"If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the..."
wel·come
/ˈwelkəm/
noun
an instance or manner of greeting someone.
Monica Pov
Monica's home -June 20th,2016 (same day)
"How long are you gonna be here?"I asked my brother as I grabbed two waters from the fridge
"A good week. The gig that I'm taking is based on a character from Atlanta. So I wanted to explore ATL a bit and do a couple of interviews with some people." He says as I gave him his water and nodded
"I don't mind showing you around." I say as he nodded in agreement
"Sure just let me know." He says
"Be careful when exploring and doing your interviews. People are crazy down here." I say while taking a sip of my water
"Trust me I know. It's crazy everywhere in the world." He says and I nodded in agreement "oh and I forgot to mention."
"I might been sneaking around with a guy who lives here." He says and my eyes bucked
"Lucas Nolen Mckoy! Are you serious?!" I yelled to him" You have a whole family bro."
"I know I know! I got caught up in a moment." He says while putting his head in his hands
"How long?" I asked him and he sighed
"3 years..." he says lowly and my eyes bucked again
"Looks like you got more than caught up in a moment." I say while yelling once more
"Have you spoken to mom or dad?" He asked me while changing the subject and I looked at him and rolled my eyes
"I saw mom a week ago and for dad I have not seen him since I walked out that door." I say as I noticed his facial expression change "But the two stay in Miami now I'm guessing."I say As I shrugged
"What? Now I have many questions. You saw her a week ago? They both stay in Miami?" He asked in a confused tone
"Trust me it's a long story to both." I say while leaning over on the counter
"Good thing I got time." He says as I got comfortable and started to tell him everything
—————
7:30 P.M - Monica's house
Ring ring ring
"Hellooo."I singed into my phone
"Hey beautiful"I heard Malcom voice come through the phone
"Hey handsome what are you up to?" I asked him as I flipped through the channels on my tv
"Nothing much. I just left my brother's rehearsal."he says as I nodded as if he could see me "what are you doing?" He asked me
"Trying to find something on this TV. Everything seems the same."I say as I landed on an old episode of Scandal
"You know that new show Greenleaf come out tomorrow. It seems interesting." He says and I got excited a little
"Yes! I've seen the preview for it many times. I'm most definitely watching. Something is telling me Lynn Whitfield is gonna be a bad mother" I say as I giggled a little
"Bruh what! I swear every movie I watch she always playing a bad mother." He says as we both laughed
"But besides that. I know I asked earlier were you doing anything tonight but have your plans changed?" He asked me and I shook my head no as if he could see me
"No my plans are still the same. Not doing a damn thing." I say as I heard him laugh
"I wanna take you out or whatever you want to do." He says as I smiled
"Oh I know what I want to do." I say with a small smirk
————-
PiedMont Park 8:35 P.M
"It's really peaceful out here." Malcom says and I looked at him and smiled
"This is where I come when I'm down,happy or just to get a peace of mind. Actually I've been coming since I've been living here. Something about this place puts you at an ease." I say as I put my hands behind my back
"I see why. It's seems you get a better feel of the place at night." He says as he crosses his arms
"You do. Not many people are here around this time so the only noises you hear is the water fountain, and whatever little critters are in the bushes." He says as we both did a slight laugh
"I don't mean to come off as rude but it seems you have a wall build up."
"Is it that noticeable?." I said with a deep sigh as we both found a bench and sat down
"Not really. I just know it's a woman in there who wants to spread her love and positivity to others. But it's something holding her back." He says as I felt myself getting teary eyed
"You know how when you're rock climbing and you have all the little rocks to help you?" I asked him and he nodded "And if you misplace one step just one little step. What happens?"
"You fall." He says and I nodded in agreement "but before you fall to the ground. You grab onto that accessible rock. And when you get a hold of it. You climb to the top." He says while looking into my eyes
"No matter how many mountains you've tried to climb and failed. Never let that discourage you. Sometimes it may seem it's best to take the easy way out of things when in reality we have to push ourselves to do the hard things because in the end it's the best option."
"Monica I don't know if anybody has told you this. You want to find yourself before you leave this earth or you will be a walking soul wandering forever. Malcom says making me go into a moment I've had with my grandma
November 24th, 2009| 17 year old Monica
"What's wrong with my grand baby?" My grandmother asked me as I looked at her with a weak smile
"I'm okay...just a little tired." I say lying and avoiding eye contact
"You must forgot I know that trick little one. I know if you don't look me in the eyes I know you're lying."She says while crossing her arms "Now talk to me."
"I feel like I have nobody. Every time I show love,kindness and more. Everyone leaves. As you can see my own parents aren't even here for Thanksgiving." I say with a low voice
"Baby that's life. A lot people may have never received it and don't know how to react to it. So maybe their reaction is to leave. You're one of the most purest souls I've ever met. Before you even came into this world I know something was gonna be different about you."
"Don't go your whole life trying to figure out what you could have done to make them stay or you will have a wandering mind forever." She says to me as she grabbed my face softly
"Before you leave this earth Monica baby I want you to find yourself or you will be a walking soul wandering forever."
"Hey you're okay Monica?" Malcom asked me
"Your words you said brought up a memory. Believe it or not my grandmother told me the same thing." I said with a slight smile
"Your grandmother is an amazing woman then." He says as we both laughed "Do you know any good restaurants around here." He asked me and I nodded
"I do! Let's roll out." I say as we both got up and walked to his car
Once we got in and he cranked up the car the radio was playing "You're All I Need" by Method Man feat. Mary J Blige
"Wait a minute cause this my song." I say as I turned up the radio
You're all I need playing By Method Man
Shorty I'm there for you anytime you need me
For real girl, it's me in your world, believe me
Nothin' make a man feel better than a woman
Queen with a crown that be down for whatever
There are few things that's forever, my lady
We can make war or make babies
Back when I was nothin'
You made a brother feel like he was somethin'
That's why I'm with you to this day boo no frontin'
Even when the skies were gray
"You would rub me on my back and say "Baby it'll be okay" Now that's real to a brother like me baby
Never ever give my cootie away and keep it tight aight And I'm a walk these dogs so we can live
In a fat ass crib with thousands of kids Word life you don't need a ring to be my wife." Malcom raps with one hand on the wheel and the other in the air
Just be there for me and I'm a make sure we
Be livin' in the effin' lap of luxury
I'm realizing that you didn't have to funk wit me
But you did, now I'm going all out kid
And I got mad love to give, you my nigga
"My turn." I say he started laughing
"Like sweet morning dew. I took one look at you. And it was plain to see. You were my destiny. With you I'll spend my time. I'll dedicate my life. I'll sacrifice for you. Dedicate my life for you." I singed as I pointed to him and laughing and he turned down the radio
"Girl what you know about that. That was before your time." He says laughing a little
"I know a lil some some." I say while popping my imaginary collar and we both laughed
"Oh while I'm thinking about it and I forget again. Are you doing anything tomorrow?" He asked me and I shook my head no
"No not at all. I've been off of work for a week and just been chilling." I say with small smile
"My brother's wedding is tomorrow and I was wondering if you don't mind or if you're up to it. Would you like to come with me." He asked me and I nodded
"Sure! Wait aren't you in the wedding?" I asked and he nodded
"Yeah but I still want you to come." He says
"Okay cool. Oh make this left right here." I say as he followed what I instructed
————-
June 21st 2016|Malcom's brother's wedding| 1:15 P.M
"I'm convinced black people don't know what on time mean. I could have sworn the invitation said 12:00 P.M." some random lady says
"Sandra your eyesight is bad the invitation said 1:20 P.M." A random man says
"You saying I can't see Harold?" The Sandra lady ask
"Well I ain't saying you can see woman." The Harold mans says
"Okay now grandma and papa! Everyone can hear you. Hush!" Some girl says as she turned around and hush both of them
"You hush!" They both say to her making some people chuckle
Once the laughter died down I heard music beginning to play indicating that the wedding is starting
————-
Reception |3:35 P.M
After the Bride and Groom entrance,speeches were made, the two had their dance then the dance with their parents and finally it was time to eat.
I was nervous about getting up and getting food. I really didn't know anybody besides Malcom and his niece I met in Miami at the restaurant
"Come on I'll go with you." I heard Malcom says as he reached out his hand to me and I accepted it
"Thank you. You're looking handsome." I say to him as we made it to the Buffett
"And you're looking beautiful as always." He says to me as I blushed a little and grabbed some Mac and cheese and put it on my plate
"This was a beautiful wedding. Might just be an inspiration to my future one." I said with a slight chuckle
"Who you marrying?" He asked me while laughing
"If things don't work out with that Michael B Jordan then Trey Songz I'm coming to you." I say while laughing
"Which one of y'all! Going home with triggaaa." He sings out grabbing a few people attention and I popped him
"You're a fool I swear." I say as we both laughed
When we were both done filling our plates we went to a table and sat down. As we were about to begin eating I seen his brother approach our table with his wife
"Hello you must be the lovely Monica I've heard so much about." He says as I stood up and extended my hand
"Yes I am! It's nice to meet you..."
"Jacob. And this is my wife Sabrina." He says as he accepted my hand
"Hello nice to meet you!" I say as I extended my hand to her but instead she hugged me and I hugged her back
"Hello! Sorry I'm a hugger."she says as I nodded
"Congratulations to you two. Your wedding was so beautiful." I say to the two of them
"Thank you. Soon as he proposed I hopped on them wedding plans honey." She says as I chuckled a little
"I bet she did. Begged me to put a ring on it after 5 years." He says and my eyes bucked
"5 years sir you're right I did." She says as she shrugged and walked away. When I looked into his eyes I can tell maybe this was something he wasn't ready to do.When I observed closer maybe he didn't love her.
But who was I to say anything. I've been in those shoes before. When you're ready for marriage and a family but your other half mindset is else where
"Hey you hear what's playing?" Malcom asked me as he tapped my shoulder and we both laughed
You're all I need by Method Man feat method man plays
Shorty I'm there for you anytime you need me
For real girl, it's me in your world, believe me
Nothin' make a man feel better than a woman
Queen with a crown that be down for whatever
There are few things that's forever, my lady
"Come on. Get up and dance with me." Malcom says as he stood up and offered me a hand
"Boy I got two left feet." I say as he smiled
"I do too. But that's not gonna stop us from dancing together." He says with his hand still out
"I guess." I said with a smile and grabbed his hand
The whole night we danced and laughed
I truly can see a beautiful thing going with Malcom or maybe a friendship
————-
The next day |Georgia Aquarium|
"I think I found Nemo!" Malcom says with excitement as I laughed
"And there go Dory right behind him" I say smiling
"Thank you for suggesting the aquarium. I've never been." He says and I looked at him shocked
"Really?!" I asked him and he nodded as we continued to walk
"Although I'm from a middle class family. Times were hard. Not saying my parents were bad parents. They're far from it. They made sure we had almost everything." He says and it saddened me
No matter the amount of money a family has. They should all feel like family. Cant say the same for mine
"The closest I've gotten to an aquarium is when I had to go to the dentist." He says as we laughed
"I've been when I was a little girl but my grandmother took me." I say with a sad smile
"Does she still live in Manhattan?" He asked me and I sighed
"She died early last year." I say with a small shrug
"Sorry for your loss." He says to me as we continued to walk and look at different fish
"It's fine. It was hard but I know she's resting." I say
"Grandma, grandma look it's a stingray." I heard a little girl say as she held onto her grandma hand
"I see baby! Do you see that fish right there?" Her grandma says as she pointed to one and the little girl stared in aw
August 6th, 1998 |6 year old Monica\
"Grandma, grandma look it's a shark." I say as I put my hand on my head and did a little shark dance
"I see honey! You see the baby shark right beside it?"she asked as I walked to the glass and put both hands on the glass and stared
"Beautifullll." I say
"Hey Monica its 1:15. Did you still wanna go to the Atlanta Botanical Garden?" He asked me and I nodded
"Yeah of course and hopefully we will have enough time for the Coca-Cola Factory." I say with a small smile
—————-
"This is beautiful Mo." Malcom says in amazement as we looked at one section of the garden that resembles a woman
"She looks so peaceful." I say as I examined how the colors of her pops out and how the water comes from her hands
"This is a place you can propose to someone." Malcom says
"But not in the spring." We both said at the same time and laughed
"Don't know if you're crying cause the proposal or the pollen." I say laughing
"I'm surprised you like it. I know when I brought Dallas once he was upset that it was nothing to do and it was some boring ass shit." I say
"Well we're two different guys and it's not about trying to find something to do. It's about enjoying the moment and how you get a sense of peace." He says with a slight shrug
"I'm glad I have someone who enjoys it just as much as I do."
"Have you been here with Shay?"he asked me and I playfully rolled my eyes
"Shay is banned from here."
"Wait what! How?" He asked
"Let's just say the tour guide lady got slick with her and about time Shay was done. They thought she was apart of the garden." I say as he started laughing
"That girl is crazy." He said while still laughing
"Crazy is not the word for her." I say and looked at my watch and saw it was 2:30
"They close in 30 minutes. We can leave and catch the Coca-Cola factory." I say as he nodded and we walked towards the exit
—————
After we did the Coca-Cola factory I found a drive in movie theater for us to go to.
"So this is why you asked me to pick up a picnic basket." He says while smiling
"Yes sir! I wanted to make your last day enjoyable." I say smiling back at him
"I really appreciate you showing me around. Who would have known Atlanta had so much." He says
"Trust me after living here for 6 years I find something new everyday. It was actually my first time visiting the Coca-Cola factory." I say and he looked at me in confusion
"Really?! I would have thought you went there." He says
"Same...but I got tied up in work, Shay always was getting banned from places we go and Dallas...."
"Hey listen. It's a reason why you had to let him go. While you were trying to do things to keep him happy meanwhile you were unhappy. If there is anything you want to do in life. Go for it! Don't wait on anyone! Because who knows that could have been your blessing. You and you only were supposed to chase." Malcom says and I nodded in agreement
"You know I think you are a male version of Shay just without the crazy." I say as he laughed "You both give good advice that can help me see another day."
"Like I told you before I know we have only known each other in a short period of time but I'm here if you need anything." He says while putting a hand on my shoulder
"Thank you I say." As I patted his hand
"Okay ladies and gentlemen we have a slight delay in starting today's movie. I want to say I apologize but please enjoy some music as find a way to get started." The lady says through the little speakerphones
"You know I'm starting to think this our song." Malcom says smiling as You're all I need starts to play
"You know the drill." I say as he laughed and nodded
Shorty I'm there for you anytime you need me
For real girl, it's me in your world, believe me
Nothin' make a man feel better than a woman
Queen with a crown that be down for whatever
There are few things that's forever, my lady
"Thank you again for the welcome." He says with a smirk
"You're welcome. And Hey!" I say as he looked at me
Welcome to Atlanta
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