deduce that you’re reluctant to help because you want to be able to have my brother all to yourself?”
Oh, she really tried it, didn’t she?!
“Don’t go there, Jamie,” I firmly stated. “You’re reaching. And you’re reaching because you can’t have your way. That might work with your daddy, but it doesn’t work with me. My concern is Rush and guarding his feelings and being there the best way that I can be for him. So excuse me if right now I don’t see bringing him together as one, with one-half of the duo who shattered his world , a priority.”
“You’re real cocky for someone who’s pretty brand new in his life, Alika.”
“Oh, the claws are coming out, I see. And so soon after you asked for my help.” I chuckled.
“Whatever. I thought you’d humble yourself just a little more. I thought you’d be interested in trying to establish a place in the family.”
I knew enough to know that Jamie was throwing out harsh words because she was desperate. She wanted her brother’s attention and she thought I would be a catalyst for making that happen. Now that she’d seen that I wasn’t, she had slowly migrated to attack mode.
“I’ve never been cocky about anything. I’m just telling you how I feel, from the heart, Jamie. And the way that I feel about this whole situation is that you and your father fucked up royally when you robbed that little girl of a wonderful father. Just the same, you kept an entire piece of your brother’s life from him and expect forgiveness like it was something as small as stealing his last piece of gum. That to me is a false sense of entitlement. It’s the kind of entitlement that spoiled folks carry around. No matter how dirty the deed, your concern is being forgiven without stopping to consider how the hurting party is feeling.”
“You have no right—”
“Jamie, I’m not going to argue with you. I’m just not. I didn’t even intend for this to turn in that direction. My plan was to respect what you had to say and then get off the phone, but then all the other words were spoken. There’s really nothing left for me to say about this subject. I genuinely hope that you and your brother and your father can mend the trampled fences, but I think it’s gonna be on Rush’s time and nobody else’s.”
“So, you’re not going to even at least give him my message?” she asked.
“He has enough of your messages, Jamie. You said you emailed and texted, right?”
I could sense her fuming behind the phone line when she didn’t respond right away. And that was fine because I was only going to follow it up with something that once again, spoke to her giving him time.
“Have a great evening, Alika,” she spat, before releasing her end of the phone call.
EIGHT
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Temptation Nightclub
It was a Saturday night, and Temptation was in full swing. It was filled with men who wanted a pretty young thing to take home for the night, and women who had hopes of landing a baller or an entrepreneur at the top of his game, to claim as their own. And in the midst of it all, there was Rush Cambridge, the man of the hour, and the club’s owner. Yes, yes, and hell yes , the woman thought as she stared at him from her booth seat. She smiled when she realized that it was indeed him. No strategy was needed, she already knew what her plan of action would be. Every so often, she’d look away to scroll through her Facebook timeline, or her Instagram page. She was buying time, allowing the thirsty groupies in his midst to scatter. And if they didn’t she didn’t care. She would get her turn. She’d see to it. Get your time girls, I’m next in line , she told herself, while quietly singing along to the lyrics of Beyoncé’s 2005 hit, Naughty Girl :
♫
Baby the minute I feel your energy … Your vibe's just taken over me … Start feelin’ so crazy babe… Lately, I feel the funk coming over me … I don’t know what’s
Oh, she really tried it, didn’t she?!
“Don’t go there, Jamie,” I firmly stated. “You’re reaching. And you’re reaching because you can’t have your way. That might work with your daddy, but it doesn’t work with me. My concern is Rush and guarding his feelings and being there the best way that I can be for him. So excuse me if right now I don’t see bringing him together as one, with one-half of the duo who shattered his world , a priority.”
“You’re real cocky for someone who’s pretty brand new in his life, Alika.”
“Oh, the claws are coming out, I see. And so soon after you asked for my help.” I chuckled.
“Whatever. I thought you’d humble yourself just a little more. I thought you’d be interested in trying to establish a place in the family.”
I knew enough to know that Jamie was throwing out harsh words because she was desperate. She wanted her brother’s attention and she thought I would be a catalyst for making that happen. Now that she’d seen that I wasn’t, she had slowly migrated to attack mode.
“I’ve never been cocky about anything. I’m just telling you how I feel, from the heart, Jamie. And the way that I feel about this whole situation is that you and your father fucked up royally when you robbed that little girl of a wonderful father. Just the same, you kept an entire piece of your brother’s life from him and expect forgiveness like it was something as small as stealing his last piece of gum. That to me is a false sense of entitlement. It’s the kind of entitlement that spoiled folks carry around. No matter how dirty the deed, your concern is being forgiven without stopping to consider how the hurting party is feeling.”
“You have no right—”
“Jamie, I’m not going to argue with you. I’m just not. I didn’t even intend for this to turn in that direction. My plan was to respect what you had to say and then get off the phone, but then all the other words were spoken. There’s really nothing left for me to say about this subject. I genuinely hope that you and your brother and your father can mend the trampled fences, but I think it’s gonna be on Rush’s time and nobody else’s.”
“So, you’re not going to even at least give him my message?” she asked.
“He has enough of your messages, Jamie. You said you emailed and texted, right?”
I could sense her fuming behind the phone line when she didn’t respond right away. And that was fine because I was only going to follow it up with something that once again, spoke to her giving him time.
“Have a great evening, Alika,” she spat, before releasing her end of the phone call.
EIGHT
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Temptation Nightclub
It was a Saturday night, and Temptation was in full swing. It was filled with men who wanted a pretty young thing to take home for the night, and women who had hopes of landing a baller or an entrepreneur at the top of his game, to claim as their own. And in the midst of it all, there was Rush Cambridge, the man of the hour, and the club’s owner. Yes, yes, and hell yes , the woman thought as she stared at him from her booth seat. She smiled when she realized that it was indeed him. No strategy was needed, she already knew what her plan of action would be. Every so often, she’d look away to scroll through her Facebook timeline, or her Instagram page. She was buying time, allowing the thirsty groupies in his midst to scatter. And if they didn’t she didn’t care. She would get her turn. She’d see to it. Get your time girls, I’m next in line , she told herself, while quietly singing along to the lyrics of Beyoncé’s 2005 hit, Naughty Girl :
♫
Baby the minute I feel your energy … Your vibe's just taken over me … Start feelin’ so crazy babe… Lately, I feel the funk coming over me … I don’t know what’s
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