Chapter 4 #2
Mrs. White’s slanted eyes spread wide. “Chrissy! How desperate could you be?”
The woman I knew to be spunky and talkative sat quietly for so long, I had to look over to make sure she was present. Her chin was pressed so deep into her chest, I knew her breathing was affected.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Chrissy mumbled.
“It is, especially when you’ve embarrassed yourself for a man that won’t marry you.” Her lips turned up on the ends. “On second thought, this may be a good thing. You almost ended up with the type of man I warned you not to entertain.”
“What type of man is that?” I quizzed.
“Black! Hood!”
“Mother.” Chrissy scoffed.
“Don’t mother me. You have been in the company of some of the most prestigious men in Slyde City, and you chose him.
We have allowed you to play in the gutter for too long.
Enough is enough.” Mrs. White’s hazel orbs shot over at me.
“You pretend not to be a hoodlum, but the tattoos and slang say differently. We all know you are not good enough for my daughter.”
I glanced at Chrissy, hoping my eyes on her would realign her confidence, but all I saw was the top of her head.
I knew there wasn’t anything I could say to make her strong enough to step for herself, let alone for our relationship.
Plenty of times, I told Chrissy I would make sure she was straight if her folks cut her off, but my word meant nothing compared to their influence.
“Mrs. White, you got shit all wrong. Your bloodline isn’t good enough to mix with mine. I’m a fucking king, and I would never allow my children to be connected to a group of prejudice idiots.”
“Neptune!” Chrissy blurted out. “Don’t disrespect my parents.”
“Oh. You can speak now?” I pushed my seat back, scratching the floor with the legs of the chair. “I know y’all have dealings with the police, so I’m going to excuse myself before I catch a case.”
“Baby.” The lady who had said very little reached for my hand. “Please, sit down. You’re being sensitive.”
“Are you coming with me, or are you staying here?”
Her raised shoulders lowered as she slowly dropped her vision back into her lap. I nodded and walked backward until I reached the hallway. My ego almost couldn’t take the rejection, but the part of me that didn’t crave Chrissy’s presence appreciated the idea of going home without her.
I cruised from the North Side, blasting J.
Cole’s latest album, until I pulled into the parking garage of my condo.
As soon as I changed clothes, I ordered Thai food, then rolled a blunt.
I knew my family missed me at The Sinner’s Spot, but I chose to stay off the radar another night.
The second I came into view, my father would question my absence, then find something for me to do in the casino or in the streets.
“Neptune! Neptune!” Chrissy hollered my name until she made it to the bedroom.
Her hazel eyes were red, and her makeup was smeared, confirming dinner didn’t get better after I left.
“Don’t come in here with all that noise. You could’ve stayed where you were if you were going to come in here yelling.”
“I don’t care! I can’t believe you left me.”
“Why not? I told you I wasn’t staying. You should be glad I didn’t spit in the damn food before I left.”
She grabbed a handful of her hair and growled as she marched to the bathroom. A few minutes later, I heard her yelling about leaving her skincare pouch at home.
“Hol’ up. I thought you said you’ve been sleeping here. You travel with that pouch attached to your body.”
“Yeah.” She combed a handful of her hair to one side. “I’m sure it’s here somewhere.”
Our eyes collided once the lie fell from her lips. I took short steps in her direction, and up close, I could hear her teeth rattle.
“Chrissy, anytime you get ready to go anywhere, you leave a mess behind. When I got home, there was nothing out of place, so I know you hadn’t been here. I’m going to ask you one more time. Where did you sleep while I was gone?”
“The first night, I slept here. I promise. But, last night and the night before, I was at my place.”
“There was no reason for you to lie about that shit.” I grabbed Chrissy’s chin, forcing her to look at me. “You know I don’t like to do too much talking, right?”
She nodded, sending a stream of tears down her cheeks.
“I gave you a pass earlier because I knew you were in your feelings about me being gone, but I saw how you flinched the first time I asked where you spent the night.” I stepped back to brace myself for whatever came next.
“The only reason you would lie about where you slept is because you weren’t there alone. ”
“Neptune. Baby.”
“Who the fuck were you with, Chrissy?”
“You disappeared, and you wouldn’t answer the phone,” she whined. “Plus, we argued before you went ghost, so I didn’t know what to think.”
“So what did you do?”
Her chest seized up. “Benjamin showed up at my condo unannounced. I didn’t have sex with him.
. . We just spent the night together.” She backed away and was no longer within arm’s reach.
“Can you blame me for being confused? You’re so closed off.
You won’t let me move in with you, and we spend more time here than at your real house. ”
“Because you ain’t a real bitch! I’m distant because you’ve always made everything about you.
As a man, I respected it, but don’t act like you deserved more than what I gave you.
Material shit and ludus love always satisfied you.
” I smirked. “I knew it was only a matter of time before shit played out this way. Between death, abandonment, and disloyalty, things always end this way.” I nodded, letting the realization move around my mind.
“Why are you still standing here? Get the fuck out.”
“What? No! We are going to talk about this.”
“Talk about what? I can deal with a lot of shit, but my lady letting another nigga touch her is nasty.” I shrugged. “I’m not even mad at you. Your needy ass was just being yourself.”
“You are wrong! How can you be so nonchalant after telling me to leave, Neptune? We’ve been dating for a year!”
“I’ve been out of sight for a couple of days, and you already gave that little pussy out.”
Her balled fist pressed into her forehead. “We didn’t do anything! I was at my condo, and he stopped by asking me to join him downstairs at the bar. We fell asleep together. That’s all.”
“You should’ve left that nigga on the porch like a mangy dog. That’s what I’m about to do to you.”
Content with my blunt in hand, I entered the kitchen to grab a bottle of brown liquor.
Chrissy cried and pleaded, but after a while, the noise faded into the background.
Nothing in my body ached at the sound of her cries, which was a testament to our surface-level relationship.
Had Chrissy been someone who really had my heart, I would have buried her alive for playing with me.
A deep inhale filled my chest when I put my car in park.
I didn’t know whether my dad felt my presence or if the sound of my engine alerted him, but the old man sat on the porch of his estate with a grimace on his face and a cigar between his fingers.
He wore a button-down covered in a floral design and khaki shorts that barely touched his knees.
The fit was loud and over the top, just like the man who refused to toss the dated clothes in the trash.
“What’s good, old man?” I exclaimed when I reached the bottom step.
“Cut the shit, Neptune. Where the fuck have you been? I sent niggas to your house. No one could find you.”
“Why are you being dramatic? I’ve been off the grid for less than a week.”
He rose to his feet and frowned at me as I walked up the stairs. “Yeah, but you missed the meeting with Kilo. We’ve had it on the calendar for a month. I rescheduled again because I want you there.”
I kept an even expression, but on the inside, I cringed.
My dad’s retirement was around the corner, and since I was eleven, I had been working to secure his seat.
The last thing I needed was for a money move to be put on hold because of me.
We didn’t do business with outsiders often, but Kilo had been pressing my elders about moving weight in the casino.
I didn’t think the meeting would go anywhere since we handled pills, money, and guns, but for some reason, my elders agreed to meet.
“Did I miss anything at The Sinner’s Spot?”
“Actually, you did. Some white boy came through on a cardholder’s guest pass and lost $150,000. He kept trying to win it back, but he just kept losing more. I already sent someone by his place to remind him to keep his mouth closed about being underground.”
The scent of fresh baked goods coasted through the house, offering a warmer welcome than I received from my father.
Though he had always been a provider and a protector, Ryan Sinner never offered too much affection.
Since my mom disappeared, the house staff and an occasional nanny filled the void my parents abandoned.
“Where’s Easy?” I asked when we reached the golf course behind his house.
“Echo took him to the barbershop. Next to his movie collection, you know your brother acts like the fucking world will end if there’s a hair out of place.”
“As he should. My dawg is too playa to not have his shit crispy.” My top lip got sharp. “I don’t appreciate Echo taking him, but I’ll tell them niggas about themselves when they get back.”
“You worried about the wrong shit, Nep. You skimmed over what I asked you earlier,” he reminded me while inspecting his golf club.
“You didn’t ask me anything. You were too busy telling me shit.”
“All right. Now, it’s your turn to tell me something. Make me understand why you disappeared and abandoned your responsibilities. That’s not how you move when you’re close to taking over the biggest underground casino on the West Coast. What the hell is going on with you?”