donating money to my school and they were all under investigation.
“This is not entirely bad news.” Tee chimed into my thoughts.
I pulled out of my bag, a copy of the newspaper article that was sent to me and slammed it on the desk. “This isn’t bad? This is.”
Tee read over it silently, then raised his head and asked, “Who is Kevin Lowe to you?”
“He was a friend with benefits before Xavier and I got together.”
“So, you think Xavier had something to do with him missing?”
I exhaled sharply, “Tee, I don’t know.” Grabbing my hair and pushing it back, “I don’t fucking know what to believe. He’s not telling me things and I’m left to my own assumptions. I can’t fucking take this shit anymore. I can’t live my life like this. Hiring Private Investigators and consulting lawyers and shit for his bullshit.”
I sank back into the chair. Tee rose from his seat and came around to the seat next to me.
“Listen darling, go talk to the man. If he’s interested in keeping you, which he’d be a fool not to, he’ll tell you everything. If not, then it’s time to cut down the web.”
I looked at him with an arched eyebrow. “Cut down the web?”
“Oh, I’m from Georgia. It’s a saying we use.” He laughed. “It means, uh, cut your losses.”
Nodding my head, I straightened and said, “Yeah, I don’t have a choice. I can’t.”
The more I thought about having that conversation, the more my heart broke. Tears started to stream down my eyes. What was I going to do without him? Imagining a life without Xavier was simply heartbreaking.
“Hey, Tee. You ready?” A female voice yelled outside the office.
A black woman dressed in a two piece, green suit walked in, then stopped abruptly. “Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No, no.” I raised up, “I was just leaving.”
“No, you’re not. Can’t have you leaving like this.” Tee chimed in. “Hey, Imara, this is Xena. She’s a client from Brooklyn.”
“Oh, okay.” She nodded at Tee. “Uh, we can wait for you out here.”
“No, no, it’s…”
“Tee, man, what the fuck? Bring your ass and come on.”
Imara turned, then a tall, familiar, black man appeared in the office immediately wrapping his arms around her waist. She whispered something in his ear, then he said, “Oh, sorry.”
The two started to back out, but I yelled, “Uh, I know you.”
He stopped and said, “I’ve never seen you before.”
“You’re, uh,” I started as my mind was trying to figure out where I knew him from. Oh. “You’re the college president. Uh, Matthews, right?”
“Yes, that’s me.” He smiled.
“Oh, I read an article about you. You’re doing great things out here in Far Rockaway.”
Imara tilted her head smiled with pride at him.
He nodded his head and said, “Thanks so much. What brings you down here?”
“Just consulting with Tee.” I said, “Shit, if all else fails I may have to move down here.”
“What do you do?” Matthews asked.
“A few years ago I started a charter school in Brooklyn. That’s where I’ve spent most of my energy, besides some other ventures.”
“Oh, wow.” Imara exclaimed. “Another educator.”
“Are you in education as well?” I asked, my tears drying up.
“Yes, I’m an English Professor and I used to teach in middle school before I was an adjunct at the college.”
“Nice!” I smiled. “It’s always cool to meet people in education.”
“Yeah,” Matthews and Imara said in unison.
“What am I, chopped liver?” Tee raised both hands.
“Oh shut up. We all know it’s nice to have an investigator in the family.” Matthews said.
“You guys are related?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Tee said, “That’s my cousin and that’s his new wife. Guys, this is Xena Fuller.”
“Oh, wow. Look at that.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.” Imara chimed in, then removed herself from Matthew’s grasp. “Are you alright, though?”
“Yeah,
“This is not entirely bad news.” Tee chimed into my thoughts.
I pulled out of my bag, a copy of the newspaper article that was sent to me and slammed it on the desk. “This isn’t bad? This is.”
Tee read over it silently, then raised his head and asked, “Who is Kevin Lowe to you?”
“He was a friend with benefits before Xavier and I got together.”
“So, you think Xavier had something to do with him missing?”
I exhaled sharply, “Tee, I don’t know.” Grabbing my hair and pushing it back, “I don’t fucking know what to believe. He’s not telling me things and I’m left to my own assumptions. I can’t fucking take this shit anymore. I can’t live my life like this. Hiring Private Investigators and consulting lawyers and shit for his bullshit.”
I sank back into the chair. Tee rose from his seat and came around to the seat next to me.
“Listen darling, go talk to the man. If he’s interested in keeping you, which he’d be a fool not to, he’ll tell you everything. If not, then it’s time to cut down the web.”
I looked at him with an arched eyebrow. “Cut down the web?”
“Oh, I’m from Georgia. It’s a saying we use.” He laughed. “It means, uh, cut your losses.”
Nodding my head, I straightened and said, “Yeah, I don’t have a choice. I can’t.”
The more I thought about having that conversation, the more my heart broke. Tears started to stream down my eyes. What was I going to do without him? Imagining a life without Xavier was simply heartbreaking.
“Hey, Tee. You ready?” A female voice yelled outside the office.
A black woman dressed in a two piece, green suit walked in, then stopped abruptly. “Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No, no.” I raised up, “I was just leaving.”
“No, you’re not. Can’t have you leaving like this.” Tee chimed in. “Hey, Imara, this is Xena. She’s a client from Brooklyn.”
“Oh, okay.” She nodded at Tee. “Uh, we can wait for you out here.”
“No, no, it’s…”
“Tee, man, what the fuck? Bring your ass and come on.”
Imara turned, then a tall, familiar, black man appeared in the office immediately wrapping his arms around her waist. She whispered something in his ear, then he said, “Oh, sorry.”
The two started to back out, but I yelled, “Uh, I know you.”
He stopped and said, “I’ve never seen you before.”
“You’re, uh,” I started as my mind was trying to figure out where I knew him from. Oh. “You’re the college president. Uh, Matthews, right?”
“Yes, that’s me.” He smiled.
“Oh, I read an article about you. You’re doing great things out here in Far Rockaway.”
Imara tilted her head smiled with pride at him.
He nodded his head and said, “Thanks so much. What brings you down here?”
“Just consulting with Tee.” I said, “Shit, if all else fails I may have to move down here.”
“What do you do?” Matthews asked.
“A few years ago I started a charter school in Brooklyn. That’s where I’ve spent most of my energy, besides some other ventures.”
“Oh, wow.” Imara exclaimed. “Another educator.”
“Are you in education as well?” I asked, my tears drying up.
“Yes, I’m an English Professor and I used to teach in middle school before I was an adjunct at the college.”
“Nice!” I smiled. “It’s always cool to meet people in education.”
“Yeah,” Matthews and Imara said in unison.
“What am I, chopped liver?” Tee raised both hands.
“Oh shut up. We all know it’s nice to have an investigator in the family.” Matthews said.
“You guys are related?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Tee said, “That’s my cousin and that’s his new wife. Guys, this is Xena Fuller.”
“Oh, wow. Look at that.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.” Imara chimed in, then removed herself from Matthew’s grasp. “Are you alright, though?”
“Yeah,
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