Page 15 of Seek & Destroy
“To love her, honor her, and respect her. I told myself that the next relationship I get into, she would be my wife and bear my legacy. I can see that happening with Esani. She’s beautiful, very talented, and ambitious. I know if or when the time comes for me to propose, I want her to have full confidence that the man who’s pursuing her will be the one to give her the world.”
My mom smiled and gave me an approving look.
“I’m sorry, Keenan. Could I borrow my daughter for a second?”
“It’s, Kwame, Shania,” I snapped.
“My apologies.Kwame.”
“Not at all. I’ll order us some drinks.”
“Thank you, handsome.”
Me and my mother stood and headed to the ladies’ room then waited until it was empty before she turned and looked at me.
“I know what you’re going to say, and it’s not like that. Kwame is just a really good friend and really, really rich. I’m only playing the game.”
My mother giggled and shook her head. “Who are you trying to convince, Esani? I gave birth to you. So, I know every little thing about you. I can tell when someone is being real or fake, and you, my dear, are falling in love with that man.”
She turned toward the mirror and began to retouch her makeup. I crossed my arms and stared at her through the mirror.
“Okay, I do like him…a lot. But what’s wrong with that, Ma?”
“Everything, Esani! Who’s going to be the one wiping your tears at the end of this climax? Tania?” She laughed. “No. I am. And while you’re blowing snot on my chest, I’m going tell you that I told you so. Don’t fall for the fairytale, baby. I didn’t raise you that way. Men are only good for two things—their dick and their money. They’re not strong enough to handle an independent woman. They’re going to always want to be the head of everything and not let you have a say in anything concerning the relationship, and eventually, they will cheat. They aren’t trustworthy to handle the pure part of your heart. If you give that man your heart, he’s going to mishandle it. Mark my words.”
I looked away from her glaring at me through the mirror. I knew this was a bad idea coming here. Shania wasn’t fond of my male friends. She would be cordial, but talks of having a forever with me had her coming off as being a bitch, and Kwame didn’t deserve that. Hell, none of my male friends deserved my disloyalty because they genuinely liked me…or the fake person I was portraying to be to them. In the month that I’d known Kwame, he made me see shit differently. He was like my male best friend but also someone I could see becoming more than friends with. As much as I liked Kwame, I believed my mother may have been right. What if this was all a façade? What if he knew my track record of using men and was seeking to destroy me? I shook from my haze when my mother approached me. She palmed the sides of my face and looked into my eyes.
“I love you, Esani. You’re my world, and I’m only trying to do my best to protect the precious gem that you are.”
“I know…but what about when I get old? Am I supposed to live my life being alone with no one to share it with?”
“You won’t be alone. You have me.” She smiled.
I scoffed and shook my head. “I hate to break it to you, Ma, but you’re not going to live forever.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “I beg your pardon, ma’am? I’m going to live until I’m a hundred! Don’t ever put that evil on me.”
We both laughed, but my stomach was starting to feel queasy. She wasn’t taking into consideration when she left me. Where would I be? Who would be there to comfort me? There were so many questions and no real answers about how I was supposed to live without her. As much as she detested the value of having a life partner, I knew in my heart I never wanted to be alone.
5
Kwame
One Week Later…
“Let’s go!”I yelled as Isaiah Walker pushed the ball up the court.
The game had been tense since the second quarter, and I was on pins and needles. Basketball had always been a favorite sport of mine since I was a teen. I couldn’t play worth a damn, but I loved watching my city win.
Esani and I sat courtside along with her best friend Tania and DeAngelo. On the other side of me was my colleague Denico Tejada, his wife, and two daughters. For the first half of the game, the Pistons had been up by fifteen points. Since returning from halftime, they had allowed the Knicks to catch their footing, and now the score was tied with only seven seconds left on the clock.
For the past week, I’d had some free time, so I had been dragging Esani all over the city, going on shopping sprees, and just enjoying every part of her. She had been a little distant since we had drinks with her mom, and it made me wonder what she may have said or done to my baby to dim her energy. Since meeting Esani, she was always so vibrant and outspoken, but since that night, she seemed…down. I checked in with her, and she told me she was fine, but I knew it wasn’t true. However, I wouldn’t press. I was sure she’d come to me when she was ready.
Isaiah ran up the court, stopped at the three-point line, and let it fly. I stood still, watching the ball fly in the air and sink into the net. The crowd went wild as I slapped Nico a five as we laughed. Our team had won game four in the playoffs, and I was proud.
“We getting them fucking rings this year, baby!” Nico yelled in excitement.
“Nico!” his wife, Aliyah, yelled, covering their three-year-old daughter’s ears.
