The Watch

I'm A Strong Man

"Come on, Aria. He doesn't know what he's saying. I swear there's nothing going on between Denver and I."

"He called me a stripper! Do you not know how disrespectful that is? I'm not a stripper. I'm a dancer who barely even dances anymore."

"Aria, listen to me. He's not right about anything he just said to you."

"Josué, I don't believe anything he's saying. The fact that he thinks he's right about whatever's coming out his mouth is what's making me mad. You can't stop him. Your aunt can't stop him. I'm not going to stand there and let him talk like that."

"It's not that serious."

"He called me a racial slur right after! How is it not that serious?!"

Right, I didn't think this through. This is too serious. My uncle was thinking he could say anything he wanted and get away with it. I was going to have to have a talk with him. Especially if Aria doesn't want me in her life anymore. I knew it was a bad idea to take her to this dinner party.

"Please," I begged. "I can't go on without you. I've looked for you for so long and you're leaving again!"

"We've only known each other for two days. There was nothing between us to begin with." Aria pried my hand from her arm. "Don't worry, I'll send you everything you've bought me."

"Aria, I don't--"

"Bye, Josué."

I watched helplessly as she walked off like I really was nothing. I wasn't used to women walking away from me. Especially if my uncle was the problem.

I didn't know if I was ever going to see her again. It hasn't been a week since I last saw her, but she sure has been avoiding me. I've gone by the nightclub so many times, but she's never there. Or she never wants to see me. I've never been more depressed.

"Josué, you've been moping around for months," Shayne complained. "Stop being such a baby. Not every woman is going to want you."

"It hasn't been months. I haven't even been to the reunion yet," I moaned.

"It has been months and you never showed up to the reunion. Why do you think your aunt never calls you anymore? You promised her you would attend and talk to the press. Now everyone's calling her a liar and you haven't come out of your house to explain yourself."

I finally snapped back to reality. I ruined the relationship I had with my auntie? That's not me! I'm not myself. I'm letting something this trivial ruin my life and now I'm hurting the people around me. What will my employees think of me? I can't do this anymore. Aria's never coming back and I need to forget she ever existed.

"I can't fix it, can I?"

"I don't know, can you?"

"You're mad, too?"

"Why wouldn't I be? You're being a crybaby. A woman isn't supposed to make you feel some type of way. How would you feel if I got worked up over Tina talking to other men?" Shayne began rummaging through my closet. "Get ready, idiot. It's time you actually proved to the world you were never sad about a woman leaving you."

"What are you going to do?" I asked. Curiosity was getting the best of me.

"You are going to go to the airport and we are going to pretend you've been overseas for business. It will explain to the world why you've been gone for so long and maybe you can tell them why you missed the reunion and made your aunt a liar."

"You've thought all that through? How am I going to get in without them noticing?"

"Leave that to me. Now get dressed. I'll handle everything else."