Falling Black in Love: Martin & Gina

Falling Black in Love: Martin & Gina

Atlanta, Georgia

Monday.

Gina scanned the restaurant again, but still no sign of Maxine. She scanned the room again, searching for her good friend. Her search was briefly interrupted by the ring of her phone. She fumbled around in her purse for her phone. It was Cole.

“Hey waddup, Cole,” Gina said, answering the phone in a hurry. â€œI am about to sit down for lunch. What’s up?” Cole said nothing.  Gina shifted the phone to the other ear, signaling to the waitress to come over “Cole!?! She snapped. â€œWhat do you want, boy?”

Nothing.

Gina could hear him breathing into the phone but no words were coming out of his mouth. The silence crept up her spine and touched something uncomfortably. Gina, sensing something was wrong, found a table in the corner and took a seat. The waitress spotted her, but just as quickly, was dismissed away with the wave of Gina’s hand. Gina didn’t know what it was, but she knew it was something.  

Something was wrong.

“Cole, baby…” Gina said calmly. Her heart rate picked up slightly as she waited patiently for the words to come out of Coles mouth. â€œYou need to speak. Say something. What’ is wrong?”

Cole began to sob quietly through the phone. Gina’s heart sank lower and lower with each sob that came out of him. “What’s the matter, Cole?” Gina asked pleading. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

Finally, what seemed like an eternity, Cole composed himself long enough to deliver the news.  

“Tommy’s Dead.”