"It's a place where I sell mainly African-American books, wares, jewelry and stuff; but also we have book club meetings, spoken word and poetry readings, social issues discussions and drum beating nights. It's a place where people of color can meet and mingle for stimulating conversations, card and board games without that clubbing scene."
"Hmm, that's an innovative business." He added, but thoughts of what Mia looked like undressed kept interfering with his concentration. "Ahem… Yea that club scene gets old. Dancing, picking up chicks, fucking… I mean… I mean… you know…" He said cutting his words off. Damn it was really bothering him not being able to cajoled Mia into a one night stand for fear of jeopardizing his relationship with Nita. Then he got angry at Avery. It was his fault for being in love. If he wasn't in love and in a committed relationship with Nita then he wouldn't have to worry about a woman's feelings. Isn't this the same kind of shit that had his father had gotten trapped in; trying to appease and protect some woman's feelings?
"Yea I know what you mean…" She said choosing to ignore the latter of his words. "That was one of the reasons why my business partner and I started the shop. We wanted a place to go where we could meet and mix with our own but in a positive and enriching environment. When we couldn't find such a place, we decided to open one up. Would you like to come and see?" She surprised him with the open invitation and he had to admit that he was more than a little curious not only about her business but also about her the woman.
"Sure why not…"
"I guess now would be a good time…" She said and Jayden knew what she was hinting at. Nita and Avery were beginning to get a little loud with their amorous rendezvous. Instantly Jayden and Mia were up on their feet.
"Hey man we're stepping out for a minute…" Jayden said but he didn't receive an answer nor did he expect one. He locked the door and then followed closely behind as she led the way to her shop.
* * ** * * * * * * *
Jacob Ellis sat at his desk in his home office watching some old family movie tapes of his family. Watching these tapes of his family during those carefree and happy times put his mind at ease. Earlier he had been reviewing some new business proposals attempting to decide which businesses would be appropriate and make a good fit for the people in his district. After resigning from the law firm to focus on running for office; he had run a successful campaign for alderman and was now the alderman in his district. Although his new role gave him prestige and clout in the community and had helped him in securing an honorary partnership in his old law firm, however his pay had been drastically reduced. With the amount of debt he owed from Markus law school and Dinah's medical school he was just a paycheck away from filing bankruptcy. He shook his head at those thoughts. He didn't want to think about bad things right now. If he continued this line of thinking, he would be forced to think about Louise death almost seven years ago and he didn't want to do that. He had been fighting depression and loneliness for too long. He had to begin to let go and accept that she was no longer with him. He turned his attention back to his paperwork.