you’d lost your favorite Chanel bag or something,” Koran teased.
“ You stupid.” McKinley laughed.
“ I’m serious. I was like ‘Damn, let me go give this girl a hug before she have to be put on suicide watch’,” he teased.
“ I did look pitiful, didn’t I?” McKinley sniffled.
“ You said it. I didn’t.” Koran chuckled.
“ It’s cool. I know I did.”
“ On the real though,” Koran said, “I understand that you’re hurting now and the pain will last for a while, but eventually things will get better. One day you’re going to wake up and it’s not going to hurt as bad. The pain will go from a throbbing sensation to just a little sting.”
“ How do you know so much about mourning someone’s death?”
“ My mother died of an overdose when I was a teenager.”
“ Wow. I’m sorry,” McKinley said, flabbergasted.
“ It’s all good,” he assured.
“ Death is never good. You can say how you really feel around me.”
“ I mean, I felt abandoned, but I did what I had to do to survive.”
“ Like what?”
“ I sold dope, but a good friend of mine helped me realize that wasn’t the route to go, so I stopped.”
“ What do you do now?”
“ I own a couple of businesses back home.”
“ That’s good. Most dudes don’t ever stop. Case and point, my fiancé.”
“ Yeah, well, I had reasons outside of my control that got me out the game.” Koran thought back to Whitney’s illness and the birth of his daughter.
“ Really? What?”
“ Ay, you hungry?” Koran asked, changing the subject.
“ Always.” McKinley grinned.
“ Let’s grab something to eat. All of this talkin’ has made me hungry.”
“ Okay.” She smiled, genuinely enjoying his company.
“ I’m here as long as you need me”
Brandy
“ All In Me”
For the next two hours McKinley and Koran laughed and talked about everything from childhood memories, favorite restaurants to their top five MC’s. On the surface, things were cool, but underlying emotions from the night before and untold details from their lives stayed stuck on pause in their throat.
“ How can you not respect Kanye?” Koran asked, amped.
“ Ever since I saw him rock a leopard-print shirt his ass been a lil suspect to me. I’m tellin’ you, that negro got How you doing? written all over him.” McKinley flicked her wrist.
“ Get the fuck outta here.” Koran laughed, yawning. “So what did you do for a living back in Miami?”
“ Umm,” McKinley stammered.
She couldn’t just come out and say nothing. It would make her look like a bird.
“ I was a personal shopper,” she lied.
“ That’s what’s up.” Koran nodded his head.
“ Yo, I’m gettin’ tired. I think we need to get a room for the night and start fresh in the morning.” He looked over at her. “I saw a sign for a Marriot hotel a couple of miles back, so it should be coming up soon.”
McKinley panicked. “I’ll drive. I’m not tired.”
If she had to tell Koran that she was broke on top of everything she’d revealed she’d die of embarrassment.
“ Please, you’ve been over there yawning yo’ ass off. Ain’t no way in hell I’ma let you behind this wheel,” he declared.
“ I promise you, I’m good,” McKinley protested.
“ Nah, we both need to rest. Plus, I could use a bath, so I know you got to be dying for one, too.”
“ What you tryin’ to say?” McKinley cocked her head back.
“ Fall back,” Koran laughed, getting off the highway. “I ain’t tryin’ to say nothin’. I’m sayin’ you need to wash yo’ ass,” he joked.
McKinley ignored his sarcasm. “But what if it’s a nasty Marriot with dingy carpeting and a moldy smell?”
“ Does this look like a dingy Marriot to you?” Koran asked, pulling into the parking lot.
McKinley looked
“ You stupid.” McKinley laughed.
“ I’m serious. I was like ‘Damn, let me go give this girl a hug before she have to be put on suicide watch’,” he teased.
“ I did look pitiful, didn’t I?” McKinley sniffled.
“ You said it. I didn’t.” Koran chuckled.
“ It’s cool. I know I did.”
“ On the real though,” Koran said, “I understand that you’re hurting now and the pain will last for a while, but eventually things will get better. One day you’re going to wake up and it’s not going to hurt as bad. The pain will go from a throbbing sensation to just a little sting.”
“ How do you know so much about mourning someone’s death?”
“ My mother died of an overdose when I was a teenager.”
“ Wow. I’m sorry,” McKinley said, flabbergasted.
“ It’s all good,” he assured.
“ Death is never good. You can say how you really feel around me.”
“ I mean, I felt abandoned, but I did what I had to do to survive.”
“ Like what?”
“ I sold dope, but a good friend of mine helped me realize that wasn’t the route to go, so I stopped.”
“ What do you do now?”
“ I own a couple of businesses back home.”
“ That’s good. Most dudes don’t ever stop. Case and point, my fiancé.”
“ Yeah, well, I had reasons outside of my control that got me out the game.” Koran thought back to Whitney’s illness and the birth of his daughter.
“ Really? What?”
“ Ay, you hungry?” Koran asked, changing the subject.
“ Always.” McKinley grinned.
“ Let’s grab something to eat. All of this talkin’ has made me hungry.”
“ Okay.” She smiled, genuinely enjoying his company.
“ I’m here as long as you need me”
Brandy
“ All In Me”
For the next two hours McKinley and Koran laughed and talked about everything from childhood memories, favorite restaurants to their top five MC’s. On the surface, things were cool, but underlying emotions from the night before and untold details from their lives stayed stuck on pause in their throat.
“ How can you not respect Kanye?” Koran asked, amped.
“ Ever since I saw him rock a leopard-print shirt his ass been a lil suspect to me. I’m tellin’ you, that negro got How you doing? written all over him.” McKinley flicked her wrist.
“ Get the fuck outta here.” Koran laughed, yawning. “So what did you do for a living back in Miami?”
“ Umm,” McKinley stammered.
She couldn’t just come out and say nothing. It would make her look like a bird.
“ I was a personal shopper,” she lied.
“ That’s what’s up.” Koran nodded his head.
“ Yo, I’m gettin’ tired. I think we need to get a room for the night and start fresh in the morning.” He looked over at her. “I saw a sign for a Marriot hotel a couple of miles back, so it should be coming up soon.”
McKinley panicked. “I’ll drive. I’m not tired.”
If she had to tell Koran that she was broke on top of everything she’d revealed she’d die of embarrassment.
“ Please, you’ve been over there yawning yo’ ass off. Ain’t no way in hell I’ma let you behind this wheel,” he declared.
“ I promise you, I’m good,” McKinley protested.
“ Nah, we both need to rest. Plus, I could use a bath, so I know you got to be dying for one, too.”
“ What you tryin’ to say?” McKinley cocked her head back.
“ Fall back,” Koran laughed, getting off the highway. “I ain’t tryin’ to say nothin’. I’m sayin’ you need to wash yo’ ass,” he joked.
McKinley ignored his sarcasm. “But what if it’s a nasty Marriot with dingy carpeting and a moldy smell?”
“ Does this look like a dingy Marriot to you?” Koran asked, pulling into the parking lot.
McKinley looked
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