“I hear you. I just don’t know why the push for meeting my friends.”
“Monti, I don’t feel that this is the most appropriate time to have this discussion. Maybe we should wait until we are face to face so that we can have an intelligent conversation. I am getting that you just don’t want me to know who you hang out with.”
“You are going to know who I hang out with because you are going to meet my close friends. I don’t call everyone a friend and so I don’t see why you are having such an issue with this. I just don’t understand where all this shit is coming from.”
“Don’t take your frustrations out on me.”
“I’m just saying that you are pushing stuff that is not important. We are here together and working on our relationship. Isn’t that enough for you?”
“Enough…hell I could be working on a relationship with a mass murder, for all I know. You got something that you are hiding from me or something that you don’t want me to know about. In my opinion, that is unacceptable.”
“Cam…can’t we just talk about this when I get home?”
“Are you on your way here?”
“I am gonna chill for a few. I will be there a little later, ok.”
“Fine Monti. I am not sure why you are acting like this, but do what you have to do. Don’t think that I am going to continue this way for much longer. I am better than this and I hope you don’t think I am some damn push over.”
“I am not saying that you are a push over. I really just need to clear my head. I am getting a headache now. Let’s talk about this when I get there. Ok?”
“Alright.”
“Bye” Cameron hung up the phone. He did not know why Monti was acting this way but it made him feel a little concerned. He was having company over on Monday and he wanted to make sure that everything was ok.
“I am going through all this shit with Calvin and all Cameron is thinking about is meeting my friends.” Monti said to himself. He was clearly upset and he didn’t know what to do. He decided that he would go to the gym and put in a workout in hopes of being able to clear his mind.
Chapter Forty-One
A Regrettable Decision
“Hey Shaine. How are you doing?”
“Hey Stranger. I have not heard from you in a while. Is everything ok?”
“I am ok…just wanted someone to talk to for a minute. Were you busy?”
“Honey, you know I am never to busy to talk to my bestest friend. What is going on?”
“I went to get a manicure and pedicure yesterday. I was just sitting in the chair for the pedicure when another guy came in and asked for a pedicure also. He ultimately ended up sitting next to me. His name is Calvin. As the ladies were working on my feet, he and I struck up conversation. He seemed to be a nice guy. We had a good conversation and I guess he was familiar with Monti.”
“Oh really? You said he was familiar with Monti? Do tell.”
“Yes, really. He was telling me about this restaurant and bar on the east side called Capers. He said they have the bomb drinks. On a side note, we are going to have to go there one day soon to check it out. After we were done with our spa treatments, we exchanged numbers and I didn’t think much about it.”
“That is not bad.” Shaine said puzzled.
“Hold on, I am getting to it. I went home after that because Monti and I had made plans to go to dinner and have some drinks. Monti was in the shower and I asked him about the restaurant. Girl, he bout fell out the shower.”
“You are kidding me, right?”
“No, I am telling you the truth.”
“Why would he trip out over the restaurant?”
“That is what I was thinking. I did not pay much attention to it until I asked him did he know a guy named Calvin, and guess what.”
“What?”
“His ass damn near fell again.”
“You are lying, Cameron.”
“I wish I was. I asked him if he was all right? He said he was. He did not seem like he was all right. He looked like he had just saw a ghost.”
“What was that about?”
“I don’t know. He was distant the whole night after that and I thought that it had something to do with the conversation.”
“I would think the same thing.”
“I got a call today from Calvin. We were talking about the Atlanta pride events and he asked me if I was happy with the relationship.”
“Oh really. Was he trying to see if he could break you up because he wants one of you to himself?”
“I never thought about that. Who knows? But he did say that I should ask Monti to meet his friends. I did not tell Monti that I talked to Calvin.”
“I would agree that you should not have told him.”
“When I talked to Monti a few minutes ago, I asked him when I was going to get to meet his friends. You know me…I want a relationship with someone and I am not going to be a secret. I want to know who he hangs with and all that stuff.”
“I am so all in with that one.”
“Talk about crazy. Monti got unhinged when I asked him about his friends. He was clearly agitated at me because I asked a simple question. What is your take on the situation?”
“Because you asked me, I am gong to give my opinion. I think that being with him is not a good choice. Something about him doesn’t sit to well with me. He has to many secrets and has put you through some crazy stuff in these few months. Did you really do some soul searching to know what this is the one that you should be with?”
“You know I have been back and forth with this at each turn. I am not sure really but we have been moving more and more towards a serious relationship. I know I did not tell you before, but he moved in about two weeks ago.”
“Cameron…tell me you didn’t?”
“Yes, I did. I was fine with it until this last day or so. I don’t want to look like a fool but I had to follow my heart.”
“But obviously your heart is telling you something is not right. You are telling me that you are having reservations about this decision and I want to say that you are probably right. There is something about Monti that I am not comfortable with. I don’t know him yet so I am going to reserve judgment until then but I am thinking that you have to do some more thinking about this one. There are just too many questions left in the air surrounding him.”
“I respect that and you are probably correct.”
“Where is he now?”
“He said he was going to chill or something. I know what you are going to say. I don’t know what that means.”
“You know I was going to ask that.”
“Yes, you know that if anyone knows you, I do.”
“Yes, honey you just take your time and think about the situation and I will pray that God opens your eyes to see what it is that you are supposed to see in this situation.”
“You know I will take my time. So I will see you on Monday? I am here cleaning and marinating the meats.”
“I am not going to miss the opportunity to enjoy some good kitchen throw down. I will be there early so I can get a jump start on the eating.”
“I will see you then. Love you so much. Thanks for listening too.”
Cameron felt good after talking to his best friend. Shaine always had a way of making some of the worst situations better. Cameron definitely had more soul searching that he had to do. The house was quiet and Cameron took the time to take in the conversations that he had today. Calvin planted the seed, Monti watered it and Shaine brought the sunshine. This situation would continue to grow and Cameron was destined to figure it out.
* * * * *
Monti got to Cameron’s house about 9:00 pm. He went up to the third floor to find Cameron in bed watching television.
“You decided to come home?”
“I told you I had to clear my head. I went to the gym and then got something to eat.”
“Oh ok…don’t worry about it. I wasn’t hungry or anything like that. What is going on with y
ou? Since yesterday, you have been acting funny. I asked you about getting to know some of your friends and you got an attitude. I need you to be honest with me and let me know what is going on.”
“Cameron, I told you I am fine. I don’t understand why you are so adamant about knowing who my friends are, but it is getting a bit irritating that you keep on asking me this.”
“You want to minimize my questions and concerns?” Cameron said agitated.
“It’s not that I am minimizing your concerns, Babe. It’s just that I got a lot of stuff on my plate and you are harping on meeting people.”
“Harping…is that how you view this? I am just a nagging harping bitch?”
“You are taking this the wrong way. I didn’t call you a bitch, Cameron.” Monti said. He was frustrated at this whole exchange but now he knew that Cameron was getting emotional about this.
“How should I be taking this then? You explain it to me, Mr. I-Have-Never-Done-Anything-Wrong. You are the one constantly doing shit here. I can bring up all the shit you have been doing and yet I take you back time and time again.”
“Cameron, I don’t want to do this with you right now.”
“Are you in this relationship to be in the relationship or are you serious about helping this grow into a real long-term relationship?”
“You know that I want this to be a long-term relationship. I just don’t know why it is so important that you know this stuff.”
“As two people get together and come to an understanding that they are going to interconnect their lives, their friends also interconnect. Sure you will always have a closer relationship with your friends and I will with mine; however they should know who I am in your life and vice versa.”
“I know all that but like I told you before, I have a very small knit group of friends and everyone else is just acquaintances.”
“Who are your acquaintances? Why are you playing word semantics with me Monti? What are you trying to hide from me?” Cameron said. “A bigger question for you is…why are you hiding this from me? I am your partner or your boyfriend or whatever you call me.”
“You are just not going to let this die are you? Cameron, I want to be with you and I want to grow old with you. You are going to have to trust me.”
“Trust you? How can you even form your lips to ask me to trust you when you are so full of secrets? You don’t trust me, or should I help you remember the new A4A account. Or what about you calling my job? How many times have you apologized and asked me to forgive you because you were doing some stupid shit?”
“My past is my past and it is not mandatory that you know about my past to build a future with me.”
“Your past is your past if it stayed in the past. If your past comes into my present, I have a right to know. You can’t make me make life decision without all the information.”
“What does that mean? Are you trying to tell me that someone from my past is talking to you?”
“No, that is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that for me to get to know you outside of our relationship, I need to know who you used to hang out with. If you are who you say you are it would not be an issue.”
“Look Cameron, I don’t want to argue with you. I have a lot on my mind and on my plate. I really don’t want to involve you in some of this stuff. I just need some time to figure this out. Can you just give me some time to figure out what this is?”
“What ‘what’ is?”
“What is going on at work. My director has been riding my back for some time and I have to get a plan of action.” Monti lied.
“How long do you need? You are always thinking about me after the fact. In fact, most of the time I am just an afterthought to you .”
“Give me a week or so. I promise that I will get back with you and make this all good.” Monti knew that he had no way of knowing that it would be good and he was not able to guarantee that this would be all right. He just did not want the stress of this week to follow him through this holiday weekend. He would use his time during the weekend to sort through all this stuff. He did not know why Calvin was after him, he did not know why he did not want to disclose his past to Cameron and he was not sure how far reaching Calvin would go to prove his point.
“Fine but I expect you to be fully open with me. If not, I want you to let me go so that I can find someone who is open and honest. If you want to know anything about me that you feel is necessary to continue in this relationship, please don’t hesitate to ask me because I am an open book. I just request…no I don’t request, I demand the same in return.”
They agreed to discuss this issue after the holiday because they wanted to just enjoy the long weekend. Cameron wanted to make sure he was ready for his new job. Monti’s head was spinning and he could not go to sleep so he went downstairs to watch television until sleep found him. Monti stayed downstairs that night by the fireplace. Cameron stayed in the bedroom and drifted off to sleep. Cameron was sleeping peacefully until he had a nightmare that woke him up gasping for air and drenched in sweat.
Chapter Forty-Two
The Plan’s In Place
“What’s going on H-Dub?”
“Not much Calvin. I thought you were down in Atlanta?”
“Yes. I got here yesterday. Man you know I gotta come down here and get my freak on.”
“Ok. You have been there a day already. It never ceases to amaze me that as handsome as you are and as freaky as you are that you travel the pride circuit to go to freak parties.”
“I don’t have to come down here for that, but you know what they say, ‘variety is the spice of life’ and I definitely love spicy.”
“I see. What is up?”
“I wanted to know if we were all set for tomorrow with Monti’s fucked up ass.”
“Yes, you know we are ready on our end. I thought it was a great idea that you came up with.”
“Harper, we been best friends since high school and you know how crazy we was back in the day. Now with your contacts and expertise and my inside connections we can finally get that bastard back for David. This fuck-up’s been fucking over people for years and now he has to pay for his shit. No one fucks with my family and gets away with it.”
“I am sure that after this weekend Cameron will be a free agent because he is gonna leave Monti’s crazy ass once he sees him for who he is. Were you interested in getting to know him more?”
“I would not mind that. It’s sad that Cameron is going to be in the middle of this. However, we have to focus on first things first. Monti needs to feel the hurt that he inflicted upon so many other people and tomorrow is the day that he begins pays this price”
“He is a keeper from the photos that I have seen and how you have talked about him the past few days.”
“We will cross that river when we get there. Right now operation Major Exposure is in effect. Do you have your team set?”
“Yes, all the players are ready. Tomorrow is a day that he will never forget.”
“Harper, you know I can’t thank you enough for what you have done to help me. You know I am here if you ever need me, right?”
“Calvin, I never questioned our friendship and I know that you are there for me because you gave me the seed money for my business. We will always be close man, you know that.”
“I am bout to get my partying on. We will talk tomorrow evening.”
“Have a good one Calvin and be safe.”
“You know it. Later.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Paying The Price
“What time is church going to be over?” Cameron asked Monti.
“Cameron, you know that black churches don’t have a schedule that they follow. Today is communion Sunday, I would say that it will be over at about 2:30 pm. I will call you when it is over so we can meet for Sunday dinner.”
“I will probably be done before you. We serve communion only at the morning service. I will hang out in the area after church and wait for you to call.”
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Monti had heard about karma in his life but he never knew that he would have a lesson this soon. They both left for church in separate vehicles. Monti knew that today was the day he emptied his heart out to God and asked him to show him what he needed to do. Monti turned on the radio and listened to gospel music on his way to church. He arrived at church right on time as they were just beginning praise and worship. The praise team led the congregation to forget all their cares and focus on God. They ushered in the presence of the Lord into the service.
The Spirit was high in the church and then the pastor got up with her black robe that hid her svelte figure. She was a gorgeous light skinned woman with Native American features and flawless skin. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was so tight that no hair was out of place. She wore frameless glasses that unless the light was shining directly off of them you would miss that they were even on. She looked as though she was in her mid-thirties though in reality she was 45 years old. She had truly had some life experiences and knew when the move of God was in the place. She went to the pulpit after praise and worship. This shocked the people because normally they had offering and then more music before the pastor began to speak.
“I have been up since early this morning praying that God would speak to his people today and give you a word that would open your hearts and not allow you to leave the same way that you came in.”
The pastor stood in complete authority before the congregation who was on the edge of their seats ready for their lives to be changed. Monti was one of those that needed a word from God.
“I want to talk today about paying the price. Sometimes in our walk with God, we get so self-righteous that we think that we can do what we want to do. We think that we can act how we want to act. We also think that we can treat other people any way we want to without experiencing consequences of our actions. Turn with me to the book of Genesis, in the 22nd chapter and we can start around the 2nd verse. 2. And he said, take now thy son thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of. Now go down to the 9th verse. 9. And they came to the place, which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. (King James Version) Now we can close our Bibles. The thought that God gave me to speak on today is: Have you paid the price?”
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