Page 2 of Surrender to Love

“Rah-Rah, please, it’s your sister. You only have one. How long are you going to stay mad?”

“Really? Did you really just say that to me? She only had one sister and that didn’t stop her. Look, Ma. I really have to go before I say some shit that hurts your feelings ’cause we both know why I don’t give a damn about your other child or her news. I love you and goodbye, Ma,” I say and end the call as fast as my finger can move. “I hate when she does that. Shit! Fuck family. My family fucked my damn husband!” I utter as I slam my laptop closed.

Some hurt cuts deep, but finding out that my older sister was fucking my husband is a hurt I don’t even wish on my worst enemy. Six and a half years ago, I thought I’d married my forever. The problem was, he didn’t. Six months into my marriage, I discovered that not only was Raquan cheating, but he was also sleeping with my own damn sister.

I had an easy day on campus, unusually easy, and decided to surprise my husband at his office at DK Trucking’s warehouse. The ease of my normally hectic workday truly felt strange but I blew my feelings off. I left early and I was going to make the best of it. After leaving campus, I swung by our condo, took a shower, and changed out of my work suit. Then, because I was a loving and considerate wife, I stopped by his favorite, Phat Fish, and ordered a three-piece catfish with grits and extra corn nuggets. I envisioned a beautiful surprise lunch and an even more beautiful night with him later, once he got off. I was wrong, wrong as fuck.

My easy day on campus should have been my first sign. Seeing Kym’s red Camry in the warehouse’s parking lot definitely should have been my second but I just brushed it off as a coincidence. Crescent Falls isn’t that big and she could have been visiting anyone there. At least that’s what I told myself.

The third and final warning I missed was Raquan’s assistant’s unusual behavior and her insistence on announcing my surprise arrival. That day wasn’t my first trip to his office, and during my previous trips, she’d never announced me. I just walked my ass straight into his office. That day she was interrupting like hell. She even stood when I walked past her desk.

As soon as I opened his door, I knew why she was tripping. My husband sat at his desk while my muthafucking sister was on his lap facing me and bouncing on his damn dick. The sight disgusted, infuriated, and broke my damn heart all at the same damn time. My older sister, the one I navigated my childhood with, shared secrets and grieved the loss of our dad with, was fucking who I believed was my forever.

Fueled by rage-filled adrenaline, I dropped the damn catfish meal and rushed his desk. I was on Kym before she could completely get off his dick. I blanked the hell out. I don’t remember seeing or hearing shit until my hands started hurting. That pain brought me back to reality and Kym was under me screaming like a banshee as I beat her ass.

Raquan hooked his cheating arms under mine and yanked me off my sister. As soon as I was on my feet, I shook myself free of his ass then turned and punched the shit out of him. When I drew back to hit his lowdown ass again, I was stopped by security and dragged out of his office right into the custody of CFPD.

Blood doesn’t always equate to family. Kym proved that shit in the worst way possible but thank God for my chosen sisters. My one call at the station was to my best friend, and then prominent defense attorney, Mireya. I heard her designer heels before I saw her outside of the holding room. Her face was tight; she was pissed and her words proved just how angry she was.

“I want my client out of here right now!” she demanded before spewing so much legalese that the officer had no choice but to comply.

I was released twenty minutes later, and thanks to Mireya, I never went back. No charges were ever filed and my record is still clean. However, my marriage ended and so did my relationship with my sister. I don’t want her in my life and definitely don’t need her in it. I’ve been blessed with three other sisters who love and care for me. We have each other’s back and front through it all and I need them right now to unpack that call with my mom. Thank God it’s Friday because I can definitely use some Friday Night Foolishness with my sister circle.

Years ago, we decided to carve out one day a week to decompress, unwind, and rejuvenate together. That day was Friday. As four successful and hardworking Black women, we each have extremely busy and layered lives. Giselle owns an exclusive escort service that services Crescent Falls’s elite, rich, and even famous. Alex is a financial genius, CEO and owner of The Stansfield Investment Group, and minority owner of NBA champions, the Royals. Mireya is a judge; the youngest on the bench in our district, actually. We’re busy, very busy, but intentional, and every Friday night, we carve out the time for ourselves. FNF is in three hours and these hours can’t go by fast enough.

I need to tell them about this shit!

TWO

I know this chick.

But from where?

Fuck!

Through the thick glass window separating our six service bays and lifts, I can see clearly into our reception and waiting area. I know her. The little honey grinning in my brother Tre’s face and sliding into the reception chair looks too damn familiar, not in a good way. I’ve fucked her before. I don’t remember when or where but we fo’ sure fucked.

Shit!

I don’t need this type of problem at my damn place of business. Hell, I don’t need it at all. I got a girl, a thick, fine, smart as shit, beautiful ass woman who stays on my mind all the damn time and ol’ girl out front ain’t her.

“Fuck,” I utter as I close the hood of Shuga’s Infiniti. Although her ride is only three years old and still under warranty, Shuga only trusts me and Tre with it. As she always says, “No one is going to take care of me better than my sons.”

Shuga means that shit too. If she needs anything moved, she calls my older brother Ace. He has a moving company with a fleet of trucks that move people from state to state. He used to deliver to Canada and Mexico, but after drugs ended up on one of his trucks coming back from Mexico two years ago, he killed all international routes. My baby bruh, Quintus, got Ace out of that shit though. He’s the lawyer and he also got Shuga out of her fucked up marriage with our bitch ass father Asali. My other brother Deuce owns a nightclub. Shuga doesn’t go out but she relies on Deuce when she needs things for family holidays. He hooks her up with the vendors he uses at Deuce’s. Her tune up and oil change are complete, so I wave over one of my mechanics, Black.

“It’s ready?” he asks.

“Yeah. Take it and don’t let her tip you either.”

“I’ll try but you know I can’t tell Miss Shuga no,” he says and I just shake my damn head.

“You do know she’s five foot nothing and don’t weigh shit, right?”

“Can you tell her no?” he counters.

“Ay. Man, get the fuck on,” I scoff.

He shakes his head then walks over to the large, sliding drawer metal cabinet and pulls out too many seat and floor protectors. He knows not to get any oil or dirt in Shuga’s ride.