Page 4 of Sweet Surrender
“Not like Daddy. I know that I will never treat her the way our father treated women. Thank God he finally settled down. Too bad it took Mama leaving him for his ass to get it together.”
“Yeah, there’s that,” I replied, scratching my beard.
“Man, I thought you and Jessica were it. Thought you two would last forever.”
I shifted my stance, not really wanting to talk about that. It was bad enough that attending my younger brother’s wedding was reminding me of all I had lost. I didn’t care to take a trip down memory lane to remember how painful that stint in my life had been. It was a constant reminder that I wasn’t good enough, and that I wasn’t enough man for her.
But today wasn’t about me; it was about him. If I needed to pull back that scab to reveal the wound and protect him from making the same mistakes I had, then I would do it.
“Yeah, I’m not hardly worried about that. Princess being a loose woman is the least of your problems.”
He laughed. “What do you mean, big bro?”
I tapped his pockets while I laughed. “She’s gon’ hit them pockets up, li’l bro.”
He patted his pockets, still laughing. “Man, who you telling? She’s already hit me up big time for this wedding. That girl does not go easy on the pockets when it comes to shopping. She’s a ninja, an assassin when it comes to the wallet.”
“And this is just the beginning.”
“Seriously, you don’t think I made a mistake?”
I thought that he fucked up not taking care of the first good woman he had, but it was too late for that. She had gone on with her life, and he was about to walk down the aisle and make another woman his wife.
“Nah, you’re doing what’s best for your life plan.”
“I just worry that it might turn out the way that you and Jessica did. You’re giving your best, and it still doesn’t work out.”
“Unless you’re marrying an undercover ho, you have nothing to worry about.”
We laughed again, and someone knocked at the door.
“It’s time, gentlemen,” the young lady stated. She was one of the wedding planner’s assistants. That was the other thing that confused me.
“I’ve got one question, Issachar.”
“What’s that?”
“Why the hell did you hire your ex to plan your wedding?”
He dragged his hand over the top of his head as we walked toward the door. “Man, that was not my idea. That was Princess’s doing.”
“That right there was your first mistake and lesson.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re gonna have to learn how to place boundaries, be firm, and let her know when it’s just not happening and stop blaming shit on your woman.”
“Man, I tried, but she wasn’t hearing it.”
“Just like you’re not hearing me now.”
The tap on the door happened again, and we walked out.
“Yeah, I hear you. Aye, we’re gonna need to have somebody pray over that room,” he stated, jerking his thumb toward the church office as we headed for the sanctuary.
We stepped into the rear hall behind the sanctuary that was beautifully decorated in emerald-green, yellow, and white. My brothers were all lined up outside of the sanctuary, looking handsome and paired with an equally beautiful bridesmaid to accompany down the aisle.
I was paired with one of Princess’s sisters, Precious. It seemed like a cruel twist of fate because all she knew how to do was yap and try to find ways to get me in her bed. I wasn’t hardly interested in the girl, because she was looking for someone to take care of her, the same way Princess was. But Princess had something to offer my brother. As far as I could tell, Precious had nothing to offer any man except sex.
