Capricorn
Chapter 44

Lunar Years Ruled By The Rabbit
* 1927 (Feb. 2, 1927 - Jan. 22, 1928)
* 1939 (Feb. 19, 1939 - Feb. 7, 1940)
* 1951 (Feb. 6, 1951 - Jan. 26, 1952)
* 1963 (Jan. 25, 1963 - Feb. 12, 1964)
* 1975 (Feb. 11, 1975 - Jan. 30, 1976)
* 1987 (Jan. 29, 1987 - Feb. 16, 1988)
* 1999 (Feb. 6, 1999 - Feb. 4, 2000)
* 2011 (Feb. 5, 2011 - Jan. 24, 2012)
* 2023 (Jan. 23, 2023 - Feb. 4, 2024)
* 2035 (Feb. 3, 2035 - Feb. 15, 2036)
* 2047 (Feb. 14, 2047 - Jan. 27, 2048)

*

Adena ran into her office, flopped down on the couch, put her head in her hands, and started to cry. Who was that person? That wasn't Taye. That couldn't have been the man she fell in love with and married a year ago. The Taye she knew would never have been so evil to her. Everything he had said caused her head to spin. How he hooked up with Kim before he met her, him thinking she was trying to trap him with a child when in all honesty, she didn't want him to know at all, and the look of disgust that came over his face when he saw that she was pregnant and learned that it was his. How could a father act like that?

She was right; Taye had to stay far away from her child.

A knock came at the door, and she looked up and saw Lloyd. He sighed when he saw her, rushed over, and sat on the couch next to her. He pulled her in for a hug. "I heard everything. What has gotten into him??" She could only shrug and shake her head as she cried on his chest. Her head was spinning so much that she had a headache. She pulled away, took a couple of Kleenex out of the box on the coffee table, and wiped her face. "Don't listen to him. If he doesn't want to be a part of this baby's life, it's his loss, and you don't need him anyway. You have Craig," Lloyd said and paused, "Oh, he called several times looking for you."

"Oh shit," she said. She completely forgot that they needed to talk, but she knew what he wanted to talk about. She had better things to do and care for than a crybaby and spiteful Karen. "I forgot."

"I think you should go home and rest. It's almost 7:30. Are you even in the headspace to work late?" he asked her. 

"Not really, but I didn't want you to stay and wait for me for nothing."

"It wasn't for nothing, girl, I'm still clocked in, and I got the nap I needed. I'm fine."

"Well, thank you for holding the place together. I'm proud of you. I don't think you've ever been here alone more than 5 minutes," she said with a chuckle as she wiped her hands with sanitizer. "But ok, I won't torture you any longer, but first, I want to say sorry because we got a lot of work ahead; we'll have to start first thing tomorrow."

"What are we doing?" he asked her, and she explained the fake art show she made up for Kehinde Wiley. Saying it out loud made it even worse. However, Lloyd wasn't upset; he actually laughed. "I'm just so confused as to why you felt the need to impress the guy. I know he's one of your favorites, but I've never seen the perfect Adena get herself into something like this. Do you have a crush on him or something?"

"I have a crush on his work, not him. I'm also a perfectionist and a workaholic. But he did ask me out to dinner; he wants to come and help set up this whole thing. He walked out of our show because of the lack of representation of Black people, Black women specifically. He said I should be doing more to get people like us here, and I haven't done it at all. This is my chance to draw a different crowd. I don't want him to walk out on me and think I'm a total idiot and 'not for the culture.'"

"Whoa, Adena, he asked you out to dinner? He likes you, likes you?"

"He was very...sweet. A total 180 from last time, but he was definitely flirting."

"Ohmygod girl, I hate you," Lloyd said with a laugh. "Ok, so what does Donatella say?"

"Donatella? I made it up on the spot; she knows nothing about this-." Her desk phone ringing interrupted her, and Lloyd got up to see who was calling.

"Ohmygod, it's Donatella," he said to her. Adena's eyes widened. Shit. Did she find out? She got up from the couch as Lloyd answered and put it on speaker. 

"Hey Donatella, how's Paris?" Adena asked as she sat in her desk chair and tried to shake off all the depression and anxiety the day had caused. There were giggles in the background, and the two paused, wondering if it was a butt dial.

"Oh, stop it...Adena? Hello?" Donatella asked.

"I'm here, Donatella."

"Why didn't you say so? What are you still doing in the office?"

"I was just leaving, and you caught me at the perfect time. How's everything going?"

"EVERYTHING is WONDERFUL. How's the gallery? It's still standing, I assume?"

"Of course it is."

"Great, oh, and just to let you know...I'm staying here another week. There are other art shows I need to attend. I need to see some old friends and...will you stop it?...business to take care of. Besides, I need the vacation. You can handle that, can't you?"

"Oh...um, well, when will you be back?"

"Never!" a French-accented male voice answered. Adena and Lloyd looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Shhhhhh! Damn it!" Donatella said. "I should be back on the 20th. Maybe the 21st, but yes, the 20th should do. Take care of that and send me the updated flight tickets."

"Um yeah, sure can. Any flight in particular?"

"Oh, I haven't even looked, but not an early morning flight, please, more like after lunch. Got it?"

"Um yeah, got it. Glad you're having a great time there-"

"Well, I'll keep in touch," Donatella said as the male voice mumbled in the background. "Gotta go. Au revoir!" and then she quickly hung up. Adena turned off the speaker, and she and Lloyd burst out laughing.

"Was she getting some while on the phone with you?" Lloyd asked, and then his jaw dropped to the floor again. "What if she comes back married? Or better yet, what if she never comes back?"

"It's the City of Love. It's just a fling," Adena said, waving him off, but she smiled at how cute that would be. Donatella finally finds a man who can keep up with her, maybe even calm her ass down, kissing under the Eiffel Tower, just like in all the books and movies. "I love that for her."

"Well, let me take care of the tickets," Lloyd said as he got out his phone. "You take your ass home. You're done for today. Rest, cry it out, and come back tomorrow so we can plan this huge event you roped us into."

Twenty minutes later, she was in a Lyft on the way home. She was finally able to call Craig back, but he didn't answer. She sighed; well, she tried. They'll have to talk tomorrow. When she got home, she took a nice, long shower, got right into bed, and passed out immediately. Craig called her back as soon as she did, but it went to voicemail.

*

Famous Capricorn Dragon: Martin Luther King Jr. (Civil Rights Leader; b. Jan. 15, 1929)

*

Craig cursed under his breath as his call went to voicemail again. Either Adena was mad at him or just plain old avoiding him, and he didn't like either option. He didn't bother leaving a voicemail, it was a quarter past 8 pm, and he was packing up, leaving the Love Shack, and going to the strip club. It was still early; hopefully, she would have the decency to call back. She would usually be awake and getting ready by the time he got home, but he didn't want to talk to her about this first thing in the morning.

But that's what was going to happen if she didn't call.

"Here's your pay Craig Mack Daddy," a waiter said as he gave him an envelope and winked at him. "Awesome job as usual, cutie. See you tomorrow," he said, batting his eyelashes before sashaying off. Craig shook his head as he quickly counted the money twice. They never had any problems, but he didn't need any to start now. He was just about to walk out the back door when...

"CRAIG!" someone shouted. Craig rolled his eyes and turned to see a more familiar face. "It's me, Lloyd, Adena's-"

"Yeah, I remember you; how you doing?" he asked as he reached out to shake his hand, but Lloyd hugged him instead. 

"Sorry, I had to. You smell nice," Lloyd said and blushed. "Leaving us so soon? I just got here because your girlfriend kept me at work late."

"Oh yeah? Why?" he asked him. This was news to him. She should've been home by now. "Everything ok?"

"I don't know where you're heading, but you must call Adena."

"I've been calling her all day, actually. Remember? We spoke earlier. How many times?"

"Yeah, that was earlier until...until Taye..."

Craig instantly got tense, and the back of his ears and neck went from body temperature to hot. He wouldn't be surprised if he were turning red. That was a name that he hated to hear. Would there ever be a day when he wouldn't hear it? Did he have to deal with this guy and his antics for the rest of their lives? After hearing his name all weekend and being called The Replacement, he was over it. "What about him?" he said earnestly, almost glaring at Lloyd.

Lloyd stepped back some, it was so charming that he instantly got protective over Adena, but Craig could easily beat his ass. "He came by the gallery just as she returned from this art show she had to go to earlier. Accosted her at the doors demanding if she was pregnant."

"And then what happened?"

"Yep, and she told him the truth. He already knew. Saw something on social media or something like that. She told him it was his, and all hell broke loose. He could've sworn it was yours, or she was running around too. Can you believe him?"

"I can believe it," Craig said with a sigh. Father of the Year, this guy. He bet Tyrese would have loved it to have been someone else's.  

"Anyway, long story short, he continued to be the asshole he is now. He said all of this low-blow shit. It was so bad that Adena slapped him right in the face!"

"Did he hurt her? Did he touch ONE hair on her head?"

"Not physically."

"What did he say?" Craig said as his fists began to clench.

"Ugh, what didn't he say!? How he was running around with her best friend in college before they started dating, and he should have married her instead, and the baby wasn't his, and she was pathetic and clownish trying to trap him with your kid. She was in tears just-"

"What do you know about this guy?"

"You know what? I have no clue now. He used to be so sweet. The perfect gentleman. Like you. He has the whitest teeth I've ever seen. He's tall, dark, and chocolatey. I went to their wedding. Beautiful wedding-"

"Lloyd, what is something useful you can tell me about this clown? Can you reach out to him? Where does he hang out at?"

"Where does he hang out? Why do you want to know-"

"I just want to talk to him. We haven't exactly had the chance yet. I've seen him on two occasions, and both times he had me so fucked up, he's a fucking snake...we just need to talk, man to man."

Lloyd paused; this was one of those times in his young adult life when this was a catch-22—damned if he did or didn't. He could tell him what he knew, and Craig could go out and kill the guy, or if he didn't, Taye could continue harassing her or worse. This is the second time he has come by Adena's job, acting a complete fool. What to do? What would you do?

"Ok, but you didn't hear this from me, ok? You promise?"

"When have I ever let you down, Lloyd? I can't let my Adena down either," Craig said and flashed a perfect and innocent smile, and Lloyd swooned. 

*

After the Dragon, the next animal in the Chinese Zodiac is the Snake. Not many animals have more symbolic associations than the Snake does. Chinese mythology says that a half-human, half-snake was the father of the Chinese emperors.

*

Once Craig got to the strip club, he called Adena again. He was trying not to blow her up, but now that he's talked to Lloyd, he just needed to know if she was ok. He was distracted as he played the music and watched the girls do the same routines they did every night. He needed to talk to Slim; some girls needed to develop new moves. Nothing worse than a boring stripper. He tried to think of ways to get out of there early, but he knew that was impossible. He hadn't seen Slim all night; where was he anyway? He called Adena a few times more, and now his calls went straight to voicemail. 

Call me, please. 

He sent the text and hoped she would see it, but now it was midnight. Was she even up?

As soon as he sent his text, Beverly sent some:

Tried to talk her down, but you don't know her like I do.
She cherishes Gucci.
Have you talked to your friend yet?
Why haven't you returned my calls??

Craig rolled his eyes and put his phone back in his pocket. He didn't need this shit right now. He had better things to do and care for than a crybaby and spiteful Karen. No matter how much his lil sis loved her. He noticed a big group of people, mostly guys, walk in and sit in one of the VIP sections. He didn't pay them any attention at first. Even with all the sparkling bottles the bottle girls brought to their section and all the money they were throwing. 

"Alright aaaaaaaannnd coming to the staaaaaaage iiiiiiiiiiiiiissssss LaLa Extravaaaaaganzaaaa!" he said into the microphone, and the crowd cheered as a Nicki Minaj lookalike with an ass to match came out onstage in a hot pink g string, pasties, and hot pink platforms. 

Most of the group in the VIP section went crazy and started throwing money before she even did anything. Must be friends or family of hers hyping her up. Lala started twerking and doing what she did best. One of the stagehands brought out a few bottles of water for her as all the lights on the stage turned red. Lala splashed water down her back and started twerking one cheek at a time and then both again, water splashing off her ass and landing everywhere. 

A couple of guys left the VIP group to get closer; they found seats right in front and started throwing money. Lala handed one of them the half-empty water bottle, and he started pouring it and rubbing it on her. Craig shook his head. He hoped they weren't family members because they acted like they were more than friends. Lala then straddled his lap as he put a wad of cash in her g-string. She situated him so his face was in her breasts. She then poured water down her breasts, and the guy lapped the water off her. Now he was really excited; however, when she tried to get off his lap to finish her routine, he wouldn't let her go. She struggled to get out of his grasp. Craig rolled his eyes and looked around, but security was already on it. Two Terry Crews looking bouncers went over, and one pulled Lala out of his lap as the other pulled the guy out of his chair. The crowd cheered. Lala adjusted and returned to her routine, rolling around in all the spilled water onstage. 

Craig glanced over at the bouncers and the guy. He was able to see his face better, and his eyes widened. 

It was Trent!

You mean Taye?

Craig's body temperature instantly went from lukewarm to hot. He looked at him longer to make sure it was him, and it was. His white teeth practically glowed in the dark. Trent held up both hands in surrender, and then the bouncers led him toward the back box office. 

That only meant one thing. He was buying a private room so he could feel up on Lala all he wanted so he wouldn't get kicked out. 

He couldn't believe Adena dated this dude. Married this dude. He could only imagine all the nights Adena was home waiting for him, and he was out in the streets drinking water from stripper's breasts. 

He needed to learn a lesson, and the time was now. It was a sign that he needed to. Falling into his lap like this. Now he could save time and not go to Brooklyn and find him after work. He checked his phone, and no word from Adena. He called one more time, and it went straight to voicemail. He sighed. Ok, he tried. He tried to call her to maybe talk him out of it, but it was on now. 

He deserved this shit.

Lala finished her routine, and the crowd cheered. "Giiiiiiiiiive it up for Lala Extravaganza and her Red Light Special!" She blew kisses to the crowd and picked up all the wet money off the stage as the stagehands wiped the stage down. As she did, one of the bouncers whispered, and she nodded. She walked upstage, and when she reached the DJ booth, he said, "Hey, Lala!"

"Hey, cutie," she said as she bit her lip. 

"That guy ordered a private room with you?" he asked. She nodded. "What room?"

"He's waiting in the Red Room. Why?"

"That was my old college roommate! He didn't recognize me up here. I wanted to chat with him real quick before you steal his soul."

Lala smiled, "Aww, how cute. Bet he would love to see you. I can steal your soul, too, you know. You should stick around, and I'll steal yours for free after I take his."

"Nope, I'm good. I'll stick my head in and give you the heads up when I'm done."

Lala sighed, "Fine, your loss," she said with disappointment and went backstage. "Hey, ladies. Anyone have any luck with that DJ yet?" she asked as she got a towel and dried herself off. 

"No," all the ladies chorused with disappointment.

"Damn," Lala said. "He married or something?"

"Probably, the way he acts," one of them said.

"Or he's gay," another said.

"He's definitely not gay," most of them said. At least they all knew that. Which means there was a chance. 

"It's almost 1 am, so you know what that means. $1 lemon drop shots are at the bar. Get yours before the clock strikes one!" he said. He glanced back and then said, "Next up coming to the staaaaaageee is Gingerrrrrrrrrrr!" he said and the crowd cheered. Her regulars moving closer. He cued all his music and then left the booth.

This shouldn't take long. 

He walked down the hall and up the steps to the private rooms. The Red Room was the first room on the left. He stood in front of the door and did a quick lookout. He reached into his pockets and slipped on some brass knuckles. He hasn't used these in forever. He opened the door and slipped in. He locked the door behind him and turned the red light on, which let everyone outside know that the room was occupied.

"Who is that? Where's Lala? Can you get me some Hennessy? Straight."

Craig stepped into the light more, and then Taye looked at him. "DJ Boy?!?"

He didn't say anything else after that.

*

Here in the West, snakes are considered evil. However, the Snake of Chinese Astrology is associated with beauty and wisdom and is often psychic. However, we can all agree that one of their downfalls is that they can lie to get themselves out of a bind.

*

Everyone was having a good time at GRL XXX; however, once two gunshots went off, the people in the back of the club ran out of their private rooms, bathrooms, and offices, and the strippers grabbed everything they could and sprinted out. Security headed to the back, but it was hard, with everyone running and screaming in the opposite direction. Cops were parked around the corner for this reason and pulled up to see strippers with bags of money and clothes running out of the backstage doors. 

"Someone's been shot! It came from the back! One of the private rooms!" a blonde said and then kept running. The cops ran inside.

Meanwhile, Sleeping Beauty Adena was still in bed across town. When she woke, she blinked slowly and rolled over to see Craig wasn't back yet. That happened sometimes. Sometimes he got out late, missed the train, bus, traffic, yadda yadda yadda. She yawned and stretched as sunlight slipped through the cracks of the blinds. She stared at the ceiling, and the night before hit her like a ton of bricks. She didn't want to go to work today; remembering everything that had happened made her depressed. She reached over to get her phone; she woke up before her alarm, so she might as well turn it off. However, her phone was dead. "Shit," she said. She forgot to put the phone on the charger last night. She plugged it in, looked at the clock on her wall, and gasped. It was 7 am. 

She should be walking out the door right now. 

"Shit shit shit shit shit," she said as she got up as fast as she could, which was basically at the speed of the tortoise and not the hare. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and used mouthwash. She threw her makeup bag in her purse. She'll do that in the car. She brushed her hair and looked in her closet for something to wear. Her phone turned on, and notifications started coming through, but she didn't pay attention. "Ugh," she sighed, slipping her feet into some flats. She couldn't reach her feet anymore, and they probably needed lotion.

Where was Craig? 

She threw her phone in her purse and walked to the door. She was about to open it when someone started banging on it. What the hell? She looked through the peephole and then unlocked the door and saw Missy. She seemed really upset, close to tears. "Girl, we have been calling you all night!"

*

The Snake is linked to the element of fire. Fire is dynamic, but the Snake's Yin tendency balances it. The energy of fire can be positive and negative. It can bring warmth and comfort or burn and destroy.

*

https://youtu.be/dP2t9LBeAwo