When the Fairytale Ends by Dwan Abrams Page A

silently pray and ask God to handle the situation and do what was best for him.
    When he returned home and parked his bike in the garage, he showered and changed into a T-shirt and lounge pants. He poured himself an ice-cold glass of pomegranate juice and enjoyed the refreshing taste.
    While leaning against the island in the kitchen, he heard keys fumbling at the garage entranceway. He put his drink down and opened the door for Shania. She was carrying a bag, so he took it out of her hand. She thanked him.
    â€œHow was your day?” she asked as she kicked off her heels.
    He set the bag on the counter and rubbed the back of his neck. With a slight sigh he said, “It was okay.”
    Shania walked over to him and stared him in the eyes. “I don’t like the way you sounded when you said that. What’s the matter?” She raised a brow.
    Unwilling to lie to her, Greg told her about the meeting at work and the pending layoffs. She reached out and hugged him. Her soft body felt good to him. They shared a kiss.
    With her arms wrapped around his waist, Shania stopped kissing Greg and said, “Honey, you’re smart, educated, and professional. If the company you work for is fool enough to let you go, that’s their loss. I don’t believe you’ll have any trouble getting a new job.”
    He stepped back from her and rested his body against the counter. “It’s not as easy to get a job as it used to be. Atlanta is so saturated and competitive.” His pessimistic attitude didn’t surprise him, but his words still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
    She held up her index finger and gently pressed it against his full lips. “Stop with all the negative talk. You already know who you are and whose you are. You know the source of your supply, and it’s not your job.”
    Greg moved her hand from his lips and placed it over his heart. He allowed her words to marinate in his mind. He knew she was right.
    â€œBesides,” she continued, “if push came to shove, you could always work with me. You know as soon as I finish one wedding, I get an invitation to cater another. We’ll always have work.” Her smile showed her sincerity. She began removing groceries from her bag.
    Although he heard Shania say that he could work with her, he processed that as meaning working for her instead. He didn’t like the idea of not having an outside source of income and having to rely on his wife for financial support. Something about that just didn’t sit right with him. He liked being able to pay their household bills, go out to eat at nice restaurants, take his wife on vacation, and buy her gifts. Not being able to provide for her would make him feel like less than a man.
    â€œHopefully it won’t come down to that,” Greg said seriously.
    A fleeting thought about owning his own company crossed his mind. He did a quick mental rundown of what he liked to do and was good at doing. He realized that he knew how to break cars down and rebuild them. His father had taught him all about cars and motorcycles. He then thought about businesses in his area and couldn’t remember seeing any businesses that specialized in restoring classic cars.
    With his knack for working underneath the hood, and Franklin’s love for vintage vehicles, the idea of owning his own company suddenly became more appealing to him. Did he have what it took to be the head brotha in charge?

Seven
    While Greg arose for work, Shania went back to bed to get a couple more hours of sleep. She had tossed and turned all night, and the moments when she finally found a spot comfortable enough to warrant rest, Greg started his own bouts of tossing and turning. Exhausted from her sleepless night, Shania rolled into the middle of the bed, allowing her skin to soak up the warmth Greg’s body had left, and within seconds, she had fallen into a deep sleep.
    When Shania woke up, she lay in bed for a few extra