Right Behind You

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Candy Man

"When I wake up in the mornin'

You bring me breakfast in my bed
And when I need a little sugar
That's when you go to my head

You're the sweetest (candy man) man I know
And I'll never let you go
Just say you'll stay (candy man) with me forever
And our love will surely grow, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
You can be my candy man
Oh... oh... oh... oh... oh..."

-Mary Jane Girls (Candy Man)

Kae:

"Hit that any harder and the bag just might just fall and deflate." I ceased my consistent punching and kicks to see who decided to disturb my peaceful time once again. Unfortunately for me, it happened to be Iman. "Would you prefer if I hit you with all that force instead?" I questioned him not even bothering waiting for his response before I continued my punch, kick, jab combination barely missing a beat.

Boxing was always a great stress-reliever for me when I wasn't shooting guns and doing other high-intensity exercises. It always helped me to focus as I punched and kicked all my problems away, even if they were only temporary. The breakfast earlier was pretty awkward at the beginning, but Sabien somehow managed to turn things into a more "insightful" setting. That was until Roya came and ruined everything, she had a serious problem with Sabien and I, it only seemed to amplify now that my mother was in the picture again. Despite that, I would be a liar to say that I didn't feel a tinge of happiness when I saw both my parents reminiscing on their time together.

It was odd for me, seeing them both in front of me at the table. I dreamt about this my entire childhood and teens. Seeing what my father looked like, what he was like, the kind of my man that fell head over heels at one point in his life for my mother. God had granted me those things, now I couldn't help but feel like a spoiled brat crying over spilled milk when I had everything I wished for right in front of me. It took experiencing pain both physically and emotionally, jumping over hurdles, and coming to terms with myself in order to have those handed to me.

God, what was wrong with me?

I punched the bag harder, it swung with a great force so much that I reinforced it with a wide-kicked leg to the side. Iman who had walked further into the private gym whistled, "You got some force on you." He said complimenting my skills.

I threw him a look, "You think I got to be an Odyssey member without having some force on me?" I questioned him. He put his hands up, "Pardon... I didn't mean to offend you." He said in defense.

I scoffed, "Be careful, Iman... at the end of the day, you are speaking to a command." I reminded him. He nodded respectfully. "That I am." He replied simply.

I caught the punching bag that was still swinging from my impact and held it still so it didn't move. "Why are you even in here anyway, don't you have to sniff Mahid's ass or something?" I questioned him.

Iman made a face, "Ouch." I shrugged, "I know a kiss-ass when I see one... what's your angle?" I questioned him. I watched as Iman slowly walked over to the wall and leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest. "You are as blunt as your father... I have no doubt you are his child." He said.

I rolled my eyes. "You heard about Roya?" I asked him.

"The walls of this house do talk and especially about her...  the staff are not quite fond of her or her spawn, Ettie." He said with a slight distaste in his voice.

I pulled my boxing gloves off and began unwrapping the tape around my fingers. "Sounds like the staff aren't the only ones not taking a liking to her," I said in response to him. His lips tilted into a bit of a smirk, "She's a gold-digger." He stated.