Page 2 of Absolute Fulfillment
Opening Donuts in Chicago for my first location was genius. One, because the money was beautiful, and two, this city had all the motion.
With my eyes closed I listened to the TV interview and music thump below. It was no later than seven in the evening and it was already a full house. Who said a few pastries and poles couldn’t make a couple dollars? Pastries and poles, as in my gentleman’s club sold not only liquor but focused on the sweets as well. The idea was golden and the whole time Rem dumped on me, but I made it happen…I had to. I couldn’t go back to what I used to do. I was finally sleeping through the night. This wasa necessary change… one I didn’t regret. I traded in a life filled with scale tipping to pastries and poles.
Nobody ever woke up one day and decided to change their entire lives. Thought had to be put into it for a person’s whole life to change, that was what my twin believed, but then again, what the hell did he know? He was only three minutes older than me and swore he knew everything. Maybe he did, but judging from how he kept letting the same hoe get over on him, I didn’t much believe that. Honestly, I didn’t believe a word from a chick’s mouth, because most of them lied to get their way.
“So… are you really about to do this?” Reminisce didn’t bother knocking or anything, he just entered my office and took a seat on the sofa mid-sentence.
“Do what?” I glanced over at him.
“Opening another strip club with Big Mama’s recipes. Big Mama would have your ass, out here selling glazed donuts and ass.”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that? It’s different. I used those recipes to make money the legit way.”
He pulled his gun from his side and began dismantling it on the small coffee table in front of the sofa. “Nah, it ain’t different. Yo’ ass is?—”
“An entreprenegro and you’re a nigga who kills people for a couple bands because therapy couldn’t help you through our daddy issues. Simple math.”
Reminisce glared at me. He hated when I said things like that, but it was the truth. “I don’t have no fucking daddy issues.”
I waved him off. That’s all you heard? Yeah the fuck you do. It’s cool, ’cause I have mama issues. Why do you think I don’t trust chicks? Broads be lying, just like your mama used to when she said she wasn’t high or that bum wasn’t beating her ass.”
“Yo, you need help, man.” He emptied the clip, dropping bullet after bullet on the table. The fact that he said that with astraight face as he was seconds from spit shining his gun in my office was wild.
“Yeah, I probably do. At least I admit it. What’s your excuse?” I reasoned with my hands out in front of me.
“I’on got one. You’re an emotional psychopath.”
I was about to respond, but a knock at the door grabbed my attention.
Reminisce looked from me to the door, then nodded forward. “Are you expecting somebody?” Leave it to his paranoid ass to seem pissed off because somebody was knocking on my door.
I shook my head. “But we’re in the middle of an open business, killer. Cool the fuck off,” I warned. “Come in.”
“Um, I was coming in regardless. I just needed to respond to a text.” Jade walked into my office carrying a pizza box with black bowl atop it.
“Text from who?” Reminisce asked.
“Um… my business. Older brother or not, I’m definitely in no need of that overprotective motion. One, I’m grown, and tw?—”
“Yeen said one name. I didn’t need to hear that you’re grown, especially because we all know that,” I responded, sitting back in my desk chair. Jade and I had a running lunch thing every Thursday. She hated that I was always here working and tried her hardest to be all in my business. It was comical because she hovered over me and I hovered over Dimitri. He was always existing in his own world with Beyah and the twins, so I popped up.
“Because I don’t have to. I didn’t know you were in town, Reminisce. Thank you for texting back,” she responded sarcastically.
I chortled, watching her put the pizza down on my desk. She was about to get in his ass, like she had been doing for the last year and a half. Somehow this family all fell into place, bonds just fit. I swear I didn’t know life without my siblings. I hadgone from a life of craved isolation to an innate need to talk to my siblings at least three to four times a week. Reminisce was a given, by him being my twin, but everybody else too, including Indri’s busy ass.
“It ain’t like that, Jade. You know I’m busy. I was gonna call you.”
“Mhmm.” She waved him off.
“Good subject change. But who were you texting?” Reminisce asked.
“Nobody,” she finished. She moved to wash her hands in my office bathroom when my door opened once again. In walked Dimitri with a mug on his face. He was always mugged up, just like Reminisce. Him, I was expecting, because he was dropping off a piece I’d purchased from Beyah.
“Yo, I’m about to charge you for delivery. Got me delivering art like I’m a part of the process. I’on see anything about this.”
“Shut up. You’re definitely a part of the process and you know it.” Jade mugged him. “Now back to you.” Her manicured nail was pointing in Rem’s direction.
“What did I walk in on?” he asked, realizing all of us were here.
