Sweet Taboo

5

DeSean

Camilla didn’t come backthat night. At first, I expected she was trying to give me a chance to calm down. There was nothing to calm down about. I wasn’t going to relent about the way she broke our agreement. And I sure as hell wasn’t okay with the way she cared for our son in my absence. And since I couldn’t very well leave him on the bottom floor while I slept upstairs, I shut and locked my bedroom door and let him sleep in the king bed with me. Keyon seemed to need the comfort as much as I did.

In the morning, I woke to him sitting up beside me, watching me. “You ‘wake, Daddy?” he asked loudly.

I laughed. That kid had one volume. “I am now, Key. What you want for breakfast?” I rolled out of bed and threw a bathrobe over my sleep pants. “Come on. Let’s go downstairs.” I helped him off the bed and together we made our way down the stairs.

On the way down, I peeked out the front windows, but Camilla’s car was nowhere to be found. When she still hadn’t returned by mid-morning, I knew I had to make some calls. The first was to the club.

“How we looking for tonight?” I asked Marvin, the owner.

“Nah, man. We gotta get the line fixed. We have a big cleanup. There’s blood. There’s oil. We looking at re-opening in a couple of days, Saturday night.” Marvin sounded rushed and I could understand why.

“Okay, boss man. I’ll be ready. Oh, and stop asking why I have my side hustle. This is why.” I chuckled.

“I feel you. We good.”

Our call ended and I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I had time now to figure out what to do about little man. How’s a mama up and leave her cub like this? I wanted to hurt her in a way I swore I’d never touch a woman, which told me it was time to call on the one woman who made me toe the line as much as my mama. “Hey, Ari,” I began.

“When you gonna start calling me by my full name, DeSean? I’m Arionna. You’re the only man who don’t,” she reprimanded.

I grinned. “God, I miss you.”

“What you need? I know you need something. Don’t play like you don’t. That’s the only time you call on me.” She huffed.

“Well, it just so happens that Camilla moved out…” I began slowly.

“That whore? Good riddance to bad rubbish, I always say. So, now what? What you need?” she asked again.

“Well, if you let me finish, I’ll tell you.” I blew out a breath. “Why all women gotta be so infuriating?”

“Is this you finishing, because you still done told me nothing.” I knew the face she’d be making. Her arms would be crossed over her chest and her brow would be arched up to meet her hairline.

I laughed. “So, I know you been wanting to move back.”

“Everyone know this. California is too expensive. I don’t know why you let me move out there anyway,” Ari grumbled.

“If I send you a plane ticket…”

“And one for Necie. You know I got a twelve-year-old. I can’t leave her here,” Ari interrupted.

“Yes, for you and Necie. Want to stay with me for a while? We could help each other get on our feet…” I dreaded this as much as I needed it. I had a five-bedroom house and I was about to fill up four bedrooms. This left the second master on the main floor for our mama when she came to visit during the holidays.

“What would I have to do?” Ari wondered.

I frowned. “Take care of Keyon when I’m working. I handle security at the club six nights a week and I also teach on Saturday mornings before working at night,” I reminded her. “Mostly he’ll be asleep and you’ll just be there. The weekend’s only about four hours. I have three classes.”

“Will I get my own room?” she asked. “Necie is a little big to be sharing with her mama.”

“Of course.” I waited quietly knowing this was happening. She was simply negotiating her terms.

“Now, I’ll need to be able to work during the day. I don’t want to be some old maid living with her brother.”

“I thought you might.” I laughed. “So, can you be here by Saturday?” I asked while saying a silent prayer.

“Saturday? Shoot, I have a whole lot of packing to do,” she argued.