"Two damaged people trying to heal each other is love"
—————————————————————
Ivory
I tossed my blanket and sheets to the side, trying to resist the urge to go back to sleep. Eventually I built up enough willpower to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom. I dread waking up in the morning but "the early bird gets the worm" as my dad would say. That was enough motivation for me to start waking up when my first alarm goes off. The only difference was that today is Saturday which means I had nothing to do but, sleeping in all day wasn't an option so I figured I'll have some me-time.
I turned the shower on and while the water got hot enough for my liking I grabbed my phone, sending a quick message to the very few important people in my life.
"Alexa play Ro James" I said before stepping into the shower. Once I was in my body immediately relaxed due to the temperature of the water.
When your lips touched mine
It only confirmed what I already knew
I found true love in you
See one time I tried to love
I had my heart broken
I swore that I'd never love again see
But you changed my mind
After belting out a few bad tunes and having a mini concert in the shower, I was now getting out. I walked downstairs to the kitchen with little to no clothes on which was acceptable since I was alone; having your own apartment has its perks.
I didn't want to cook a big meal because most likely I wouldn't eat it all so I settled on waffles, bacon, and my own combination of fruits.
I sat on the couch eating breakfast and catching up on a few shows that I missed. I really appreciate times like this when I could just relax by myself. Not saying I don't enjoy being with family, my good sis Corey, and Milo but I feel like me-time is a vital asset in self-happiness. It doesn't mean you have to be selfish but taking time to reflect on yourself is important.
Later on in the day I decided to take a trip to the nail salon; my eyebrows needed to be waxed and the polish on my nails was chipping. It was no secret that I had been looking off all week.
The drive there wasn't far so about 20 minutes later I was making my way inside the salon.
"Simone went in the back, I'll get her for you" one of the workers said automatically knowing who I was here for.
"I thought you found a new nail tech, you usually come here every month" Simone appeared in front of me.
"I know but last month was extremely busy, I finally found some time to relax"
"Staying stress free is definitely the goal 2019" she said while heating up the wax.
I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes, allowing her to work her magic.
I stood up looking in the mirror after she was done. "You get me right every time"
"Don't I know it" she smiled. "Go to my station, I'll be over in a minute"
I sat in her chair looking through all the different colors of polish. I usually get french tip but I wanted to switch it up so I chose yellow.
"Mhm, a new color? What else is new in your life" she asked yearning to get any little piece of information out of me.
Simone was in fact one of the best nails techs on this side of town but she had a thing for gossip; I wouldn't risk having my business out in the streets.
You gotta beware of who you tell your business to. In today's world it's rare to find people with good intentions. Not impossible by any means; just infrequent.
"Girl ain't nothing new, what time you get off" I quickly changed the subject.
"I'm leaving at 5 so I can take the train, Rick got my car again"
I inwardly rolled my eyes and decided to bite my tongue this once. Nobody would be driving my car all day long and not be able to pick me up; absurdity at its finest.
"It's almost 5 now, I can take you home" I offered. Curse me for having a good heart but I knew how traffic was around this time and it would take at least 3 hours for her to get home.
"Thank you" she sighed in relief. I simply nodded hoping I wouldn't regret my decision in the next few minutes.
"Your nails should be dry we can leave" Simone said. I got up and grabbed my car keys making sure to be extra careful then walked out the door with her behind me.
The ride to her house was surprisingly smooth, mainly because I let my thoughts drown her out as she talked about Rick. I wasn't giving out advice to people that didn't want it. Simone is older than me so I expected her to at least have some sense but everybody wasn't raised like me. I was taught that a man will only do what you allow him to do.
After taking her home I took a small detour to look at what used to be my neighborhood. The hood would always be home for me. I didn't want to let it go because I had so many memories but I'm at a different chapter in my life, it's time for new memories.
My phone started ringing and I smiled at the name that flashed across the screen. I found myself smiling a lot lately because of him and I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
"Hello"
"Why you in the hood" Dave asked causing me to frown.
"Look to yo' left" he spoke again before I could start asking questions.
I looked around squinting my eyes and sure enough Dave was standing on the left side of the street.
I ended the call and got out the car since Dave was walking toward my direction.
"I just left from getting my nails done but I had to take somebody home" I ran my fingers through my hair mindlessly. "What are you doing over here"
"I took Kairi to my grandma house, I'm hitting the studio tonight and my mama couldn't watch her"
"Where is her mother " I asked. I been wanting to know for a while now but I didn't know how to bring it up.
"Arianna passed away 2 years ago" he said shocking me. "We rarely ever were on good terms because our relationship was so toxic and she was the reason for our problems. Arianna didn't have the best relationship with her people so I gave her the benefit of the doubt most of the time because nobody was there to teach her right from wrong. She cheated on me and that ended everything. I had a feeling he was abusing her but you can't help somebody that don't wanna be helped. Long story short he ended up killing her."
I stared at him trying to find the right thing to say but I was lost for words literally. That right there was the true definition of how Karma works.
"I know that had to be hard for you deal with but everything happens for a reason" I pulled his head down so I could reach then softly kissed his cheek.
He chuckled a little and pulled me into a hug as we rocked back and forth unintentionally. Since the other night we've been more touchy than usual and I wasn't complaining.
"I used to question whether or not Kairi was mine so eventually I got a test done which proved she was. Now that I think about it, even if Kairi wasn't my child I still would've to care of her"
I respect him even more for what he said about Kairi. Real men is another thing that's rare these days.
"When I tell you something don't second guess it I'm too mature to be playing around, you hear me"
"Yes Dave I hear you loud and clear" I responded even though I was unsure.
The real question is did I really hear him? Was I ready to be with a man that already knew what he wanted in life while I was still figuring myself out?
If you haven't heard "All Day I" by Ro James wyd sis??? Go listen. Also I apologize for taking so long to update, I'm working on another book.