“What’s up, Freeze?”
“Carmen is here.”
“And.”
“She wants to talk to you.”
I looked at Freeze for a second and then I got up and walked to him. “What I tell you?”
“That you don’t wanna see Carmen.”
“What that mean?”
“That you don’t wanna see Carmen.”
“Right.”
“What happened with Carmen?” Nick asked.
“Shut up, Nick,” I said and got in Freeze’s face. “It means that you need to handle it. Not come running back here every time she shows up for me to tell you what you already know. Do you understand me?”
“Understood.”
“And you make sure that she gets home safely.”
“Understood,” Freeze said and left the office. When I turned around, I was met by blank expressions on Nick and Jamaica’s faces. I didn’t feel like explaining to them why I didn’t want to see Carmen.
“Let’s go,” I said and followed Freeze out of the office as Calvin’s words pounded in my head.
For her sake, Mike, let her go. Let Carmen be somebody more than just your woman.
So I let her go.
I didn’t want to think about what I had done. It was easier to keep telling myself that I did the right thing. That now, Carmen would have a chance to be somebody.
As we made our way through the crowd, I saw her. Carmen was in Freeze’s face and he was shaking his head, probably telling her no she can’t see me. Even though she looked as beautiful as she always did, I could tell that Carmen had been crying. I could see it in her eyes.
Then she saw me.
I wanted to be cold … look away and keep walking, but I couldn’t. Our eyes locked for a second. Then I stood paralyzed and watched as Carmen made a move around Freeze and he had to lunge to grab her.
Then I felt a hand on my arm.
“Come on, Mike,” Bobby said, and I saw Jamaica and Nick heading to help Freeze hold off Carmen.
Bobby led me out of The Late Night and I felt like shit for what I knew I was doing to Carmen. But I was doing the right thing, right? I was letting her go so she had a chance to be somebody. There wasn’t no future in her loving a thug nigga like me. Carmen was going to be much better off without me holding her back.
When we got in Bobby’s car, he started it up and we drove off. “Ain’t we gonna wait for Nick and Jamaica?”
“They know where we’re going. They’ll catch up.”
I looked at Bobby. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
Since he knew, I didn’t bother answering.
“No point torturing yourself about it, you did what you thought you had to do,” Bobby said as he drove. “And Calvin’s right.”