Game of Chance
Chapter 24
"What?" he said angrily. "I'm not gonna leave her. No fucking way!"
"You're gonna bind her to you, when you're never gonna really commit to her? Shit, you've got a kid, but she don't. Maybe she wants a family."
"She hasn't said anything about that kinda shit!"
"Just 'cause she doesn't say shit, doesn't mean she doesn't think about it. I mean, what if she's plannin' on a real future with you?"
"She isn't!"
"You don't know that. Where do you see her in ten years?"
"With me, of course."
"No kids, though?"
"Hailie's enough for me!"
"What about her?"
"Maybe she doesn't want kids."
"Oh, please. You've seen her with Hailie?"
"Yeah, I have, but…"
"If it's natural, she's gonna want kids of her own."
"We've barely been together a few months, and you've already got us married with kids!" Marshall grumbled.
"A few months between you two is worth more than just a few months. You and I both know that much."
"But still… I mean, Kim and I were together for years."
"Maybe you were together for years before you got hitched because you shouldn't have."
"Careful," Marshall warned.
Curtis dismissed his warning. "Maybe you should have, maybe you shouldn't have. Kim isn't the subject, and neither is your failed marriage! It's the amazing woman you're with right now."
"Amazing, huh?"
"I'd take her if she wasn't yours."
"You had her once."
"Yeah, I did," he replied. "At least think about what I said. She doesn't deserve to be in a relationship where she can't get everything she wants. Whether that be love, marriage, kids, or all three."
Marshall shrugged. "I'll think about it."
"Oh, and Marsh?" Curtis said as he walked out of the room. "Don't forget about the papers. He wants 'em in two days or less. Preferably less."
//
Marshall's heart flip flopped suddenly in his chest as he walked back into the living room; Contessa's hands were running through Hailie's, and they were doing funny twisting things. It was such a typical, motherly scene that it pained him to see Contessa portraying the mother instead of Hailie's actual one. It belied Curtis' thoughts from earlier.
"Hey, we're done."
"Yay!" Hailie replied. "Come watch with us, please?"
"Of course, baby."
//
"Hailie, I'm gonna go make us all some breakfast. You wanna pop in another movie?" Contessa asked as she stood up from the sofa.
"Okies. What's for breakfast?"
"I don't know. Why don't you decide?"
"Hmm," the child thought loudly. "How about French toast?"
"I can do that," Contessa laughed.
"Ooh, I can't wait! French toast is so yummy."
"I agree!"
//
"Marshall, can you help me with something?" she called from the kitchen.
"Yeah, comin'," he replied. "What do you need?"
"What were you and Curtis talking about?"
"It was nothin'," he shrugged, dismissing the subject.
"Nothing my ass!"
"You have to promise not to get mad at me," he started.
"I don't like where this is heading."
"It's not that bad…"
"Spit it out, Marshall Mathers."
"I need you to sign some papers," he mumbled quietly.
"Repeat that, I couldn't hear you."
"I got some papers that you need to sign."
"What for?" she quirked an eyebrow.
"'Cause your voice and shit is in the song. Dre wants to make sure you're credited and get royalties…all that shit."
"So I don't sue you guys later on?" she surmised, holding back a grin.
Marshall grimaced. "Yeah, that's the gist."
"Sure, where are they? I'll sign 'em now."
"I'm afraid to ask why you're being so cool about it."
"It's business. It's not trust, it's business. That's how I'm seeing it, and if you make me seeing it as something personal, then we might run into some problems."
"Business it is!" he replied happily. "You're wonderful," he murmured, kissing her cheek.
"Don't you forget it!"
//
"You're home early," Contessa mused as she greeted him at the door.
"It's six-kinda late."
"I thought you'd be home around eight. So, you're early."
"I could leave-"
"Two hours more that you get to spend with your two favorite girls?"
"Mm, sounds good."
"So, what did you guys do today?" he asked as he sat down on the couch.
"We went to the zoo!" Hailie replied excitedly and jumped on his lap.
"Did you? How was it?" he grinned as he listened to his daughter ramble on about the different animals at the park.
"We had a ton of fun," Contessa added with a smile. "Tomorrow we're going to the children's museum."
"Yeah, Daddy! It would be soo much cooler if you went with us, though!"
"Aww, you know I want to, but I can't. If I go, I'd just ruin everything," he teased.
"Yeah, you and your silly fame!" she replied with a smirk.
The shrill sound of the telephone interrupted their fun. "I gotta take this call-I'll be back in ten minutes or less. Promise," she said and moved to take the call in the bedroom.
//
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, baby?"
"You know Tessa?"
"Yeah? What about her?"
"I really, really like her."
"That's good 'cause Daddy really, really likes her, too."
"She's so much fun, and she likes all the same stuff I do!"
"Really?"
"Uh huh," she nodded her head vigorously. "Do you think she could come visit us sometime?"
"I'll see if I can get her to come," Marshall replied with a lopsided grin.
"Oh, Daddy! You have to get her to come."
"Don't worry about it. Contessa's already in love with you, she'd come for you in a heartbeat."
"I hope so because I love her!"
Author: zines@aol.com
These stories are for entertainment purposes only. They are completely fictitious, and the authors mean no harm to EMINEM, his family, friends, or anyone else that may have been depicted as a 'real life' character. No money was made on the fiction here, either directly or indirectly, i.e. paid advertising. In other words - it's just a bunch of shit we wrote for fun. Please don't take it seriously.