I Love You (Beyond the Dome)

In this short sequel to "Dome Shots", Jaleel and Shad have hit a rough patch in their relationship. 

“Just cancel that card please.” I said to the Middle Eastern sounding woman on the other end of the phone. I massaged my throbbing temples. My credit card had been stolen and $3,000 worth of cash withdraws had been made from it before someone thought it was a good idea to contact me about suspicious activity.

Though I feigned ignorance when asked if I had any idea who might have stolen my card, I knew the answer full well, and it hurt like a mother fucker. Jaleel. He was the only person who could have taken my card. That explained why he hadn’t called me or come to my apartment in over three days.

For the past year and a half, Jaleel, had been doing well. He was clean, close to completing his master’s degree, and had steady employment at the Pump and Pay. Jaleel had also managed to repair the broken relationship with his family, especially his mother whose love and support had made me Jaleel’s second biggest cheer leader.

The problem began two months ago when Jaleel’s mother, after years of not properly managing her diabetes, passed away. There were tale-tell signs that he was either using or heading towards using again, but I ignored them, especially since our sex life remained as hot as it did.

But I should have known:

“Damn nigga, your dick is pretty as hell and shining soon as I open my eyes.” Said Jaleel taking my morning wood into his hand. He swallowed my erection. My toes instantly curled. It had been a nearly a week since Jaleel had spent the night and he had made it clear before falling asleep that he wanted another round of good and nasty in the morning.

 “Nigga, you ready for this ass?” He asked, smiling like the comedy mask.

 “I stay ready.” 

He mounted me cowboy style and rode me like the world was going to end at any minute and he had to have my dick just one last time.

It felt good, so good that I closed my eyes and pretended that I didn’t see a fresh needle mark. I didn’t snatch my bare dick out of his ass and demand to know when he’d started using again and cuss him the fuck out for letting me up in him raw, knowing that his ass was shooting up again. Sometimes a good fuck and the need for an intense nut trumps all logic. That was one of those times.

I came inside him making a mental note that I needed to stop by the clinic and get tested after work. 

He kissed my semi-hard dick before rolling out of bed.

“Damn, Shad, my ass needed that.”

He pulled on his boxer shorts. 

“You want to get a shower?” I asked somewhat disgusted by the large wet circle in the back of his underwear made from my semen seeping out of his ass.

“Nah, I’m about to head to the crib, I’ll wash up there.” 

He pulled on his pants, sneakers, and shirt. He removed his cap and as I would later learn, my credit card, from my dresser and left.

It took three days for me to learn that the man I loved had betrayed the fuck out of me. He didn’t have to do it. Jaleel knew that he could have asked me for anything, and I would have given it to him. That’s what hurt the most, the fact that it was so trifling and unnecessary.

I was pissed off at him, but I still loved him. I know that makes me sound all kinds of stupid, but it is impossible to just stop loving someone, especially when you have fallen as deep in love with him as I had with Jaleel. Plus, I knew that Jaleel was trying to was dull the pain that he was going through from losing his mother.

I was on my way home from work when my cellphone rang. The automated voice from the other end informed me that I was receiving a call from an inmate at a local facility. Hurt and anger made me want to hang up, but love and understanding wouldn’t let me.

“Nigga, I know I am the last person you want to hear from. What I did was fucked up and I am sorry.”

“Why did you do it?”

“Come on, Shad, you know why I did it. I’m fucking up again.”

“But you didn’t have to steal from me. I would give you anything you ask for Jaleel; you know that.” I was crying.

“I’m shit, man. I am shit and I am on that shit which makes me do fucked up shit.”

The automated voice chimed in to inform us that we didn’t have much longer on the call.

“Shad, I know it’s fucked up for me to be asking, but could you please come bail me out. I swear when I get my shit right, I will make this up to you.”

“Yeah, Jaleel.” I cried. I hung the phone up before he had a chance to thank me. I had to pull over onto the side of the road to get myself together. My mother always said that love would make you feel like the biggest fool in the world; Goddamn, if those words weren’t the truth.

“I’m going to make this up to you.” He said hugging me tightly when he was released. He kept making small talk all the way to the car, but I wasn’t in the mood for talking. I was just ready to drop him off wherever and take my ass home. I had already planned to take the next day off maybe go to the spa. This had all become too stressful.

“I am going to drop you off at your crib.” I said icily as I fastened my seatbelt.

“Shad you might as well drop me off on the corner because that’s where I am going to wind up. No, Shad, please, there is this rehab facility in Raleigh, I called, they said if I could make it there before closing, they would have a bed for me.”

“Damn, Jaleel, I’ve got to drive you all the way to Raleigh?”

“Shad it was hard as hell for me to call you after the shit I did. It’s hard as hell sitting here now knowing that I hurt you but I need to get help and if you can find it in your heart to please drive me to this facility, if you don’t want to fuck with me no more after that, I’ll understand, but please, please do this for me.”

“I feel like a damn fool.” I admitted

“You’re not a fool; you’re a good person.”

“I feel like a fool because I love you, Jaleel.”

“Nigga, good as my dome be, you better love me.” The comedy mask was back which pissed me off. This shit was serious.

“Goddamn it Jaleel, I love you beyond the fucken dome. I love you. I am in love with you.”

“Shad, you don’t think I feel the same way. Nigga, I love you to death, I am just fucked up right now and need help so that I can love you and myself the way that we both deserve to be loved.”

“Promise me that you will complete rehab.”

“I promise. In fact, I promise that I am not going to come back around you until I have my shit together again.”

“You got yourself together before.”

“My Mama got to see me doing good before she left this world.” He broke down crying. “Now I am disappointing the fuck out of her all over again.”

“You’re going to get better, Jaleel. You’ve already taken the first step. In just a few more miles we’ll be in Raleigh and you will begin putting your life together again.”

He dried his tears with the back of his hand.

“Yeah, before we get too deep out of town, pull over into the alley behind that abandoned building.”

“Jaleel, I know Goddamn well you don’t think I’m taking you to cop some heroine!”

“Calm down nigga, I ain’t thinking about no needle, I’m thinking about some pipe, your pipe. Niggas go ahead and park so I can give you this dome shot.” The comedy mask had returned to his face. I parked my car in the spot that he had chosen.

“Look at that pretty mother fucker.” He said once my dick was out of my pants. “Right now, this is all I have to give you, but when I am on my feet again, I swear to God, I am going to pay you back for everything.”

I closed my eyes as Jaleel sucked away all my sadness. I would not give up on him as long as he did not give up on himself. This was a stumbling block, but he hadn’t fallen down for good.

I came and he was happy to swallow it. Not caring that his tongue was coated on my semen, I allowed him to kiss me.

“I swear to God, I am going to make shit right for us again.”

“I believe you.” I said as I started the car and headed to take him to begin the journey of repairing his life.

“You want me to go in with you?” I asked

“Nah, Nigga, from this point on, I’ve got to do it myself.” He got out of the car walked a few feet ahead, then turned around and said, “Don’t think I’ma forget that you owe me two dome shots and some ass.” The comedy mass was broader than ever.

“I love you, Jaleel.”

“I love you, Shad, now don’t worry about me, I am going to be alright, just be ready when I return.”

He turned around and walked into the facility, a slinky built blonde woman in scrubs greeted him at the door. He waved at me through the glass window as they rounded the corner.

I backed out of the parking lot feeling confident that Jaleel would once again put his life back together and we would be happy again. I believed in Jaleel; I believed in love.

The End