ONE WEEK LATER

Veronica is doing Yemi's nails at the shop.

"Hey, does your church offer counseling?"

"No, but they have connections with counselors. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah everything is good. I just want to see if I could benefit from speaking to a counselor or therapist to make sure I stay good."

"I hear you. I'll get some information and get back to you."

"Thanks."

A smile suddenly appears on Veronica's face. "Soooo... Kaylin is crushing on you, huh?"

Yemi tries to hide her tight lipped smile.

"Are you feelin' him?"

"I enjoy his company, but I could never date someone I work with."

"Is that the only reason you wouldn't date him?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Honestly, I was hoping you and my cousin would've worked out. I loved how he was when he first met you."

"Well, that ship has sailed, so..."

"Imma pray for you two. 'Cause I still have hope."

Yemi chuckles. "Don't waste your prayer on that. You'll marry one of your boos before Sam and I get back on speaking terms."

"Damn, that's cold."

They both laugh as Veronica finishes Yemi's nails.

___

Sam is in a vacant building, signing papers for his third gym.

"You want me to start the hiring process?" The lawyer asks Sam.

"I'm actually gonna need you to start looking into the best way for me to hire ex-convicts."

"I'm on it."

His lawyer grabs his briefcase before turning to leave.

"Oh, Edward..."

"Yes, sir?"

"Can you also look into representing an inmate by the name of Daniel Gant?"

"What's he in for?"

"I believe they have him there for trying to smuggle an immigrant. But let me know what you find."

"Copy that. I'll give you a call tomorrow."

"'Preciate it."

Edward leaves as Sam takes one last look at his new space.

___

ONE WEEK LATER

"Do any of your friends know this?"

"No."

"Do you want them to know?"

"I don't want anyone to have anything on me where they can later use it against me."

"Has someone done that to you before?"

"Well, recently Briana did. But before her, no one's brought up my family. I've never talked about any of it. Not even to Briana. But she witnessed the incident I had with them."

The counselor nods. "Okay. Well, do you trust your friends?"

"I only have one. But I don't know her well enough to say I trust her. She's been good to me though. I'm still getting to know her."

"What makes her a friend to you, if the trust is not there, yet?"

"Well, she made my birthday special. I haven't celebrated my birthday since before my mom died. So that meant a lot to me."

"What's her name?"

"Veronica."

"Veronica. So how did she make your birthday special?"

"She offered to do my nails for my birthday, after I had to cancel my appointment because of the money situation. I was actually surprised that she remembered my birthday, because we weren't friends then. But then I remembered how differently she treated me from her other clients. So, I figured maybe there was something about me that made her feel comfortable." Yemi smiles at the thought.

"Then after she did my nails, she came outside to check on me. My car wouldn't start and I was just standing there stuck on stupid." Yemi chuckles.

"I wanted to cry, but I didn't. The day did turn around, though, when she invited me to her friend's dinner party. I didn't have any money to go, but she spotted me, and told me that I can pay her back whenever I could. Which I tried to, but just like her cousin, she wouldn't take my money. She also made me celebrate my promotion. I'm assuming that's what friends do."

"She definitely sounds like a friend. She probably sensed what I did when you first walked in here. There's an energy about you that's so pure. It's rare to meet people like that. I mean, it's quicker to sense bad spirits. So when it's easy to sense a good one, that speaks volumes."

Yemi looks down, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Your reaction tells me you have no idea how you come off to people."

"I mean, I get a lot of attention from men. But the only person who's told me something like that is Sam. Veronica's cousin."

"Is this the cousin you mentioned wouldn't take your money?"

"Yeah, that's him. He was with me when I saw Briana throwing my stuff out. He let me rent out a room. And he also bought me some clothes."

"Wait a minute. Let's talk more about this Sam guy. Sounds like a really close friend to me."

Yemi chuckles. "No. He... Sam... He-"

"Wow. He has you speechless."

Yemi laughs harder. "No."

The counselor crosses her leg, wanting to hear more.

"I like him. A lot. But I'm afraid to get close to him."

"Does he know this?"

"That I like him?"

"That. And that you're afraid to get close to him."

"I've never told him, but I think he can tell that I like him. I told him I wanted us to be friends, but he wants more than that. In my opinion, I think he's too broken to be with anyone. He would probably hurt me unintentionally. You know, from trying to protect himself."

"Do you think you're hurting him by protecting yourself?"

Yemi tilts her head, contemplating the counselor's question. "...Oh wow. We're doing the same thing to each other."

The counselor slightly nods in agreement. "If he really is broken and still wants to be with you... it sounds like he's ready to heal. It takes a lot of courage for a broken man to tell a woman he wants to be with her. I bet he trusts you, and wishes you would trust him, too."

"I just can't take anyone else hurting me again."

"Do you eventually want to be in a relationship?"

"I think so."

"Then you're going to have to put that fear to the side. Life is not meant to be perfect, Yemi. You're going to end up broken if you don't step out on faith and fight whatever trial is thrown at you. How do you think people get stronger? They fight. If you run, you'll just keep running and running until you hit a brick wall. Then you'll find yourself having to run back to where you started, just so you can to start all over again until you get it right. Trust me, that process hurts a whole lot more."

"Well, I definitely want to move on from my past."

"And you're manifesting a great future just by saying that. How about you write down what you want in your life. And be specific. Then we'll figure out some goals to get you to those desires."

Yemi nods as the counselor hands her a note pad.

"As you're writing, keep in mind that just like in relationships, friendships take work too."