Four years have passed, and quite a bit has changed now.
Summer has moved off to Texas to stay with a cousin. Her and that cousin are working on opening up a salon over there, but in the meantime their both working a nine to five trying to save up.
Deno wasn't too thrilled about her moving from Jacksonville all the way to Texas, but once she hit eighteen, there was nothing that he could really do about it. Once she graduated, her mind was already made up.
Summers cousin used to stay in Jacksonville some years back, but when she hit about thirteen, that's when she moved. They always kept in contact through Facebook and just simply calling and texting one another.
Cece didn't really seem to mind that Summer had moved to Texas. She kept telling Deno that that girl can take care of herself and to stop babying her.
You know that's always gonna be his little girl. You can only imagine how he felt when she gave him that last hug and goodbye kiss right before she got on that plane. He was sick. He couldn't eat for a couple of days. He was constantly calling her to see if she was alright. It got so bad that Summer stopped answering his phone calls, and that made it even worse. Then Cece had to jump in and tell him to stop calling so much. It was pure and tea hell for him the first week that she left, but the second and every other week after that got a little easier for him.
As for Cece and Deno, their still married and still stay in the same house.
They've been working on their relationship. Deno finally came out and told her how he felt about everything in a long discussion that they had one night. Some of it was a shock to her, but most of it she already knew.
She asked him if he wanted to try and work things out with her, and he told her yes.
They worked on things, and things got better, but after a while, things started to go back to the way they were.
He figured in his mind, well, if changing and working things out is that damn difficult, than fuck it. Just leave it alone than. I don't want anything fake or forced. If it's that hard to do what I ask, and show a nigga some real love, fuck it. Let it be what it is.
It wasn't all about sex which they rarely have now, but it was also about showing some affection, connecting and respect also. Not only telling a person that you love them, but also showing it too.
Once he seen that things were going back to the way they were, he didn't point anything out or try to keep it going because he knew this is how things really were. If it wasn't going to be like this, than it wouldn't be like this. No sense of reminding a person after years of marriage what their role is or what they're supposed to do. They are who they are in that relationship.
Denos mind is mostly on his seafood business now. He just got his truck and his boat two years ago. Before then, he was too busy trying to save up and getting his food selling license together which wasn't easy. Everytime he looked around, there was always something popping up where he had to spend big chuncks of money, then it always seemed like he had to start over again.
He had his nephew come up and stay with him from Fort Myers to help him out with his business. His nephew is a big help. Deno had to teach him though, but after he grasped on to things, it became a lot smoother for the both of them.
As of right now, they sell what they catch. They have a little spot where they go set up a tent and sell their seafood. They make pretty good money. Their working on buying a building one day.
All the crabs and fish that they catch, they sell them at a lower price than anyone else in the city. That's how their names are getting more known.
On a Saturday, Deno was home on one of his off days. Him and his nephew were talking about buying more crab traps. Really, Denos mind wasn't even on that. Yeah they were discussing it, but his mind was going in and out of the discussion.
He's been going pretty hard on this business, and some of the reasons why is because hes been trying to keep his mind off of other matters.
Hes been kinda depressed lately. For years he's been feeling like somethings been missing in his life. He just now is finally starting to face reality, and day by day and more and more starting to realize that Cece just might not be the one for him, or at least anymore. But you see, it was hard for him to come to this conclusion because at one point he loved her soo much. Things weren't always like this and he misses those days. He still loves her but like I said earlier, it's not the same anymore. Preying and hoping, trying to get things back to the way they use to be just seemed like a losing battle when he was trying.
"Ay unk. You heard what I said?" His nephew asked him still talking about the crab traps.
"Naw, my bad. Say that again."
"You straight unk? Seem like you been kinda outta it the past couple days." As his nephew looked at him out of concern.
"I'm good Mike. Just been alot on my mind lately."
"What's up. Holla at me unk. You always helping me out when I be going through some shit. What's up?"
"You good nephew. Ain't nothing major. Just something I gotta work out on my own, you know." Deno getting up going to his room to grab his wallet.
Cece was out with her sister.
Deno came back out of his room, "ay Mike. I'm finna go down to Walmart and grab some more braided line and some floaters. We running low." He said kinda in a low and depressed tone.
"Aight unk. Tryna get Yana ass up ova here tonight. She let a nigga smash, it's a done dotta."
"Mannn, you been tryna get that bitch up ova here for the past three nights. Don't you see a pattern here?" Deno looking at Mike with a little smirk. "I taught you betta than that nephew. She playing games so ignore her ass. She'll come around if she really fuck wit ya like that. You acting too thirsty son."
"Man I got this. I ain't no rookie to this shit." Mike scrolling through his phone getting ready to text her.
"Yeah, I'm finna slide. I'll be back." Deno grabbing his keys and leaving the house, knowing he should be taking his own advice.
He stayed on the westside but he decided to drive to the northside. He really needed this time alone, especially since he's up under his nephew alot now since they're business partners and living together now.
When he got to Walmart, he went straight to the fishing department, just looking around to see what else he could find besides braided fishing line and floaters.
After he was done picking out what he needed, he then just walked around the store, I guess can just window shopping, or just eating up time. He didn't really feel like going right back home at the moment.
He went over to the home department looking around. He reached up to grab a frying pan that caught his eye, sort of rubbing up against a lady that he wasn't even paying attention to.
"Oh I'm sorry maa...." He stopped after seeing who it was.
"Hey Mr. Murray." She said out of surpriseness and I guess out of a little excitement.
"Damn, long time no see." He responded back also surprised to see her as she went ahead and gave him a hug. "I thought maybe you had done moved outta town somewhere."
"Nawww. We moved up here to the northside. I had to change schools and everything." Jazmine looking at him with a smile of excitement. "Damn it's good seeing you Mr. Murray. It's been some years. How everybody doing?"
Obviously Deno was not planning on running into her. The only thing he could still see when looking at her was that night four years ago when she took advantage of him. He never hated her for that, but it was just always a big question mark for why she did what she did, knowing a move like that could've been disastrous. She said she always wanted it, but wasn't she worried about all the things that could've happened? Or she just didn't know any better.
"We good. Everybody doing alright. I finally got my business running. Me and my nephew."
"Damn. I remember you saying you wanted to start your own business. That's good. What you doing?" Her smiling, kind of batting her eyes at him.
"Seafood." He said looking kind of confused and suspicious.
"That's what's up. You deserve your own shit. You worked so hard doing that construction shit. I remember you use to come home looking dead tired some days. I used to feel so sorry for you. Summer used to say you were used to it though, but sometimes, the look on yo face, I just knew you was just tired of that shit. Especially being out there in that hot ass sun all day. I don't see how you did it."
"I'm still out there in the sun, but I love what I'm do now." He looked up and down on her very quickly. He couldn't lie to himself. She was looking damn good, and when she smiled, that made her look even better.
She gazed at him, rubbing her left arm. "You always been good peoples. I used to tell Summer all the time she just didn't know how good she got it."
Deno kind of looked down a little bit slightly nodding his head.
I ain't gone hold you up. It was nice seeing you again though." Her tightening up her lips, looking away.
"Yeah, it was nice seeing you too."
"Ok." She said as she still stood there.
As he started to turn around, she spoke out to him, "ay Mr. Murray? Do you think we can keep in contact? Or something?"
He turned back around slowly with a look of slight confusion. "Keep in contact?" He asked.
"Yeah, I mean, if it's not, too much to ask."
He didn't answer right away. He still had that confused look on his face.
"We don't have to. I was just asking. I'm just glad to see you again really, and, figured, it'll be nice to stay in contact, that's all." She said.
He kept looking at her, honestly not sure whether to tell her yes or no. Usually if their was a female that showed interest in him while out in public, or even as to go as far as to ask for his number, he would quickly shoot them down, thinking about his wife at home. That wasn't exactly the case here. He actually stood there and thought about it, but this situation here is different from the rest. He actually knows her, and knowing her and knowing the things that she's done, he wasn't really too sure about that keeping in contact shit. Especially what happened between him and her.
"I don't know, umm....."
"It's ok, really, it's cool, I understand." She told him, still gazing into his eyes. "Just tell Mrs. Murray I said hi. I miss seeing her too. I guess I'll see you around later then Mr. Murray." As she waved her fingers at him, getting ready to turn around and walk away.
"Ay Jazmine." He said to her, stopping her from turning all the way around. He slightly nodded his head, "we can keep in contact."
She smiled saying ok.
He took his phone out and got her number. He called her phone so she could have his number.
"Look now. Don't call, don't text, I'll call you, ok? Him being very Stern with her.
"I won't. I promise. I'm not tryna be a problem or nothing like that.
He nodded his head.
"Soooo, I guess I'll hear from you, whenever, I guess?" Shrugging her shoulders.
"Yeah. Good seeing you."
"Good seeing you too." Her turning around, walking away with him looking.
He couldn't deny it. She was fine as hell. She's twenty one now so it wasn't no shame or crime watching her twist away. Lets just be honest now. He was liking what he was seeing. Nobody in their right mind could look at Jazmine and say that they weren't attracted to her, but seeing what hes seen and knowing what he knows, quite naturally, they would think differently.