Chapter 10
TEN
Sent
I pressed the power button of the black device until the screen shut off. My palms ran across my hair. I was long overdue for an appointment with my barber. Just like almost everything else on the outside of these walls, that would have to wait.
I stood from the bed and stretched my limbs. With both arms out in front of me, curled at the elbows, I twisted leftward. Then, rightward. I grabbed my left arm with my right hand and stretched upward.
“Mm.”
The switching of arms proved to be just as beneficial. Immediate relief washed over me. I lowered my body to the floor, hands against the concrete.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
I lifted and then lowered. Lifted. Lowered. Lifted. Lowered.
The familiar spot on the brick wall became my focal point, again. I set my sight on it, zoning out completely.
Nine.
Ten.
Eleven.
Twelve.
“Blackwood.”
I kept my eyes on the brick, body pumping and brain in a far away place.
Thirteen.
Fourteen.
“Confirmed.”
Fifteen.
Sixteen.
“Good. Good. Up and out in an hour.”
Silently, I continued.
Seventeen.
Eighteen.
Sweat poured down my face. My hands began to perspire from the strenuous activity. At one hundred, I lifted my body completely and pressed my back against the side of the bunk. Though my body had halted, my thoughts were still running wild.
Running with her.
Quickly making room for her.
Changing.
Elevating.
Accommodating.
I massaged my temples as my lips formed a smile. I’d waited for this moment. For this woman in particular. Not because I was privy to her existence, but because I knew that no one before her had made me feel much. If anything at all.
I was patiently waiting for my heart to explode. Waiting for my feelings to overwhelm me. Waiting for my dominance to subside when necessary. Waiting for my head to spin. Waiting to touch her mind long before I placed my hands on her body.
Waiting to see her in my dreams. Waiting to want her around. All the time. Every time. Waiting to share my wallet. Waiting to add her to my bank accounts. Waiting to get her whatever her heart desired. Waiting to spoil her.
Waiting to buy the most precious diamond Huffington had to offer. Waiting to walk her down the aisle. Waiting to change her name. Waiting to plant my seeds. Waiting to watch them grow. Waiting to catch them with my bare hands. Waiting to raise them.
In peace.
In harmony.
Well protected.
Highly respected.
Loved. Unconditionally.
I knew she'd been wondrous. I didn’t know she’d be Range, sister of Chemistry Childers. He’d been vital to my medical trajectory. Knowing he’d be responsible for my life’s trajectory as well had my lids touching and my mouth open slightly.
“Good looking out, Bro.”
His words made more sense now. So did his logic.
“I’m not your mentor, Blackwood. I am your brother. Your success is not optional for either of us. It’s paramount.”
I understood. The meanings were no longer unclear. The moment Range appeared before me, the dots connected.
I rose to my feet. There wasn’t much time to spare. Every minute required my energy. I couldn’t bear the thought of keeping my company waiting.
Not today.
Not any day.
Back pressed against the wall with peeled eyelids, I watched as the door on the opposite side of the room slid backward, revealing a piece of my heart. A piece that didn’t require question or request, because it was hers the moment I laid eyes on her.
You have no idea how beautiful your life gets from here.
You may have an idea, Sunshine, but truly you have no idea.
Long brown legs were partially covered by a skirt well above the knees. A white color shirt was tucked into the tan piece. Her hair was pulled up, wrapped into a ponytail. Her face was on full display.
Perfect.
Makeup did little to enhance her perfection. Still, I made note of how pretty she was with it sticking to her skin. Diamond earrings glistened in her ears. Gold jewelry covered her wrists and fingers. There wasn’t a thread or strand out of place.
Poised.
Polished.
Pampered.
Range was exactly who she thought she was. I just hoped one day I could show her that she was even more.
To me.
To my life.
In my world.
In our world.
Forevermore.
One foot was placed in front of the other. I noticed something new about her with each step she took. I also noticed something new about myself.
I learned that there would hardly be anything in life that would sway me in a direction that didn’t end with Range as my destination.
I learned that it wouldn’t be much in this world she could do that would force me to give up on what I knew we’d build.
I learned that there would be nothing within my grasp she could desire that she wouldn’t have when the dust settled.
And, lastly, I learned that I liked everything about her.
Everything.
With a tilted head, I admired her. She wasn’t in her head, today. Her chin was high. Her spine was straight. Her chest was inflated. She glided across the floor with her eyes on me.
The distance was lessened between us. Still, she was so far away. Her briefcase collided with the table. I didn’t recognize this one. It wasn’t the same one she’d opened during our previous visits.
I hope my money paid for that. I thought.
“Good evening, Mr. Blackwood.”
The door slid across the floor, closing behind her. It wasn’t until then that I stepped closer.
“You’re so pretty,” I voiced, meaning to choose my words more wisely.
Unfortunately, my heart wouldn’t allow it. Range was a dose of truth serum. A natural high. A drug of sorts. Or, a combination of drugs. Increasingly potent. Consuming.
Her eyes darted around the room.
“Thank you.”
When her eyes were finally with me again, they analyzed me. Studied me. Quietly.
With a crackling voice, she asked, “No cuffs?”
I shook my head, feeling the dagger as it pierced my chest.
“No cuffs.”
Silence.
There was something on the top of her dome. Something marinating in that pretty mind of hers.
“I’m listening, Sunshine.”
“Hm?”
“I’m listening.”
She lowered her body, taking a seat. Like a child that had been scolded, she looked up at me with remorseful eyes. I mentally prepared myself for news I wasn’t ready to receive as the dagger was pushed further into my chest.
“What’s the matter?” I questioned, erasing the space between us.
I pushed her chair up to the table. Her breath hiked in her chest as I rounded the table. She swallowed back, eyes pinning me to the wall behind me while I had a seat in front of her.
“Range–”
“He wasn’t the first,” she whispered.
My nostrils flared with uncertainty.
Silence.
“Josiah.”
Silence.
“Your uncle,” Range mouthed.
“You prefer soft colors over bold. Neutrals. You like playing in makeup. That probably stemmed from childhood. Dress up. Makeup. You get in your head quite a bit. Still, you’re trustworthy.
In fact, you hold secrets the world will never know.
You’re excellent at your job. You’re the best cleaner Huffington knows.
“You prioritize the people you love. Time, energy, and effort. You aren’t in search of validation. They’ve told you all your life you’re capable, loved, beautiful, and of a different pedigree. You haven’t loved. Not hard and not long and not right, yet, at least.
“You’re lonely. Even when you’re not alone, lonesomeness still lingers.
Your heart is heavy even when it’s light.
You have been clinically diagnosed with autism.
Late. it hasn’t always been on your medical charts.
You’re navigating. You understand that it works for you more than it does against you.
“You don’t embrace it. You accept it. You’re not afraid to leave. Situations. People. Projects. Places. Things. You cling to nothing. You understand when it’s time to move on and you do so.”
“Josiah, that has–”
“I want to be clear, Range. I want to be clear about one thing.”
She released a shaky breath.
“I know you. I’ve analyzed. I’ve predicted.
I’ve observed. Every word. Every movement.
Every inhale. Every exhale. Every eye twitch.
Every response. Every step. Every piece of clothing.
Every inch of your frame. I’ve taken that information back to my cell to break it down, process it, store it, recap, and adjust. Because, there’s just something about you that won’t leave me. Or maybe it’s everything.”
“We need to discuss your case, Josiah. I’m moving forward wit–”
She was deflected. She was running. She was voiding.
“You understand when it’s time to move on and you do so,” I repeated.
She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. When it returned, the lip gloss was hardly there anymore.
“I need you to tell me something, Sunshine. Are you listening?”
Silence.
I moved closer, elbows on the table. I turned my palms upward, quietly requesting her presence. She obliged, placing both hands onto mine.
“Are you listening?”
She nodded.
“Then tell me, Range, do you know when it’s time to stay? And will you?”
Her right hand tapped against my palm. The sound of her foot tapping on the floor didn’t come as a surprise. Simultaneously, her face neared mine.
She assessed me. Quietly. Confidently. Vulnerably. Cautiously. And, once she’d processed her findings, her lips parted.
“My heart leaves me no choice.”
My world shifted. Earth stopped spinning on its axis. My heart stilled.
For a brief moment. For a second.
“Can we talk about your case?”
“We can’t, Range. Because I am confident you will make sure I am a free man. They have nothing. I’ve made sure. You’re simply the nail in the coffin. What I care to talk more about is you– So, take off your sneakers and stop running from what you’ll never be able to escape.”
Her hands slid from mine. Her back pushed against the seat. Her hands crossed her chest. And, her lips pursed into a pout.
I chuckled. I didn’t notice how good it felt until more words escaped her.
“What’s funny?”
I shook my head, shrugging.