Page 7 of Fervor
I waved her off. “He’s my patient. I couldn’t cross that line of professionalism.”
“I get it. I was just joking. Hopefully, talking through it helps. You know you can call me any time of night. As your therapist, I’m always available.”
“I know, but I still don’t want to bother you when I think you’re asleep.”
She slowly shook her head. “Don’t be hardheaded, Yunique. We’re better than that. We are family. I considered you my daughter when G started working with you, but when Kee married my baby, it solidified things. I want to see you be your best self, mentally. Whatever is standing in the way of that is what we have to deal with. However, you have to do the work. You know that already.”
“I do. I’m trying to reprogram my brain and thought processes. It’s been difficult, and I thought I had succeeded until last night. I didn’t even think about thug niggas from Houston when I saw him, but I suppose I did subconsciously.”
She nodded repeatedly. “That’s exactly right. We have to tame that subconscious, but it takes time. I’m gonna need to see youat leastonce a month now to measure your progress.”
“Yes, ma’am. Go ahead and schedule me in for two weeks from today. If I need you sooner, I’ll call and reschedule.”
“Okay. You know Ali, Jungle, Rondo, Seneca, and Arrow, along with their spouses, are all out here. Actually, practically all the Berottes are here as well. So y’all should have a great time tonight.”
“Oh, Lord. We gon’ mess around and take over wherever we go. I’m sure G is going to hate she missed this turn up.”
“She’s already complaining about it. When Shy said they were going to enjoy themselves, she went off, telling them they weren’t on vacation. I think even Jungle’s sister is here too.”
“Fawn?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, God. I know we’re going to have a crazy ass good time,” I said as I stood. “I’m going to need a nap to ensure I get to enjoy every minute of it.”
She chuckled. “We will be babysitting the small army of kids. Jungle’s and Jericho’s kids stayed with Miss Marcellus, and Isaiah and Seneca’s kids stayed with their in-laws. Thankfully, we only have Vegas’s, Giselle’s, Rondo’s, Shy’s, Ali’s, DJ’s, Jamel’s, and Daniel’s. That’s still more than enough. Jesus. Thank God for the in-laws that kept their grandkids. That still leaves us with fifteen of them or so.”
“Whew! Y’all can handle it between you, Mister Daniel, Mister Sheldon, and Missus Anissa,” I said, then laughed as she side-eyed me.
I hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek. She grabbed my hand. “Get ready to work hard on this. I hate to see you dipping back to where you used to be.”
“I’m ready. I want to be better. I don’t want to have to deal with this for the rest of my life.”
I stood from my seat, and Dr. King joined me. She gave me a soft smile and head nod, then led me to the front. I scheduled my next appointment and headed home to get in a much-needed nap before tonight’s festivities.
The club was turned up when I arrived. Vegas had invited me out to hang with him and his family tonight in VIP. I was all for that shit. I didn’t really do clubs like that anymore, but I could deal with being in VIP, away from the thick of things. Niggas had problems with minding their business these days.
When I got to the staircase for VIP, I handed the bouncer my ID. After giving it back, he removed the velvet rope and gave me a head nod. I ascended the stairs, glancing out at the crowd to see what I could see. Women were everywhere, either grinding on a man or each other, scantily dressed, leaving nothing to the imagination. I couldn’t say I didn’t like it, but if I had a woman, there was no way I would make her comfortable enough to wear no shit like I saw.
One woman was literally wearing only pasties and a thong. Jungle’s sister, Fawn, used to do shit like that. She would puta sheer overlay on it, as if that made the shit any better. When I reached the top of the staircase, I noticed where they were. When I saw Fawn up dancing in some tight shit, I chuckled. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. I knew she probably didn’t remember me, but I surely knew who she was.
Everyone in H-Town knew who the Pattersons were. They ran most of the shit, which was why niggas were always trying to infiltrate their operation.Hating asses.By the time I got deep in the game, Fawn had already moved to Atlanta, and I was so far down the chain of command, Jungle probably didn’t remember who I was. Vegas made it his business to know everybody. That was part of his job as the second in command.
After glancing at a couple of women, I made my way to Vegas. He smiled, something he rarely did on the streets. It caught me off guard. He stood, and I slapped his hand as Jungle stared at me with a frown on his face. I wasn’t sure if he was upset that I was here or if he was just trying to figure out who I was.
Vegas turned to him and asked, “You remember Harlem? He used to run for you. We were on our way out when he got bigger though.”
Jungle stood, his frown deepening, and said, “Yep. What’s up?”
He extended his hand, and I shook it, although I was hesitant. Vegas looked confused, and I could see the silent communication between the two, because Vegas frowned slightly. When I sat next to them, I asked, “Jungle, what’s up, man? You got a problem with me being here? I mean, I don’t know why you would, but if you do, I’ll leave. I ain’t looking for static.”
He stared at me a little longer, and I didn’t allow my gaze to waver either. I had a feeling this had to do with Mo. What he didn’t know was that I didn’t have nothing for that grimy ass nigga either. I noticed a couple of guys were watching ourinteraction, like they were waiting on the word go. He slid his hand down his face, and said, “Naw. We good. When you left H-Tine?”
“About six months ago.”
He nodded as I relaxed against the back of the couch and looked around. There were a lot of people in VIP. A nigga with tatts all over the place was watching me closely. I remembered him too. He was a hustler for the Pattersons at some point. I believed his name was Ali. A barmaid approached us to get drink orders. As I told her what I wanted, the most beautiful woman in the club came into our area with Vegas’s lady.
When she noticed me, her eyes widened slightly. She looked around the area nervously, then said, “Hello, Mister Moore. What are you doing here?”