11. Treasure #2
I looked around at everyone here and smiled.
So many people loved me and wanted me to stick around.
I was grateful for that. Uncle Red and his family was here, along with Asad’s mom and stepdad.
A lot of Hendersons were here as well, even the mayor.
He walked over to me and smiled. That caught me off guard. My eyebrows lifted, and he frowned.
I laughed loudly. “That smile put me on edge. The frown let me know everything was cool.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Since you in a playful mood, I guess I can say what came to mind. Next time Legend or Mythic become unbearable, just let somebody know. We’ll handle those niggas for you.”
I closed my eyes and chuckled. If I could count on anybody to joke about a serious issue, it was Mayor Storm. I opened my eyes, and said, “Thank you, Mister Mayor.”
I knew that everyone stroked his ego by calling him Mister or Uncle Mayor. I wouldn’t be any different. When the time came, I would start calling him uncle too.
He gave me a one-cheeked smile and leaned over to hug me. I closed my eyes when I felt the tremble in his embrace. Instead of releasing him, I held him tighter. I remembered hearing that he was the one who walked in on Mr. WJ trying to kill himself. He was slightly triggered.
As I held him, I said, “Missus Gardener is a wonderful counselor and listener if you need her.”
“I’m okay. I’m not triggered to the point of debilitation.
Just from the similarity of the situation.
I can evaluate it and move accordingly without reacting.
Being triggered doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re falling apart.
Similarities can trigger your emotions. Just be sure to evaluate the situation before reacting.
Our reactions are what make things worse. ”
I released him and stared at him. “Wow. That was really great advice, Mister Mayor.”
He frowned. “Why you saying wow? Like I’m not capable of giving good advice, girl. Don’t fuck around and find out.”
I laughed. “This is the Mister Storm I’m used to.
Thank you so much for the words of advice.
I know they will help me on my journey. It would be foolish to think I will never be triggered again.
I now know to evaluate the situation before I allow the trigger to control me. Where did you learn that?”
“Missus Gardener.”
He gave me a one-cheeked smile and walked away to allow others to greet me.
Great things could sometimes come from unsuspecting sources.
He was proof of that today. I was in awe.
His advice would really help me in future situations.
Mrs. Gardener and I hadn’t gotten to that yet.
We were still working through what happened to me and how it affected me.
I was pretty sure that would be coming up soon.
After hugging everyone and kissing my daddy’s cheek, I went back to Kingsley.
His smile was so wide. I couldn’t wait until this was over so we could spend time together alone.
He hugged me and kissed my head. Tilting my head back, I puckered my lips for a kiss.
He obliged me, then asked, “Are you ready to eat? We brought food from the diner and from Casa de Kingsley.”
I laughed. “Casa de Kingsley? Please tell me it’s alligator.”
He gave me a one-cheeked smile, just like his uncle, causing me to hop up and down in excitement. “I cannot wait to taste that.”
“Well, wait no longer, baby. C’mon.”
I followed him to the kitchen and sea of people.
He loaded my plate with alligator, hush puppies, fish, and shrimp.
Before he gave the plate to me, I noticed the Biscoff cookies.
“Y’all really love me. You cooked alligator, and my mama made Biscoff cookies.
I swear, I’m gonna gain ten pounds today. ”
Kingsley chuckled, but I also saw him scanning my figure.
My body was tea. I always knew that. Harper Semien provided the blueprint.
She was naturally thick in all the right places, and so was I.
We exercised together and ate right, mostly.
On the weekends, we typically balled out, especially if there was a special occasion.
When his eyes met mine, his face reddened slightly. To ease the nerves I knew were coursing through him, I smiled. He bit his bottom lip, and for the first time in a really long time, I felt turned on. I cleared my throat and focused on my plate.
“I’m gon’ tear this up. And I got some of Aunt Chrissy’s cabbage? Yeah, it’s over.”
Kingsley chuckled and led me to the table, where Bali, Noni, Maui, Ashanna, Aaliyah, Kambel, Iesha, Cachet, and Milana were seated.
My parents had put the leaves back in the table.
It was able to seat ten people comfortably.
However, it still wouldn’t be big enough for all of us, the grandkids, and significant others.
We would soon be a family of thirteen instead of seven.
Once Epic and Cachet started dating someone of significance, it would be more.
When I sat, they all smiled at me. When Kingsley sat, those smiles all dropped and turned into frowns.
I chuckled as he ignored them and started feeding me.
The way he stared into my eyes had me feeling so soft.
The longer I stared into his eyes, the quieter the room got.
It was like everyone slowly disappeared. All I saw was him.
As I chewed the alligator, I closed my eyes and moaned. “Kingsley, this is so good. I swear, it gets better every time you cook it.”
“Thank you, baby.”
I opened my eyes and brought my hand to his cheek.
After swallowing my food, I took a deep breath and exhaled fear and doubt.
As he was about to feed me more, I stopped him.
“No more walking on eggshells around me . . . no more tiptoeing. I won’t learn how to deal with my triggers if I never experience them.
I promise, I’m going to be okay. Believe it or not, Mister Storm gave me amazing advice about handling them. ”
Kingsley frowned, causing me to giggle. “Ain’t no fucking way,” he said, making me laugh more.
“For real. When he hugged me, I could feel him tremble. I remember hearing that he walked in on your uncle WJ trying to kill himself.”
Kingsley nodded repeatedly. “Yeah, he did. I forgot about that. Had Uncle Storm not gone over there when he did, Uncle WJ would be dead. Uncle Storm still having a hard time with that?”
“My situation triggered the memory of it, but he knows how to manage it. He told me it’s natural to be triggered by similarities, but before reacting, I needed to evaluate the situation. My body automatically assumes it’s in danger because of my trauma.”
“Hmph. I’ll be damned.”
“Right. He also said the next time my dad or Mythic did something to let somebody know . . . basically saying for me not to go this route again.”
I giggled, and Kingsley shook his head slowly. Feeding me shrimp, he said, “I’m glad he said something that can help you. I don’t mind being mindful of your triggers, Treasure. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure you feel safe, baby. You know that.”
“I do, but I want us to be able to function like a normal couple in love. I want us to go out, travel . . .” I looked away for a moment, then looked back at him. “. . . make love. I know you’re suffering.”
He put the fork down and slowly brought his hand to my chin, lifting my head to where he could see my eyes.
“I’m not suffering. Being with you is the ultimate blessing, baby.
I’m just fine with waiting until you’re comfortable.
Just know that when we do make love, we may levitate.
That shit is going to be so powerful and intense.
It’ll be pleasure overload. I’m glad you’re even able to talk about it now. ”
I nodded and swallowed hard. Kingsley had needs. While I didn’t want to rush to that moment, I wanted to get there quickly, simply to put him out of his misery. The fact that he’d been celibate for three years, waiting for me, was so beautiful. It expressed just how much he loved me.
He picked up my fork and fed me more food.
When I glanced around the table, I saw all the ladies staring at us with that ‘aww’ look.
Their eyebrows were lifted and slightly scrunched together, and they had tears in their eyes, all nine of them.
I could feel my face heating up as I gave my attention back to Kingsley.
“What do you want to drink?”
“Water is fine. I can get it though.”
“I got it. You relax and enjoy your celebration.”
The way they got this together at the last minute made me smile so hard. There were streamers and balloons, pictures of me, and plenty of food and desserts.
“He is so good for you.”
I turned toward the ladies and realized it was Iesha who had spoken. The other ladies all nodded in agreement.
“My heart is so full, sis,” Maui said.
I reached over and grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.
I knew this was where I should be, but I also knew this would be a daily battle.
Just because I was in a good place today, didn’t guarantee I would be in a good place tomorrow.
The key was that I would do my best to work through my issues positively and also allow others to help me through it instead of pushing them away.