3rd Wheel

Just Do It

Special thanks to direfaery for helping me get out the slump on this one.

Jaeger:

Two weeks after we were all back at home, our families chewed our asses up one side and down the other. Then Ani chewed us up some more. It was like we went back to square one. We agreed to see her or one of her associates once a week just to talk about ourselves without the others present.

We immediately set to work figuring out who this devil bitch of a woman was in the video.  Candon's brother even miraculously disappeared.  Danielo, one of his new partners and his husband Gil got on it right away. I resigned from the company to work with Candon.

Paul and I were surprised that Candon made this move. We knew how much his father's company meant to him. But after listening to his reasons and reflecting on what his brothers' pulled, I couldn't blame him.

I was sitting in the kitchen with my cousin Lizette one afternoon playing with her little son. Liz and I were close and I ran to her sometimes when things were perplexing. When she heard about the video and us breaking up, she was constantly on my ass. Today was no different.

"You love Candon and Paul. Everyone knows it. You three act like you don't know it."

"It's not enough."

"Dammit, Jay!" She slapped me upside the head.  This bitch.  I groaned, rubbing my head.  That hurt!

"You're always looking for an out. Stop being so afraid to give all of yourself to someone. You can't keep hiding your tail and running. Life is a constant test. It doesn't stop til you die. Some tests will be easy and you'll breeze right through them. Some will break you and shake you to your core. In the end, you come out stronger and wiser."

I flopped back in the chair and sighed heavily.  "I don't want to keep breaking up, making up, breaking up."

She rolled her eyes and picked up my little cousin.  "Then don't, dummy. Duh."

"Liz-"

"Throw yourself all in. You guys were going to do the commitment ceremony, just do it."

I threw my hands up.  "But we haven't resolved the last thing."

She dismissed me with a wave.  "Do it as you go along. Married people do it all the time. How many times do they stay together and work on shit?"

She didn't let me answer.

"All the time. And some have bigger problems than you."  She kissed her daughter and put her on the floor so she could run out the room.  Her dark brown eyes landed on mine.

"You're going to be working on your relationship forever. That's just reality. It's not like Disney. It's never happily ever after. There is jealousy, body image, low libido, sickness, money issues, family, kids, work - all kinds of shit called life. It.never. stops. You learn to deal and move on." She squeezed my hand.

"Thanks, Liz. I guess I didn't really think about that."

"Mmmhmm."  She crossed her arms and leaned back.  "So what are you doing about this heffa that sent the video?"

I swallowed my soda quickly.  "Some detectives are looking for her. We got an ultrasound picture in the mail.  She claims she's pregnant."

Liz sucked her teeth.

I played with the tab on the can.  "We're talking to a lawyer about something called 'pregnancy entrapment.' But from what I'm hearing, it'll be difficult to prove."