“I guess so,” was all I could think to say. Anything else would have me disclosing my parent’s business to this woman, who probably couldn’t care less. A moment of silence passed between us before Ms. Barnes spoke.

“I often wished for a two-parent household when I was raising my sons alone after their dad was killed when Kellon was just a baby.”

I felt a pang of empathy pass through me. I knew about Kellon’s brother passing away, but I didn’t know about his father. That was a lot of grief for one person to have.

“You did an amazing job with them, Ms. Barnes. You raised two NFL stars, so kudos to you.”

“Thank you, baby,” she replied softly. I could hear the pride in her voice as the car slowed to a stop. My eyes darted back out the window, and a row of high-end stores appeared. My eyes lit up.

“Is this Fifth Avenue?” I asked.

“Yes, it is, and I have my son’s black card with strict orders to get what we want!” She displayed a black credit card, sporting a million-dollar smile.

I chuckled, feeling both relaxed and overwhelmed. Accepting this treatment from a man I’d just met didn’t feel right.

“This is a lot. I could grab a few things from Rainbow, or better yet, I could have my bestie bring me a few items.”

Ms. Barnes stopped to stare at me. She had a puzzled look on her face.

“Word of advice… When a man offers to get you nice things, be skeptical, but accept them, chile. You always deserve it.”

I nodded, taking in her words as we exited the vehicle, and then I realized I was on one of the best shopping streets in the country. I scanned the block and took it all in. What had my life become?

“Are you ready, honey? There is money to spend.”

I nodded as we entered the first high-end store together. I marveled at how clean and sleek everything was. Back home, I’d been in luxury stores, but none were this nice.

“Go ahead, honey. Look around. I see some items that got my name all over them,” she said before walking away and leaving me alone.

I peered around, trying to figure out where the plus-size section of the store was but came up empty.

“Hmmm.” I exhaled deeply as I moved around the store, checking the racks. A frown creased my pretty forehead. Everything was beautiful, but like most high-end stores, there were nothing in my size. I sighed in disappointment and embarrassment.

“And why haven’t you picked anything yet?”

Ms. Barnes approached me with a handful of clothes in her hand. I thought about lying and saying I didn’t find any of the clothes appealing, but that would only make me look snooty.

“Um, It’s just... I don’t see anything in here in my size.”