‘Til Forever (‘Til I Say When #2)

Wilde

Absentmindedly scratching my scalp, I trekked into my favorite jewelry store. The owner, Hassan was helping a customer, but he looked up with a smile recognizing me instantly. He knew I rarely ever came in just to window shop. If I came in, I was spending.

The young guy that Hassan was helping peeked over his shoulder at me. I wasn’t the same ignorant nigga I was a few years back, and I’d never want to turn up in Hassan’s place of business, but I wanted to know what the fuck he was staring at. Quickly, he turned back toward Hassan.

“You didn’t offer me champagne.”

With a smirk, I strolled over to the case that held what I was looking for. It didn’t take Imani long to return with the glass of champagne and when she passed it to me, she spoke in a tone that only I could hear. “Looking at engagement rings? Guess you’re really going to be off the market, huh?”

The first piece I purchased from Hassan was eight years old.

I hit Imani a few times over the course of two years.

I stopped having sex with her before I met Wonder, but any time I came into the store, she tried her hand with me no matter how much time had passed.

When I began using the fact that I had a girlfriend as the reason I couldn’t fuck with her, she was stunned.

Most people were stunned when they found out someone like me was faithful.

Maybe I had been a dog ass nigga in the past, but anybody could change.

“I’ve been off the market, G.”

The flicker in her eyes was nothing short of jealousy.

The way her face slightly contorted, I couldn’t tell if she was pissed or disgusted.

How she felt was of no concern to me though.

I was still stumped my damn self about what it was that made Wonder different from any other woman I’d dealt with.

I didn’t fall for her based solely off looks or sex.

Whatever she did, it made me feel a way that no other woman had, and for that, she deserved all of me.

I could be doing something as simple as watching Wonder with our son, Wylder, and a nigga would be cheesing looking goofy as shit.

Everything she did from how she nurtured him to how she ran the house and her shop and kept me satisfied was top tier. She was it for me, and that was the reason I was in the jewelry store looking at rings.

“Engagement rings?” I could hear the excitement in Hassan’s tone. The lil’ bullshitter had left the store without purchasing anything. Nigga made a big deal about not being offered champagne, and he didn’t even spend shit.

“Yeah, it’s about that time.” I never took my eyes off the diamonds sparkling in the case. Immediately, I was drawn to the larger diamonds. My shorty represented me when she stepped outside, and I wanted people to look at her rock and know her nigga didn’t play about her.

I also didn’t want to have to lay a nigga down for trying to take what was on her finger. Hassan spoke again interrupting my deep concentration.

“I have Darry rings in which I’m sure your lady will love.”

Lifting my head to meet Hassan’s gaze, I could feel Imani staring me down. “Darry ring? What’s that?”

Hassan placed a key inside the lock on the case to open it.

“In order to purchase Darry engagement rings, you have to show ID. Your information is logged into a system, so you can never purchase another one. When you purchase it, you’re making a vow ensuring that you’ll never again purchase an engagement ring for anyone else. ”

Hiking my brow, I stared at Hassan for a few seconds. “I mean, if I was really pressed to get one, I’d just let someone else buy it for me.” Maybe that logic seemed romantic to some but to me, it was kind of stupid. In any case, I didn’t stop him from showing me the ring he plucked from the case.

“This is a gorgeous heart-shaped double halo.”

The ring was nice and all but on some real shit, it looked like something I would get a woman if I was borderline broke.

I wanted to ball out on my shorty’s ring.

Checking the tag, I looked up at Hassan.

“This joint is $3,200 G. I’m not trying to act like I’m Bill Gates or some shit, but I wanted to blow a check on my lady. ”

That comment made Imani’s staring ass pivot and walk away.

I wanted the same exact reaction when women saw Wonder’s rock.

I wanted their asses to be sick with envy.

It was always my goal to make sure my lady was what every chick respected, envied, or admired, but she’d never be a joke.

Embarrassing and disrespecting her would never happen.

The birds in our city were sitting back waiting for that shit to occur. And it wouldn’t.

“You still have to buy a wedding band,” Hassan stated matter of factly. We can make sure that one is real icy. But you know your woman better than me. Is she the type that would prefer big and flashy, or is she the type that wants something symbolic? Like a Darry ring?”

I didn’t even have to think on that one.

Wonder for sure didn’t care about the size of the rock.

She knew that I wasn’t the type to be out here getting married multiple times.

In my opinion that was some shit that was understood and didn’t have to be explained.

Being in a relationship was teaching me that women thought differently, however.

She would care more about the sentiment of the ring than the price.

“Not even gon’ hold you, she’ll want that Darry joint for sure.”

Hassan helped me to pick out an icy ass band for the ring once we were married, and I copped Wylder a chain along with earrings for my daughter, Willow.

After spending $15,500 with Hassan, I left the jewelry store.

There wasn’t anything that I wanted or needed, but I was going to get a few outfits and a few pairs of sneakers for Pierre.

My nigga had been locked up for fifteen months, and he was coming home.

Nina had moved on and was in a relationship.

I felt like Pierre had finally gotten the point, and he was going to come home and be on his best behavior.

Pierre was my cousin, and I loved him to death.

But I would never lie to anyone about the fact that he fumbled the fuck out of Nina.

When she finally decided to be done for good, he crashed out and tricked himself off the street.

I hoped he had finally learned his lesson because she had moved on, and I didn’t see her ever taking him back.

Inside my car, I placed all the items on the passenger seat and headed to my office.

Pierre and I had started a business together doing handyman services.

Once he got locked up, I had to hire someone to take his place.

There were plenty of jobs that I could do alone, but there were people that hired us to help them move, and that was a two-man job at minimum.

In my opinion, there was no money like dope money, but my business had been doing pretty good.

Not only that, I was an author with six books under my belt and two audio books.

For a nigga that came from doing illegal shit, I was thriving making legal money, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still get nervous at times.

When I was in the streets, there were days I could make $15,000 in a day.

I went from that to hopefully making $15,000 in a month.

Wonder still wrapped cars. Her shop was so successful that she had a waiting list and was completely booked for the next four months.

People came from all over to get their cars wrapped by her because shorty was like that.

Her money was hers though. I didn’t want her paying household bills, and I didn’t want her to put any of her money toward our wedding.

I stressed to her almost daily that it was important for her to save. I wasn’t going anywhere by choice but reformed or not, I was a hood nigga at heart. And if I didn’t know anything else, I knew that things didn’t always go how we wanted them to go.

Three days later, I was parked outside the prison that Pierre was being housed in.

He had never seen the Audi that Wonder had wrapped a dope purple color for me, so I was standing outside of the car leaning against it.

When I saw him bopping toward the gate with the same swagger he’d possessed since we were kids all I could do was grin.

As soon as he was close enough for me to touch, I stretched my open palm out and slapped his.

“Welcome home, G.”

“Thank you. This joint is nasty,” Pierre walked slowly around the car inspecting it.

“Yeah, it is. Wonder bought it and wrapped it for me. It was a surprise.”

“Damn, she doing it like that?”

I opened the car door. “Yeap. Shorty is doing her thing. She has people calling her almost daily begging her to squeeze them in, willing to pay whatever.”

“Damn.”

“I know right. Normally, she’s adamant about not spending more than seven hours at the shop in a day, but when someone offered to pay her $1,500 over her price, she stayed at the shop until almost midnight.”

“And I know you were sitting right up there with her.”

“And the fuck was,” I bobbed my head. “You already know how I’m coming behind Wonder.”

“I can dig it. Lesson muhfuckin’ learned over this way.

Thinking a woman won’t get tired of your shit and leave you alone for real is the worst thing a man can do.

Nina dropped me like a bad habit, but it was only after she’d given me a hundred chances.

I can’t even be mad at her for real. If it’s not about the kids, I’m not gon’ bother her.

I’m about to find a new roster and leave her the fuck alone. I put that on my mama.”

“That’s the smartest thing you ever said,” I chuckled. “Lift the arm rest and get the blunt out. I already have some rolled.” I knew more than anything, Pierre would be ready to smoke.

I’m going to spend the evening with my kids, then I’m going to get some pussy. Tomorrow is all about my kids and the next day. Monday, it’s back to the grind though. Tell me we got some jobs lined up that I can get in on.”

“Yeah, there’s a request to put together a bookshelf, one to put together a desk, and one to mount a television. Those are all one man jobs. You can have them.”

“Thank you, man. I appreciate that for real.”

“It’s no problem. I need to start working on this next book for real.

As soon as it’s published, I’m going to start audio production.

Those checks be lovely as fuck, and it’s extra income for me to tuck away.

I still gotta get used to this legal money.

There can be good months, but there can be slow months too.

I already know this wedding is going to set me back some racks. ”

From my peripheral, I could see Pierre whip his head in my direction. “Wedding? What wedding?”

“I’m proposing to Wonder, G. I already have the ring. I just have to decide when. Valentine’s Day is in a week, but I low key feel like that shit is cliché. I should probably do it a day or two before, so she doesn’t suspect it. Or maybe wait until after.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with doing it the cliché way, but it’s up to you. Congratulations my nigga. ‘Bout time your old ass settles down,” he jested.

“Nigga, I’ve been settled down. Since me and Wonder made it official, I haven’t so much as breathed on another woman. All marriage will do is change our titles. I been all about her though. For sure.”

“I know, and I’m truly happy for you. You had a front row seat to my bullshit. Please don’t make the same mistakes that I made.”

“That’s probably the realest advice you ever gave me,” I laughed as he lit the blunt.

“I doubt I’ll meet another person like Nina in this lifetime, so until then, fuck it, we ball.”

All I could do was laugh. I knew Pierre was dead serious.

Everyone that knew him knew he didn’t play about Nina, but that didn’t stop him from playing with her.

One too many times, he did what he wanted and was confident that if she found out about his indiscretions, she’d take him back.

Shorty fooled that ass. They weren’t even married for six months before he fucked up, and she left his ass.

Nina filed for divorce faster than a muhfucka could blink.

“Back to the proposal,” Pierre sucked weed smoke into his lungs. “You doing a big thing with friends and family?”

His question made me scrub a hand down my face because I genuinely had no clue.

Before Wonder, public displays of affection were something I’d never done and was willing to bet I never would.

With her, it came as naturally as breathing.

I didn’t mind proposing to her in front of the people we rocked with, but that was a lot of pressure.

Pressure to do shit right and not make myself look dumb as hell.

“I’m not even sure.”

Pierre’s head bobbed before he hit the blunt again. “I just want you to know even though I’m sure you already do, I’m good. I know Nina and Wonder are close. If Nina doesn’t want to see my face it’s cool. But don’t think that if I see her, I’m gon’ act an ass and shit. I’m really over that.”

“That’s good to know. You want something to eat?”

“Man, hell yeah!”

I decided to focus on where Pierre wanted to get food from.

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted Wonder to be my wife.

Life had changed so much for me, and it got overwhelming at times.

I went from being a fuck up that didn’t care about fucking up to having two kids and a woman I’d square up with satan about.

Some days, I didn’t even recognize my damn self.

I knew everything would play out like it was supposed to.

Things had been good for me thus far and hopefully, it would remain that way.