Page 21 of Give Me Honesty

“It was supposed to be you and me until the end, but you weren’t ready for the kind of love I tried to give you. Honesty, I want you to know I loved you, and I know you loved me too. Yeah, I did a lot of fucked up shit to you, but I never meant any of it. You were supposed to stick it out with me for the long haul. After all I did for you, you didn’t have to get back at me like that. You let the world ruin us, and now we’ll have to wait until the next lifetime to be together. Don’t forget about me, baby.”

My phone was snatched from my hand in the same second Rondell pulled the trigger. I stood there staring into space, trying to make sense of the impossible. Although I saw everything with my own eyes, it felt like a bad dream, and all I needed to do was wake up. A pair of arms wrapped around me, but I remained still as adrenaline coursed through my body. This couldn’t be life. There was no way this was real.

FIVE

solomon jackson

It had been a week since everything went down on campus. The incident made national news, and everyone wanted to talk about it. When I wasn’t at home, I was at the shop trying to take my mind off of the shit. Honesty wasn’t taking it well, but it was to be expected. Her life had changed in an instant, and it didn’t look as if things were going to get easier any time soon.

“Aye, did you ever reach out to the AR lady? You gon’ fuck around and miss out on an opportunity of a lifetime because you keep stalling,” Draike pressed. It wasn’t the first time he had brought it up, but I brushed him off. Honesty had been having a rough time, and I couldn’t bring myself to focus on my own success while she struggled.

“Naw, I haven’t. My schedule has been busy, and you already know what I have going on in my personal life. Now really isn’t the right time.” I explained.

Draike scoffed, and I knew he wasn’t gonna let the shit go.

“Aye, you’re trippin’. I understand if you’re scared, but all of that other stuff is irrelevant. At the end of the day, life goes on, and you can’t put your dreams on the back burner for someone else. You have the right to live your life and put yourself first for once.

“I know, but⁠—”

“Ain’t no damn but, Solo. You’ve been taking care of other people since we were kids. You ain’t Superman, and it’s not your job to save the day for everybody. This could be your big break, and you would be a fool to pass up on it. Where’s her number? If your scary ass isn’t gonna make the call, then I will.”

Draike rummaged through the paperwork on my desk until he found Joce’s business card. I had been meaning to give her a call, but life had gotten in the way.

“Hello?”

I heard a woman’s voice as Draike held my phone in front of me. He pushed the phone into my hand without warning, and I almost dropped it.

“Hello? Is someone there?”

“Umm, yes. I apologize. Is this Joce, I mean Jocelyn Berg?”

I wanted to smack myself for sounding like such a loser.

“This is her, and who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”

I chuckled at her business voice because it was completely different from the one she used when we met.

“Hey, my fault. I’m all over the place. This is Solo, we met when⁠—”

“You’re the guy who did my tattoo. I remember you. I’m surprised to hear from you because I thought for sure you must have lost my number or tossed it into the trash after I didn’t hear from you.” She replied in a joking tone.

“Sorry about that. I’ve been dealing with some things in my personal life, and I hadn’t gotten a free moment to call.”

“Hmm, well, I hope you’re calling because you’re ready to set up that meeting I was telling you about. I showed my team your videos, and we’re very interested in seeing how we can help you.”

I tried not to get too excited because opportunities like this didn’t usually happen to people like me. Life had taught me to expect disappointment and not get my hopes up.

“Yeah, I would love the chance to sit down and talk to you.”

“Great, let me pull out my calendar so we can lock in a date before you change your mind.” Joce giggled.

A part of me was nervous because I had no idea what all of this would mean for my future, but I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass me by. Once we secured a date, Joce asked for my email so she could send me documents and information about the company. I felt relieved after we got off the phone.

“See! This shit is about to be epic. I can see it now. You’re about to blow up and become a mothafuckin superstar, and I’ll be able to tell everybody I knew you way back when you used to steal Hot Wheels from the store and eat candy off the floor.” Draike joked.

“Man, fuck you. I was a project baby, so that was to be expected. I appreciate you though, bro. You ain’t have to make that call for me.”

“Yes, I did because if I hadn’t, you would have never taken the chance. It’s time for you to choose Solomon. Don’t worry about what anyone else has going on right now. Do what’s best for you.”