Mid September “Hello?” Melanie said into her cell phone, which had an incredibly high bill last month. So high, that she got stuck paying for it. “So what? Now you just can’t say hi and see how ya girl is doin’?” Chasity asked. She sounded mad, but Melanie knew she’d get over it. “I’m sorry, girl, but I’ve been extremely busy. We’re in Philadelphia right now.” “Why?” “Some radio show is putting a little concert together.” “You don’t sound too excited,” Chasity noticed. “I’m just tired as hell, man.” “Do you want me to call you back?” “No, I have talked to you since….” Melanie trailed off in thought. “Since before the VMAs when you told me to look for you. By the way, I had everybody up at Justin and Jared’s place watching you! Everybody was cheering and shit…” As Chasity explained, Melanie became teary eyed. Even though she wasn’t as close with Justin’s friends as she was with her own, she still very much missed them all. “I had Jerome, Damien, Mike, Sam, and Leroy on like five way or some shit!” Chasity exclaimed, and suddenly the tears flowed freely down Melanie’s face. “How many other performances besides Mya’s were you in?” Chasity asked. Melanie hesitated and replied with a shaky “three.” Chasity noticed and inhaled sharply. “What’s wrong, Melanie? Did I say something?” “No, no, you’re fine. I just miss y’all,” she explained. “I know, I miss you like crazy, girl!” Chasity exclaimed. “I think I need to go to California and regulate, cause you picked up that damn accent,” Melanie chuckled and wiped away her tears. “Oh, shit. Remember how we used to make fun of Justin?” Chasity laughed. “You sound just like him, nigga!” Melanie laughed. “Well-“ Chasity was cut off, and Melanie heard a male voices in the background. “Where are you?” Melanie said in a high pitched, nosey voice. “I’m at Justin and Jared’s.” “Why?” Melanie said blandly. “Cause me and Jared’s ‘bout to go runnin’-that’s why!” Chasity said with fake attitude. “Bitch, you know damn well you don’t run.” “I do too, when I got a fine ass man runnin’ next to me.” Melanie laughed obnoxiously. “Noooo!” “Yeeesss! He is fine!” “OOo…get outta that. Jared is NOT the business.” “What time is it over there, like 6? And y’all are ‘bout to go run?! This bitch is sprung.” “No I’m not, hoe.” “What dumb bitch gets up at six to go run with a nigga?” “First of all, I spent the night, heffa.” “What’d you do? Fuck him?” “No,” Chasity said loudly. “You’sa damn lie!” Chasity smacked her teeth and rolled her eyes as her friend had fun being obnoxious. “Shut the hell up.” “What are you doing sitting on my couch, and using my phone at six in the fuckin’ morning?” Melanie heard in the background and realized it was Justin. “Damn,“ Melanie said, “he didn’t really have to come at you like that.” Chasity chuckled and said to Justin, “I spent the night with Jared-“ “You slept with him,” Justin said and rolled his eyes. Melanie cracked up on the other end, causing Chasity to mumble, “shut up” into the phone. “Who are you calling?” “Don’t worry about it,” Chasity said and swerved her head. “Shit, you always in somebody’s business,” she mumbled and Melanie laughed. “Besides,” she said audibly to Justin, “it’s not like you’re the only one paying the bill up in this piece.” “No,” Melanie said, “you don’t say shit like that.” She then heard Justin get closer and yell, “Well you certainly aren’t paying the bill, so get off the muthafuckin’ phone. You have five minutes.” Chasity gave him a nasty look and began to yell back, but Melanie stopped her. “I don’t know who the hell he thinks he is.” “Well, he’s makin’ money, and people tend to get power hungry sometimes,” Melanie said. “He didn’t have to come at me like that, though… with his Hulk lookin’ ass.” What Chasity had said made Melanie fall out in laughter, and she continued. “Shit, this muthafucka is at the gym every damn day just about… and I’m like, ‘you have no one to look good for, you’re lonely!’.” “You said that to him?” “Hell no, but I was thinkin’ it, shit!” Melanie laughed. “I love you, girl.” “Yeah, you do.” “Oo, I’ll take that back then.” “I’m just playin’. You know I love you!” “I would love it you got off the phone!” They both heard Justin said. “And I’d love it if you’d shut the fuck up!” Chasity yelled and Melanie laughed loudly. When Justin didn’t reply, Chasity rolled her eyes and continued with Melanie. “ANYway, I’mma call you later.” Melanie smiled. “Yeah you do that,” she agreed. “Call me at like 9 your time.” “Cool.” “Talk to you later, bitch.” “Bye hoe,” Chasity said and hung up the phone.
December 18th The snow blanketed the Chicago streets once again as kids played outside on their day off. The sun was beginning to set and inside the five-bedroom house Lynn and Robert shared, familiar faces became present. They both had set up for all of Justin’s classmates and their parents to meet up at their new home so that their children could get together once again. The dinner/party Lynn had organized would be the first of many that would happen during Christmas break. John and Steven ran down the stairs to go watch TV in the living room, but Lynn stopped them in their tracks. “Did you guys find something to do with those boxes?” Lynn asked referring to the boxes that hadn’t been unpacked yet since they’d moved in last month. Steven rolled his eyes and grunted, showing his mother the attitude he’d been giving she and Robert since Justin moved out. “Yes.” John, with his Gameboy in hand, ran past the two and situated his 10 year old body in front of the television. “John,” Robert beckoned from his spot on the couch, “don’t sit too close to the TV.”
Lynn walked to the large threshold of the living room and placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t understand why anyone is just sitting around! You need to get up and help me clean. You too, sweetie,” she said to Robert. The TV was then clicked off and Robert and the boys helped set the table, and move some furniture around. Lynn nervously fiddled with the salad she was making and thought about Justin, who would be walking into the house in about 20 minutes, since he’d just called and told her that he and Chasity were leaving the airport. She knew he’d be upset with her living with Robert because the tone in his voice changed drastically when she told him their new address. She expected Justin to flip out upon realizing that his mother and brothers stayed in the same house as Robert. Lynn was also newly engaged, which she made her younger sons promise to not reveal, although she wouldn’t be surprised if Steven blabbed, as he still kept in touch with Justin at least a couple times a month. Lynn had enrolled Steven at Calumet, so he made sure to talk to Justin about what was going on. Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Lynn went to go answer, but Robert beat her to it and told her to finish what she was doing. From the kitchen, Lynn could hear the joyful voice of Rhonda Thomas, Melanie’s mother, who was joined with her boyfriend Tony and Chasity’s parents. Robert greeted them all, as they exchanged their holiday cheer. Rhonda walked into the kitchen and gave Lynn a big hug, and then asked if she could help. “Oh, no, hun,” Lynn shook her head. “I’m fine.” “Okay, well Jerome should be comin’ in soon. We saw them on the street as we were coming over,” Rhonda said. “You guys want some wine?” Robert asked with the bottle in hand. Everyone had a glass and stood around conversing as they waited for more guests. They all heard a car pull into the driveway, and Rhonda walked out to greet Jerome and his mother. Once inside the house, Jerome asked about Justin and Lynn told him that he was on his way. “Melanie’s coming, right?” Jerome asked Rhonda. She gave a sad face and shook her head no. “She’s in California right now, doing some Jingle Ball thing that they have every Christmas time. She’ll be in Florida tomorrow, and she’ll be out here on the 20th. But, then she has to go back to New York the day after.” Jerome shook his head. “Damn, she’s workin’ hard huh?”
Lynn nodded her head. “So we won’t be seeing Ms. Melanie for another two or three days?” “Yeah,” Rhonda confirmed. “She’s coming in at like 5 in the morning on 22nd.” “I talked to her yesterday,” Jerome said. “Yeah,” Rhonda nodded, “she said she talked to you. She was out in Cali visiting Chasity and them.” Jerome laughed. “Yeah, and when I asked about Justin, she didn’t have shit to say.”
Lynn smacked her teeth and shook her head. “I talked to Justin, yesterday too and he told me she was out there, but he didn’t say anything else. He was just like ‘Melanie’s out here.’ I was like ‘and?’” Rhonda laughed. “They’re both hard-headed.” Steven suddenly came stomping down the stairs at an extremely fast pace, and Jonathan wasn’t far behind him at all. “My brother’s here!” He yelled. Steven then dashed out the door and bum rushed Justin, who was standing and examining their new house. Steven got his attention again. “You’re finally here!” “Yeah,” Justin smiled. “Did you miss me?” “Of course!” Steven laughed, and made way for John to greet Justin. “You’re gettin’ big lil’ man!” Chasity grabbed her bag from the truck and walked past them while saying, “Let’s go inside.” “There are my babies!” Rhonda yelled with her arms out. Chasity and Justin laughed and all three joined in a group hug. Justin saw Jerome and they both hollered at each other before enveloping into a bear hug. “I missed you, pimpin’!” Jerome said to Justin. “It’s lonely in North Carolina.” “Yeah, it’s not the same anywhere, man.” Damien was the next to show, and later came Victoria, Rita, Samuel and Mike. Everyone gathered around the large table that was setup for everyone to have dinner that Lynn had prepared. Justin, who was sitting across from Lynn and between Jerome and Damien, sat his fork down and sat back in his seat. Lynn looked at his plate and noticed that he’d only had a salad and some water. “Justin, I cooked your favorite dishes. I even made your favorite candied yams. You don’t want anything besides salad?” Lynn asked Justin. “No,” he said quietly. Chasity cleared her throat. “He’s like a psycho health nut now. I don’t like going over to his house to eat anymore cause there’s no real food.” “Well now I know what to keep doing,” Justin said smartly. Everyone chuckled as Chasity rolled her eyes. “Whatever, it’s not like I go over there to see you, anyway.” “Yeah,” Justin threw back, “you only come over to use my phone, eat my food, and flirt with my roommate.” “Only the latter is true,” Chasity said and laughed. “Sounds like y’all are havin’ fun in Cali,” Jerome said. “How y’all like school?” “School is fun,” Chasity replied. “I love all of my classes, and the dance team is awesome. Plus everyone at USC is still happy cause we kicked some UCLA Bruin butt a couple of days ago during a football scrimmage.” “No one cares about those anyway, Chasity,” Justin said. “Yeah, all y’all in your blue and yellow were just walking away like losers cause your dogs died.” Justin shot Chasity a cold glare, and she mirrored his willingly. “Hey, hey, hey,” Lynn intercepted. “Let’s change the subject before somebody’s feelings get hurt.” “Well,” Jerome said, “North Carolina is off the chain. Everyone is so nice, and the guys on the basketball team are definitely the homies.” “It’s all about the Southern Hospitality,” Damien said and nodded his head in agreement, for he too could relate. After the boys’ chatter about college, basketball, and their lives in general, the table fell silent. Lynn looked around and noticed that everyone was visibly enjoying their food to the point where there’d be no leftovers. She eyed Justin and noticed that he’d finished his salad and was quietly playing with his cellphone. Lynn folded her hands and placed them under her chin before glancing over at Robert, who was at the other end of the table. Robert read her expression and nodded his head with a nervous sigh. “Everyone,” Robert announced. “Lynn and I have an announcement to make.” Steven, who was seated next to Justin, slid down further into his chair, and Justin closed his phone. Lynn smiled at the anxious faces. “We’re engaged,” she stated simply, yet happily.
Justin inhaled a slow, silent breath and sat back.
Rhonda was the first to yell congratulations and everyone else followed, except for Steven and Justin. The two brothers looked at each other, Justin with a little bit of anger at Steven, and Steven with a look of innocence. The night ended at about 11 pm and Rhonda was the last to leave. As soon as everyone had left, Justin pushed Steven roughly in the direction of the stairs and Steven ran up the stairwell. Lynn was about to call them both, but they were out of her sight before she could say anything. Justin followed Steven into his room and slammed the door shut. “Why didn’t you say anything?” Justin yelled. “What are you talking about?” Steven yelled back. “How can you possibly stand and accuse me of knowing that this had happened!” “Because I know you Steven- we’re blood! You knew about this and didn’t even tell me!” “I did not!” “Don’t lie to me! There’s no way that they could’ve kept this from you,” Justin stated. “Fine!” Steven surrendered. “I knew, but mom made me promise not to say anything.” “Since when do you do what she tells you to?” “Since my older brother just waltzed out and left me here, without bothering to take me with him! Who the hell else am I supposed to listen to! Shit, it wasn’t like you could’ve done anything about it! You’re on the other side of the freakin’ country, Justin!” Steven yelled and flailed his arms. “Was I supposed to make Justin come to the rescue? It’s not the same anymore, Justin. I give up-you’re not here so we can scheme against him to try and make him a more obvious douche bag than he originally is.” “Why would you let her do something like this, though? Haven’t I taught you anything? It’s too soon for her to be moving in and getting married and shit!” Justin whined and sat on top of the desk in Steven’s room. “She’s a grown woman. I’ve accepted the fact that I’m going to be living in Chicago for another four years, and that I’m not going to have it as easy as you did.” “I didn’t have it easy.” “Whatever, you can think what you want,” Steven disagreed. “You’re not the one known at Calumet High as Little Justin or mini-milk by all the seniors. The only good thing is that to the freshmen it looks cool that I know seniors, but that’s not the point!” “Well what is the point?” “You’re just going to have to accept the situation for what it is. I’ve accepted being called ‘Justin’s Brother’, and because of that I’m a running back on the football team. Plus, I plan on trying out for the baseball team, since that’s what I’m best at.” Justin grinned at Steven. “I guess you’re right. This is a pretty nice house.” Steven smiled widely. “Isn’t it? I have my own room now. Yours is down the hall.” With that, Justin decided to take his own tour of the house and said goodnight to Steven. As he walked down the long hallway, he looked at the pictures that were hung. There were many pictures of him and his brothers, him playing basketball, and him and Melanie. His senior portrait was in a frame all by itself, and in a frame next to it was he, his mom, and his brothers on his graduation day. A light was on further down the hallway and saw John brushing his teeth inside the lavish bathroom. The floors were marble, and the color scheme was gold and brown. It had a small, separate room for a toilet and two sinks along with a separated shower and bathtub. It reminded him of the rooms in his father’s house. “Hey, boy,” Justin said to John and watched his foamy mouth create a grin. “Hi!” John slurred. “How long are you staying?” “I don’t know,” Justin shrugged. “How long do you want me to stay?” “Forever!” Steven cheered and toothpaste flew out of his mouth and onto the mirror. Justin chuckled and leaned against the wall as his brother rinsed out his mouth. When John had finished, he grabbed his brother’s hand and led him out of the bathroom and further down the part of the hallway that would lead him to his own room. Justin walked in Steven’s room and smiled at the little boy’s personality that easily showed through the room. “This is nice, John. You may have the best room in the house,” Justin stated. “I do have the best room!” John animatedly climbed up the ladder that led to the top bunk of his bunk bed and plopped down into the sheets. Suddenly the TV, which Justin saw in the corner opposite John’s bed clicked on. “You have your own TV?” Justin asked. “When did you get that?” “Mommy got it for me a little while ago because I got straight As.” “Straight As? That’s great, bud!” “Yeah, Robert said that if I keep it up, I can get an extra 30 minutes added to my bed time!” John said excitedly. “Well, you better keep up the good work then!” A few minutes later, Justin said goodnight to his youngest brother and walked toward the guest room that was across the hall from Steven’s, assuming that was his. Justin opened the door and saw things all over the place, and turned on the light. Hung on the wall, was a large framed poster of Michael Jordan, and on the other wall, a framed poster of Miles Davis. The bed was covered in navy blue sheets, and the carpet was black. Over the dresser drawer across from his bed, was a bulletin board, and stuck to it were various articles about Justin, as well as his teammates on the basketball team. Justin sighed sadly, kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed. Slowly, he ran his fingers over his shaved head and back down his face. Everything in the room reminded him of his time spent in Chicago, and the time when he and Chasity were on their way to California. He told her that he wanted to forget most of the things that had happened in Chicago, and that there would only be a few memories he’d keep. “Can I come in?” Lynn asked, interrupting him from his thoughts. “Yeah,” Justin nodded.Lynn walked inside the room slowly and eased down on the corner of the bed. She said nothing, her back was slightly to him, and stared at her folded hands. “Are you sure you’re in love with Robert?” Justin asked suddenly. “Yes, and I’m sure he’s in love with me, Justin.” “None of this hard for you?” Justin asked. “No, it’s not.” “Why not? How can you move on so easily?” Justin asked.
Lynn sighed. “Because I know that I love Robert. I love your father, but not the same way I love Robert. Your father and I are done, and we both know that. Honey, sometimes you have to let go when you know nothing’s ever going to work out.” Justin furrowed his eyebrows and began to search for his own answers. “But, don’t you miss him?” “Yeah, as a person. But, not the relationship we had. If I still thought of your father every night, but tried to force him out of my life with Robert, then I would be making a mistake. But, I don’t think about your father anymore in that type of way.” “Okay, but say you and dad separated over something other than infidelity and you still thought of him everyday?”
Lynn furrowed her eyebrows then and thought about his question and why he would ask something so random. “Well…I don’t think I would be engaged to Robert. If I were still thinking of your father everyday, I would be with him now.” “But,” Justin paused and sighed. “What do you do if someone hurts you and you guys separate but you can’t get them out of you mind? What if you can’t block them out of your mind, because you know that you love them still? What if you’re too scared to call them because you don’t want to start something that you won’t be able to finish, especially since you were the one who messed it up anyway?” It was then that Lynn fully realized what was happening in Justin’s mind. He was still very much hurting over he and Melanie’s relationship, or lack of. “Well, If I was it that situation, I would tell the person I love that I messed up and apologize. After of course realizing that’d I’ll never know if I’d be able to finish something if I don’t start it. Then, I tell that person again how much I love and need them, and that no matter what- I want to make the relationship work,” Lynn explained. Justin nodded, silently and mentally taking notes. “Mom?” “Yes, sweetie?” “Are you happy?” “Yeah, are you?” “I’m happy if you’re happy,” Justin concluded. “Congratulations on your engagement and thank you for being here for me.” “Always.”
