, so the three men didn't have a lot of time for small talk or leisure. Today was a workday if any of them knew one.
"And said what?" Michael asked, looking up from his phone and to Zaire.
"He's interested. He's been releasing all his music on SoundCloud since he started making it. He does it all in his bedroom."
Michael nodded his head and turned his phone off. "I'll have Von get into contact with him and set something up. Just text me all of his information so I can pass it on. I hope you didn't make him any promises."
"You know I'm smarter than that. But I can just text Von myself," Zaire offered.
"Now you know Von doesn't listen to nobody but Michael," Nas cut in, shooting a knowing glare in Zaire's direction. "That nigga is in love with Michael, and he hates the rest of us."
"He does his job though. I'll let him know myself, jus' text me the dude's information." Michael rolled his eyes and placed his phone on the table, sighing.
The two men weren't necessarily wrong. Von, a proudly gay man, has had a crush on his boss since being hired, and he wasn't shy about it. He always remained professional, but it was painfully obvious that he favored Michael over everyone else.
It never bothered Michael because he was comfortable in his own sexuality, and Von was just as comfortable in his own. That line would never be crossed, not only because Michael is as straight as a line, but also because the setting was professional, and he would get the boot if he ever thought about trying to pursue his boss on that level. His attitude at times with the others could be off-putting at times, and he'd gotten a few good talking to's, but it wasn't enough to make Michael fire him.
By now, he, Nas, and Zaire had been here all day. They took a few thirty-minute breaks every five hours or so, wanting to get through as many aspiring artists as possibly without overexerting themselves. There wasn't an overwhelming amount of people, but they definitely had some lines. Singers, rappers, beatboxers, and whatever other musical talents people presented.
Michael was looking for something unique. Something people didn't see often. Putting numbers aside, he wanted something that was special to passionate individuals and would give him the opportunity to give them an outlet for self-expression.
So far, his favorites were SZA—she had been signed previously to Top Dog but left shortly after releasing her EP due to an expired contract and for better opportunities—and a few others. 6loom, pronounced "bloom," their real name Duane Johnson, was another favorite of his.
Michael had a few more performances to sit through on the lists of a few hundred names that'd been crossed out by now, one at a time. Some didn't show up at all, so he left their names uncrossed in case they did end up coming. He understood if something came up or maybe it just had to do with nerves. He tried his best to remain lenient with people because he had no idea what went on in other peoples' lives. Now it was about to be seven o'clock, and he couldn't wait. Once that hour mark came, time flew.
Michael stood up and went to the far left of the room to throw his trash away, get something to drink, and put some hand sanitizer on his hands. As he was making his way back to his sat, another young woman came in. She looked no older than eighteen or nineteen years old, and he could feel her nerves as she slowly made her way in, looking around the unfamiliar territory.
"Hi," Michael greeted as he had a seat, and he grabbed his ballpoint pen. "What's your name?"
"Christy Johansson," she said to him.
"Okay..." He searched the long list for her name. "I remember you, actually." Michael looked up at her and pointed. "Your friend told me you can sing something mean."
"Um." Christy grinned gingerly and nodded her head. "Yeah, I think so."
"Gotta have more confidence, sweetheart."
Knowing that Nas was flirting, Michael punched him in the arm. Zaire cut in before the men could start up with their bickering. "What are you gonna sing for us today?" he asked Christy.
"Um." She smiled gently, swiped her loose curls behind her ears and crossed her hands together. "I'm gonna sing A Song for You... the actual song. By Donny Hathaway."
The three of them nodded, it finally clicking in their minds.
"Got confused there for a second," Zaire commented.
Nas chimed in. "You telling me. I was like, ain't that the point?"
"Shut up so she can sing."
Christy laughed to herself. "I can use the piano, right?"
"Of course. Whatever you need to use, please do so. If you need some water before you start, feel free. It's over there." He pointed in the direction of all the beverages and snacks that were now just about gone. "We aren't in a rush, so take your time and let us know when you're ready."
"Okay, thanks."
While she took a cool five minutes to get herself together and calm her nerves, they all spoke amongst themselves. Nas was the first to speak, trying his best to look discreetly in her direction.
"Man, she's beautiful." He glanced over at his friends. "You better sign her, Michael."
"She needs to be able to sing and you're not getting romantic with anybody that comes through here," he mumbled, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, but you can have an affair on your wife with one of the singers, right?"
Michael deadpanned. "Man, shut the fuck up. She looks too young for your old ass anyway."
As she sat at the piano, Nas said, "The only old mothafucka' in here is you."
"Man, her friend wasn't wrong at all," Michael said as they packed up whatever they brought with them. Finally, the day was over. Christy ended up being the last person to show up, and none of them were complaining. It was nice to finally be getting out of these seats. There was a couple people so tone-deaf Michael didn't understand how anybody let them do this, but he commended them for their courage.
"I'm saying." Zaire nodded in agreement. "That's a talent right there."
"I wish I could've heard her original work to see if she's any good at writing, but if her friend was right about her being able to sing, I have faith she can write too."
"If she's no good," Nas said, "we can hire her a ghost writer, no problem. Or I could write her shit, either way works." Though Nas's job title was technically as a Mixing Engineer, he also had undeniable talent at writing music and great lyricism, and Michael was more than willing to take advantage of said skill.
"Yeah. You gotta start writing music for more people, bein' honest. Both of y'all," Zaire stated, looking in between the two others as he pushed his chair in.
"People today wouldn't understand," Michael joked.
"Mike has that timeless pen game," Nas said, earning a chuckle from the others and from himself.
There was a knock on the door as they started to make their way towards it to leave. Michael called for them to come in as they all stopped in their tracks, and a young woman, an eighteen-year-old rapper, Scarlett, entered the room.
Michael remembered her very well due to her blatantly vulgar lyrics. She had amazing flow—he had to give her credit where it was due—but he didn't enjoy her word choices. If she had better writing abilities, he would think about it. He wanted his recording artists to express themselves how the saw fit, and changing up styles wasn't his style.
"Hi. I'm on my way out, but I was wondering when we would hear back from you guys."
"By the end of next month," he promised. "I can't tell you an exact date 'cuz I'm not sure, but definitely before then."
"Okay. Thanks so much." She smiled politely and left out.
The men stayed silent for a while until Zaire was the one who broke the silence. "She looks so innocent and then she opens her mouth to rap and she's talkin' 'bout put my pussy in your mouth, nigga."
Nas burst out laughing but Michael just shook her head. Her talent was special to her, and he wasn't going to take that away from her. "Y'all stop. She's a talented young lady."
"Talented and nasty," Zaire said.
"Alright, I'm hungry," Nas added. "Where we gonna go eat?"
"We can go to McDonalds-"
"All this money you got," Zaire interrupted Michael, "and you want McDonalds."
"Then where the hell are you tryna go, since you care so much?"
"Let's get Checkers."
"That's any better than McDonalds?" Michael deadpanned.
"Hell yeah. McDonalds in nasty and they fries be cold, man. Don't nobody wanna eat that horse meat they got over at McDonalds."
Michael's hands shot up in surrender. "Fine, you know what... we can go to some damn Checkers. Y'all irritate me."
"Hey, I didn't do nothing," Nas defended himself, pointing at his chest. "I'm an innocent bystander."
They all took their own cars to the Checkers and decided to order inside, but they wouldn't eat in. Michael was standing at the register and while telling the woman what he wanted, he could tell that she was flirting with him quite a bit, but subtly. He ignored it because, in his head, he was in a devoted relationship to the woman he actually had an affair on.
Michael had no intentions of ever dating again unless it was Carnation. If he ever did date someone else, it surely wouldn't be for a very long time. He had to get over his ex-wife beforehand, and with the way things were going, he doubted it would ever happen. Being around her now felt like being around her when they were teenagers.
"Let me get a number three as well."
Michael pulled his cellphone out. He didn't have any more plans for the day and honestly wasn't one hundred percent ready to go home, so he decided he could bring Carnation something to eat. He called her up.
The phone didn't ring for long before it went through. "Hello?"
"Hey, what you doin' right now?"
"Uhhh, watching TV?" her voice trailed off in confusion. "Why?"
"Are you hungry? I'm about twenty minutes away from you, I can bring you something."
He wasn't sure if she would accept being that she was no longer fond of him. Still, he wanted to show her that he still thought about her the same way he did when they were married.
"Mmm." There was a short pause before she released an emotionless sigh. "Where are you eating at?"
"Checkers," he answered.
"Ughhh, you're messing up my diet, Michael," Carnation groaned. He just rolled his eyes because, to be frank, he didn't give a damn about that diet—something he felt she didn't need and never would.
"Girl, fuck that diet."
She chuckled. "Well, can I have funnel cake fries and a number three with a strawberry sundae? If I start getting fat, I'm blaming you."
He smirked, having already known that's what she was going to ask for. He just needed to call her and make sure she was willing to take it. "With the number three, can I get a strawberry sundae and an extra order of funnel cake fries?"
"Of course." As she rang him up for everything, Michael returned to his conversation with Carnation.
"The kids home yet?" he asked her.
"Nope, they're with my parents."
"Okay, that's fine. I'll get them something next time."
"Okay," she said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'll see you in a little bit."
"Mhm," Carnation hummed before Michael hung up the phone and paid for his meal.
The woman informed him that his food would be to him shortly. Once it was in his hands, he went over to Zaire and Nas who were standing in the dining area talking amongst themselves to say goodbye. He then left the establishment and upon reaching her house, he sent her a text that he was outside. The door opened as he was approaching the porch, and he smiled her way. She forced one back.
"Hey," she greeted.
"Hey." Michael handed her the bag and her sundae. "Can I come inside and sit down for a little bit? I won't even bother you, I'm jus' tired as hell."
She squinted at him, as if trying to sense a lie in his words, and his hands shot up in surrender. He was good for his word. There'd the rest of their lives for him to bother her. Carnation shook her head before opening the door for him to come inside. She reclaimed her original spot on the couch, in front of the TV where she was watching Criminal Minds from the beginning for the millionth time.
Michael was subjected to the crime show throughout the show's existence, and even more when it came to Netflix. She watched it constantly, especially in the beginning. It was nice to see that nothing changed.
He didn't comment on it this time around, not like he usually had back when they were together, letting her focus on Spencer wo was using his smart, complex, slightly schizophrenic brain solve problems that the others couldn't. She munched on her fries and drank her sundae, finishing it more quickly than she would've preferred.
She got up from the couch to dispose of the trash left behind after completing her meal, telling Micael he could watch the TV if he wanted to because she was going to cook for when the kids were home.
"Why didn't you tell me you were still cooking for them? I coulda jus' got them somethin' and saved you the trouble," he inquired, but she just shrugged her shoulders. Carnation never minded cooking and it was one of the few things she never saw as a chore.
"I wasn't sure if my parents were gonna feed them dinner, and I was gonna cook regardless. I got work tomorrow and I'm not coming home to cook afterwards. If they don't eat it tonight, they'll eat tomorrow."
He didn't argue with that and sat on the couch, searching Hulu for something to watch. By the time the kids got home, he'd knocked out on the couch, sleeping peacefully, not at all bothered by the sound of the TV or the loud sound of chicken in oil on the stove. Carnation turned the stove down as not to burn the food when she heard the door open. Solay was shoving her keys into the pocket on her skirt. Carter placed his grandson on his feet, and Sayon rushed over to his mommy.
They were all surprised to see Michael on the couch, asleep, once they noticed him.
"Hey," Carnation greeted them with her arm reached down to hold Sayon's face gently against her hip.
"What's he doing here?" Carter asked with a bitter frown on his face.
"He brought me food and fell asleep. Be calm," she laughed. Carnation was convinced her family wanted her to hate Michael, but she couldn't. Was she still hurt by what occurred between them and between him and Sasha? Absolutely. But she could never hate him.
She went to give Solay and Saint some kisses. "Y'all had fun?"
"Yes!" Sayon exclaimed for everyone.
Carter and Parker took the kids to Knott's Berry Farm after picking them up from school to wind down. The year was getting ready to end and they'd all done so well, so they deserved to be rewarded for their hard work. They decided to take them today because it was warm out and it was a Monday, meaning the place wouldn't be as busy and crowded.
"Good," said Carnation. "Dinner's almost ready so go shower, please."
They all went upstairs to do as told. Carnation bade her parents farewell and went back to the kitchen to finish the food. By the time Michael woke up, it was almost 9:30 at night. He hadn't meant to fall asleep for this long, but he wasn't doing anything tomorrow but relaxing at home, so he wasn't worried too much about it.
The kids were downstairs, in the kitchen, Solay on her phone while the boys helped their mom clean the kitchen. She already did her part but was hanging around for moral support and to make a little bit of conversation with her mom. Michael groaned lowly and sat up, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.
"Wassup, kiddies."
Solay was the first to look up, and she smiled when she saw Michael was finally awake. She came around the couch and jumped into his arms, Michael releasing a dramatic grunt when she was fell onto him. He wrapped his arms around her, placing a kiss lovingly in the middle of her forehead.
"How was your day? You had fun with your grandparents?" he asked.
She nodded her head. "Mhm. What're you doing here?"
"Brought your big-headed mother some food after I finished up with my work."
Solay jerked her head back and curled her lip as if unsatisfied. "Don't call her no big-headed."
Michael chuckled, rubbing her back. "Why? 'Cuz you get in from her?"
"No, I don't!" she exclaimed.
••
FRI, MAY 20TH, 2016...
"How about they stay with me the whole week?"
"Boy, what?" was how Carnation responded to his suggestion, her voice both amused and confused simultaneously.
"Come on, Nation," he urged. "Wasn't their last day of school today?" he questioned, and she tilted her to the side, just staring at him. He held his hands out. "Was it not?"
"Yes, but they-"
"It's summer. What bad is it gonna do?"
"Solay is gonna start having cheer again over the summer, Michael. You're really gonna commit to that?" Carnation could vividly recall being the one who was always taking her to and from cheer practice, ever since she first started, while Michael was at work, consumed by his job.
"Yeah, I can do that. No problem." He nodded.
"Well, they don't have clothes to last them a week."
"Okayyy," he dragged out, "and I'm their father. I can buy them new clothes. I planned on taking them shopping today anyway... come on, please. Jus' for the summer, then when school starts back up, we go back to how it was before."
"You wanna do this for the whole summer?"
"Yes," Michael stressed. It was obvious that just a weekend wasn't enough for him when it came to seeing his babies. He wanted them to be around more, and he felt that a week wasn't asking for too much. "Nation, come on, man."
She sucked her teeth, hands smacking the front of her thighs. "Fine. Fine! We can switch out every week. Let me go give them another hug before I go. Got me away from them for a whole damn week." She rolled her eyes and started right past him.
"Bet. Thank you, mama." He trailed behind her, but he remained on the porch.
Carnation relayed to them that they were going to stay the entire week with their father, to which they screamed excitedly. She gave them all more hugs and kisses before making her way back. The kids ran off elsewhere to occupy themselves with other things.
"I get one, too?" Michael asked slickly as she was passing him. She slowly turned and looked at him, eyes narrowing as his own smile did the opposite and widened. "Jus' one?" She didn't respond and he couldn't miss the grimace on her face. "Please?"
"You're asking for a lot," she commented.
"One hug, I won't ask again after this," he promised, but had no intention of keeping said promise. He licked his lips while watching her roll her eyes, arms unenthusiastically, and hesitantly, widening for him to hug her. A satisifed smile touched his lips before he bit down on his bottom one and squeezed his arms around her.
He groaned dramatically, squeezing her tight and even lifting her off the ground a little. She instantly unwrapped her arms around him, pushing at Michael's arms despite still being off of the ground.
"You're doing too much. Put me down," she ordered.
He ignored her request completely and started swinging her back and forth. "I love you, girl."
She burst out laughing, unable to help it. "Michael, put me down!"
Finally, now satisifed with their hug that was much longer than it needed to be, he did as asked. As she adjusted her shirt, pulling it back down as it'd lifted up, he grabbed her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He was shoved gently away, but the smile on her face told him she liked it. Even if it was a little bit. That surely meant the chemistry was still there. Right?
"Never again," Carnation uttered.
"Drive safe. Let me know when you get home, please."
She made her way to the car, and he watched her as she hopped in her car. Once her seatbelt was on and the doors were locked, he waved at her, and she honked the horn once before speeding off. Michael returned inside and went upstairs to help Sayon put his things away. Afterwards, he checked the time and decided this a pretty good time to take them to the mall.
"Guys!" he exclaimed while finding a fitted sheet to put on Sayon's bed at some point.
"Huh?" Solay responded back.
"Put everything down so we can go to the mall! We'll get situated when we come back."
Michael made his way downstairs and Solay was hot on his trail, more than excited to do some much needed shopping. She stopped at the bottom of the stairwell, her hand on the rail. Michael glanced at her.
"Daddy, can I buy something for Josiah?" He squinted but decided not to give her too much of a hard time and let her do so. Seeing the expression on his face, she followed up quickly. "He always buys me stuff and I wanna buy him stuff."
"Don't be spending all my money on that lil boy, understand?" He doubted that it was possible, but still gave her a fair warning, and she happily agreed to it with an innocent smile that always tugged her daddy's heart strings.
Once everyone was downstairs and ready, shoes on the right feet, he got them all loaded into the car.