Chapter 15
“With evidence of his fluids inside of her and the video, there is no way he should get off. As far as FAAFO, I don’t know.”
“Quit calling that nigga that. His name is Aaron Hawkins. I don’t wanna hear that fuck shit outside of the entertainment industry. His musical persona didn’t rape my sister.”
“You’re right. I apologize, Mister Trammel. They didn’t find Mister Hawkins’s DNA. So basically, it will only be his word against hers unless someone steps up as a witness.”
“So preferably, his manager.”
“Yes. I’m sure they will try to negotiate a deal to get information out of him.”
“Okay. Well, keep us posted.”
I ended the call as I glanced at Mi, who was seated next to me. She slid her hands down her face and took a deep breath. “Honestly, Tray, I just want all of this to be over. I’m tired of talking about it. The public has moved on to the next big story, and I want to do the same. It’s been over a month now, and I’m doing well in my therapy.”
“I get it, but don’t you want him to be held responsible for what he did to you?”
“I do, but at the same time, had I listened to you, none of that shit would have happened. I just want to forget about it.”
She stood from her seat and went to her bedroom. I sat back on the couch, waiting to hear from Kamari. It had been over a week since our time in Houston, and she’d met us here in Detroit a couple of days after. She’d gone to a private spa to get a mani-pedi done. I missed her ass already, and she’d only been gone two hours. When she met us here, like me when I arrived in Lafayette, the first thing she did was complain about the weather. Whereas Houston was hot, she was complaining about it being cold.
After my many promises to keep her warm and practically smothering her in kisses, I lived up to my words that night. Mi’Junae was so upset. Kamari had done her best to be quiet, but I didn’t give a fuck. I wasn’t about to restrain my reactions to how Mari made me feel for nobody. I told Mi if she didn’t like it, she needed to get a job and get her own place.
She’d shot me the finger while Kamari blushed like crazy. The minute Mi left the room, I was back on Kamari, hot and heavy. I swore I couldn’t get enough of her. She was my queen, and I didn’t hesitate to prove that shit to her daily. Today, I had reserved the entire restaurant to cater to her without interruptions.
We would be dining at Prime + Proper, a place she said she heard a lot of good things about. I lived in Detroit and had never been. I never even had a desire to dine there. When it came to food, I didn’t care about eating in luxury. I wanted good food, and most times, the best food was in a place that looked like a hole in the wall.
Tomorrow, we would be doing a dinner cruise after we visited the Motown Museum. Kamari said there was no way she could spend an extensive amount of time in Detroit and not visit Hitsville U.S.A. I chuckled at her excitement about it. I’d been several times. When my mama found out I wanted to sing, that was one of the first places she took me. Kamari also insisted that Mi came along with us to the museum, because she had a surprise for her.
I loved how close they’d gotten. I swore they talked as much as she and I did. I was surprised Mi didn’t go with her to get her nails done. She said she was giving her nails some air, and I was like… whatever. She’d gotten close to Mrs. Katrina as well. They talked nearly every day. I knew they played a huge role in who Mi was becoming. Where this incident could have destroyed her mentally and emotionally, it made her stronger, and I knew I had them to thank, along with the princesses.
As I surfed Netflix for a movie to watch, I heard the front door open. I hopped up so fast I nearly made myself dizzy. When I entered the foyer and saw the beautiful woman standing there, I had to take time to admire everything about her. She smiled brightly as I scanned her from head to toe. Her country getup was way too cute on her for words. She wore moccasins with fringes around the ankle. Her shirt matched them perfectly because it had the same thing hanging from the sleeves. Her cowboy hat really set it off with all her coils framing her face. My baby made country look sexy as fuck.
“Did you miss me?” she asked with a big grin on her face.
Instead of answering like a normal person would, I started singing “All I Do is Think of You” by Troop instead. That was the song that embodied how I felt about her. It helped that it was one of my all-time favorites. I’d sung it to her before, but it meant even more now. She made her way to my arms and laid her head on my chest.
I swayed with her right here in the foyer, letting her know that when she was present, nothing or no one else mattered. She was my one and only, and I already knew that we would be together for the rest of our lives. When I finished singing, I kissed her ear, neck, then her lips. “Did that answer your question?”
“Absolutely. I missed you too. It’s a shame how I’ve developed separation anxiety since being with you. I’ve never been a clingy person, but damn. I’m just grateful that you want to cling to me too.”
“Shit, I feel the same way. You stole my man card. Got me clingy as fuck. Calling you every two minutes, missing you after five minutes, and wanting to be next to you every waking moment… every sleeping moment too.”
She laughed and grabbed my hand, leading me to the couch. “So, I hope you say okay, but my people wanna fly out tonight to hang with us tomorrow and go to the museum. Mama wants you to take us to Canada too. I swear they don’t know how to stay away from me either.”
I smiled and pulled her in my arms. “Tell my people to come on. This house can accommodate all of them.”
“Yay!”
She sent a text, letting them know to get their tickets for their flights, then she went to the room and got her guitar. When she sat next to me, she asked, “Is Mi still here?”
“Yeah. She went to her room. I think she’s a little depressed about the situation with them niggas. The attorney called today, and she’s already over it. She wants to drop it and forget about it. Rehashing it like that is hard on her.”
“I can only imagine. Well, instead of waiting until tomorrow, I want to sing the song for her now. Maybe it will make her feel better.”
“Mi!” I yelled as Kamari jumped.
I chuckled as she shoved me. “You think you could have been any louder? Scared the hell out of me.”
Mi joined us in the front room and said, “What’chu want, nigga? Hollering at me like you crazy. Hey, sis. I see you made it back.”
Instead of responding to her, Kamari just started playing and singing. When she sang how hard it was to overcome trials and adversity, but she would bear it with her, Mi slowly sat in the chair across from her. When she sang about being her sister and being there for her, whether she thought she needed her or not, I couldn’t help but smile.
The bond they’d established was one I admired. Sometimes, I wished I had a brother. Jayden had promised to kick it with me when he went on break from school, but I wasn’t as friendly as Kamari. I didn’t bond with people as easily.
When Kamari was done singing and had set her guitar to the side, Mi’Junae dove on her, kissing her repeatedly like she was PePé Le Pew. I laughed as they did. When Mi finally got off her, she broke down in tears, and Kamari hugged her like a big sister would. I stood from the couch and gave them their privacy.
Going to the kitchen, I grabbed a glass to pour some strawberry lemonade and got a bag of chips from the pantry. Since we were going out tonight, I didn’t want to eat anything too heavy. I leaned against the countertop, watching Mi and Kamari talk. I couldn’t hear them, but I could tell by the expression on their faces that their words were filled with love and support.
At that moment, it was like I could hear my mother speaking to me from heaven. Her words were always uplifting and encouraging, even while being a comedian at times. They were no different this time.
You did well, son. Don’t worry about the mistakes you may have made or the bad decisions. The important thing is that you did what you could after being thrown into shoes that you thought were too big for you to fill. You ran the race with those muthafuckas flopping off your feet, and you won. You have a beautiful woman who loves not only you, but Mi too. Through her, you inherited a genuine family that loves both of you. There’s nothing more I want for the two of you. I love you.
I smiled as I took a swig of my lemonade. Life had its challenges and its way of making you think there was no hope. However, through God and a positive mindset, things could turn for the better. I was beyond grateful that I was here to see ‘the better’ it had to offer.
Kamari turned in her seat, scanning the room, obviously looking for me. When her eyes met mine, she smiled and winked. I smiled back and curled my finger, beckoning for her to join me. She stood and made her way to me. When she got close enough, I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me, her body flushed against mine.
“Kamari Carrier, you came in our lives and served as a light in a dark tunnel. Thank you for your love, support, and genuineness. I look forward to building a future with you. You’re my forever.”
She smiled. “I thank God daily for allowing our paths to cross at the studio. It was that night that I knew you would be the man to change me forever. I love you, Deontray.”
I kissed her forehead then her lips. “I love you more, Mari.”