“Ah you love it. What I said was that we have some buyers in London. We need to make the trip tomorrow to ensure we have everything they are requesting. It's military.”
“Really now?”
“They must’ve taken a real liking to those long-range sniper rifles. They've been trying to make an appointment ever since. This is their allotted time slot. We are to meet with them in three days.”
“Sounds good. Do we need to take anything from our inventory in Paris?”
“Nope. That's all been handled. You know I got this, brother.”
“Of course. Of course. You do very well. Speaking of, how's training with Gino and Carlo? You've been showing them the ropes?”
“Absolutely. They're solid. Learn fast and proficiently. They already knew quite a bit but learning our methods hasn't been too much for them.”
“That is a bonus to hear. I don't plan on doing this much longer and you made a promise to Chardonnay. This dinner shows me you are taking the necessary steps toward retirement as seriously as me. You are making good progress, Arlando.”
“Thank you, brother. That means a lot coming from you. They are good men and we've made the right decision in choosing them to go through this journey. We can move on trusting that it will be in good hands.”
“No doubt. Tell me this, when will I gain a niece or nephew? It's getting boring around here.”
I smiled and waited for him to respond with a slick expression. His head tilted to the side and he nodded slightly,as if truly considering it this time. That was surprising to me because he said he'd never have kids and I believed him.
“Yeah, naw. That's still a no for me right now but Chardonnay is the one who makes me reconsider. We'd make some fly kids.”
“Indeed, you would. She seems like a great woman.”
“Oh yeah.” He grew excited. “She has a good head on her shoulders. She's a businesswoman. Master’s degree from Xavier University. Another culinary degree and she caters for events around the state. She just did one for this non-profit organization. Some ball for these really dope orphan kids. The way they lit up eating her food, bro, I'd give anything to see that shit daily.
“She did meal prep for them for the week and even promised to cook for them every week for free. She's amazing, bro. I'm going to make sure she always has what she needs to provide for them. Oh, and since you're here, you down to donating some new beds and things to spruce up their rooms? Maybe some dividers and all that. They are a good bunch.”
“You had me at, orphanage, brother. Let's do it.” I smiled and we dapped up.
I was always down for helping anyone in need. This world was ugly. We made our money through some messed up ways, but we always made sure those around us who needed something always had it.
Any way to help we did. We respected everyone until given a reason not to. Solid proof every single time. We cherished our loved ones and made sure we lived abundantly. No one was greater than the next. We all had roles in life and business didn't interfere with the love and respect we shared with each other.
Nobody had it like us coming up. Didn't matter if we were beaten and forced to fight each other in the name of bossing up and becoming a man. Our father took his frustration from ourmother cheating and moving on with his brother out on us. He was the man of the house and it was law.
Arlando and I swore to each other that we would never be like him, never even considered a milli-fraction of a second of being someone so vile.
I was the same little boy sitting on the curb in the rain crying my soul out because I had to get away. I couldn't handle all of the fighting. I finally got away from being punished but had to deal with the slander he spewed about my mother. I understood why he didn't love her like my brother and I did. She didn’t feel any remorse when it blew up in her face. He didn’t cheat on her until that point.
It shifted my view and love for her as well because she also changed. Her laughter used to fill me up. Her songs made me relax and feel comfortable. Her eyes were always stern but full of love. Nobody looked at me like she did, but after she got caught, that all stopped. Now she looked at me just like she did him.
Ultimately, she was scared. With a man like my father, once that trust was broken, it was all she wrote. He crashed out over her and she did what she thought was best, though it was the very worst move she ever made.
I sighed as I reeled myself back in and listened to my brother's plans for this dinner. I was beside myself and I couldn't understand where I went for that moment. I went from pure excitement to a dark tunnel. Why?
My phone buzzed in my pocket. When I pulled it out, I was relieved to see Brandy calling. I looked at my brother and he nodded and turned toward the television. I answered the line then walked off to gain some privacy.
“What's good, mama?”
“I just wanted to let you know that you've excited me and have brought pleasure to my day,” she responded.
Her voice instantly soothed me. Her words were right on time even without understanding why she said it. She grabbed my intrigue.
“How am I so blessed to have done so, honeybee?”
“You exist in my world. There's nothing more that needs to be added.”
