were together. Standing there in her hallway, watching the tears fall from her beautiful eyes, Tatum had played on his mind for a while after that day. And it seemed that it hadn’t been too long ago that she had stopped occupying his thoughts. But one smile had just sent the memories flooding back.
“ Aw man,” Ree mumbled to himself, running his hands over his face. His thinking was interrupted.
“ Hello son,” his father addressed him, entering the office.
“ Pop,” Ree acknowledged back.
“ Getting ready for the holiday rush?” His father questioned, making his way over to the mini-bar in Ree’s office. His father had developed a habit for drinking heavily, and Ree wondered if it had anything to do with the absence of Ree’s mother. Like Tatum, Ree had lost his mother at a young age, but the difference was that poor Tatum had lost both of her parents, in a car accident, at the same time. Knowing her, you would never be aware that she had that pain inside, and Ree commended her for that.
“ Yup,” he answered. “Sales reports estimate some good numbers. Reservations are looking good.”
His father cut in.
“ Yeah, you’ll double those numbers by the way. Make sure you’re properly staffed…are you staffed enough?”
Ree sat down with a confident smirk on his face and kicked his feet up on his cherry wood desk.
“ Now Pop, I thought I was the one running this ‘ere thing? …You want it back?” Ree quipped. “I can always provide the people of Jamaica with, eh, other services,” he suggested slyly, while lighting the tip of his blunt.
“ Yeah Sean, we all know what kind of services you would love to provide . Have the whole damn island riding the white pony.”
Ree chuckled at his father’s outdated terminology referring to cocaine use and he shrugged.
“ Yeah well, just let me handle business. I’m good at it,” Ree assured him.
His father gulped down the glass of scotch as if it were water.
“ Ah!” He said in satisfaction, and then added to Ree. “Just make sure you’re prepared, son.”
Ree nodded confidently, as he inhaled the premium weed smoke, but he had no idea that he was not prepared in the least for what was to come.
“ I got it all under control.”
-Interlude-
Christmas Eve
Somewhere in an Atlanta suburban home, Sasha soaked in a hot steamy bubble bath. She cried softly as the classic Otis Redding song drifted from her speakers…
This is my lover’s prayer
I hope it’ll reach out to you my love
This is my lover’s prayer
And I hope you can understand it my love
My life is such a weary thing
But it may be old pressure bringing rain
You keep me wanting, waiting, and wishing
When I know deep down I’m not the blame…
While somewhere in a lonely cell in Rahway, Chauncey lay staring at the ceiling, playing the very same song…
What you gonna do tonight
When you need some loving arms to hold you tight?
Tell me, what you gonna do tonight
When you need my heavy voice to tell you goodnight?
Honey but, you can’t let that be no problem,
You’ve got to come on home and help me solve ‘em
Then I won’t be missing you
And honey, my lover’s prayer will be all over, oh now…
Ironically in Jamaica, Respect took a sip of his Hennessey Black and closed his eyes to the same tune as he sat by the pool of his estate. He briefly thought of the girl with the smile from earlier that day, and then he thought of Tatum…
What can the matter be, now?
It can’t be that serious we can’t talk it over
Living in this misery
Darling, you can’t make my life all over…
And back in Newark, NJ, Tatum sat on her living room sofa singing the last verse to the universal track that seemed to touch right on her heart. Otis’ voice echoing off of the walls…
Honey but, you don’t let that be no problem
Just come on home and help me solve ‘em
Then, I won’t be missing you, I won’t be missing you
And my
“ Aw man,” Ree mumbled to himself, running his hands over his face. His thinking was interrupted.
“ Hello son,” his father addressed him, entering the office.
“ Pop,” Ree acknowledged back.
“ Getting ready for the holiday rush?” His father questioned, making his way over to the mini-bar in Ree’s office. His father had developed a habit for drinking heavily, and Ree wondered if it had anything to do with the absence of Ree’s mother. Like Tatum, Ree had lost his mother at a young age, but the difference was that poor Tatum had lost both of her parents, in a car accident, at the same time. Knowing her, you would never be aware that she had that pain inside, and Ree commended her for that.
“ Yup,” he answered. “Sales reports estimate some good numbers. Reservations are looking good.”
His father cut in.
“ Yeah, you’ll double those numbers by the way. Make sure you’re properly staffed…are you staffed enough?”
Ree sat down with a confident smirk on his face and kicked his feet up on his cherry wood desk.
“ Now Pop, I thought I was the one running this ‘ere thing? …You want it back?” Ree quipped. “I can always provide the people of Jamaica with, eh, other services,” he suggested slyly, while lighting the tip of his blunt.
“ Yeah Sean, we all know what kind of services you would love to provide . Have the whole damn island riding the white pony.”
Ree chuckled at his father’s outdated terminology referring to cocaine use and he shrugged.
“ Yeah well, just let me handle business. I’m good at it,” Ree assured him.
His father gulped down the glass of scotch as if it were water.
“ Ah!” He said in satisfaction, and then added to Ree. “Just make sure you’re prepared, son.”
Ree nodded confidently, as he inhaled the premium weed smoke, but he had no idea that he was not prepared in the least for what was to come.
“ I got it all under control.”
-Interlude-
Christmas Eve
Somewhere in an Atlanta suburban home, Sasha soaked in a hot steamy bubble bath. She cried softly as the classic Otis Redding song drifted from her speakers…
This is my lover’s prayer
I hope it’ll reach out to you my love
This is my lover’s prayer
And I hope you can understand it my love
My life is such a weary thing
But it may be old pressure bringing rain
You keep me wanting, waiting, and wishing
When I know deep down I’m not the blame…
While somewhere in a lonely cell in Rahway, Chauncey lay staring at the ceiling, playing the very same song…
What you gonna do tonight
When you need some loving arms to hold you tight?
Tell me, what you gonna do tonight
When you need my heavy voice to tell you goodnight?
Honey but, you can’t let that be no problem,
You’ve got to come on home and help me solve ‘em
Then I won’t be missing you
And honey, my lover’s prayer will be all over, oh now…
Ironically in Jamaica, Respect took a sip of his Hennessey Black and closed his eyes to the same tune as he sat by the pool of his estate. He briefly thought of the girl with the smile from earlier that day, and then he thought of Tatum…
What can the matter be, now?
It can’t be that serious we can’t talk it over
Living in this misery
Darling, you can’t make my life all over…
And back in Newark, NJ, Tatum sat on her living room sofa singing the last verse to the universal track that seemed to touch right on her heart. Otis’ voice echoing off of the walls…
Honey but, you don’t let that be no problem
Just come on home and help me solve ‘em
Then, I won’t be missing you, I won’t be missing you
And my
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