Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 109178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
“You’re right, but you’re still contradicting yourself.”
“How so?”
“If it’s not important, give it away for free then. If who you are internally is the real pot of gold, treat that as such, and not the other way around.”
She nodded with a taut jerk of her head, then ran her fingers through her mane.
“Let me explain something to you, Nadia. Everything we do in life, if it’s not our ultimate goal, is just a stepping stone. You’re an amazing dancer, that’s trill, I can’t deny that, but it’s not the end game. No judgment.” He raised both hands as if in surrender. “I’m not perfect. I’ve done my dirt. We live and learn. I decided I wanted to clean up my act and do better, though. No more chasing skirts, as my grandfather would say. Being a dog was in my nature. I was never shitty to you because I felt something different for you, and you weren’t one of my conquests.”
“I’m the one that got away, then. A challenge. Time has passed, and—”
“I don’t care how much time has passed. You are the same, where it counts, Nadia. Look, you or I can read a book from thirty years ago, and though some of the jargon and music mentioned may have changed, the premise is still the same, and relatable. You are the same. In here.” He pointed to his chest. “I could see it in your eyes right away. That little broken girl is still inside of you, Humpty Dumpty as you said, but you’ve been taking care of her the best way you know how. You took a detour. You’re still traveling though, and that’s all that matters.”
“Oh, so you’re Dr. Phil, Dr. Seuss, Mother Goose, and a travel agent now, too? As I said, you don’t know the real me. I wish you did, Lennox, but you don’t. Do you want something to eat?” She glanced down at her watch. “You might be sitting here starving. I should’ve asked earlier, but I—”
“No, I’m not hungry. At least, not for food. Anything I don’t know about you, I can learn. I have no problem being a student, especially when it comes to a woman I want.”
Her lips pursed as she crossed her arms. “Why are you single?”
“Is this an interview for the position of your man? Why are you asking me that?”
“You’re not supposed to answer a question with another question,” she simpered. “Look how attractive you are.”
“Okay. You got a mirror around here so I can?”
She snickered. “Silly. You know why I said that. You appear to be a good catch. You’re employed. Two jobs. The gym and the club. You have some money saved up, I imagine. Your own place. Nice truck. You told me you don’t have any kids, so that makes you a unicorn. If you’re anything like you used to be, a nice guy, too.”
“Wrong. I chose who to be nice to. That’s a small number. Nice guys finish last. Anyway, it’s simple, really. I’m single because I want to be. Then I saw you, and I no longer want to be so…” She swallowed. He watched her throat tighten, and delighted in her embarrassment and flushed complexion. “Name somethin’ you think I don’t know about you.”
“I’m not that sweet girl just out here tryna make it anymore. I may look the same, but I’m different. And I’m okay with that.” Her fingers twitched as if she were holding an invisible cigarette between them.
“Nadia, I didn’t love you back then because you were sweet. I loved you because you were hurt, yet still motivated to move around that discomfort and elevate yourself. You’re a survivor. You’d cry to me, but then do things to help yourself. I’ve never seen you as helpless or a victim. The hand you were dealt was unfair—still, you never believed you deserved that pain. I recognized that pain. I wasn’t there for you just to be a shoulder to cry on. Rather, I could identify with it.”
“What you know about that type of pain, rich boy?” she taunted, smiling big and wide—pretty, but there was a sinister quality behind it. “They say money changes people and is the root of all evil. I’m not so sure about that. Maybe if my mother had more cash and a happily ever after, she wouldn’t have taken her frustrations out on me, and maybe if my father had had some cash, he wouldn’t have treated me how he did, acted in such an ugly way. Dead men can’t make no money, but he signed his own death certificate.” She snorted.
Her choppy, cruel laughter sounded like an echo from an empty tomb.
“Money doesn’t change anyone, Nadia. It just shows who a person really is. You wear dark humor like a suit of armor.” Her smile slowly faded. Then he continued, “What do I know about that type of pain?” He gently grabbed his right earlobe and cured an itch. The hot swell of emotions made him sweat. “You didn’t know much about me. Just what I wanted you to see. Like I said, I was nice to you, but I’m not nice, by blood. It was a calculated choice. To love and protect you. That’s all I cared about back then, and that’s all I care about now. Always remember that…”