Page 31 of Scribbled Excellence

No sooner than he said that, the owner of the gallery came to the center of the floor. There was a large easel that was covered next to him. Jourde Castle was a sophisticated man who was known around Augusta for his elaborate lifestyle. He lived great.

“I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. I am Jourde Castle, the owner ofBreak The Fourth Wall. It is a very special night for a few reasons. Let’s get into the masterpiece that we are unveiling tonight. This piece was commissioned by an extremely talented artist that got on my radar a little over two years ago. Once I was introduced to her work, I became obsessed. I had to see every piece that was available to me. This woman is beyond her years when it comes to her talent.

“This piece was commissioned over a year ago. Tonight, we unveil it to all of you before we place it in its new home on our walls.” He extended his hand toward an open spot on a wall close to him. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a masterpiece by Tomorrow Bennett titledBeyond the Script,” Jourde said as the man that stood next to the painting took the covering off. His eyes connected to mine.

Frozen . . . I stood there frozen. I was confused because this piece was commissioned by a woman named Selene Galloway.Based on what she told me, she was a private collector. At no time did she ever tell me that the piece was forBreak The Fourth Wall.

My head slowly turned to the side of me, where Kyro and Danielle stood. The expressions on their faces told me that they knew about this. The audience clapped as they gazed between my painting on the easel and me.

Kyro’s hand clasped mine before he kissed my temple. “Look at your masterpiece, baby. You deserve this.”

Jourde asked for me to come forward. I dabbed the corners of my eyes so that the tears wouldn’t fall. I gathered myself, then walked to the front. Jourde and I embraced. “Thank you so much,” I whispered in his ear.

He pulled back from the hug and grabbed my hand. “No, I want to thank you for blessing my wall with one of your masterpieces. I have watched you over the years grow as an artist. Tomorrow Bennett, it is your time.”

His words were powerful. “That means so much to me. I pray I can live up to everyone’s expectations.”

He shook his head. “You don’t have to live up to anyone else’s expectations of you. That is a daunting task. You live up to the expectations that you set for yourself.”

I nodded, then gave him another hug. When I finally turned to face the crowd, my brows knitted. There were new guests in the gallery. My brother, sister, and all of Kyro’s family were there. Now tears fell freely. My brother and sister were in their formal wear.

“Um, first, I want to thank Jourde for believing in my vision.” My eyes darted around the room until I found who I searched for. I smiled when I found her. “When Selene Galloway came to me for this piece, she gave me little guidance. All she said wasgive me something that is Tomorrow Bennett. Thank you,Miss Selene, for trusting me. Thank you to my family for always supporting me.

“August and Tuesday, I love you so much. Thank you for always putting up with my colorful mess around our living space. Kyro, I love you so much for making space for me in your life, home, and heart. You are my muse.”

Kyro smiled before he walked toward me. When he was close, he opened his arms. I walked into them willingly. His arms felt like home. “I love you, Tomorrow. You know that, right?”

We pulled away from our hug. After I nodded, he took a step back. When he dropped to his knee, my hand slapped over my mouth. The crowd erupted into celebration.

Kyro pulled a ring box out of his pocket while everyone cheered. He waited until the crowd simmered down before he spoke. “Tomorrow, I love you. The moment I saw you on that stage at the mural reveal, I knew that you were the one for me. Our relationship is not perfect, but in the same breath, it’s effortless. I want to do this thing called love and life with you forever. Will you marry me?”

“Yes! Yes!” I jumped up and down as I stuck my hand out.Put that ring on my finger, nigga!My body wouldn’t stop shaking as he slid the ring on.

Once it was on, he stood to his full height, and I jumped in his arms. “I love you so much, Mar. It’s me, you, and oureolin agi (little baby).”

I pulled away from him with a scrunched face. That was a word he hadn’t taught me yet. “What does that mean?”

Some Time Later. . .

Life had been a whirlwind for Mr. and Mrs. Kyro Min-Jae Goings. It started long before the night of the engagement and showed no signs of slowing down. Neither felt like there was anything wrong with that as long as love and God stayed in the center.

The night that Tomorrow’s masterpieceBeyond the Scriptwas revealed, it opened an entire new world. Multiple people asked her for a business card, and she felt ill prepared because she didn’t have any. There was nothing to worry about, because her man always had her back. He had business cards printed for her the week before.

The next day she started to receive emails from collectors as well as other art gallery owners who wanted to engage her for a commissioned piece. The excitement of the new artistic masterpiece atBreak The Fourth Wallcaught the attention of the local news and was covered in an exclusive. That brought her even more requests.

Kyro and Tomorrow were married five months after the proposal. They were married in the courtyard where they met. Neither of them had a large immediate family, but their community family was large. It was for that reason that the community was invited to the courtyard wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony. A quiet, intimate reception happened a few days later with just close family and friends.

Kyro heeded Tomorrow’s words when she said that she would not have a baby if she wasn’t married. When their daughter, Selah Arielle Goings was born, they had been married for four months. Tomorrow and Kyro were very intentional when they named their daughter Selah, which meant pause and reflect. While Kyro called his baby girl Selly, her mother called her Little Muse. She was the meeting place between the chaos and the masterpiece that was their love.

“Ari! Come to Pop Pop!” Shawn squatted and opened his arms to receive his granddaughter who’d just started to crawl recently. At seven months old, she was a speed racer when it came to her crawl speed. He was the only one that called her Ari.

Ari saw her grandfather and forgot about everything and everyone in the room. Attorney Mastermind kept his word when he said that he would not give up on Shawn. A few weeks after he got the notice that there could be a break that would help his case, they were given a court date. The date was six months away. That was more than enough time for Attorney Mastermind to solidify the legal loophole that ultimately got the case thrown out.

After years in jail for a crime that he actually didn’t commit, he was set free. He wasn’t out in time for Kyro and Tomorrow’s wedding or Selah’s birth, but he was here now. That was one of the biggest blessings.

The Goings and Kim family rallied behind Shawn, to help him, because he was the father of three people who they loved. Martin gave him a job in his commercial construction business. Shawn had some experience in construction and was grateful that Martin gave him a chance.

He promised not to waste the opportunity. The job provided travel opportunities, and once he was there for a year, Martin agreed to pay for him to go to school to get his contractor’s license. On top of all of that, Martin leased an apartment to Shawn in one of his buildings.