Chapter 11
RHYTHM brOOKS
Iwas smiling from ear to ear when I pulled into work. Sincere’s voice was in my ear, and I could still feel our energy from this past weekend.
The day after Thanksgiving, one of my uncles came over to look at my car. He was outside trying to figure out what was wrong for a while before he came into my apartment, stared at me for two seconds, then shook his head. “Girl… you ain’t got no damn gas.”
I had stood there blinking, then covered my face with my hand, embarrassed. I had been so busy with work, kids, and completing pieces for the show that I didn’t even realize I had been driving on fumes for who knows how long.
“You got time for me this week?” he asked.
The way he said it made me smile harder. Little did he know, he could have all my time. This man was pressure and putting in more work than any man in my life had. I was already ready to give him the world.
“I’m going to ask my mother when she can keep the kids. And then I’ll let you know.”
“Good,” he said. “Because I got plans for you.”
At that moment, I was even more irritated with Kodi.
If he was the type of co-parent I needed, I would have the freedom to date like a normal person.
But I blamed myself for not breaking things off with him completely sooner.
I hoped that once he wasn’t in his feelings anymore, we could co-parent without an issue.
“You got plans for me or this pussy?” I teased.
“Is both a bad answer?”
My cheeks got hot even though I was alone in my car. I had to pinch myself sometimes. After our date, after turning this pussy every which way but loose, he was still courting me, still calling, still checking in, and still moving with intent. It felt unreal.
“I have to clock in,” I told him, glancing at the time. “I’ll call you later.”
“Alright,” Sincere replied. “Have a good day, Rhythm.”
“You too,” I said softly, then hung up.
I grabbed my bag and got out, still smiling.
That smile died fast, though. Kodi was walking toward me from the sidewalk with an angry stride. He looked pissed. His eyes were hard.
I had been ignoring his calls and texts all weekend, mostly because I was with Sincere, and when I wasn’t with him, I was still in such a good mood I didn’t want Kodi’s ignorance to ruin it.
I was still upset that Kodi was being so petty that, for the first time my children didn’t see or hear from their father on Thanksgiving.
“So, you gon’ keep playing with me, huh?” he barked as he ran up on me.
I kept walking. “Kodi, not here.”
He followed me. “You think you too good to answer your phone?”
“Kodi,” I gritted through my teeth, “I’m at work.”
“You think you finna just leave me after all these years like I’m nothing?”
I tried to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm. He yanked me back so fast it jerked my shoulder.
“Ah!” I yelped, pain shooting up my arm. “Let go of me!”
But Kodi’s grip tightened.
I winced, looking around. “Kodi, please don’t act a fool outside my job. You know I need this job.”
He just stared at me with this look I had never seen before. I had never seen him this crazed.
“You can’t take care of them if I lose my job,” I pressed, trying to make him hear logic. “You know that.”
Kodi’s nostrils flared. “So that’s what it is? You don’t want me because I don’t have money?”
I blinked at him, then laughed once because the question was so stupid it almost made me angry. My laughter offended him so much that he stepped back, letting go of my arm.
“Kodi, if you knew how to love me, I would be with you for richer or poorer. That is not the problem. The problem is you do not know how to be the man that I need.”
He looked furious. He wasn’t just mad. It was something darker. For a second, he looked like he might hit me. His chest started to rise and fall rapidly. He gnawed on his bottom lip as his fist balled up.
My heart stopped.
Then a door slammed behind me.
“Rhythm?” a voice called. “Is everything okay?”
I turned and saw one of my coworkers, a white girl, April, walking toward us with concern all over her face. Her eyes went straight to Kodi.
Kodi took another step back, and his posture shifted like he finally remembered he was acting an ass in the vicinity of white folks that don’t have a problem calling the police.
“I’m okay,” I said quickly.
My coworker looked between us, not convinced. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I repeated. “I’m sure.”
Kodi stared at me like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t because he couldn’t.
I did not give him a chance to embarrass me. I stormed past him and headed straight into the building. My arm was throbbing where his fingers had been.
And as I walked toward the time clock, it scared me that I had never seen Kodi look like that.
Kodi had never put his hands on me in the past. And I took it seriously when a man did.
First times always turned into patterns if you let them.
Him having grabbed my arm like that, coupled with purposely ruining my painting, let me know that Kodi was unraveling.
I had been using him for convenience, but he had clearly thought we were still together.
Now he finally realized that I was truly done with our relationship, and he was pissed.
I knew right then I needed to put some real distance between me and Kodi until he calmed down. Even if that meant keeping him away from the kids for a while.