Page 162 of Don Caselli

“Welcome the fuck back… new location, same saggy ass fucking balls, am I right?” They always laughed and got a kick out of him, not realizing that he was so serious.

Everyone laughed and clapped their hands, while Menace looked over at Stevie. She held his hand and smiled at him. “I want to send a congratulations to Don Caselli, on his engagement. The Caselli’s are growing. Congratulations to Don and Europe.”

We both shook our head while Stevie pinched him. I looked at my soon to be wife and couldn’t wait to experience life being her husband. I wanted to get this shit right so bad that it kept me up at night. As she lay in my arms, I thought of all the ways to keep her happy. I never wanted her to second guess how I felt about her.

When I met Navy Bleu, I never expected to care. Women were something to do, never supposed to be forever. I switched them out like I did clothes, even more frequently. She got into the front seat of my car, and she was herself.

Vulnerable.

Not trying to be anyone but herself and I needed that. Someone so authentic and true to themselves that they don’t ever try and change to be someone else. That was exactly what Navy was. She enjoyed books, hollering about her Sims characters, and baby talking with our dog. She had access to any of my whips, and her favorite mode of transportation was the train. Navy showed me her version of a city I had lived in my entire life.

A city that had always been about money and opulence. I’ve had more than a dozen summers in New York, but I never had one with Navy Bleu. She welcomed me into her world, never ashamed of where she came from. In fact, she was proud of where she was from. Her family was her world, and she would do anything for them.

Family wasn’t just a word to her; it meant everything to her. They looked out for each other and would ride for one another. Where they all could live anywhere in the world or city, they all chose to live within blocks from each other. Voluntarily getting together to spend time. Nothing was ever forced when it came to them.

I loved them.

They were my family, too. Nana would call me to say she seen something in the city and tell me to avoid traveling a certain way. Skip was forever calling me to see when I would come over, so he could take my money.

I was learning dominos and was almost sure Skip was cheating us all. His rules were forever changing, but I’d deal with it because along with taking your money, there was wisdom that came with the shuffling of the dominos.

Kennedy moved through the crowd and our eyes locked. I looked at her, and then back at my fiancée. Menace’s rule saved me from making a mistake that could have cost me everything. I could have crossed my brother, ruined myself, all while trying to piece her back together. Kennedy didn’t want to be healed. It was easier being broken with the life she lived. She didn’t have to stare herself in the mirror. She knew what she was in it for, and that was all that mattered to her.

Stepping into my role, I knew that it required more for me, and it required me to move like my brother. Never letting anyone know my next move, protecting my wife with my life. Navy didn’t need to have my babies.

A life with just us and Mink was what we desired. I didn’t know if I was more like my mother or my father, because I didn’t know them. They died when I was too young to remember. I did know that I was more like my brother than I thought.

Navy kissed my cheek. “Say it, Bleu.”

She whispered into my ear. “I love you, Landon Caselli.”

I kissed her lips, pulling her closer to me.

I needed Navy Bleu.

She was my favorite hue of blue.

MyPooh.

The End

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