Ethic 5

by Ashley Antoinette

God sits a person down sometimes when they need to rest. When you’re doing too much…God will come and take your legs right from under you and give you a little nap. She’s resting.

Facts

God is in the miracle-granting business,”

Amen

He could clear the danger out of her path. He was stuck between the blood that coursed in his veins, the DNA he couldn’t help, and the blood that pumped his heart. Morgan made his heart race. She gave him purpose. He would never not choose her. No matter how difficult of a decision it may be. He would lay anybody to rest for her. Over her. Because of her. Morgan was justification enough to commit murder and condemn his soul to hell. He didn’t give a fuck, as long as she was covered. He knew his mistakes made him less of a man.

“Life is never easy with me, Lenika. I’m sorry it’s so hard. I’m sorry I can’t give you simple. You deserve simple.”

She doesn’t want to, you don’t want to, but she has to. It’s not an option. You’re her parent. That comes with tough decisions. You have a phenomenal heart and you want to see them happy. But being a parent is about more than just giving them everything and saying yes to everything. You have to make the hard decisions that may not feel so good right now but will build her up in the long run. She needs this.

wrapped up in a man, losing all sense of self, and she could never understand it - until now.

She was naturally bossy. Assertive. He would enjoy breaking her in, dominating her, earning the right to lead her. It took a lot more than good sex to get a woman like Alani to submit. He was up for the challenge. He looked forward to it, in fact. It would take some patience to find their natural roles and then adjust them to each other’s comfort

He was a man who gave his woman his full attention - every time. No staring at a phone screen while she spoke, no half-listening with unenthused responses. He focused on her, not just absorbing her words, but responding to the language her body spoke as well. “Should

“That first heartbreak feels like it has the power to ruin the rest of your life. When she realizes another man can come along and make her feel the same, she’ll be fine. You only mourn the loss of a good man. Losing a nigga that ain’t shit is a win. She’s young. She’ll learn,”

Alani wasn’t new to heartbreak. She had been hurt before. Men had cheated before, but that disloyalty cut differently when you didn’t see it coming. It burned more when you put a man on a pedestal and he hopped off that bitch with disregard. She had chipped away ever piece of bitterness that had weighed down her heart, just to make sure she loved him right, and now she remembered why she had it up in the first place. Men were no good for her. No matter how much they pretended to be, somehow, Alani always ended up hurt. Niggas ain’t shit. She looked up at the house

you? I can’t trust you. No way do you love me like I love you, because all I see is you.

forcing herself to go cold…putting her heart in a box that she planned to hide. She had done it before, she could do it again. She could compartmentalize what she felt for him. Deny herself of him. Be without him. Her heart was already breaking.

When you’re asleep, or cooking, or fussing at one of my babies, I take a minute and I look at you. Then, I touch you, and like fucking magic, whatever the problem was is gone. I find so much clarity when I look at you. The thought of not being able to look at you…” Ethic blew out a heavy breath and rubbed both hands down his wavy head. “The shit has been a privilege, Lenika. Loving you. A fucking honor, yo,” he said.

“I speak from the heart, Morgan. When I’m feeling godly, I speak God’s word. When I’m feeling my flesh, you get a different man,” he said.

No one was good enough for Ethic’s love. The way he did it, the way he gave his all…the way he covered his woman under an umbrella of complete love, was a thing of beauty. It was like watching a sunset. Seeing Ethic love Alani was like watching the sun go down over the Grand Canyon. It took Morgan’s breath away. It made her angry that people couldn’t see love when they looked at

You never let another person value you more than you value yourself. People come into our lives and we’re lucky to have them while they choose to stay. We enjoy the time they’re here, but when they leave, they leave, and you must be okay with it being just you again because nothing’s promised. No moment,

present, is guaranteed. If you only got to love him for one day, you should appreciate that day. If you only felt his love for a second, you got to sit back and think, damn, that was a glorious second and I’m grateful for the time we had. You don’t discount the value in the moments afterward when you’re alone, because you have to love the time you spend with you just as much. You’ve got to love you more than anyone else loves you. Shit is wild that you can’t see what other people see when they look at you.”

“I see a broken girl. I see pieces of you that are shattered because a man dropped you, but the pieces shine. They’re really beautiful.”

“You can’t leave your pieces all over the floor, Mo. You pick your shit up. You put your shit back together and you live to love another day. We don’t always get the explanations or apologies we deserve. People don’t always love you right. The only thing you can control is how you love yourself. Love you, Morgan. Love yourself hard. Over-love you and don’t apologize for it. That way, when someone is under-loving you, when they’re not serving