Tariq was still playing his part, even though our time together was more limited than ever before because I had been traveling a lot more pursuing my various long-distance relationships. O had been keeping tabs on me after he realized he wasn’t the only cute motherfucker with cash. He had started spending more money on me, especially since he came up on a promotion. His opponent, the only other big-time dude in Delaware, had been killed, so O took over the whole state. Shawn was my getaway dude. Whenever I wanted to bounce, I called him and he would invite me on the road with him. He had been busy boxing, making money, and trying to be a champ. In the meantime, though, he sent me a credit card with a nice limit on it, and he made sure I never saw a bill. Throwback was my chat line buddy. We used up a hell of a lot of night and weekend minutes feeling each other out. We had become interested in each other on a different level than physical attraction. We liked each other’s conversation.Things were looking up for Tina and me.
