“You realize you’re doing it again, right?” Axel interjected.
“Doing what?” Anton asked.
“Don’t act dumb,” Marvin said. “Why you always gotta be the savior, man? Sometimes you have to mind your own business and let things play out.”
“The two of you know I can’t do that.”
Marvin sighed. “Yeah, I know.”
One time he analyzed his own behavior after Marvin had accused him of having a savior complex. Self-reflection was not easy, but he did wonder if some of his behavior stemmed from the fact that he hadn’t been able to rescue his brother. He may not have been able to save Ricky, but at least he could help other people.
Maybe that was all part of the plan, and he hoped that there was a plan. Because for the longest time, he couldn’t reconcile how the universe could’ve allowed a nine-year-old boy to drown in a river on a sunny summer afternoon.
“I’m not going to judge you,” Axel said. “If you’re still interested in Tamika, my advice is to go for it but proceed with caution.”
Marvin nodded, albeit reluctantly. “He’s right. You obviously really care about her if you’re still thinking about her after a month has passed. Don’t be miserable, I guess.”
Anton laughed at the half-hearted advice. “Thanks, I guess.”
“I’m going to give you the same advice my father gave me,” Axel said. “In case you’re still wondering if your interest in Tamika is real or a rebound thing. When it comes to women—the one—you’ll know when you find her, because no one else will do.”
Marvin nodded his agreement. “Honestly, bruh, it sounds like you found her. I guess you better go get her before someone else snatches her up.”
13
“Thank God for the weekend. Those students are going to drive me to drink.” Dana flounced into Layla’s loft and dropped her bookbag near the door. Though she complained about her job, she loved teaching and enjoyed working with the students, and she often said she couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
She was a full-figured woman with glowing brown skin, waist-length dreadlocks, and a ring in her left nostril and one in her septum. Brilliant with an artistic flair, she taught English at Georgia Piedmont Technical college.
Tamika was seated on the sofa next to Layla, who held up a stack of menus. “We can’t decide what we want for dinner. Pizza or the Thai place around the corner?”
“Thai place. We haven’t eaten there in a while.” Dana dropped onto the large armchair across from them and propped her feet on the ottoman.
“Thai it is. The usual?” Layla glanced at them both.
Her complexion was lighter than Tamika and Dana’s, and she had a smile that could light up a room. She was a sweetheart but not a push-over, her personality a perfect fit for her work as the personal assistant to a demanding billionaire.
“Yes,” Tamika and Dana said at once.
Tamika jumped up from the sofa. “I’ll get the drinks. Coke,” she said, pointing at Dana, “and water for you?” she finished, looking at Layla.
“You got it,” Layla said, picking up her phone to place the order.
Tamika went into the kitchen, passing by a bunch of her boxes stacked against the living room wall. She was still surprised how much stuff she had accumulated during the time she lived with Calvin. Before moving in with him, she had sold or donated a lot of items to accommodate downsizing into a space she shared with someone else. But over time she collected new items—most of them clothes, shoes, and accessories.
Layla insisted that having her there wasn’t a problem since she wasn’t at home most of the time anyway, spending much of her time at Elijah’s. For now, Tamika lived out of boxes, but Layla had brought in a wardrobe where she could put her clothes. She kept the bedroom, and Tamika slept on the sofa.
Her last conversation with her father about her living arrangements hadn’t gone well. He wasn’t pleased with her decision to stay in Atlanta, but he left the door open in case she changed her mind and wanted to come home to Augusta.
When Tamika returned from the kitchen, Dana asked, “Okay, what did I miss?”
Though Tamika had been staying at the loft for a month, this was the first time the three of them were hanging out together.
They spent the next thirty minutes catching up on each other’s lives, pausing when the food arrived, and then diving back into the conversation. They ate in the living room, three different meals spread out on the coffee table family style, passing around paper plates so they could sample each other’s food.
Dana had recently ended a relationship, for which she happily exclaimed, “I’m free!” Meanwhile, Layla’s relationship with Elijah was going strong.
“You two are so cute,” Dana said. She resumed propping her feet on the ottoman as she ate.
