Page 39 of Mister Jeweler

“That’s what we doing now?”

“Get your shit and get the fuck out. If you don’t care about my boundaries in my home and respecting me in my home, you don’t need to be here.”

Clenching his jaw, Blaze stepped directly in front of her. “If you want me out, you gon’ have to put me out.”

“Fine.”

Walking over to the recliner, Denali grabbed her phone to call her father, but Blaze grabbed her phone and threw it across the room.

“I saidyou. Don’t call no-fucking-body and put them in our business.”

“We don’t have any more business, Blaze. Unless it concerns our kids, I don’t have anything else to say to you. Now get the fuck out!”

“You lucky my sister ain’t still here, or I would let her beat yo’ ass,” he grumbled, pushing past her and heading to the bathroom.

“Yeah, okay,” was all Denali said, going to get her phone.

Still trying to diffuse the situation, she went outside to the garage and got in her car. Calling her best friend, Ladia, Denali released a clipped scream. She couldn’t believe how things had played out, but she was honestly glad. Things had been off between her and Blaze since his release from prison, and they weren’t getting any better just because he had a job. He still wasn’t giving her enough money to cover any of the bills, and that was probably what was irritating Denali most.

She’d spent over three hundred dollars on food and liquor for his family, only for him to invite people that she didn’t even know who showed up empty handed yet were going back for two and three plates. Over the shit, Denali was wondering why in the hell she was even with his ass. And now, it didn’t even matter.

“Hello?” Ladia answered, and Denali smiled at the sound of her four-year-old daughter singing in the background.

“Girl, I’m ’bout to beat the fuck out of this nigga if he don’t leave me alone. I’m sitting in the car waiting for his ass to go.”

“What! Who?”

“Blaze!” she yelled, hitting the steering wheel. “I just put his ass out and he’s really fucking trying me.”

“Okay, I’ma need you to start from the beginning. Do I need to come over there?”

Denali’s head shook as she watched Blaze storm out of the door with a duffle bag on his shoulder. Hitting the lock button, she told Ladia, “Nah. Just pray he leaves in peace.”

“Who the fuck you talking to?” Blaze asked, beating on the window. “I told you don’t put nobody in our business!”

As he tried to unlock the door, Denali shook her head as her eyes watered.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked, lowering her cracked phone. “Why are you handling me this way? You act like I don’t mean shit to you!”

Their eyes remained locked for a few seconds before Blaze walked away. Ladia could be heard yelling her name, but all Denali did was watch as Blaze got into his Mustang. Even if the love faded, Denali felt they would always care about and show each other respect. Today had shown her that was no longer true, and she couldn’t help but wonder what caused this change in the father of her children… or if he’d always been this way and just hid that version of himself from her.

??????

Pulling up in front of Blaze’s sister’s home, Denali said a silent prayer to God for strength. When she went to pick up the kids from school, she was informed they had been picked up earlier by their father. Blaze typically worked until five, so he either missed out on money to be petty or had his sister to watch them for him. Either way, Denali was pissed the fuck off.

She hadn’t seen or even heard from Blaze since everything went down Saturday. Now, on Monday, he wanted to play daddy and pick up their kids without mentioning it to her.

Before going up to the door, she called Blaze, surprised that he answered with, “Yes, Denali?”

Denali could hear the smile in his voice, and that only pissed her off more.

“Where did you take my kids, Blaze?”

“I pickedourkids up so I could spend my off day with them.”

“You didn’t think to tell me that so I wouldn’t be worried?”

“You would have tried to keep me from seeing them.”

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