"If a man, who says he loves you, won't tell you the details of a private conversation between him and another woman, you can be sure he is not protecting your heart. He is protecting himself and the woman he has feelings for. Wise women simply see things as they are, not as their low self-esteem allows."

― Shannon L. Alder

"I can't have you scratching and sucking on me. And you've given me no other choice, but to go to this position-." The quickness in which she moved her hip caused me to lose my train of thought. "Damn, not yet. Not yet. Slow down. Not yet. Not yet. Not like that. I'm going to need to slip on a condom, Chonne, or I will have to flip you over. Don't make me flip you around. Oh, I fucking see what you are doing. Oh my god. Oh my god. Yes. Yeah. Fuck me. Fuck me..."

I ejaculated in and outside of her. I couldn't help nor stop it. Something about her, about Michonne, kept me seeping or exploding. It was only that one night where I reached out to her on a whim. It was between the second and third transactions. I mean, I was thirty-six hundred dollars in the hole and climbing. I had to make a decision to make the woman in Apartment 209 all mine before someone came along and could truly afford her inability to pay her rent, food, and car maintenance. That thought alone kept me unable to get it up for both women after awhile. Luckily, Michonne enjoyed cuddling and cunnilingus more than any woman I knew, and I only had experience with Lori.

"So, where does that leave us, Rick?" Lori asked after being hit with the news I had provided from my own mouth.

"She manipulated you." My mother charged. "I want her out of here."

"This is her notice.." I handed my mother the thirty-day notice.

"Good!" My mother snatched the notice out of my hand. She was angry and near tears. "I will leave you two to work through this if you can. I am very, very, disappointed in you, Richard Sinclaire Grimes! I thought you would be different than your father. You of all people know how your very own father left and with whom. You were a teenager when our world came crashing down around us. Make it right with Lori, or I swear nothing good will come of your fling with the other one who lies and lies in apartment 209."

The moment my mother made her exit without dying, I was relieved until the sound of sniffles coming from four feet away. We were officially alone. The silence would have been more bearable.

"Does she plan to keep the baby?" Lori followed up her questioning.

"I'm going to be a father." I nodded.

"Our wedding is in two weeks, Rick. I need to know what does this mean for us?"

"Two weeks?" I was startled by the little amount of time left before Lori and I would have finally walked down the aisle.

"You never went to your suit fittings. You never responded to any of my texts. Our conversations have always been one-sided on if we would marry or not."

"Two weeks?"

"Has it always been you?"

"Been me what?" I was still stuck at two weeks.

"You were scheduled to fix something in her apartment. I could almost hear you both. Almost crystal clear when I realized it was you. She made a bet with you. A 200.00 bet. A few days later two hundred was taken from our account. What exactly was the bet about?"

"About?" I wasn't prepared with a response. It seemed like forever ago. For the briefest of seconds, I couldn't connect the dots to why it mattered when I wanted to end things with Lori. Details did not matter, especially something as random as a bet more than four months ago.

"How about answering this, Rick," Lori was clearly frustrated with me and my inability to formulate a coherent thought or string a sentence or two together, "When did you stop loving me?"

The moment I willingly got another woman pregnant? Instead, I remained silent. I watched Lori pack her bags to stay with my mom. I avoided Michonne physically. I remained connected to her by text.

What are you doing?

Michonne: Looking for us a house like you told me too!

I want to be with you!

Michonne: Then be with me. What's stopping you?

Nothing. After today, I am all yours.

Michonne: I can't believe I am Mrs. Grimes!

Never doubt me, Michonne. Now, tell me about what you found?

Michonne: I found the most perfect place. Well, two. I want you to decide. I'm excited!

Yeah?

Michonne: Four Bedrooms.

Four?

Michonne: Should I look for 5?

Four is good.

Michonne: Do you think you can come and take a look at it?

Tomorrow. Anytime. How much for it?

Michonne: The one I love is 1.5m and the second one, I'm quite sure we can talk them down.

ok

I didn't want to but I had too, especially when my debit card was declined inside of a gas station. Lucky for me, My Dad hadn't changed his phone number like he had threatened he would, and he instantly knew who was calling when he answered with no greeting or small talk. I had no idea where he was in the world at large but it was clear based on our optimal cellular connection. He was stateside.

"Yes, son?"

"Dad, I'm in a situation."

"Consisting of what?"

"Another woman." I was more than ashamed to admit. The apple did not roll down the hill away from the barrel as my mother touted for years when it came to any comparison between my father and me.

"Ah! and you call Dear old Dad because?"

"I can't afford her."

"Is she worth it?"

"Every damn penny. Lori cleaned the accounts and I can't make enough money as a Deputy to keep the other woman."

"Ah! You are among the rest of the barely scraping by to make ends meet. Living beyond one's means is no way to live. Either way, how do you know the other woman won't adjust or accept the circumstances of your piss poor choices?"

"Because she said so."

There was no way I was going to repeat verbatim what was actually said by Michonne. I wasn't sure my Father would necessarily disagree and it was still something I couldn't necessarily wrap my head around about she would rather struggle with a black man than to attach herself to a white guy who was okay with robbing Peter to pay Paul.