Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
L ife Is Happening
Maribel
“I will book a first-class flight for you. We should plan the engagement party while you are here. I’m thinking of hiring a planner to get things squared away,” Dez says on the phone while I roll my eyes.
“It will be the holidays. Who’s planning anything?” I grumble.
“You’d be surprised what a little bonus can do.”
“Well, I’m not coming home for Thanksgiving. My friends and I have plans here on campus.”
“My patience is growing thin. You didn’t discuss going to school with me. We didn’t discuss you moving to Texas either. You’ve been treating me like an option when I’m anything but, Maribel,” he snaps.
“An option I didn’t ask for. No one discussed with me if I wanted to be married or to who. I’m going to school for me. This is what I want,” I snap back.
“You have been mine since before you were born. Your father made promises to my family he will keep.”
“What?”
“Oh, so you don’t know why your mother left? She thought she would take you away and hide you from me and my family. Little does she know.
“I always get what I want. Ask my brother. Oh, sorry. You can’t. He’s no longer with us,” he says darkly.
Dez had an older brother who was going to take over the family. About a year ago, he died mysteriously and Dez stepped into the grooming for the promotion his brother was supposed to get.
A shiver runs through me as I catch onto what he’s implying. I’m still getting to know my father and learning about his world. If this is true, there’s no telling the danger I placed myself in by finding my dad.
Tears begin to well in my eyes as I feel so stupid. This is all my fault. I walked right into this.
“Have your fun with your friends. I will see you before the year ends.”
With that, he hangs up. I sit staring off into space as the truth sets in. I can’t for the life of me think of what my father got in exchange for me. How do you promise off your baby for anything?
“If we want to make the four o’clock show we need to head out,” Taylor says as she pokes her head into my bedroom.
Quickly, I swipe at the tears that have fallen. I need to pull it together. I don’t want anyone here to know about the craziness happening back home.
“I’ll be right there.”
“Are you all right? We don’t have to go if you’re not feeling well.”
“I’m fine. Just give me a second.”
“No worries. I’ll be in the living room if you need me,” she says with worry in her voice.
I get up from my bed and look in the mirror at my outfit. I should change into sweats and tell Cam I’m not going to be able to meet him later. I had dressed in blue jeans and a cream sweater with thigh-high boots for our hang-out session.
Now, I feel silly. How do I get out of an engagement I don’t even want? Dez was cool when I first met him. I thought nothing of it when he kept coming by my dad’s house to see me.
I felt like there was something dark about him, but he was always nice to me. Taking me out and showing me attention. I was seventeen and a handsome older guy was showing me attention.
I thought I was hot shit at first. Then my father announced that Dez was to be my fiancé. I thought I was going to be sick that day.
It felt like my life was over. All my choices were taken away from me. It was like I was nothing more than a pawn or some form of currency.
I was trapped in a nightmare with no way out. Then my acceptance letters started to come in. I had been so bummed out as I went through letter after letter. Hopelessness settled in with each one until I got to this one with the offer to come here with a full scholarship attached.
It was a godsend. I didn’t tell anyone but my mom what I had planned to do until I arrived here in Texas. My mom was the one to remind me my cousin lived right here in the city.
I knew it was God when I learned how close she lived to campus and that was before I met my roommate. I take a deep breath as I look down at my phone in my shaking hand.
“God, if this is all you, I’m going to trust you to fix this,” I murmur as I delete the text I was about to send Cam.
I blow out a breath and turn to head out. I can use a good laugh with a friend. Cam is just what the doctor ordered.
I’ll see this movie with Taylor and then I will meet up with my friend. This will be a good night. Dez isn’t here now. He can’t dictate my every move.
“Assholes.”
My father is going to hear from me. I also owe my mother a huge apology. I hope she can forgive me.
“Stupid girl,” I breathe as I walk out of my room.
Man, I feel so dumb.
Cameron
I lift my big toe and turn my foot on its side like that’s going to help me decide on which pair of shoes to wear. I can’t make up my mind. I pucker my lips and start to pop them as if that will miraculously give me some answers other than what I would look like as a fish.
Glancing at the mirror, I wonder if I’m going too casual. We’re just hanging out and getting something to eat. The light-blue distressed jeans with the tears in the knee and thighs seemed safe when I first put them on. So did the plain white T-shirt.
Now I’m second-guessing everything. I haven’t even put my socks on yet. I think to start all over but roll my eyes as my phone rings, breaking through my musings.
Ignoring it, I grab my cowboy boots and hold them up. A frown comes to my face. These are cool, but not for a date with Amina.
“This is not a date,” I chide myself.
It’s not, but I don’t want to come off as some big country-ass dude when she probably has guys back home who have tons of swag. I drop the cowboy boots. It’s now between my sneakers and my flat lace-up boots. The boots do give the rest of the outfit a vibe.
“Go with the boots,” I mutter.
They will dress up the outfit a little and make it a little less casual looking. I snap my fingers as I think about the fact that we’re going bowling. Remembering that I have a similar pair of black boots with faux laces and a side zipper, I head to the closet to dig them out.
Once I get my socks and boots on, I have time to check my messages. My mama has called, demanding I call her back. I snort and chuck the phone.
She only wants one of two things, to get me to talk to Kay or to annoy me about something else. I’m not in the mood for either. Kay wanted to take a break, so we’re taking a break.
Right now, I just want to be left alone. I don’t have anyone nagging me and I haven’t been stressed out. I smile and laugh more than I have in a long time.
“Cam, you want something to eat?” Caleb calls through the apartment.
I walk out of my room to find him in the kitchen at the stove. This guy can cook his ass off. If he ever decided ball wasn’t for him, he could cook for a living.
“Nah, but you can make me some for later,” I say as I sit at the island.
He turns to look at me. “You’re going out?”
“Yeah, not for long, just a few hours. You cool with that?”
“Yeah, not like I need a babysitter.”
I lift a brow and chuckle when he gives me a smile. I nod and toss a napkin from the countertop at him. He’s getting better at joking around more.
“Don’t get your ass kicked.”
“Are we going to that kickback? The one the team invited us to?”
“Do you think you’re ready for that? I mean, I’m down if you want to go, but are you ready to try?”
He purses his lips and squints. I give him time to gather his thoughts and feelings. I never like to assume I know what he’s feeling or to rush him through his thought process.
Patience is key with Caleb. You get more from him when you allow him to take his time. Parties are harder. However, my mama won’t be involved with this one and I think that’s a positive thing for my brother to be able to relax and cope.
“I want to try. The guys invited me. It’s not like I’m trying to tag along with you. That felt good. To be seen and invited.
“I might not like it once we get there, but at least I can know my limits early on and say I’ve had the experience,” he says, shaking his hands out at his sides.
“Well, we have two weeks to work on things like that,” I say, pointing to the handshaking.
Over the years we’ve worked on his different tics and stims. Not because I thought he needed to change for anyone, but because our mama would get so mad when he couldn’t stop whatever it was she deemed as weird or inappropriate.
My mama is a trigger for my brother and she’s too selfish to realize when she would get angry with him it only made things worse. So I helped lessen the behaviors for him, not her or to hide who my brother is. Although all that work has gone a long way in helping us now.
Caleb clenches his fists and grinds his teeth. “I can do this, Cam. I want to do this.”
Determination fills his eyes and my heart swells with pride. This guy is going to shock the shit out of the world one day. I can’t wait to see him prove our parents wrong, our mama more so than our daddy.
Daddy only wants the best for Caleb and to protect him from the world. Sometimes, in her own twisted way, I believe my mama wants the same.
“Then we will go. If you hate it once we’re there, we’ll leave.”
“Thanks.”
“You got it, bro.”