22. Malik
TWO WEEKS LATER
I had given Sametra all the space I could allow without going completely insane.
She was talking to me, but barely. It was short responses to texts about the baby, updates on school, nothing more.
Her ice-out was Arctic cold, and I wasn’t prepared to be frozen out by my own woman.
I was about to get on my stalker shit, but I was trying to play it cool.
Even though she was cold as ice I was still ensuring I did what needed to be done.
Flowers once a week. Lunch surprises, and bundt cakes from her favorite bakery.
Something was arriving every day to keep me on her mind.
I’d been using the time wisely touring buildings all week, looking for the perfect location to open Pressure Points. It was time to stop playing.
“This is the third property today,” my realtor, Lynn, said as we pulled up to a sleek glass building in the medical district. “It’s got everything on your list, twelve thousand square feet, state-of-the-art HVAC, plenty of parking, and it’s zoned for medical facilities.”
I stepped out of her car and immediately felt something click.
The building sat on a corner lot with excellent visibility from two main streets.
Large windows would let in natural light, which was important for patient morale.
Sometimes all you need to adjust your mood was some sunshine.
I wasn’t feeling that way. The only sunshine I wanted was Sametra.
“Parking looks good. Private access?”
The parking situation was perfect, no one wanted to struggle to find a spot when they were already dealing with mobility issues. But we were on our third location because I had celebrity clients and they wanted privacy, especially after an injury.
“The previous tenant was a sports medicine clinic,” Lynn continued as she unlocked the front door. “A lot of the infrastructure you’d need is already in place. Including private access on the street in the back. Let’s go in.”
The moment I walked inside, I could see it. The reception area was spacious enough for wheelchairs and walkers to navigate easily. The hallway was wide, with rails already installed.
“How many treatment rooms?” I asked, already mentally arranging the space.
“Eight private rooms, plus two larger rooms for group therapy sessions. There’s also office space upstairs for administrative staff.”
I walked through each room, my mind racing with possibilities. I wished Sametra was doing this with me.
“What’s the timeline for occupancy?”
“The owner is motivated to move quickly. You could potentially be in here within sixty days if financing comes through.”
Sixty days. By then, hopefully, Sametra and I would have worked through our issues. Maybe she’d even be showing a little with the pregnancy. I couldn’t wait to bring her so she could see what part of the Holloway legacy looked like.
“There’s also this,” Lynn said, leading me to a back room I hadn’t noticed. “The previous tenant used it for a children’s play area. Of course, you can do what you want, but that’s the one thing these other facilities just aren’t doing. The community needs a kid-friendly location.”
The children’s area didn’t sound bad at all. Where parents could bring their kids during appointments, where my own child could hang out while Daddy worked. The vision was becoming clearer by the minute.
I pulled out my phone and started taking pictures, already planning the layout.
I wanted my own practice to be known for the best care but also known as a place that cared about the community.
I was ready and excited to employ other therapists, even my baby if she wanted it.
This was going to be something that could make a real difference.
“I want it,” I said, turning to Lynn. “What do we need to make this happen?”
“I’ll draw up the paperwork. You’ll need to provide financial statements, business plan, proof of insurance...”
As she ran through the list, already mentally checking off each item.
I had been preparing for this moment for a while.
Saving money, investing so I could have a good standing on handling business.
It was always supposed to be me in my own spot, being my own boss, even before the hospital situation forced my hand.
This wasn’t a reaction to the suspension, this was the next step in a plan I’d been building since I first started working in rehabilitation.
My phone buzzed with a text from Samaj.
Maj: You coming tomorrow?
Me: I’ll be there. How’s she been?
Maj: Moody as hell. Upset, they canceled one of her shows. She’s been snapping at everybody. She’s been a delight.
Me: I’m telling her what you said. LOL!
As Lynn and I headed back to her car, I felt more optimistic than I had in weeks. Sametra keeping me at arm’s length was allowing me to focus on something other than what I didn’t have. I wasn’t just talking, I was about action.
“How soon can we move on this?” I asked as we drove away.
“I can have the initial paperwork ready by tomorrow morning. Are you sure you don’t want to think about it overnight?”
I looked back at the building one more time, already imagining the sign: Pressure Points Rehabilitation & Wellness Center . Maybe underneath: Dr. Malik Holloway, DPT.
“I’m sure. Let’s make it happen.”
I made it back to my car in the hospital parking lot.
Today was my exit interview. I’d already advised them that I would be submitting my resignation.
That was the smartest move I could make.
There was no need to drag this out any longer, especially when it should’ve never come to this in the first place. I was done playing their games.
I sat in my car for a moment, looking up at the building that had been my professional home for five years. Walking away felt surreal, but also liberating. This wasn’t an ending, it was a beginning. Life moved on.
My phone buzzed with another missed call from Mama. I’d been avoiding her like the plague ever since the suspension. Every time I talked to her, she was fussing about me and Sametra, and I was feeling it enough without any reminders of what had transpired.
But I couldn’t avoid her forever. Taking a deep breath, I called her back.
“Malik Jerome Holloway, you better have a good reason for avoiding your mother.”
“Hey, Mama. I know, I know. I’ve just been?—”
“You’ve been sulking and feeling sorry for yourself instead of fixing what you broke. That’s what you’ve been doing. I know it bet not be what you’ve been doing.”
I leaned back in my seat. “Mama…”
“Don’t ‘Mama’ me. I been waiting for you to call me back with good news, and instead you’ve been hiding from me.”
“I haven’t been hiding. I’ve been handling business. Just found a building for my own rehabilitation center.”
The line went quiet for a moment. “Your own place?”
“Yeah. Twelve thousand square feet in the medical district. I’m calling it Pressure Points. I hope to have it open by the end of the year. Definitely before the baby comes.”
“Well, look at my baby!” Her voice brightened immediately. “I’m proud of you, son. That’s what I’m talking about. God said to turn your setback into a comeback. Now, what about my daughter in love?”
I sighed. “Still working on that. And don’t act like you haven’t talked to her. I know Yolanda Beth-Ann Holloway ain’t minding her business.”
“Mm-hmm, maybe I have talked to her. She’s having my grandbaby after all. How much processing time you giving her?”
“She asked for space, so I’m giving her space.”
“Boy, that woman is carrying your baby and dealing with hormones that got her emotions all over the place. Space is one thing, but you can’t just sit back and wait for her. You gotta go get her.”
“I am fighting for us. I’m building this business for us, for our future, gifts, love notes.”
“Sending gifts ain’t the same as showing up, baby. You’re treating the symptoms, not the problem. She don’t need your money, she needs your presence, your leadership.”
I could hear her moving around.
“I don’t want to push…”
“There’s a difference between pushing and pursuing, Malik.”
I rubbed my temple, feeling the truth in her words turn the knife in my heart some more. I hadn’t smiled in a week, not a real smile. When I took Samaj to get his car, that was the first time I’d felt any joy since she yelled for me to leave.
It was possible I didn’t know everything about being a man to a grown woman who’d been hurt before.
I could admit I had a blind spot here. I’d never been in this situation because no one had ever stuck around long enough to leave me.
Usually, I was the one walking away when things got complicated.
But with Sametra, the thought of losing her made my chest, head, and stomach fill with panic.
“You know what your problem is?” Mama’s voice got that tone that meant she was about to read me thoroughly. “You think because you apologized once and sent a few gifts the work is done. Baby, that’s just the beginning. You gotta rebuild trust, and that takes time and consistency.”
“I hear you.” I did because I had been thinking the same thing, but I knew better than to poke the bear, especially a pregnant one. However, I remembered how I showed up at the firehouse. It was time for that energy.
“Good, when that baby comes, I’m getting on my first airplane to be there. Make it right.”
I’d tried that with some head. I chuckled and shook my head thinking about her praising me for a wonderful job but then still keeping the belt to my ass.
“Mama, you hate flying.”
“I do hate flying, but I love my grandbaby more than I hate those metal death traps. Besides, somebody needs to be there to help Sametra when she’s recovering, and I just feel like this is why God has kept me here so long. To see my baby have a baby.”
My chest thumped thinking about my mom conquering a fear to be there for us. “You’d really get on a plane, ma?”