“I thought I did. Hey…I’m not used to us having company. I was caught off guard, too!” he played affronted.
“You knew what you were doing when you saw them at your feet salivating, willing to lick the tips of your shoes. I don’t know how I’m going face them until this dies down.” I massaged my temples.
He shrugged his shoulders apologetically trying to hide his smile.
“Thanks, Mr. Jacobs!” I hissed and turned on my heels toward the bed.
He called out, “No, seriously…are you going to be okay if it gets back to your pastor? I thought you said he knew we cohabitated.”
It was sweet of him to be so concerned about my spiritual developments as well as my religious concerns considering he was of a different faith. Azmir never made light of the restrictions and rules that came along with the Christian walk that I was pursuing. I knew deep down inside he feared me moving out or pulling back on sex, but I hadn’t arrived at a place where I felt the need to address those issues. I had found a spiritual leader who said he wanted to start repairing my heart to make room for God and that God would urge me to transform in ways that regarded my lifestyle. And for that I was relieved and felt compelled to stay on this therapeutic passage.
“He does. It’s just that I don’t feel the need to give people too close a view into my life. I like our solitude. Our bubble. It’s been my refuge.”
He smiled contently, “It’s been working for me, too.”
I walked off, crossing the suite, peeled back the sheets and climbed into bed feeling the cool firmness that yielded to my curves.
Ahhhhhhhh!
The following afternoon I was out shopping with Chanell and she was sure not to disappoint with the gossip. She told me how Kim had just learned that Petey had a twenty-three year old lover, a Mexican PYT—pretty young thang as she termed it—that he'd paid for to go to school. Whoa!
She also mentioned how Kid's oldest daughter, by a woman he had cheated on Syn with when he was eighteen, had entered into college this fall and that Kid bought her a baby Beamer, much to Syn's dismay. I guess the lavish gift was warranted seeing that she was a sixteen-year-old whiz kid who was entering into college two years early. Apparently, Syn never forgave Kid for stepping out on her so long ago and has deeply resented this young girl.
“Yeah, but Syn can't be mad because Quadasia caught a full ride to USC because she smart as hell!” Chanell exclaimed, smacking food in her mouth.
“Quadasia?” I asked as we sat in the food court eating lunch.
Chanell downed a tempting looking cheese-steak while I had a paltry salad. I was pissed that I had a dance event coming up and needed to lose a couple of pounds to fit into my costume perfectly. I'd have much preferred eating what she had. Since being with Azmir I'd rarely had the opportunity to eat sinfully, though there was no doubt that I ate well either.
“Oh, that's his daughter's name. You know Kid's government name is Quadir, right? That bitch, Heather, wanted to stick it to Syn ass bad as a muthafucka and named his first seed after him.”
“Didn't know that.”
There was never a dull story leaked from Chanell. She was honestly a sweet girl who valued my friendship for reasons beyond who I was in Azmir's life. And I had to admit that her prattler ways had its benefits, even if they were reduced to this mindless hood bulletin.
“So how old will Kid be?” I asked.
“The big three-five! And I can't believe he that old. I remember when his ass used to beg for dry *. Word up!” she nodded her head. “Shit! That reminds me that I gotta call the strippers for Friday.”