Page 75 of Rather: The Therapist

“You’re welcome, Mr. Valentine.”

“Before you go–”

“Yes?”

“Reservations. Contact. Presence. It all matters.”

“Noted.”

Rather’s possible condition concerned me. Now, Kofi’s lack of decorum had truly begun to grind my gears.

Fucking heathen. His actions were unacceptable.

She’s unwell. I imagined. My destination changed instantly upon reaching the highway.

Multi-tasking while driving wasn’t exactly a choice I’d usually make but there was nothing usual about the current circumstances. I searched my family’s private database to locate the home address of our newest member.

Though Rather wasn’t officially a Valentine, she was under our protection as a promise to her family. Because of that, her details were readily available. All but her cell because hers would be changing more often than not.

96239 Pinnacle Way

Clarke, Huffington

Though I’d never visited the address, I knew exactly where she was resting her head at night. She was in good company. All the beautiful women with more than enough to lose lived in Browning alongside the wealthy men who were afraid to be in their company or provided a life of luxury for them. Chem had her put up well. I didn’t expect anything less.

Browning was the highest point of Clarke, near the mountain’s core. Hilltops made the roads wind upward for miles and miles. Browning included three neighborhoods, all varying in size and all growing in financial responsibility as you climbed.

Mount Clarke, where Princeton and I lived, sat atop The Summit and Meridian. Rather wasn’t very far from us. Comfortably, she was nestled between Mount Clarke and Meridian. I reached her neighborhood in twenty minutes. Her home, in particular, I reached in twenty-three.

The two-story, Victorian-style home with the subtle modern upgrades to the original design was fitting. Almost every light in the home was on. I pulled three houses down, where the street curved into a half-circle and there was room for parking.

Out of the car and on foot, I walked the distance to reach Rather’s home. Across the street, preparing to make my way to the other side, I watched as she moved about her home. Her shadow defined the new curves that had come with aging and Father Time.

A queen in her castle.

As I stepped into the street, ready to alert her of my presence, a familiar set of wheels turned down the dimly lit street with R&B blasting from the speakers.

Of course.

I stepped back, blending with the dark of the night and finding a pole to rest my arm against. The black Mercedes pulled around the driveway and Kleigh hopped out without a care in the world. She never checked her surroundings. She never closed her door.

She has to do better.

Not involving her in the family’s affairs was a choice we’d made in an attempt to lighten her burdens. Life was complicated enough. We wanted her to remain soft and gentle in every aspect of her world.

However, seeing how carefree she was had me second guessing our choice. Even if she wasn’t involved, she needed to understand the way the world truly worked. It wasn’t daisies and roses. It was sometimes mud and shit. And, if she wasn’t careful, she’d walk right into it.

She stood at the door, patiently waiting for Rather to appear. It wasn’t long before she did. Dressed in a beige silk number, she greeted Kleigh. Because there was so much distance between us, her facial expression couldn’t be determined, so I resorted to body movement to see if she was, in fact, unwell.

Kleigh’s arms wrapped around her after a short exchange. As quickly as she’d come, she was leaving. Baby girl was a Valentine through and through. Her heart was large and she understood the value of relationship-building. Kofi wasn’t willing to come by and make sure Rather was alright, so she did. So did I.

Her black coupe sped down the residential street, bending the corner with far too much speed. Nevertheless, it was still intact when she pushed the gas on the next street.

Kleigh’s departure should’ve been my queue to leave, but my legs wouldn’t move. My eyes wouldn’t move. My arms, they just wouldn’t move.

I watched from afar as Rather turned off one light at a time throughout her home. When she made it upstairs and the darkness began to consume her dwelling, my time began to wind down. Resentment filled my bones. And, it took every bit of strength to refrain from moving my limbs and heading in her direction.

Finally, her bedroom light shut off, signaling an end to her day. I gathered my bearings, straightened my spine, and began in the opposite direction. Before getting too far, I took a final look over my shoulder, hoping the night brought her the peace she needed because once she woke, her world would be turned upside down. Mentally. Physically. Intimately. Sexually.

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