Chapter 17
“So, what’s going to happen is Graham Taylor will be offered his job back, and Ross Stanton should be fired instead.”
Ross was sitting there quiet as a fucking church mouse.
My mama was advocating for me with other investors and owners.
Ross had no clue who I was connected to.
She’d even gotten Noah on call, showing his support for me getting my job back.
Aunt Sonya was here with us, along with Sharee, Exodus, and Shane.
My dad, Uncle Shawn, and Uncle Corey were also here.
They were all investors. Although Uncle Corey had his own private jet, he also invested in this airline. That man was loaded.
Uncle Corey was married to my dad’s sister, Aunt Erica, but he was also Nick’s dad.
Nick was his son through his first wife who was now deceased.
Since I’d been grown, Nick had told me that Uncle Corey was like, hell naw.
I will beat yo’ ass if you start acting like him.
I didn’t blame him. He didn’t need me rubbing off on Nick.
I didn’t think Nick could be anybody other than who he was though.
Even at ten years old, he was sick of my ass too.
“Missus Taylor, we had no idea that Graham had gotten fired.”
“I know. That’s why I asked for this meeting instead of taking things to court. That man doesn’t like Graham. I can think of a few reasons why,” she said, then stared right at him.
I swore Ross looked like he was about to shit a brick.
He was red as fuck, too. I wanted to laugh, but I averted my gaze to one of the owners.
All the owners were Black, but they hired diversely.
They needed to do like the government and people in high positions were doing us.
They were doing their best to completely disenfranchise us daily.
If we were slaves again, they would be just fine with that.
“Can I say something?” Ross asked.
Everyone turned their attention to him. He cleared his throat, and his white ass looked to be sweating bullets. I wanted to laugh again, but I somehow kept it together.
“The negative light that Mister Taylor’s actions cast on the airlines deserved harsh actions.”
“You can stop right there, Mister Stanton. I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. You believe your actions were just. You’re fired, sir. The formal termination letter will be sent to your email and your mailing address. Have a great day,” another owner said.
Ross stared at me for a moment, and I couldn’t stop the smirk that fell on my lips. He stood and angrily left the meeting. He couldn’t stand me because I was extremely confident, borderline cocky. Well, maybe not so borderline.
I carried myself like royalty . . . like his ass was beneath me.
As long as he had that racist, white supremacist, MAGA mindset, he would be beneath me.
That shit pissed him off, especially when I had to correct him in a meeting about the rules of the company.
My mama knew about all that shit, too, because I told her.
Once apologies were offered and I was reinstated, we left. The moment we stepped out of the office, my mind went right back to Arlie. That woman had been on my mind constantly for the past week. She’d gone radio silent, and I was two minutes from hopping a flight to Baltimore.
“His bitch ass deserved exactly what he got,” Aunt Sonya said, breaking me away from my thoughts. “He didn’t know who he was fucking with. I wish all Black people had this much leverage. This country wouldn’t be in the turmoil it’s in. We got a fucking ‘DEI’ hire for a fucking president.”
I couldn’t restrain my chuckle. That woman was a mess. She could bring anybody out of the dumps.
“Yeah, he fucked around and found out. That’s my fucking son.
Eldridge Owens is next. He better count his muthafucking days.
He’s also the one that’s been sending the media to fuck with Arlie.
All these years, she was wondering how they were all in her business.
That muthafucka was the culprit,” my mama added.
My mouth opened slowly. Yeah, he deserved to get whatever he fucking got. My mama would definitely make sure he got as much shit as she could legally get him. That took some serious hate for him to try to derail her success that way.
“That muthafucka!” Aunt Sonya said a little too loudly, then covered her mouth.
“I told Arlie that it was probably someone she knew that was feeding the media or sending them her way. I knew that shit without a doubt. That fucker can’t stand to see her happy and making something of herself.”
“I don’t even know him, and I wanna fuck him up for Arlie,” Aunt Sonya said.
I slowly shook my head. My mama was aggressive naturally, but it was even worse when she was around Aunt Sonya, and they were both angry. My dad and Uncle Shawn were shaking their heads as well. Uncle Corey had laughed audibly, causing me to laugh.
“What’s so funny, Corey?” Aunt Sonya asked him with a frown on her face.
My mama’s face held the same frown. They didn’t look alike, but they surely had the same frown lines.
“Because you talk all that noise. All bark and no bite.”
Aunt Sonya shoved him. “Don’t play with me. I bite like a fucking pitbull. I don’t stop until I get tired.”
“Yeah. Yo’ ass old now. You can’t do shit.”
“Corey! You’re older than me! Jackass! I still fuck shit up. Sidney may fuck it up in the courtroom, but I fuck it up with these hands. Don’t you fuck around and find out. I would hate to have to tell Erica that I fucked you up.”
Uncle Corey laughed louder as Uncle Shawn slid his arm around Aunt Sonya’s waist. “Come back, killa. I don’t want to have to speak highly of him at his funeral.”
I couldn’t escape the chuckle that left me as we all got on the elevator. My dad said, “Can’t take y’all asses nowhere!”
When we got to the first floor, Ross was still standing there, I supposed waiting for an Uber. As we walked past Aunt Sonya said, “Bitch ass.”
I was hoping like hell his ass didn’t say anything back, and he didn’t. He wasn’t as slow as he looked. Aunt Sonya and Uncle Shawn would have cleared this shit out. As we loaded up, I said, “Thank y’all for your support.”
“We family,” Sharee said, then kissed my cheek.
She and Exodus walked away to their vehicle with Shane in tow. I had to ride with the old people. They were more entertaining anyway. By the time we got to my place, my dad asked, “You heard from Arlie?”
“Naw. That’s okay though. As soon as I can, I’m gon’ be on her ass like white on rice. She ain’t finna treat me like I ain’t fucked her soul.”
“You love her?” he asked, eyebrows lifted.
“I don’t think so, but I ain’t far from that shit. I just . . . I wonder if this the shit women I sold future families to were feeling. I feel like I’m bleeding internally.” I huffed and slid my hand down the front of my head. “I wish she would just talk to me.”
“You have an idea of what’s going on?”
“I feel like she feel guilty about me getting fired, thinking it was her fault for fucking with me on that flight. Then, what that nigga said about her. She got some shit to her, but so do I. If she only knew my ass ten years ago, she would realize wasn’t shit beneath me.
I don’t care about her past. Who she is now is who I wanna be with.
She just have to give me a chance to tell her that. ”
“Well, at least she’s thinking about you in a way.”
“Naw. She ain’t thinking about me. She embarrassed and running from herself.
She thinks I won’t want to be with her if I knew the truth.
She scared. So instead of facing me, she running.
I sent her a gang of flowers. She’ll probably get them tomorrow or the day after.
Had she not left, I woulda broke in her fucking house and made her talk to me. ”
He rolled his eyes. “That’s why she left. She knew your aggressive ass wasn’t gon’ leave her alone. Well, hopefully she reaches out soon.”
“Yeah. I been texting Maj every day asking if she’s heard from her.
She hasn’t heard from her either. I was lowkey mad at her.
I don’t give a fuck about this watch. She left on my birthday, man.
I was supposed to spend the whole day with her, Saturday.
She gon’ send me a fucking watch when I would much rather have her. ”
He squeezed my shoulder as Uncle Corey told everyone bye. He was about to head back to Beaumont. Uncle Shawn and Aunt Sonya were going to head out in the morning. After I shook his hand, Uncle Shawn sat next to me.
“So, Eldridge Owens is full of shit. He ain’t got no help. If anything, he may try to catch you slipping. You know I can clear all that shit up though, right? All you gotta do is say the word.”
My dad side-eyed Uncle Shawn. “Man, you need to get outta that street shit.”
“I don’t live there. I just visit from time to time.” He turned his attention to me and lifted his eyebrows. “Well?”
“I’ll let you know after I talk to my mama to see what she got up her sleeve.”
He nodded, then drank from the water bottle in his hand. I took my phone from my pocket and texted Arlie. Damn. I can’t believe you can just ignore me like this. This is all the way fucked up. Man, call me.
After I hit send, I texted Kimaji. Hey. Still nothing?
Still nothing, bro. I’m gonna text JR to see if he can ask Noah.
I didn’t respond to her. I put my phone on the table and slid my hand down my face.
I could ask Aunt Sonya to text him, but I didn’t want my family involved in my personal business with Arlie.
It was bad enough my cousins were calling me a sucka and a simp.
I felt like one. After being around this woman for a little over a week consistently, and three weeks total, I was fucking begging her to talk to me.
If she didn’t respond to the flower delivery and my card, I was gonna fly my ass to Baltimore and cuss her the fuck out.