Page 94 of Always Been You
“I thought we were besties. How did you keep this from me?”
“Daddy made me pinky promise, and all a man has is his word!”
We all burst out laughing. My heart was so full.
“And Marcos bought me a house too!” Trina came up.
“What? I know he didn’t.” I looked around for Marcos, and he laughed.
“She gets the keys to the house when she graduates from college. Oh, and I need at least a 3.0 or above.” He pointed in her direction.
“Already know I got ya bro.”
“The way you can get me is by showing me you have yourself.” He tapped her forehead. She nodded. My mother stepped forward, and somehow everyone else stepped back, as if they were too busy. I knew that was deliberate.
She hugged me so tightly.
“Who knew the boy that was running behind you all those years ago would be the one you’d end up marrying? I am proud of you, baby girl.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
“I know I haven’t been the best mother.”
“No, mom. We are moving forward. All that matters is right here, right now.”
“That’s right, and as soon as you finish your program, you have a place right here with us.” Marcos stepped up and said.
“It’s more than I deserve.” She spoke quietly. She was still dealing with the shame of her decisions.
“You deserve to live. We all do.” Marcos turned to everyone. “Alright, fellas, I gotta borrow Dyami for one last thing, and we are moving out.”
Again, I was pulled by the hand and led through the house. There were so many rooms for me to look through. I would soon become well acquainted with the home. He opened the patio doors, and we stepped into a vast backyard. We walked what seemed like the length of a football field, then a large Garage came into view. The closer I got, the more I saw a fleet of 18-wheeler trucks. On the side of each, the name Jones Distributors was affixed.
“Oh my God!”
“Yeah, I did it. I guess I’m still the plug, but the product is legal now.”
“How?” I asked, mouth still agape.
“Hard work and some street smarts. The prices they were charging our old restaurant had me doing some digging into the business. I identified areas where they were falling short and recognized opportunities for my own success. I bought out a company and changed the name. Picked up their distribution routes, and we start delivering under the Jones name starting on the first. Our name.”
“I always believed in you, baby.” I looped my arms around his neck. I was a walking bucket, so there was no use in trying to wipe a tear away.
“This will be amazing for the four of us,” I said.
“Four?” He questioned.
I shook my head and rubbed my belly. He picked me up and spun me around. I was going to tell him on his wedding night, but he was bringing out so many surprises, I felt like I needed to bring out one of my own. I stopped birth control six weeks ago because we wanted to expand pretty quickly.
“I love you so much! I promise I’ll be everything this family needs. Y’all are forever safe with me.”
“I know.”
He kissed my lips again. When we parted, he checked his watch.
“Until tomorrow, baby.”
“I love you,” I said quickly.
