Page 25 of The Millionaire Mortician
Don Rafael reached into his jacket, pulled out a cigar, and lit it with a flick of a gold lighter. He puffed once, then said, “I will give you all the weight you want. You will give me results. Fail me, and you will not see another sunrise. Succeed, and you will build an empire larger than you imagine.”
The smoke curled in the air between us.
Maverick and I both nodded in agreement.
Empire. That word sat heavy in the room, heavier than death. And I knew right then, our lives had just shifted into a new chapter.
When I walked into the restaurant and saw Milan hadn’t beaten me there like last time, I was sort of disappointed. I didn’t let that take over my mood, though. It was childish. I just prayed he’d show up soon since I told him a specific time, and he didn’t contest it.
By the time I sat down, the server came right over, introduced herself, and took my drink order. I thought about ordering his favorite Don Julio on the rocks, but I didn’t want it to get watered down if he decided to take longer than expected.
While waiting, I checked out the photos from the grand opening that the photographer had sent me earlier that day. I was so busy at the salon that I didn’t have time to look at them.The downtime that presented itself was definitely beneficial. A smile couldn’t help but grace my face as I swiped left, looking at the photos. Everything was top of the line, and everyone looked happy and excited. It was just perfect all around.
Shortly after, the server came with my drink and set it in front of me. I twirled the little straw, mixing the contents inside, and then took a sip. Once I gave her the approval, she smiled and took off.
Reverting my attention to the photos, I came across the ones with Milan and me. We really looked good together. In my mind, Beyonce and Jay Z ain’t have shit on us. We were realistic goals that our black community could achieve in a decent amount of time.
With Milan on my mind, I glanced at the time on my phone, which read8:38 p.m. I frown at the fact that he hadn’t yet reached out or even had the courtesy to call or send a message on why he was late. Suddenly, I felt myself about to crash out. I hit call next to his name without wasting another second.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Milan’s phone rang out and went to voicemail. I then tried his business phone and got the same results. Before I could think, the server returned with the same preppy smile on her face that I wanted to wipe off at that moment.
“Are you ready to order?” she inquired with his pen to her pad.
I exhaled and grabbed the menu. Knowing what he liked, I decided to order both of our meals. At least by the time he arrived, it would be now coming out or already on the table.
As I rattled off our order, she wrote it down. I also told her to bring me another drink since mine was almost finished. She nodded and took off once again.
The minute she was gone, I tried calling both of Milan’s phones again but got the same result — no answer. That’s whenI felt I needed to try other efforts and reach out to Maverick. If it were anyone else who would know where Milan was, it would be his twin brother.
Ring. Ring.
Maverick’s phone only rang twice and went straight to voicemail.What the fuck is going on?I thought to myself. I tried another time. It rang once and went to voicemail.
Frustration started to bubble inside of me because where the fuck was Milan? I knew there were times when he couldn’t get to the phone right away, but it was nine o’clock when I checked the time again. That wasn’t his type of behavior. That’s when my anger turned into worry.
Where’s my man?
Twenty minutes passed, and the food finally came out. I covered Milan’s plate with a cloth napkin and started to eat mine slowly. My appetite literally slipped away every minute that passed by and I didn’t hear from him. Before I knew it, I waved the server down to assist me.
“Hi, can you please bring boxes for everything? And bring the check, please,” I requested.
I’d had enough of sitting in a nice restaurant, looking good as fuck, with just myself. Milan better had been hurt or dead somewhere in a ditch because no other explanation would’ve been valid enough for why he stood me up. The shit was downright embarrassing.
The server hurried back with urgency, with the boxes and bags in her hand. She also set the bill in front of me. I believe she caught on to my energy and felt sorry for me. The way she moved and her sympathetic facial expression told it all.
While I boxed up the food, she ran off with my card. Not long after, she returned, helping me with the rest. I tipped her $150, and her face lit up.
“Thank you so much,” she sang.
“You’re most welcome. Get yo’ money, boo.” I winked at her as I stood up to leave.
Grabbing everything, I made my way out of the restaurant and to the valet to get my truck. Once inside, I put that baby in drive and peeled off in the direction of home.
While sleeping,I felt hands roaming my body, but I instantly thought I was dreaming, so I didn’t fully wake up. It was when a whole dick slid into me, sending shivers down my spine, that my eyes bucked open. The smell of Milan’s scent instantly made me weak.
I was supposed to be mad at him, but at that moment, I was just happy he was well and alive. Plus, my coochie had feelings outside of my head and heart, and clearly, she won that battle.
