Chapter 47

Capricorn
Chapter 47

Lunar Years of the Horse
* 1930 (Jan. 30, 1930 - Feb. 16, 1931)
* 1942 (Feb. 15, 1942 - Feb. 4, 1943)
* 1954 (Feb. 3, 1954 - Jan. 23, 1955)
* 1966 (Jan. 21, 1966 - Feb. 8, 1967)
* 1978 (Feb. 7, 1978 - Jan. 27, 1979)
* 1990 (Jan. 27, 1990 - Feb. 14, 1991)
* 2002 (Feb. 12, 2002 - Jan. 31, 2003)
* 2014 (Jan. 30, 2014 - Feb. 11, 2015)
* 2026 (Feb. 11, 2026 - Jan. 24, 2027)
* 2038 (Jan. 22, 2038 - Feb. 4, 2039)

*

Adena sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the envelope she laid on her dresser in front of her. Whatever was in that envelope could make her life potentially worse than it already is.

What if she opened it, and it answered all her unanswered questions right now? Why has Craig lied all this time? Why did he really work at a strip club? Would he be promoted when the new club opened? Was anything he said true?

What if she opened it and it was much worse? The worst-case scenario worst. You name it, she thought of it as a possibility. If any of them were the case, he needed to go to Long Island immediately and never speak to her again. Leaving her brokenhearted, yes, but at least she would be safe, but a part of her couldn't believe that Craig was even capable of the worst.

She thought the same of Taye, and look where he is now.

But NEVER, though? Never was a long time. She loved him. She knew that now. She knew her love for him had been there longer than she realized. Could she really go through another breakup? So soon after her divorce? Could she let him go? Should she let him go?

The thought of it made her chest tight. She couldn't think about this right now, and it affected every bone in her body. Should she be ignorant of what was in that envelope so she could have some bliss for once? Whatever was found, were they deal breakers? What were her deal breakers?

Thou shalt not cheat. Of course.

Was that it? Cheating wouldn't exactly show up on a background check.

Has he been in jail before? Was he in jail for something unforgivable? Or did he just lose his mind and have to deal with the consequences? At the end of it all, beating Taye's ass wasn't a deal breaker, though she was surprised at how badly Taye looked. He had broken bones, and she knew his ego and spirit were broken. 

Was lying to her so he could work in a strip club a deal breaker? Her head said yes, but her heart said no. 

When you're in love, the most challenging battles are worth fighting; maybe they could get through this. But could she ever trust him again? What else has he lied about?

Lying was a deal breaker, too, depending on how big.

Adena groaned aloud, picked up the envelope, and left her bedroom. She walked over to the fireplace. She turned it on and stared at the flames. They haven't even used it yet. By the time they moved here, the weather was warmer. 

She could throw it in there, and all her problems would be over. Do it.

Would they, though? She knew something concerning was in it; it was too late now. 

"...he may be cute and dreamy and romantic, and, amazingly, he's stepping up in Taye's place, but I want my daughter to know who the hell she is living with..."
"You need to know what this man's been through, and you need to know what this man has done!..."
"For the sake of your child, my grandchild, I hope you reconsider...I'm trying to protect you..."

Her dad's warnings haunted her. What if he was right?

She stared at the flames and then turned the fireplace off. She paced around, deep in thought, and when she finally came to a realization, she took the envelope to her bedroom. She opened her dresser and put it at the bottom, underneath all her bras and panties. 

If Craig had something to say, something she needed to know, he needed to tell her that himself. They would get to the bottom of this as soon as he walked through that door, and hopefully, that was soon. No time to get comfortable or settle in. Is it true or not? Then they could move on. 

If so, the door.

She slammed the drawer shut and paused when she heard a noise. If her father was trying to get back in, he could forget it. The sound stopped. Oh, it was nothing. Then she heard it again. Maybe it was Missy. She walked out of the room and walked toward the front door. She was about 6 feet away when she saw the locks turn.

Or maybe it was someone she didn't know at all. She panicked and ran toward the door and triple-locked it. She ran and got her purse, hoping her father wasn't too far away. He needed to come back ASAP. Maybe it was best that he stay the night, though she was still mad at him. Then she watched in shock as the door opened but was blocked by the other two locks. Thank God, because if she didn't lock them in time-

"I'm calling the police!" she yelled. "They're already on their way!"

"I don't want to see a cop ever again. I've had enough of that. Babe, it's me."

Adena never ran so fast lately as she did right then. The locks were quickly unlocked, and those strong, long arms enveloped her and held her close. She breathed in his scent. "You're back! You're back!"

"I'm back," he said as he pulled away and cupped her face. He kissed her, and the tightness in her chest broke open, no longer trapped, and went free. Turning into butterflies. He quickly kissed her forehead. "I missed you. So much. I'm so sorry," he said, practically falling to his knees. Her eyes welled up with tears as he caressed her stomach. "I missed you too." He kissed her stomach, and she hugged him, his head resting against it. Then the baby moved. It wasn't a kick; it was something different. "Holy shit, did you feel that?"

"Of course I did," she said. "They're...they're saying hi. They missed you too."

That moment was even more significant than him coming home. It was like all three of them were celebrating like the baby knew exactly what was happening. They were all connected, feeling the same love and emotions. 

She quickly grabbed his collar to pull him up. He chuckled and then moaned when she passionately kissed him. He dropped his bag of belongings as he kicked off his shoes and then started stepping out of everything he was wearing as they made their way to the bedroom. Soon she was on her back, lying on the bed, and he hovered over her. Before she could interrupt him with a kiss, he said, "Adena?" She nodded. "I love you too, baby."

"Say it again." that turned her on more than she could imagine. Whenever he said those words, she'd do anything for him.

"I love you too, baby."

Uh oh, it looks like love has got her hooked.

*

After the Snake, the Horse is the next animal in the Chinese Zodiac. The Horse is associated with grace, elegance, bravery, and nobility. In China, the Horse is the symbol of freedom.

*

Craig sighed as he lay behind Adena in the big spoon position, holding her close. Saying that he missed her was an understatement; he had separation anxiety. Once she had told him she loved him, he had to get out of that cell as quickly as possible, and surprisingly, like magic, it happened. 

He was lying on the cot, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought, when he heard a guard's belt full of keys jangle as they walked by. However, the guard stopped in front of his cell and opened it. "Time to go, inmate."

Craig sighed as he sat up, "Where to now?" he asked them. Why was he being moved again?

"It's your lucky day," they said to him. They escorted him out; other inmates whistled at him as he walked by. 

It took Craig a moment to realize it really was his lucky day. "I'm being released? Now?"

"We got a Desk Appearance Ticket from one of the officers back at the precinct. It seems you got friends in high places. You will be required to appear at the chosen courthouse for your arraignment later. Make sure to attend this arraignment, or you will start all over and return here again. All that will be sent to you in the mail."

A couple of hours later, he had his belongings and clothes he had come in with and walked out of the precinct. He walked quickly, just in case another Craig should've gotten out instead of him. He didn't want to be around when they figured out their mistake, either. However, someone called his name. He looked around and then saw Slim across the street from the precinct. They did their usual dap up. Before Craig could speak, Slim said, "Get in." Craig obeyed and got in the car quickly. They drove silently for a while; the tone and aura Slim gave off let Craig know this man was serious. "The club is closed for at least a week because of that stunt you pulled. I hope it was worth it."

"My bad, Slim, I wasn't thinking straight-"

"What the hell happened? Straight up, don't lie to me."

"When have I ever lied to you? But I get it; my girl has been having trouble with her ex. He keeps popping up at her job, harassing her. The first time it happened, I hoped it would be the last, but he did it again. Then what do you know, he walks into the club with this entourage of people. He got rough with one of the girls, too, you know. He almost got thrown out. I pulled him to the side and gave him a piece of my mind. He had been drinking, I'm defending my girl, and it went left."

"Who shot who?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know? You were shot, weren't you?"

"Almost, the bullet grazed me. It was also dark as hell," he said, showing him his bandage. "I promise you I didn't bring a gun into the club. You know I wouldn't do that."

"So it was your girl's ex that had it?"

"I don't know Slim. He got shot too."

"There was someone else in the room with you?"

"No, not at first. I'm beating his ass, the door opens, and shots are fired at us. Next thing I know, I'm getting handcuffed."

"And then they just disappeared? This guy got a lot of enemies?"

"I never saw them. I wouldn't be surprised if he does. He doesn't know how to keep people's names out of his fucking mouth. My only crime is beating his ass."

"And getting my club shut down is also on you."

"I'm really sorry, Slim. I swear, it wasn't supposed to go down like that-"

"But it did. I'm losing a lot of money from my club being closed and having to be cleaned up. I have cops sniffing around my other spots, just waiting for something else to pop off. They're even patrolling the new one that isn't even open yet. I'm just glad they didn't find my coke. Or anyone else's."

"I'll make it up to you, man. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it."

"Alright then, you have two choices," Slim said. Craig nodded. "Either you quit immediately, or I fire you immediately; which one?"

"Come on, Slim, I-"

"WHICH ONE?"

"But what about the DJ In Residence at the new spot?"

"You think that's still yours? I'm done with you, Craig. It's not personal. It's mostly business. I can't have that shit happening again. You know these clubs are a front for the main shit I got going down. You're a liability now." Craig sighed as he put his head in his hands. The most enormous opportunity ever, and he just ruined it for himself. This really spiraled out of control. Slim pulled the car over to the curb and put it in park. "You can find your way back home from here. If you left anything at the club, you could come by next week to get it when I'm back open. You gotta call first before coming, don't just be popping up." He unlocked the doors. "It's a shame it all had to go down like this," he said as he lit a cigar. Craig accepted defeat and got out of the car. Slim rolled the window down. "Look, you're a good kid, Craig. You just did something majorly fucked up. It's business. My business, it's all I got. At least you have a little family. You had to do what you had to do. You had to protect your family, and I get it, but not at my expense. You got a girl who loves you. You're doing just fine. I'll send your last paycheck soon. Take care of yourself."

And just like that, Slim was gone. Craig felt empty as he walked home. He got on the bus, and luckily it was a straight shot home with no transfers. He was bummed out. A residency was something every DJ dreamt of. But Slim was right about one thing; he'll be alright because he had Adena. As long as he fully cared for her, he'll be ok. He can get another job quickly, maybe one that doesn't pay as much, but it was money nonetheless. Soon he felt excited when he realized he was only blocks away from the bus stop closest to home. When the doors opened, he was off the bus and rushing past the doorman. He dapped him up and ran toward the elevator. He looked through his bag for his keys and tried to unlock the door as quickly as possible. 

Once Adena threw the door open, he grabbed her and held her close. He missed her so much that he could cry. He just might. He missed her glowing face, soft skin, beautiful scent, and big stomach growing a miracle inside her. She looked like an angel, ethereal, she looked more beautiful than she had ever been at that moment, and when the baby reacted to him being back, that was it. He felt something he never felt before.

And it was amazing, addicting even.

Slim was right.

"At least you have a little family. You had to do what you had to do. You had to protect your family, and I get it, but not at my expense. You got a girl who loves you. You're doing just fine."

The emotions swept them into the bedroom, and they made love until they passed out.

"I love you, baby," he whispered to her again as he kissed her neck, and she snuggled close to him. They both slept like babies, and luckily the baby did too.

*

Horses approach life with contagious enthusiasm. They're usually happy and have many friends. However, they're cowardly and not very independent. Horses only appear to be self-assured.

*

Adena sat on the hospital bed and waited for the nurse to come in finally. She looked at her watch; she really had to get back to work. She looked up when the door opened and smiled when she saw her mother. "Sorry, Babygirl."

She hugged her mother back, "As long as you're here."

"Where's Craig?" she asked, but she couldn't answer because the nurse finally came in. Thankfully, everything was fine, and the pregnancy was going as normal as it possible. Mom and baby were healthy; she just had to watch the stress. Start slowing down at work, but she couldn't do that.

"Ok, one more question, the child's father wants a paternity test ASAP. That can't be done, right?"

"He what?" her mother asked her incredulously.

"He wants me to prove it. He swears it isn't his. He also swears a paternity test can happen before the baby is born." Her mother rolled her eyes.

"That's correct, and the paternity tests taken before birth are just as accurate as the ones after. Usually, we would sample a part of the fetal DNA or tissue from the placenta, but since you are way past the 15-week mark, it will be a little tricky. We would have to go in and test the amniotic fluid."

"How simple is the procedure?" her mother asked.

"It's fairly simple but also the hardest out of the three because you are so far along. It's also not a great idea if you're high-risk but you're pretty healthy. However, is there any family history of high-risk births, babies born with abnormalities, or miscarrying?"

"Yes, I have had two miscarriages," her mother said, and Adena held her hand. It was still hard for her to talk about. How could it not be?

"I'm sorry to hear that. Any other family history, perhaps on the father's side?"

"None on her father's side, but her grandmother, my mother, had one miscarriage before I was born, and my grandmother lost twins before that." Adena looked at her mother in shock. She never knew that Grandma had a miscarriage, ever. She thought her mother and aunt were the only ones she had, and a great-grandmother? Twins??

"Ahh, I'm very sorry to hear that," the nurse said, "Since this is your first pregnancy and there is consistent family history from the previous three generations, you could be at high risk for this."

"High-risk meaning?" Adena asked, hurrying her along.

"There's a chance it could cause some severe complications for you later on down the line. Now if this were maybe your second or third child and their births were relatively easy, the risk would be much lower..."

"Severe meaning...she could lose the baby?" her mother asked.

"That's the worst-case scenario but yes, or the baby could be born with complications, especially in their limbs."

"Well, that's a hell no then," her mother said. She turned to Adena, "Tell Taye to man up and make a decision. Does he want to be in this baby's life or not? Or why bother? Craig is willing and able to do it for him, and he knows 100% that it's not his."

Adena sighed as she got up. "I got to get back to work. Thank you," she said to the nurse.

"Of course, call me if you have any questions," they said, leaving, leaving the room. Adena and her mother are close behind her. 

"You're not going to do it, right?" her mother insisted.

Adena started to panic. Craig's get-out-of-jail-free card would expire, so to speak, if she didn't do this test. He had gotten out a week ago, and this whole week felt like a vacation with him back. 

Before you ask, no, they haven't had "the talk." She was busy, and when she wasn't, they were making up for lost time, or she was urging him to get a new gig. The fact that he got fired due to the fight was a double whammy. Now this. She couldn't believe she had to put her body at risk to keep Taye from pressing charges. "I don't know what else to do, Mom."

"What else is there to consider? Why would you even consider it??"

"It's complicated, but Taye needs to know, and he wants it sooner rather than later."

"Well, that's just too damn bad! He needs to take your word or not, end of discussion."

"Mom-"

"End of discussion, I am not having my daughter go through what I and your grandmothers had to endure, we didn't have a choice, but you do. Spare yourself the pain. It's a lifetime's worth of pain, darling. Don't put your baby through that."

"Well, Mom, you're right when you say it's my baby. It's my baby."

"They're also my grandchild!" her mother hissed, and Adena was glad they had stepped out of the doctor's office so no one could hear her. "You are 2/3rds of the way through this pregnancy; it's almost done. You have just a few more months left, barring any other complications, don't add to that."

"Ok, Mom," Adena said, dismissing her as she looked through her phone.

"Don't 'ok Mom' me! I'm serious!"

"I'm serious too, Mom! I have a right to at least think about it."

"There's nothing to think about!" her mother demanded. "What is going on? Why are you even considering this?"

"If the child is Craig's, Taye won't go to the police."

"Because of the fight?? Ok, but it's not Craig's. Will he go to the police if it's, in fact, his?"

"I don't know; we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Her mother threw her hands up in frustration as a car pulled up. "Mom, please calm down. I haven't said yes."

"You haven't said no!"

Adena opened the car door for her, "I ordered you a ride. I have to go, Mom. I'm going to be late. I have a lot of work to do."

"Take it to work, sweetheart; I grew up on the subway. I'm going to the bodega," her mother said and walked away in a huff.

"Love you too, Mom!" Adena shouted after her, and all she did was wave as she walked away.

*

The Horse is linked to the Chinese element, fire. Fire is dynamic and exciting, and its Yang tendency doubles that energy. However, fire can express itself in them erratically, making them temperamental and protective.

*

"Seriously?" Taye said as he looked at the documents Adena air-dropped to him. It was information on how to do the prenatal paternity test at this point in her pregnancy, the statistics of success or failure, side effects, and the cost. He didn't know what was worse: that Adena was at such a high risk or that it was..."$2000?"

"My insurance won't cover it, so if you want it, YOU gotta pay for it."

Taye sat back in his chair in the tiny room his boss called "his office." She had an answer to every question that he had because, of course, she was two steps ahead of him. He chuckled, "That's fair, I guess. It's just like you to be prepared."

"Yeah, because lately, it's just like you to think I'm a liar."

"Babe, don't talk like that. I gotta look out for me, you know. I've been very paranoid lately-"

"Don't 'babe' me. Call Kim that," Adena spat. Taye frowned, and his eyes grew dark, his mood quickly changing. "Ok, so are you going to leave us alone or what? I'm sorry Craig did what he did, but he lost his job because of it, and he really regrets it. Can you leave him be?" she asked him. It was silent on the other end. "Taye? Taye?" she asked and looked at her phone screen.

This motherfucker hung up. She groaned as she tossed her phone onto her desk, not caring that it fell on her computer's keyboard, and woke it up. She noticed the time. Damn, it was almost 8 pm. She needed to get out of there. She locked everything up, went downstairs, and was in awe at how the gallery looked.

Tomorrow was the big day, Juneteenth, and Donatella's Gallery was practically transformed into Africa. Kehinde went all out to make sure this would be a success, and she couldn't have done it without him. "Let's go home, guys," she told Lloyd and her other coworkers. They all immediately dropped what they were doing and went to clock out. "Wow, this place looks so..." she struggled to find the words to say.

"Black?" Lloyd answered, and they both laughed.

"I was gonna say that," she said. "Do you think we can take all of this down once Donatella returns in..." She looked at her watch, "54 hours?"

"God willing," Lloyd said, "Don't worry. See you tomorrow; get some rest."

That's exactly what she intended to do. On her way home, her mom and dad called her, and they were both insistent on her not doing the paternity test and looking at the background check. She didn't have time for that. Then an unknown number called her, and she sighed, "Busy lady," the driver said, and she chuckled sarcastically and decided to answer. Maybe it was someone important. 

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi, Adena?" the caller asked. 

Adena's eyebrows raised. "Beverly? Hi, um, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked. "If you're trying to reach Craig, I'm not home right now, but I'm on my way-"

"No, you're the one I need to talk to," Beverly said, and Adena braced herself. She's already been hung up on today and was NOT in the mood. "Um, first off, I want to thank you for getting Big Bro out, Brandon was working on it, but it would've taken him a couple of days. You did it immediately somehow, so...thank you."

What was crazy was that her father said that Al was still working on it even after Craig got home. So wait, who was it? But hell, she decided to take the credit; she called so many people. Guess they were all in a race at the same time, thankfully. "Well, I needed him out just as much as you did," she said, then decided to be honest, "I love your brother, Beverly. I'd do anything for him. He would for me."

"Aww, that's good to hear. I think he loved you at first sight but won't admit it but, um, hey, let's start over. I talked to Ma, and she's laying off on the whole Gucci debacle. She realized she crossed the line too. Hopefully, soon I can have her apologize in person to you."

"I would like that," Adena said in shock. Wow, she was not expecting this. "Let's start over."

"Great, I'll call you soon about Craig's birthday. It's at the end of the month; wanted to do something big- unless you already have something planned."

"Not yet; I've been planning this Juneteenth event. Once I get a breath, I was going to get on that."

"Oh yeah, he told me about that. Is it true that you got Richard Mayhew coming? Ma is a huge fan of his. I didn't know he was still alive," she said with an embarrassed laugh.

"He is. I'm excited about that because I'm a huge fan of his. He's actually from my Grandma's hometown in Long Island, I never knew that. He's 98 and still painting."

"Wow, well, maybe I can stop by."

"Sure, just let me know, and I'll get you in, free of charge."

"Thanks, Adena; talk to you later," Beverly said, and they hung up. Adena sat in the backseat in awe once more. Did that just happen? Someone taking accountability for pissing her off? It seemed so hard for people to do these days. 

When the car dropped her off, the driver was nice enough to help her out. She thanked him, and he said, "Here's my card if you ever need a ride at a discount or wanna get something to eat. Hit me up, beautiful."

"Um, ok, thanks?" she said as she walked away as fast as she could. 

The doorman chuckled and said, "Pimpin' ain't easy."

"Shut up, Walter," she said with a laugh. Once she got inside, she threw the card away in the trash. She sighed with relief when she walked into their apartment. "I'm home," she said out loud as she tossed her purse onto the couch as usual. She kicked off her flats and walked toward their bedroom. "Do you mind massaging my feet again, babe? I think my feet are swell-"

She then stopped short at what she saw. Craig was sitting at the edge of the bed with a small pile of papers in his hand. He looked at her, and he did not look happy. "You mind explaining this shit to me?" 

*

Being both Fire and Yang, Horses have dynamic strengths and vulnerable egos. They look self-confident but are easily affected by what others think of them.

*


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