you hated that, but I knew what I was talking about. When it came to men and you dating, when it came to money, all of that. You took some of my advice, you left some behind, but regardless, I was always proud of you. You’ve got more strength in your baby finger than most people got in their whole damn body. Use fear to motivate you. It’s the best fuel of all.”
“Well, looks like I better pull up to the gas station. I love you, Dad.”
He blew her a kiss, and she blew one back. Then, she closed the door…
Starting over was hard… but he had to.
King had clocked out for the last time at Alpha. He’d trained a new manager, and now it was time to leave. For good. How strange, but he felt a bit sorry for Ricky. The man had apologized profusely, and despite all that had gone down, and him knowing certain aspects of his life that weren’t up for discussion, he finally conceded and let the shit go. He’d received a sizeable check for his two shirt designs, and cut himself loose. He had no desire to work with Lincoln ever again, and imagined their paths would never cross again, either. Ricky, however, had made it clear that he had other ventures he wished to discuss with him. King took that with a grain of salt.
He stood now in his big warehouse studio, and looked at all the blank canvases. The show was in less than three weeks. How am I going to do this? There’s so much work to do if I start over. I have a new vision, though. Just do it… just keep working your ass off until you’ve finished.
He turned on some music, grabbed his brushes and paints, and began working. Hours later he realized he hadn’t eaten or had anything to drink, and he sorely needed to piss. He decided to take a quick break. Splattered with paint, he crossed the street and bought a salad, juice, and cup of warm soup from the bodega. He returned to the restaurant on the first floor, drained the main vein, then headed back to the warehouse studio, turning more music on when he got there. He’d missed a few text messages coming in from several of his friends, including Shane, while he was painting. Jeremy confirmed he’d make it to his show, and he was happy to see he’d received new orders on his website, too. The money was rolling in, and it was all his. He’d earned every dime. Oh yeah, let me take care of that right quick.
“Hey, Mãe.” He began to pace back and forth. “What are you up to?”
“Just lying here watching television. How are you, honey?”
“Working in the studio. A, remember I told you Suri does staging?”
“Yes. I can’t wait to meet her.” He could hear the smile in his mother’s voice. She’d always wanted him to settle down.
“Yeah, she’s excited to meet you, too. Look, you mentioned that they were revamping the hotel, right?”
“Yes.”
“I bet Suri could do it for a discounted rate. I mean, not the revamp, but staging in your lounge area, things like that. Hotels and restaurants are her specialty and like I told you, she and I are starting a company together for that. I take care of the art and any painting of walls, window frames, etcetera, and she does all the decorating. So, she’s trying to get this business off the ground and the more clients she gets, the better. Also, she’s been a little depressed lately because of what happened. Of course she’s acting like she’s okay now, but I know better. I told you about it.”
“Yes, I remember. Poor dear. That was horrible, I feel for her. Certainly, certainly. I completely understand. I tell you what: I will ask, okay? It never hurts to ask.”
“Thanks. She’s really good. I’ll send you pictures of some of her work.” They talked a bit longer, and when the call was over, he started painting again, his thoughts racing. Tere$â–²jenee’s ‘Eroplane’ was the next song on his phone playlist. Time was a blur, and before he knew, he’d been going for over seven hours.
It was four in the morning. He picked up his phone and noticed a text from Suri saying that she loved him, and was going to bed. He wrote back, though he was certain she was asleep. It didn’t matter. She’d see it when she woke up:
I love