Page 52

“Hassan, I don’t want to fucking talk about my feelings… damn. I’m frustrated, and no I don’t want your help.” I could hear her hand slap a desk for the second time, as I knocked on the door. “Amber, I’m on a call right now.”

I opened the door, poking my head into the office the size of a janitor’s closet. I was looking at the space in the office and trying to figure out how she got behind the desk. “Good thing I’m not Amber.”

“Has, can I call you back?”

He said something to her, and she quickly ended the call. “I’m adopting Mink-Mink.”

The energy that was depleted moments before was restored once she found out who I was adopting. “Seriously? Oh wow… I’m so excited. She’s really a good dog; people overlook her because she was used in dog fighting.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“Yeah… these dogs are my babies. I’ve paid for Mink-Mink’s food out of my own pockets because I didn’t want to put her down. I literally have no choice because when they evict us from here, I have nowhere for them to go, and they will eventually kill them.”

“Who’s helping you with all of this?” I leaned on the door, and looked through my phone, as she struggled to get around the desk.

“Me. This has been a dream since I was a child. Some dreams are better left being dreams… I feel like I’m failing these dogs, and myself.”

I listened to her but was more focused on what I was doing on my phone. “Donating five hundred thousand dollars from the Case Cares Foundation. I would also like to help you find a bigger location where you can properly give the dogs the life they deserve until someone adopts them.”

I caught her as she started leaning. “I’m…What…I..”

“Mink-Mink means a lot to my wife, and I wanted to do something in her honor.”

She looked up at me. “Who is your wife?”

“Navy Bleu.”

She gasped. “Navy volunteers here all the time… I never knew she was married.”

“She don’t even know it yet,” I replied.

Jordan held her chest like she was about to faint because she couldn’t believe this shit was happening for her. I wasn’t into animals like that, but knowing that this dog meant something to Pooh, was important to me.

Just because we wouldn’t have babies didn’t mean we couldn’t have a furry one. “What do I need to do? Do you want your name on the sign?” I could tell that these animals meant a lot to her.

She was in tears as she stared up at me, trying to decide on what to do or say. “Don’t kill those damn dogs… they’re safe. I’m gonna have my realtor source some bigger spaces for them with lots of grass and shit.”

I heard my sister’s heels coming down the concrete floors. “As your lawyer, we’re going to get you more time, because they are trying to evict you without going through the proper channels.”

Jordan put her hands over her mouth. “Why?”

“We ain’t shit… so the least we can do is do something nice.” I nudged Zoya, because why the fuck would she say that.

“I have about five hundred dollars to help with lawyer fees.”

Zoya laughed. “Don’t worry about that. This is on me… a passion project. I am getting my son out of this.”

“Who are you adopting?”

“Bando, come here!” I heard Zoya yell out, and this big ass dog came running toward us. I shoved my ass into the office behind Jordan. “Sit.”

He sat.

“Play dead?”

“He knows that?” Jordan asked, confused her damn self on what the dog knew, and didn’t know.

“Not yet… but he knows sit and stay, so that’s enough.” She walked over toward him and pet his head.

He took his place beside her, like he had planned to pay her back by protecting her life. “Thank you both so much. Do I need to give you my number?”

“I want to take a look at your books… figure some shit out.”

She looked at me like she wasn’t sure. “He’s an accountant,” Zoya confirmed for her. “Can help you out, get you tax breaks and funding beyond Case Cares,” she continued to explain.

“Oh, no problem. I can email you everything.”

We exchanged information and I knew I was going to have gray hair when I looked over Jordan’s books.

She was learning and didn’t know everything that came with having a non-profit.

I was confident that I could get her shit on the right track so that donation wasn’t ate up within seconds.

I came in here for a damn dog and left having a new client and charity to support.

Zoya held the door opened to her new Range Rover, and Bando’s ol’ sophisticated ass jumped up in the passenger seat like he knew what the hell he was doing or knew where he was going.

“If I call you at midnight crying, it’s because he lied to me and he might have to come back to get killed.”

“Zoya, what the fuck?” Amber gasped hearing the words that left her mouth. “She’s fucking around,” I lied, never really knowing what the fuck went through my sister’s head.

I watched as she put the window down, and Bando stuck his head out the window, excited for his freedom ride home. Zoya beeped her horn, slapping her sunglasses on her face, and pulling away from the curb, while I watched and waited for Mink-Mink to come out.

“Chill, Mink… stop pulling me,” I yanked her back slightly, and she settled down. “I get you excited, baby, but you got to chill out. We ain’t gonna see Mommy for a few days,” I spoke to her, as the doorman tried to become one with the back of the door when he saw her.

“Hi, Mr. Caselli… a dog?”

“It’s my girlfriend’s dog,” I replied, walking to the elevator, while holding her tightly. She wasn’t aggressive, but I could see why people would be afraid to walk up on her.

When we made it upstairs, I took the leash off and let her explore her home for the next few days. She followed behind me as I made my way to my desk and powered on my monitors and sat down.

“This is either the sweetest shit I’ve ever done, or the most stupid, but we shall let Pooh decide,” I spoke to nobody in particular, as I checked the accounts and saw the wires from both me and Menace’s account.

I looked over at the documents that Pooh needed to sign and smiled to myself, reaching out to pet Mink’s head. She mushed her head onto my hand wanting more, as I looked down at her.

“You a Caselli before yo’ mama,” I laughed, looking at the paperwork that the shelter had given me when I signed my life on the line for her.