Chapter 36 Yale
Chapter thirty-six
Yale
“Baby sis,” Pyrite said as soon as I answered his FaceTime call. “You look good, girl!”
“Pyrite Stone.” I leaned back in my chair and swayed. “The man, the myth, the CEO.”
“The pain in your ass,” he finished, and all I could do was smile. While most people thought Amethyst was the most spoiled of the Stone brothers, I always thought they shared the title, and on any given day, one would outshine the other.
“You said it, not me,” I replied with a nod. Spelman walked into my room, held up a bag of chips, and I shook my head. She sat on the bed, eating her chips while working on her laptop. “Now answer my question.”
“I can’t just call my baby sister and check in?
” he rebutted, and I rolled my eyes. “You act like I haven’t texted and called you weekly since all this shit went down.
” He gave me a pointed look, and I shrugged.
“You were the one not answering for me, not the other way around, even though those other niggas call and text you and you reply with no hesitation.”
“I answered the last time,” I said.
“Because mama asked you to,” he countered, and I shrugged. “It was good seeing you, though, legit, and I appreciate you making that food for me and Itty Bitty. It was good as fuck, and she can’t wait to meet you.”
“Pyrite,” I sighed and shook my head. “We had this talk.”
“We did,” he nodded in agreement. “You said you would think about it. The fam misses you.”
I didn’t have a real argument for him because he was telling the truth. I answered for everyone else because they didn’t remind me of the man who’d shipped me away. It was the only way I could protect the little peace of mind that I had at times.
“I feel a certain way, so that you know,” he said, and I nodded. “I needed sisterly advice, and you left me to rely on Plus Twelve and the DeCortes. I needed sound advice.”
“You had Spelman, Berkeley, and Clarke around too,” I replied, and his face twisted. “What’s that look for?”
“I said sound advice,” he kissed his teeth. “You’ve met your sisters, not one of them is wrapped any tighter than Plus Twelve.”
“Spelman can hear you.” I picked up the phone and turned the camera so he could see her.
“I don’t give a damn!” he laughed. “She’s off and knows it, which is why her crazy ass didn’t say shit just now.”
Spelman looked up, smiled, shrugged, then went back to work.
After I found out that they were doing business together, I asked her to keep an eye on all the Stones.
Somehow, Berkeley and Clarke started tagging along whenever she went to do business, and they were accepted into the Stones’ fold.
Mama Diamond called me every Tuesday, and we caught up, but she was the only one I spoke to.
“Stop insulting my sister and tell me why you’re calling, Pyrite.” I turned the camera back onto me and set the phone back on the stand. I sat forward, resting my elbows on the desk and my chin on my hands. “Because I know it’s a reason you’re calling.”
“I saw the ring you did for Hood,” he said, nodding. “I want something like that.”
“No, sir,” I said, shaking my head. “That was a one-of-a-kind ring. Think of something else.”
“Man, come on, Yale,” he groaned. “That fucking ring is nice as hell.”
“I know, it took me almost two weeks to get it right.” I moved back, adjusted my t-shirt, and shook my mouse to wake up my computer.
It took me a few seconds, but I found the design and looked it over.
“Givens and Hood stressed me out with their designs. You won’t be doing the same thing.
” I looked at the phone to see him mugging me.
“I don’t care about that look either, and you know it. ”
“I need your best, nothing else will do for Itty Bitty,” he said, shaking his head. “I know you can do me this solid even if you’re mad at Am.”
“I’m not mad at Am, not anymore,” I said, shaking my head.
I switched to my design software and typed Pyrite’s name into the label.
I gave him shit, but there was no way I was going to do anything less than everything in my power to make sure the engagement ring he wanted was beyond what he imagined.
“I have a million other things to deal with.”
“Like?”
“When do you need the ring by?” I asked, instead of answering his question.
“You think you could have it to me by Hood and Legacy’s engagement party?”
I opened my calendar and sighed. The party was in a few weeks, and I still hadn’t RSVP’d.
Hood texted me about it last night, and I told him I’d think about it.
I wanted to go home, see everyone, and celebrate with my friends, but that also meant there was a chance I’d see Amethyst. As much as I told everyone I wasn’t upset with him, I wasn’t sure how I’d respond once I finally did see him.
“I will not rush my damn process because you are that sprung. I don’t even know what she looks like, and you expect me to pull a ring out of thin air. What’s the rush?”
Pyrite flipped the camera to his computer, which showed a video of a beautiful brown-skinned woman standing in the kitchen, talking to Xoey.
When Pyrite visited, she was asleep in the car, and I only got out to give Pyrite a quick hug before getting back in.
She looked like she was giving Xoey instructions, and all I could do was watch her in amazement.
Everyone knew that Xoey hated cooking, and seeing them together, laughing, smiling, and relaxed meant there was something special about her.
“Now you get it?” he asked. “She’s a safe space for everybody around her. I want to be that space for her. When she’s sad, happy, excited, unsure, I want her to know that I have her for life and the next. I want her to have my last name, carry my babies.”
“Pyrite Stone, give me a few days,” I sighed, then wiped my hands over my face. I was going to do everything in my power to make him the ring that signified everything he’d just said because I knew he meant it.
“Legit, sis?” he turned the camera around. “You got me like that?”
“Yeah,” I answered, nodding. “I got you.”
“Bet, I’ll be in town in a few days. You think you’ll answer the phone when I call?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head, and he kissed his teeth. “I won’t be here. Check the plane flight logs. I have some business on the coast, and then I’m going to spend the week with my sisters at the beach.”
“A week at the beach?” he asked, and I nodded. “Doing what exactly, and does Am know?”
“What I want, and I don’t know what Am knows, nor does it matter.”
“Yale--”
“I will call you when I have the ring done,” I said, cutting him off before he could start up with the lecture. “I love you, I’ll talk to you, soon.” I hung up before he could get a word in.
“You know he’s going to tell Amethyst, right?” Spelman laughed.
I leaned back in my seat, rubbed between my eyes, and shrugged.
“He can do what he wants, but that’s not my business.
I meant what I said when I said I was done stressing over what Amethyst is or isn’t doing or what he does or doesn’t know.
He sent me here; I’m here living my life. He can live his.”
“You’re stubborn,” she replied as she looked up at me. Her brown eyes held a million and one questions and secrets that she wasn’t ready to tell yet.
“Pot.” I pointed to her, then myself. “Meet kettle.”
“Touche,” she laughed and shrugged. “How long is it going to take you to design the ring he wants?”
“I already have an idea of what I want to do, it’s just about finding the right stones and getting them,” I answered, and she nodded.
My fingers went to the ring I wore around my neck, and I thought about what I could do for Pyrite.
I knew enough about Fable from Mama Diamond and my sisters to know that she wasn’t flashy or over the top. “This is going to be kind of tricky.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because usually when I design an engagement ring, I have the man’s description of her and her personality, and then I ask them to bring in the closest person to her so I can have them tell me about her as well.
It gives me a clearer picture of who the woman is, and let’s be honest, most of the time, men don’t know shit about jewelry.
An engagement ring is an extension of them, but it’s also a statement of who she is.
Having that close friend or family member gives me that added layer of understanding. ”
“Did you have that with Hood and Givens?”
“I didn’t need it,” I laughed. “I’ve known Legacy and Mercy for years.
We inadvertently talked about jewelry and rings over the years, and because of that, I knew what they did or didn’t like.
The only thing I needed from Hood and Givens was suggestions on colors, and even that was minimal because I have a friendship with them, too. ”
“So, you need someone who knows Fable?” she asked, and I nodded. “I got you.” She picked up her phone from the bed, swiped it a few times, and then the sound of a ring echoed through the room.
“Hello?” a woman answered.
“Yamari, Pyrite is going to propose to Fable soon. He asked Yale to design the ring, but she needs some details that only you can provide. You got a minute?”
“Finally!” she laughed. “Of course, put her on the phone.” Spelman got out of bed, walked over to me, and handed me the phone.
A brown-skinned woman with a big smile sat on the other side.
“Wow, you look just like your sisters. You are beautiful. I see why Amethyst is head over heels in love with you.”
“Thank you,” I laughed.
“Oh, I’m so damn rude, my name is Yamari, I’m Fable’s best friend,” she said, introducing herself.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I replied. “I don’t mean to take up all your time; I just have a few questions, is all, and then I can start working on this ring.”
“Ask away,” she laughed. “I’ve been waiting on this call since Pyrite called me a few weeks ago and said he took her to New Mexico and you made them dinner, and they watched the stars.”