"The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves... The moon understands what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections."
-Tahereh Mafi
There used to be many nights where Nahla Prins' only company was the moon. But then s...
Prince called me that very same night. It was no surprise that he somehow got my house phone number. Our circle was too tight.
I never answered. I just let him speak to the answering machine.
"Hey, beautiful. Thanks for coming out. I was hoping to see you after the show so you could hang with us... We're going to The Joint. Meet us there if you can. If not... have a good night, little mama."
The next morning, he was ignored again.
"Kat, it's me again. I'm not trying to harass you but I'm just checking on you. Your pops said you didn't even stay until the end and you left in a hurry. Hope you're...... okay. Call me, at, um.... 952-470-2409, okay?..... bye."
Prince wasn't making it easy on me. I cut my trip short and flew back to New York a couple of days later.
~*~
Monday/April, 13, 1987/New York, NY
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I wasn't nervous until he walked into the room. The air suddenly became thick and my hands were all clammy.
"Hi, Michael," I smiled.
"Hey, Kat."
We didn't even hug. I stayed behind my desk and he took the seat across from me.
"I'll hold your calls," Rita said.
I thanked her just before she shut my client and I inside. "So..." I placed my folded hands on the table in front of me. "What brings you here today?"
"Well, I'm thinking about having this party..."
Together, we quietly laughed at the charade.
"Really," he began, "I just wanted to see you. I think it's best we talk, and move forward from whatever happened back there... because I do miss you."
My eyes cascaded to my hands.
Then without warning, he just dived right into it. "Someone tried to convince me that the baby wasn't mine-"
"Mike," I said, throwing up my hand. "Please?"
"Our hearts weren't all the way in it, Kat. You know that."
"But you were letting people whisper in your ear all the time. Maylani was the worst. The girl had a sick obsession with ruining my life, and I still to this day have no idea why. And I still, can't figure out how you or even P could fuck with her after everything."
