Chapter 2
My doorbell rang as I put my underclothes in my small suitcase. After zipping it, I headed toward the front door. I already knew who it was because no one came to my house.
“Hey, Avalon.” My cousin Diamond greeted me when I opened the door.
“Hey, Diamond.” I stepped back to give her space to enter. “Why didn’t you use your key?”
“Because, you might have been trying to get some last-minute dick or something.” She shook her head and laughed.
“Who am I fooling? We know you ain’t letting anybody hit anything.
” Diamond took off toward my bedroom, and I was right behind her.
Once we entered, she sat on the chair near the full-length mirror I had, and I walked over to the bed so I could finish packing.
“First of all, I could get some if I wanted some. You also know what this weekend means to me,” I said somberly.
“I know, but I also know you could use some dick. It’s been over a year, Avalon. Do you think he would want you to not move on?”
A little over a year ago, I lost my boyfriend, Miles, to a drug overdose, and I hadn’t moved on from it.
Miles and I were together for four years and were so in love.
We planned on getting married and having kids, but all that ended when he died.
He wasn’t a crackhead or anything; he just happened to get addicted to pain medicine after a car accident.
“Diamond, sometimes I feel like I’m ready to, then something happens that changes my mind. I don’t know.” I shrugged, then picked up a black shirt that I wanted to take with me.
Diamond stood from the chair, then walked over to me. She pulled me in her arms and hugged me tightly. For a moment, I got emotional as tears streamed down my face. I wanted to move on, but it was hard.
“I think it’s just because you haven’t met someone worth the time.
Plus, I know this weekend is an emotional one.
It’s okay to feel those feelings. I just want you to understand that you could move on and be happy one day.
Miles wouldn’t want you being all sad and shit.
” She released me and sat at the edge of the bed.
Before losing Miles, I was the happiest person.
I cracked jokes all the time, and my life was colorful.
I was getting back to myself, but with it being the anniversary of Miles’s death, the sadness took over.
I really didn’t plan on being alone forever, but I honestly hadn’t met someone worth it.
I’d gone on a couple of dates since Miles’s passing, but the dating pool sucked.
Too many didn’t know what they wanted or at least to be honest about it.
They either wanted someone who gave it up on the first night, or one who would let them do whatever they wanted, and that wasn’t me.
I wasn’t a prude when it came to having sex on the first night, but I also didn’t just give it up to anyone.
Miles and I dated for two months before we crossed that line.
He was always the perfect gentleman, and he catered to me.
I did the same for him as well. I tried my best to get him some help when I saw how the drugs affected him, but he didn’t want it.
I never left him, though, in hopes that he would see how it made him become a different person.
He had a prescription for opioids, and when it ran out, he got some off the streets, and that was what killed him.
“I guess it’ll happen whenever it’s supposed to. I can assure you that if I ever come across someone that sparks my interest, then I would see it through. I promise you I won’t be an old and lonely lady.”
I talked a good game, but I was a little scared about moving on.
I didn’t want to love and lose again, but I knew death was imminent.
Love was worth experiencing. I still wanted to have a child or two if I could.
I had five years before I turned forty, so I didn’t have a ton of time, but there was still a chance.
“Yeah, ’cause we can’t have you in here talking to Chester all day.”
I giggled as she rolled her eyes. I continued folding clothes and putting them in my bag.
I would only be gone for a few days, but I packed more than I needed.
It wasn’t even like I was leaving town, so I could come home if I needed to.
I was only going across town to the Bishop Sunrise Hotel.
I just wanted a few days to reflect and relax.
“Chester listens, and he doesn’t judge me.”
“Bitch, because he’s in a bowl,” she screeched. “If he opens his mouth, the only thing he’s going to get is water or them small flakes of food.” She sucked her teeth.
“Speaking of food, you are going to feed him, right?”
Chester was my beta fish that I had for six months. I talked to him sometimes when I didn’t want to bother anyone with the things that were on my mind.
“Yes. I’m gonna ask Uncle Darnell why he never got you tested because I swear you are a little touched.” She shook her head and twisted her lips. “You act like Chester is a damn kid or something. He won’t starve if he doesn’t eat for a couple of days.”
I spun my head toward her so fast it hurt my neck.
Diamond was my first cousin and best friend.
Her dad and mine were brothers, and we grew up together like we were sisters.
My mom died when I was three, so I was raised by my father.
I was truly a daddy’s girl, but he also taught me things that I needed to know so I wouldn’t have to rely on a man.
I knew how to change tires, spark plugs, and brake pads.
Anything outside of those three things, I took my SUV to the dealer.
I also knew how to change the locks on my house if needed.
Nobody else had a key to my place except for Diamond and my father.
“I don’t need no damn test. I’m perfectly fine.
And Chester might not be my child, or even a four-legged animal, but he’s still mine and my responsibility.
” I thought about getting a dog or cat after Miles passed, but my schedule was pretty busy, so I wouldn’t have time for it.
I knew a cat would be easier than a dog, but I would have to spend time with it until it got acclimated to me.
I just didn’t have the time. As an event planner, I was busy all year long.
The spring and summer were my busiest times with a lot of events, but the cooler months could be just as hectic.
“Yeah, yeah. You know I’ll come make sure he’s not floating at the top of the bowl.”
She fell back laughing when I threw a pair of socks at her.
“Let me just ask my dad.” I sucked my teeth.
“I got you, girl.” She laughed some more.
“You really get on my nerves sometimes,” I told her as I zipped my other bag.
I had already packed my toiletries the night before. Every time I traveled, I purchased all new travel toiletries. The only thing that wasn’t new was my clothes and suitcases.
“You love me though.” She put both of her hands under her chin and smiled innocently.
“I do, but still.”
Diamond drove me crazy sometimes, but she always had my best interest at heart.
She was funny as hell, and anytime we hung out, I would be in stitches.
She had been there for me after every heartbreak and win.
The day I found Miles in our bathroom not breathing, Diamond came right over and helped me through everything.
She even stayed with me for two weeks after the funeral, until I felt better being alone.
I had been the same for her. She truly was my person.
Diamond stood, then hugged me.
“I love you, Avalon, and I just want you to get some peace and rest this weekend. I got Chester covered.” She smirked, then kissed my cheek.
“I love you too, and I truly do appreciate you.” We released each other, and Diamond helped me take my bags to my vehicle.
After we had the bags loaded, we stood outside of my truck. I made sure I filled my gas tank the night before and checked my tire pressure. Both were unnecessary because I was only thirty minutes away from my location.
“Welp, I’m going to go so I can check in. You know I have to do my routine.”
“We know,” Diamond said as she rolled her eyes.
We hugged each other one more time, and she got in her car as I got in mine. Both of us pulled away at the same time. She went in one direction, and I went to the other.
It took me forty-five minutes to get to the Bishop because I decided to stop for some snacks at the last minute.
Every night, I liked to have apples and peanut butter before bed.
When I traveled, I got pre-sliced apples, and peanut butter to-go cups.
At home, I just cut up the apples and dipped them in a jar of peanut butter.
Once I checked in, I took the elevator up to my room.
As soon as I opened the door, the scent of lavender filled my nostrils.
I placed my bags down, then walked to the window.
I opened the curtains and opened the window.
Having the ability to open the windows was one of the things I loved about the Bishop.
Plus, I loved it because it was near the beach, and I made sure every room I got faced it.
Miles and I went on our first date at the hotel’s restaurant and spent our time there for our anniversary every year afterward.
This weekend was about honoring Miles’s life.
I had planned to sit out on the beach, do some journaling and resetting.
I had a few small events within the upcoming weeks, so I needed to rest before I hit the ground running.
After breathing in the beach air for a second, I proceeded to do my hotel routine. It didn’t matter where I went; I cleaned the room and put my own sheets on the bed. I knew the Bishop was well maintained, but I still needed to reclean everything.
It took me about twenty minutes to fully clean and sanitize the room.
Once the disinfectant spray dried, I layered two of the dresser drawers with towels and put my clothes inside of them.
It used to drive Miles crazy that I had to do so much when we traveled, but I liked things to be clean and organized.
It helped him, though, because he never had to search for clothes in his bags or his toiletries. Everything had a place.
I put the sheets on the bed, then went over to the table and chair.
For a few minutes, I wrote in my journal about how I had felt throughout the day and how I expected to feel by the time I left the hotel.
I also added a few manifestations. I made sure to journal at least once a day. Depending on my emotions, I did two.
When I was done, I went down to the restaurant to have dinner. The food there was so good, and I couldn’t wait to eat it.