Page 61 of He Don't Play About Me
I shook my head and stood up.
“I need to get out now!”
“Islah is on a mission. I didn’t know she could move like this.”
I agreed; I didn’t know she could move like that either.
I finished my conversation with Bully and hung up, pacing the floor in disbelief. Monte watched me but didn’t say shit.
“This girl is trying me,” I said, looking to the ceiling. “She ‘bout to make me add some more angels to this city.”
I was about to call her and give her my thoughts when I decided not to; I had the weekend to get through. Groom was gonna have me out by Monday afternoon, and by Monday night, I was gonna be at Mrs. Walker’s doorstep getting my girl back.
And I put that on Crip.
Chapter 15
Moving On
After Gio had Bully track me down, I knew rebuilding my life in Cali was gonna be harder than I thought. Gio had a pull on me. Despite everything I have said to that nigga, my body still craves him at night. My mind is made up, but my heart is wondering where he’s at.
But I kept it pushing and got my shit together, lil’ by lil’. I had one interview that didn’t work out, but when I talked to my mama about it, she put me on to her friend, Ms. Jackie, who worked in HR at HCA Healthcare. Ma and Ms. Jackie must be really locked in because before I knew it, I had an interview, left with the job, and was on the schedule for the next two days. That change was everything I needed; I felt like I was on the right path.
I didn’t lose my touch in the nurse shit. I probably held a job for less than a year before I met Gio. But after some basic training, I slipped right back into it like I never left. My coworkers were cool; a few ladies and I went out for drinks after a long shift. It was nice to talk to women about other things besides drugs and our niggas in gang shit. The vibe with them was always nice, but the niggas in that hospital? The niggas through there was on a whole different level. From the nurses tojanitors to security, they were all on a bitch tough. Bringing me lunch, flowers, flirting when I passed by, and I couldn’t blame them; I did look good in my scrubs.
But I kept my distance, not because I wanted to, but because I was worried. Not for me, but for them, and what Gio might do to them. That’s when I decided that I needed to put some distance between us. That was going to be the only way I was going to be able to move on with my life freely.
Once I made my decision and put in for my transfer, I went home and talked to my parents about it.
“If you are running from this nigga, let me shoot him!” my daddy said, his tone half-serious, half-joking, but with that old skool warning edge.
I rolled my eyes at him while my momma sucked her teeth.
“I’m not running away from him, Daddy—not like that,” I said as I took a sip of wine. “It’s more so for me. Part of me wants to walk away from him, part of me wants to stay… It’s hard, and moving will make it easier for me, for him too.”
My mom nodded. “I don’t like it, but I understand where you are coming from. You have an unhealthy love for that man, and should have walked away after three years of not having a ring, not seven.”
Dad agreed with Mom, and so did I. They gave me their approval even though I damn sure didn’t need it, but it made me feel less alone with the plans I was making.
My transfer got approved faster than I thought. I took that as a sign that I was moving in the right direction. And with that, I was heading to Atlanta.
I had about three weeks to get my ass there. I was on crunch time to find a place, but a bitch credit was A1, so it took no time to lock one down. Plus, I was still sitting pretty from the money Gio left me.
I wasted no time taking my leave and getting the rest of my shit together. My mom decided to ride with me to my storage unit to help me go through the things I took from the apartment. Everything was lil’ reminders of Gio and me. Some things made me smile, some made my chest ache like I’d been punched. I sorted through the stuff and put what I wanted in separate boxes, sitting them outside my unit so Ma could label them. I lingered over a few, touching the fabric, looking at old photos a lil’ too long, like I wasn’t trying to let go.
Ma cleared her throat, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I nodded. “I am… I was just thinking.”
“You know you don’t have to move, right?”
I exhaled.
“I know, Ma…but I need to.”
Once I was done, I pulled the door down and locked it.
