Chapter 16 #2
I continued to my bedroom where as soon as I opened the door, I found Syn sprawled out in a brown lounge fit.
A smile indented itself into my lips, then my eyes traveled to Alexa on the nightstand.
The time was nine thirty-one, not late at all for me, and usually not her either.
I glanced around my room, seeing several duffle bags near my closet.
That needed to be handled too. I was gonna have the contractor come through this week.
I already knew what needed to happen. The second floor had four bedrooms, including my own.
The plan was to have the bedroom between mine and Junior’s turned into a closet for all her shit.
That left a bedroom for the nursery. Her office space would be on the first floor in the study, leaving a bedroom down there also.
I knelt down, kissing the side of her face. “Damn, baby, you out already?”
She began to stir. “What time is it?” Her sleep filled voice sounded through the room as I stood up straight. I noticed her sketchpad and transparent pencil bag on my side of the bed, which let me know she’d fallen asleep while drawing.
“Nine-thirty. Gone ahead back to sleep. I’m about to go downstairs and eat. I’ll be back up.”
“No, I’m up. I didn’t intend to fall asleep. Why the hell is there no TV in here?” She sat up with a scowl. Every time she used to spend the night she had the same gripe.
“You know why.” I walked out of the room, starving. I didn’t realize I was until the smell of food hit my nose at the threshold.
I was in the kitchen for all of two minutes before I heard her slippers against the floor behind me. “Sit down. I’ll warm your food.”
“I thought you said Junnie was coming by?”
“She said she was, then she called and said she was tired and would come through Saturday. I ended up cooking dinner, then working on a dress Patience asked me about.”
“You get through it?” I asked, watching her move from washing her hands at the sink to the microwave.
“Yeah. Gonna probably head to the fabric store tomorrow and get some swatches.”
“She is one of your best customers, ain’t she?” I asked, knowing I’d heard her say she was making dresses for Patience several times before.
“Yeah, she’s always going to galas and shit. Not to mention her daughter who every single time she sees her mother getting dressed up wants a new dress as well. It’s actually the cutest.”
The microwave went off. She immediately grabbed the plate and set it in front of me.
“You want water or a Coke?” she asked, leaning into the refrigerator.
“Water.”
She handed it to me a few seconds later.
“What time did Junior go to sleep?”
“Seven something. He said his allergies were acting up. I gave him meds.”
I laughed. “You’re always coddling him.”
“I am not. He wasn’t feeling well.” She pushed my shoulder toward the living room.
I grabbed her hand before she could get too far, pulling her back against me. “You’re gonna fuck our kids up. I can just feel it.”
She laughed. “Finish eating and stop bothering me, Psy.”
“Come feed me, so we can go upstairs and shower.”
She turned her beautiful face up. “Don’t nobody wanna feed you.” She didn’t move away from me though, instead staying near.
“Yeah you do. If I ain’t have no arms, would you feed me?”
“In a heartbeat, but you have arms, Posydiann.” She giggled, that tight curve of her lips brightening up everything in my world.
Something about saying I do and promising this woman forever had altered my brain chemistry in a way I didn’t realize I needed.
Today, all I wanted was to get home to her, to hear how her day had gone, even though I probably knew that motherfucker mentally.
No part of me was a sap, but I’d run these streets long enough to know how these things ended, so nothing about it excited me.
If anything, it was annoying, because I had other things to deal with…
Other things I actually wanted to deal with.
The next morning when I woke, I was the only person in the house.
I knew that because when I was about to get up, Karsyn stopped me.
She was going to her shop, so she offered to drop Junior off at school.
I was good with that because I needed a few extra hours of sleep, or so I thought until I heard my phone ringing.
“Since when does the great Posydiann Murphy lay in bed after six in the morning?” Carla’s voice flowed through my phone as I walked through the house with it on speaker.
I told Karsyn not to worry about breakfast this morning but she made it anyway.
She had Junior so spoiled, because when it was just him and me, I stopped and got him something or he went over to Ma’s.
“Since life started tap dancing on me. What’s up?” I pushed the button on the microwave for thirty seconds on my food.
She laughed. “Stop acting like your life has been so messed up. Besides the wedding I didn’t get an invite to, I hear we have a baby coming into the family.”
The microwave went off.
“Nah, that’s good shit. And stop acting like you would have made it in time.” I grabbed my food and took a seat at the island.
“You’re right, I wouldn’t have. I’m just really happy for you and the direction you’re going in. How is my girl though?”
“Spoiling the fuck out of your son. You coming to get this nigga or what?” I asked.
She laughed. “You’re just mad you have to share your wife. But about that.” A pause filled the phone. “I think I’m gonna stay here… in Florida.”
That didn’t shock me at all. Junior was going on being with me for a year. After three months, I knew she wasn’t coming back.
“Say something, Psy.”
I guess my silence made her nervous. “Say what? You’re acting like I didn’t know you weren’t coming back? I knew when you told me you bought a car down there you were staying, C.”
She laughed. “Believe it or not, even then I had every intention of coming back, but it got kind of easy being here. Got me a lil spot and a lil shit. I’ve kind of made a life here and the only thing missing is my son.
But he loves Briar South; he loves his father and his stepmother.
I can’t force him to move here and I won’t try.
I just ask that you at least make him come see me for some vacation, Psy. ”
I laughed. “He’s damn near grown, Carla. But that’s fair and I’ll talk with him about it.”
“I know, right? Where the hell did all the time go? One minute he’s a little squirt and the next he’s taller than me and his voice is deep. Tell Karsyn y’all have to share your little boo with me because I swear I’m not trying to have any more.”
A chuckle escaped my lips as I continued to eat.
“You’re laughing, but I’m so serious. You’re starting all over. Junior is about to be seventeen. As a matter of fact, you’ll probably have a two-year-old when your son goes off to college.”
“You tryna make me feel old, right?”
“Nope, not at all. I’m trying to guilt you into sharing your baby with me.” She laughed through her statement. “It’s okay, I’ma ask Karsyn.”
We talked for a while longer, going back and forth before I had Killah on my line talking mess. At that point I was on my way to the restaurant, so he said he’d see me there.
I pulled up in front of the brick dwelling around ten, which gave me several hours to get some things done. I wanted more for this space, so I couldn’t allow all of the things I was currently dealing with to overshadow that.
“You must’ve come to work.” I looked at the jogging fit he was wearing as I opened the door.
“Damn sure did. We’re about to get this paint on the walls and whatever the hell else you’ve been slacking on.”
I laughed. I had definitely been dragging my feet, but only because it felt like everything was going on at once. Not to mention I was walking around here with a hole in my chest for what felt like forever. I had gone from not having my baby to not being able to have enough.
“You know Unc would be proud. Seeing you stepping into your own space.”
“You think?”
He nodded. “I know. Unc showed us the streets, but I don’t think he ever intended for us to stay in them, you know? He was always giving me these mini talks when I came over. Lowkey used to avoid them, but now I could use one.”
I nodded. “I feel you.”
Killah then attempted to transform his voice to mimic Unc’s. “‘Nephew, get ya shit together. Don’t be out here walking around with a neck and no head.’”
“You know I still don’t know what the hell he meant by that either.”
“I thought it was just me. I think he just used to say things he thought would be profound.” Killah shrugged, picking up the bucket of paint.
We both busted up laughing.
“Yo, that ain’t my uncle. You’re around here sounding like Morgan Freeman.”
He laughed even harder.
For several hours we painted, talking mess back and forth while listening to music.
We did more than I thought we’d be able to, starting in the main dining room with a deep indigo then to the hallways.
The first one leading down to the private dining area was a deep denim, then my office ending up an even darker blue.
The washrooms, kitchen, and other miscellaneous areas still needed paint, but that much I’d handle later.
Being that I was no contractor, I couldn’t handle everything, but it was a big deal to me for me to be a part of every part of this process.
I was the same way when I bought my home. I was meticulous about every detail.
“We got a lot done today, brother. I’ma head out, but I’ll definitely be billing you for my time.”
I laughed, cleaning up after us. “I got you for a free meal when we opened up.”
“All my meals should be free here. You heading out or staying for a while longer?”
“Staying a lil longer, probably let my wife in on what I've been working on.”
He nodded. “Aight, come lock me out.”