SHORT STORY: If Only You Knew - PART 5

Part 5

James

If I would have known her ass was going to go psycho on me when our little issue was done, I would have never messed with her. The text message had me a little shook, I can’t front, but I had to quickly pull myself together so not to alarm Shon.

I must admit, for at least two weeks after Laila sent me that crazy ass text message, I had been watching my every move; going to work and coming straight home, making sure to spend quality time with Shon and my future step-children. At that point, I figured that Laila’s text message was merely a scare tactic since I hadn’t heard a peek out her silly ass. I assumed she had moved on with her life and felt I could do the same. A couple more months had passed by and it was just about time to start getting ready for our Christmas getaway.

“Alexis, can you pull up my flight to Anguilla and check my family and I in so that will be one less thing I have to rush to the airport to?”  I asked as I gathered up documented for a meeting.

“Not a problem Mr. Collier. I have everyone’s information already saved.” Alexis stated.

After clicking on the computer a couple times, Alexis started chuckling. “Wow Mr. Collier. I want to be like you when I grow up. Everybody is not able to take trips for extended periods of time; leaving out on the Christmas eve and not coming back until January 6th.” Alexis teased.

“It’s not magic baby girl. Hard work, long hours, and money management helped me get to where I am.” I winked as I headed to the conference room for my morning meeting.

Now that we were checked in thanks to the early bird check in option, closing this business deal was the last thing that I needed to do before getting away from all the drama for two weeks. After two hours of going back and forth with negotiations, it was finally over. The meeting was a success. We won the bid and I was now going to be spear heading the renovation layout for the Space Center. The only thing standing in between me and my promotion was the official company email announcing the news that was scheduled to be released this afternoon. I felt like new money as I walked through the halls high stepping like I had just won the lottery. Even though time was moving to its normal beat, in my head everything was moving slow. The only thing that was playing in my head was the K Camp song “1 Hunnid” as I bopped to the beat in my head while heading back to my office. If I had smiled any harder my lips would crack.

I sat back in my chair and threw my feet up on the desk. I took a minute to let the good news soak in. Admiring my accolades on the wall along with several pictures of Shon and the kids, I whispered “we finally made it” just loud enough that only I could here. The contract with the Space Center is a major deal and could potentially bring in billion dollar projects. Who would have thought that a little n***a like myself from the projects would be sitting in a corner office with his own staff and be spear heading some of the largest projects that ever graced the presence of Lloyd and Taylor’s Engineering and Construction? I was already born with what the world considered to be two strikes against me: the color of my skin and raised in a single parent home. My sperm donor left my mother when I was about two years old. We were forced to live in and out of shelters until my mother got on her feet. My mother hustled and did what she had to do until we were able to have a roof over our heads. Yes, we received government checks. Yes, we were on the food stamp program. Yes, we shopped at Goodwill from time to time. My past made me appreciate where I was in life. After catching a dope case at the age of seventeen, I decided that I would not continue to be a product of my environment. It was then that I decided to turn over a new leaf and surround myself with like-minded people that were doing much better than I was. In doing so, it gave me something to strive for and I gained a lot of knowledge along the way. So when I have the opportunity to speak to anyone about my past, I’m never ashamed; I’m proud as hell!

Leaving Laila alone was the best thing that I could have ever done. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking to even be messing with her in the first place. It was a thrill for the moment that lasted entirely too damn long. I can admit that I was a fuck n***a for leading her on, but my heart belongs to Shon. It seemed as though when I closed that chapter of my life, everything started getting back on track and blessings were raining down on me. Around six o’ clock, I locked up my office and called it a day. We had an early flight the next morning and I knew the airports would be crowded since it was Christmas Eve.

The next morning, we made it to the airport in good timing. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. The kids were excited to be getting away for a little while. They were too young to fully understand where we were going, but they were still excited none the less. Shon was walking around on cloud nine. She hadn’t stopped smiling since I surprised here last night with a diamond necklace and matching earrings that I picked up on my way home.

As we landed, everyone started reaching for their things. We all wore black jeans with red and white custom jerseys that have “Collier” printed on the back. I wanted to make sure that if any one of us split from the group, we would be easy to spot. Not only that, but I wanted the kids to know that just because they had a different last name than myself, they were still mine and I would continue to treat them as such. God was really shining his light on us because the car service was right on-time. We grabbed our luggage from the terminal and headed to the young island driver that held a sign that read: The Collier Family.

The driver turned up the island music that was playing on the radio. He must have thought we were vibing to it by the way that we were moving our heads to the beat, but in actuality we were just excited to be in Anguilla. It didn’t matter. I was just ready to get check into the hotel and hit the beach. The salty air slammed into our faces as a gush of wind came through while we were walking into the hotel lobby. The kids were playing and laughing. Shon was on the phone letting her parents know that we had made it safely. I was sending an email to Alexis with some information that was needed for a meeting the following week. All of sudden, I heard this loud scream and I saw my fiancée hugging and spinning around with her so called best friend.

“Ya’ll must be following me! What are the odds that we all would end of in the same place on Christmas Eve?” Laila screamed as she pulled Shon in for another embrace all while blowing me a kiss.