by A'zayler
“Oh, I’m so sorry about that baby. Do you have a girlfriend or something? Anyone to keep you company?”
“No ma’am.”
“Well, my baby is single now too. You should take her out sometime.”
“I’m sure she’s lovely. I’d love to meet her.”
Donna’s smile got even bigger as she patted Honey’s leg. “Arizona, did you hear that? He’s sure you would be lovely and he would love to meet you.”
“Oh my God,” Honey said out loud and shook her head. “No, Ma. Stop. Please stop.”
“Yeah, Auntie. Stop.” Toro said.
“Boy, I’m grown. I can say whatever I want to say. You and that girl are over. She needs to move on from your tail.”
Honey’s sympathetic eyes went to Arizona and Zay. They both looked a tad bit uncomfortable, but neither of them gave anything away.
“Oh, I didn’t know you meant Arizona. She’s cool. That’s my homie. I’ve been knowing her since high school.”
“Well then. You must know she’s a good catch.”
The door to Honey’s hospital room opened just in time. It was all becoming too much for Honey. She was sure Donna didn’t care one way or the other, but she was so uncomfortable. The clear bassinet rolled in front of Congo as he pushed Blaze back into Honey’s room.
“Congo, get your mama nih. She in here cutting up,” Honey told him.
Congo’s eyes went straight to Donna. “What you do?”
“I ain’t did nothing, so don’t nobody need to get me. All I did was try to match two single people together.”
Congo sighed because he already knew what his mother had done. He shook his head and pointed at her. “Why you always doing something? Just sit your behind still and hush. Stay out of grown folks’ business.”
Honey and Arizona both laughed at his playful tone. Donna, on the other hand, paid him no attention. She got up to grab Blaze instead. She held her up and kissed her head. “Hey, Granny baby. Let me talk to you because you probably the only one with some sense. Your granny is tired of talking to all these stupid grown people. Yes, she is. Yes, your granny is,” Donna told Blaze in her best baby voice.
All of them couldn’t do anything but laugh. Donna was cutting the fool, and they had no other choice but to sit there and take it.
“She’s gorgeous, sis.” Zay looked at Blaze over Donna’s shoulder.
“So is her Auntie Arizona. Ain’t that right, Granny baby?” Donna spoke to Blaze again in baby talk.
Zay laughed and rubbed his hand over his face. He looked over at Honey then to Congo. He held his hand out for Congo to dap him up. Congo slapped hands with Zay before Zay turned around. He walked over to Toro and dapped him up as well before leaning down to hug Arizona. He hugged her quickly and was back on his feet.
“Aight y’all, let me get up out here and head back to the trap.”
“The trap?” Donna sounded shocked.
They all laughed. “Not the real trap, Mama. The nigga cut hair with Honey. He about to take his ass back to the barbershop.” Congo helped her out.
“Oooh okay. Okay. I was about to take my offer back.”
“This lady ain’t got no chill.” Arizona finally looked up at Donna.
“She really doesn’t.” Honey agreed.
“See you later, pretty mama.” Zay spoke to Blaze before walking out of the door.
When he left the room was quiet, but only for a minute, because clearly Toro had something to get off of his chest.
“Auntie why you always have to do stuff like that?”
“Toro, don’t check me, baby, because you knew before you went out and did all that damn messing around that it was going to cause you to lose the girl. Don’t be mad with me because I’m trying to hook her up. Whether you know it or not, she’s going to move on. It may not be today or next week, but she will. Just like it may not be that young man that she moves on with, but it will be one, and you will have no say so in it.” Donna rolled her eyes at Toro before looking over at Arizona. “Did I make you feel uncomfortable, Arizona? Because If I did, I apologize.”
“No ma’am, you didn’t. I was fine.”
“Well then. That’s all that matters.”
Donna went back to Blaze as Congo and Honey looked at each other. Toro spent another few minutes in the corner trying to talk to Arizona, but she wasn’t having it. She finally got up and grabbed her things to go.
“I’ll see you later, Honey bunny. I need some air. Just call me when everybody leaves and I may come back.”
Honey blew Arizona a kiss and waved at her as she walked out of the door. She made sure to bid her goodbyes to Congo and Donna as well before leaving. Donna stayed for another few hours before going home, leaving Congo and Honey alone with their new baby. Honey took this time to pick Congo’s brain. She was lying in bed and he was sitting on the hard let out couch in the corner with Blaze on his chest. He was scrolling on his phone with one hand, while rubbing her back with the other. He was hopeless already.
“Babe, your mama needs some help.”
Congo sucked his teeth. “Man, Donna’s ass says whatever she wants to say. She don’t give a fuck.” He laughed. “She’s always been that way, though.”
“It would have been funny if it wasn’t so awkward.”
“Man, that shit was still funny. I just couldn’t laugh at my boy like that. If Zay hadn’t been right there, I probably still would have laughed at Toro’s ass.”
“He deserves whatever he gets for doing her like that.” Honey pulled the covers up on her legs. “Maybe she should date Zay. Shoot, she should date anybody that’s going to help her stop looking like a sad puppy every day.”
With a shrug of the shoulders, Congo expressed his feelings. “Shit, we’ve been knowing Zay for years. He’s a good dude. He ain’t no bad nigga, he just our boy, so that shit would be kind of fucked up.”
“Oh, I thought he was just your friend.” Honey tried to play clueless.
“Well, yeah, kinda. He was always more of my friend than Toro’s. They kind of just kicked it with each other because they were with me. It still would be kind of fucked up, but shid, after the way Toro dogged Z’s ass with Keyona, that nigga can’t really say shit about anything that girl decides to do.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll be glad when she does find somebody though, so she can be happy like us.”
Congo looked at her and smiled. “We’re happy?”
“Yes, duh.”
“Oh, I thought we was just cool.”
Honey narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t play with me.”
“I’m just fucking with you, bae. You know I’m in love with you.” Congo looked down at Blaze. “I just might be a little more in love with her though.”
Honey smiled at Congo and Blaze. She was okay with him being in love Blaze more. She was the only woman on this earth that she wouldn’t mind sharing him with.
Chapter Two
God’s plan will always be greater and more beautiful than all of your disappointments.
Congo sat at the table next to Honey scrolling through his email. He was checking to be sure he hadn’t missed a notification from any of the jobs that he’d been applying for. He had been doing all he could to get a job, and nothing was working. He was growing more and more frustrated by the day. His father had reached out to others on his behalf, but it was so funny to him how the same people he’d looked out for when he was up, didn’t want to do anything for him now.
He chopped it up as a loss and figured he’d get it on his own like he had been doing since he was a kid. When he didn’t see any notifications, he closed his phone and slid it back in his pocket. He looked over at Honey who was still glowing from Blaze. Her face was bright and still held some of the chubbiness from her pregnancy. She was sitting next to him looking through the magazine. With all of her hair pulled back off her face he could see her clearer.
He wished he could feel as peaceful as she looked. She didn’t look the leas
t bit stressed. In fact, she looked more peaceful than she had in a long time.
“What, Congo?” She didn’t even bother to look up from the magazine.
“What you mean, ‘What Congo’?” He mocked her.
“You’re sitting over there staring at me. Why?”
“Girl, please. I wasn’t staring at your ass.”
Honey looked at him and tapped his leg beneath the table. “Be quiet. Don’t curse so loud like that.” Her eyes roamed around the building quickly before looking back at him.
“I don’t know what you’re tripping for. Didn’t nobody even hear me.”
Honey and Congo were seated in the waiting area of Blume Architecture Engineering. Howard had finally returned Honey’s calls and scheduled a meeting with her. Being that she’d just given birth a little over two weeks ago, she was a little reluctant to leave the house, but she knew she had to. When his mother had reassured her that Blaze would be fine, she felt a little better. Congo, on the other hand, hadn’t thought about Blaze twice.
His mother could handle her. She’d raised him and Jabar just fine. Blaze was in great hands. Furthermore, he wasn’t about to allow Honey to miss out on an opportunity that she knew they needed, just because she didn’t want to leave Blaze’s lil ass at home. She had been talking his ear off for weeks about Howard not calling, and when he finally did she thought she was going to just blow it off. Hell nah. Not on his watch.
“Honey Key.” The receptionist looked at Congo and Honey and smiled. “Mr. Blume will see you now. Follow me this way, please.”
Honey stood up first, with Congo right behind her. They followed the receptionist down the hallway and into a large office. It was large enough to be a small apartment. Congo and Honey both looked around in awe as they took their seats. The walls of the office were all glass, so they could see everything that was going on around them; outside as well as inside.
Howard smiled and motioned for them to take the two seats in front of his desk. He had the phone cradled between his shoulder and ear as he twirled a pen between his fingers. He talked for a few more minutes before hanging the phone up and standing to shake their hands.
“Sorry about that. How are you two today?”
“We’re fine, thank you for asking,” Honey told him. “What took you so long to call me?” Honey didn’t waste any time.
Congo almost wanted to tell her to watch her mouth talking to the man like that, but he figured she could handle it. Honey was a smart girl. She wouldn’t do anything she knew she couldn’t do.
Howard laughed. “You waste no time, huh?”
“No sir. You told me to give you a call, and I did, and you’ve been missing in action ever since.” Honey smiled. “How’s the baby?”
Howard’s smile got larger than it had been before. Congo could understand that feeling. Blaze had him the same way. Anytime he thought about her, he wanted to smile or hold her so he could kiss all over her.
“Aww, man, Honey she’s awesome; such a little diva like her mother. I don’t know what I’m going to do with her. I’m hopeless.” Howard shook his head with a large smile on his face.
“I understand, man. I’m the same way.” Congo spoke up.
Howard looked at him and his eyes got larger. “Oh my! How did I not notice that you’ve given birth too? How’s baby girl?”
Honey looked at Congo. “I’ll let her father tell you. He’s about as wrapped as you. I don’t even think Blaze’s little finger is big enough for him.”
Howard and Congo both laughed and flashed smiles that only a father could give.
“She’s amazing, man. The best thing I’ve ever known.” Congo nodded his head toward Honey. “Besides her mama.”
Howard stuck his fist out toward Congo again. “I understand, brother. I understand.”
“Okay, now back to business.” Honey crossed her legs.
Howard pointed at Honey while looking at Congo. “I like this one. She’s a feisty one.”
“That she is.” Congo could definitely agree.
“Okay, well back to business,” Howard pulled out a folder that had been tucked beneath a few other ones. He opened it laid it out. “How flexible are the two of you?”
“Very,” Honey spoke before Congo could.
“Very well. I’ve just gotten a new contract from the city on the new shopping mall near the river. I have some of my best architects on the job, but they want something fresh. Something that I saw in your book.” He smiled at Honey. “If I give you all the specifics, you think you could come up with something for me? Something captivating and out of the norm, but still sophisticated enough to be mainstream.”
Congo’s heart was beating out of his chest as he sat listening to this random man making his girl’s dreams come true. He was almost bursting with happiness for Honey. He stretched his legs out in front of him and pulled them back in again. He was so excited he could hardly sit still. She deserved it, and she was finally getting it.
“Can I? Of course! I have some designs right now that you could look over to see if they’re interesting enough. I can change some things or add others to your liking.”
Howard clapped his hands. “Hotdog! So you already have some things put together? That’s even better. I’ve been procrastinating since the baby, so I’m behind on the project already. This is freaking awesome.”
Honey leaned down, pulled her sketchbook from her bag, and flipped through the pages. She flipped back and forth between two pages before standing up and placing them on Howard’s desk.
“What do you think of these two?”
Congo rubbed his hands together as he watched Honey and Howard lean over her book staring at the drawings, pointing out things that could be changed or tweaked. Congo couldn’t really understand all the things that they were speaking of, but just hearing the dynamics of their conversation was enough for him. His baby was finally getting what she’d been working so hard for. That’s all he wanted for her.
“Excuse my language, Honey, but these drawings are fucking amazing. I’m so happy to have you as a part of my team.”
“So, I’m a part of your team?” she asked.
“After seeing this, how could you not be? I’ll have my senior architect get with you sometime this week to get everything in order.”
Honey squealed and clapped her hands. “I’m so excited.” She turned to look at Congo and he winked at her. “Baby!” She squealed again.
“I see you, bae.” He smiled at her.
“Honey tells me that you’re good with your hands?”
Congo nodded.
“How much do you make right now? I’m pretty sure I can double the salary.”
Congo was silent for a minute because he was too happy about the thought of having a job again to speak. Apparently Howard took it as something else because he spoke again without even giving Congo a chance to answer him.
“Triple it. Whatever you make, I’ll triple it and give you a starting bonus. If you were going to build any of the things she’s drawn in this book, you have to be something special.”
Congo held his head down and shook his head. He wanted so badly to hold in the tears that he could feel rising. His chest was tight and he could hardly keep his throat from tingling. He sniffed hard, trying to gather his composure.
“Just tell me. Whatever it is you need and I’ll get it for you. I’ll do whatever it takes to have you two on my team. Name it, Honey, Mr. Jaquel, anything. The city is on my ass, and if I can have your drawings paired with his talent, I’m sure we can land more deals than just this one. This is the contract I’ve been working toward my whole career. If I set this off the right way, it’ll put my company where we need to be. I want the lead city contract so bad, and Honey, we can do that together. What do you guys say?” Howard stood, eagerly waiting for an answer.
“I’m a felon, Mr. Blume.” Congo finally raised his head.
He hadn’t wanted to disclose that information, but he figured he might as well get i
t all out now so that he wouldn’t get his hopes up for nothing. He was more than positive that his background would come up at some point, and he really wasn’t in the mood to waste time waiting for it. Might as well lay everything out right then so they could move past it. He watched Howard’s face turn serious as he took a seat behind his desk.
Congo shot Honey a sympathetic glance as she also took her seat again. She gave him a small smile and touched his knee in an effort to comfort him.
“Mr. Jaquel, thank you for telling me. I appreciate your honesty. However, that’s not something larger companies normally tolerate. It tags a bad reputation onto the name.” Howard leaned forward on his desk. “I looked into both of your backgrounds before scheduling this meeting, so that I already knew, sir.”
Congo’s head rose as he made eye contact with him again.
“So my offer still stands. If you’ll promise to work your ass off for my company then your background is the least of my worries. If your hands can make some of the things in the book come to life, then that’s all I care about.” He smiled and held his hand out for Congo to shake. “We all deserve second chances, right?”
The tears Congo had been trying to hold in slipped down his face. He hurried to wipe them away before extending his other hand to Howard. “Thank you so much, sir. You have no idea how much I appreciate what you’re doing for us. We’ve been praying for this.” Congo laughed for no real reason.
“Well, I’m a firm believe in God, and He’s always right on time, Mr. Jaquel.”
Congo nodded and looked at Honey, who was smiling the largest smile he’d ever seen on her face. She mouthed the words I love you before smiling again and looking back at Howard.
“You’re the man, Howard.”
“No ma’am, you’re the woman.”
Howard, Congo, and Honey all laughed as they discussed specifics for a little over an hour. By the time Honey and Congo left, they’d filled out all the necessary paperwork for new hires, and were fully employed with company benefits. Congo was ecstatic because he could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.