Capricorn
Chapter 31

Historical Capricorn's (Male):
*  Alexander Hamilton (1st US Secretary of Treasury)
* Martin Luther King Jr. (Leader of the Civil Rights Movement)
* Muhammad Ali (Boxer & Athletic Icon)
* Steven Hawking (Fundamental Physics Prize Recipient)

*

"Well this is where I leave you," Craig said as he and Adena stood a few feet away from TSA at the airport. He handed her a carry-on bag, they already checked her other baggage. 

Adena was catching her flight to San Francisco for the Art Fair. Her first solo Art Consultant assignment. She was really excited about the opportunity but her excitement dimmed some knowing that Craig couldn't come with her. She fantasized about this as being their first excursion outside of New York together. Their first vacation together. But it was probably for the best. They were taking things slow. They weren't officially an item but deep down they both felt exclusive to each other. They were just taking their time. Both weren't going anywhere, figuratively.

"Yeah I gotta go," she said with a pout.

"No, smile. This is a good thing. This is your first big gig. All you have to do is celebrate it. This is the first of many, don't worry."

"Yeah but I'm missing your first big gig. I want to be there and celebrate it with you."

"As I said, this will be the first of many, don't worry. You'll catch the next one. We might as well start getting used to it. We'll hopefully be traveling for work and doing big gigs from now on. A new normal for us."

"Us," Adena said with a smile. Craig wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close while she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tippy toes to hug him back. 

Craig forced himself to let go. "Ok you gotta g-" but he couldn't finish his sentence because Adena interrupted it by kissing him. He immediately returned it. His arms were back around her waist, pulling her closer. 

Damn, he loved kissing her. Kissing her was an experience in itself. Each one was electric whether it was a peck or a french kiss. They literally charged him up. 

They also charged him up in other ways but that would be going too far. "Girl go on before I make you miss your flight" he chuckled as he adjusted his pants. "We can't have what happened the other night."

Adena chuckled and blushed. "Ok, I'm sorry. I'll just miss you that's all." This was technically going to be the longest they would be apart from each other since Valentine's Day.

"I'll miss you too. It'll be Sunday before you know it. Text me when you land?"

Adena nodded. "One more hug?" she asked and he rolled his eyes playfully and wrapped his arms around her waist again. When she had the chance she went in for the kill and kissed him again and they were back where they started.

"Get a room," a little kid said as he walked by. Adena winced when she saw the frown on his face.

"Guess we need to get a room," she said as Craig flicked him off behind their back. She swatted his hand. "Craig! He's just a kid!"

"I know, I was flicking off his grandmother with her judgmental ass," he said. "But the kid is right. Go, have a safe flight" he said as he stepped back from her. She picked her carry-on off the floor, blew him a kiss, and then walked through the ropes. "Pin me your location!" he shouted and she held a thumbs up and blew him another kiss. He stood there until he couldn't see her anymore. He sighed as he scratched the back of his head, "Fuck" he said to himself as he started walking towards the exit.

They were really trying to take things slow but emotionally, physically, and mentally they were already acting like a couple. They were in the honeymoon phase already. Big smiles, and can't keep their hands off each other, texting and calling each other throughout the day. It may be too late for taking it slow.

But if that's what she wanted, he'll give her that. He'll wait as long as it takes. He's done this plenty of times before. This time feels different though. He thought he was going crazy for feeling the way he felt so soon. 

If this were a movie, this would be the part where the guy dances around and sings about his feelings and everyone in sight magically knows all the dance moves. 

This wasn't a movie. This was real life; even when it didn't feel like it. 

Meanwhile, Adena's group was the last to board but it didn't matter because she had an assigned seat. Since it was a 9 pm flight, the plane wasn't as packed. She found her seat and hoped she could keep both seats to herself. She put her carry-on in the overhead compartment above her seat, settled in, and put her seatbelt on. She sighed and relaxed. She then felt like she had eyes on her. She looked next to her and sure enough, the judgmental grandma and her grandson were across the aisle looking at her. She had the urge to stick her tongue out at them or something silly like that but decided to ignore them. She just smiled back at them. Instead of the aisle seat, she decided to scoot over and sit by the window instead. Now there were 3 feet between them. She put on her shades and got out her phone. She snuck a picture of the judgmental duo and texted it to Craig.

guess who's going to san fran with me? 🤣

hope they don't get any pretzels bc they're already salty 🙄🙃

Adena chuckled to herself: Miss you already 😩

miss you more 

fly safe, text, call if you get bored

The flight attendants were making their announcements and she put her phone on airplane mode for the time being. She sighed, she hoped this wasn't a long weekend.

*

Whatever Capricorns choose to do, it must be respectable and increase their chances of being admired or honored.

*

It was 3 am when Adena texted him that she landed and sent him her location. He was still up, he was spinning at another one of his usual clubs and was about to head home. They Facetimed and she showed him her hotel room. It actually was really nice. He basically talked her to sleep since it was midnight where she was now. 

"Get some sleep, you got the Grammy's tomorrow, well tonight," she said as she yawned, "The Grammy's wow, I can't believe I'm saying that," she said with a sleepy smile.

"I can't believe it either. It hasn't hit me yet. It won't hit me until I'm there."

* Later that night...

Craig's palms were sweaty as he saw some celebrities that actually came on time. It was now hitting him. It was 9 pm and Craig was currently in the Hamptons about to spin his first Grammy party. He wiped his palms on his pants again. He was playing a few of the artists that were nominated until the party got popping and he would play the bangers later. He cracked his neck, shook out his hands, and his feet, and took a deep breath. A bottle girl came and gave him a whole bottle of Hennessy, who was sponsoring the party. Everyone was drinking it. He poured himself a shot and downed it. He then poured himself another and downed it. 

"Don't tell me you're nervous" a voice said behind him. He smiled and turned around, his eyes widened in surprise. His sister, Beverly, was standing there with a drink and her boyfriend was with her. 

"You came!" he said in surprise and gave her a hug. Whenever he was out in the Hamptons, he would always invite his sister to wherever he went. Most of the time she wouldn't show. She would be busy or just busy avoiding him. Their relationship has been different since Amanda's death. Beverly never came back to the city. It hurt too much for her. She would never leave the island unless it was to another state altogether. He noticed a pattern with her. If it was just for lunch or a small, intimate event, she would decline but if it was for big events like this, especially if he was working, she would more than likely show. He felt it made her more comfortable that way. One-on-ones and small get-togethers would force them to talk about Amanda, they never talked about her. They barely spoke to each other at her funeral, they were both too inconsolable. Beverly and her boyfriend left the day after and he didn't see her for a good year or so after that. 

Deep down he felt she blamed him.

He understood. 

He blamed himself too.

They just refused to speak about it.

Craig dapped up her boyfriend. He was rich, like most in the Hamptons. Privileged, never a worry in the world. Father who worked on Wall Street. Mother who just relaxed by the pool shopped and held big charity fundraisers. Their son, Brandon, surprisingly didn't follow in his dad's footsteps which caused a rift but once his startup company started making more money, his Father backed off. They had another son that unfortunately would have to work on Wall Street if he liked it or not. Brandon and Craig were cordial. They weren't friends but Craig respected him as long as he took good care of his baby sister. He did. Their Instagram pages were lavish. She didn't have to want for anything.

She deserved it after all they'd been through. Craig was happy for her.

"Thanks for coming," he said as he dapped up Brandon. "Just relax and have a good time. Drinks on the house." Beverly smiled and raised her glass. Brandon did as well. Craig poured himself another shot and raised his.

"To big Bro," Beverly said. She'll never realize how much those three words meant to him. They toasted and Craig downed his shot. He made a loud exhale. "You got this Bruh, just like that infamous basement party," she said to him. He laughed at the memory. He put his arm around her and kissed the side of her head. She tried to pull away. She wasn't much of a hugger or a kisser anymore.

Soon the party picked up, all the music execs, A&R, record label heads, and all the people behind the scenes that made the most money were there. Then, musicians, singers, and celebs started to show up. He played it off and tried not to be too starstruck. He wondered if his favorites would show. 

When the Isley Brothers walked in, Craig stared at them in awe. He was a fan but not as big as Adena was. Ooof, she was gonna be pissed that she missed this. 

The party was going well when one of the promoters approached him and whispered in his ear. "Really?" he asked back.

The MC they hired missed their flight and couldn't make it. They needed a replacement. 

"Ok, I-"

"Here's the itinerary, just introduce each person and keep the music going and in between. I'll make sure to cue you. Simple" the promoter said as he patted Craig on the back. "Thanks, man."

Ok, now he was nervous.

*

Capricorns can also be found on the radio, the news, and in television interviews.

*

Despite the big last-minute change, the party was going well. Now everyone in the room at least knew his name and his voice, he was now more than 'that DJ up there.' His sister was also having the time of her life and got to take quick selfies with her favorite singers.

"That was the infamous Tito Jackson, everyone," Craig said on the mic as the crowd clapped and cheered. Tito and his band left the stage. "We all gotta make sure and support each other so yes pick up his solo project. He is a legend. That Jackson name is a legend" he said as he looked for the promoter. He usually popped up and told him to keep going or play something. So, he kept going. "Now we can't talk about any of the Jacksons and leave the others out. Everyone practically went solo in their family. Jermaine, Rebbie, Latoya. Let's keep that Jackson flow going and dance to our favorites, get out your seat!" he said. He reached over to press play and started to play a 20-minute set that sampled almost every song by all of the Jacksons.

And the crowd loved it.

The night was a major success after that. He got to speak with LL Cool J, who was his idol. He gave him his card, and he also spoke to the Isleys and other celebrities. His Instagram was gonna be lit when he posted these!

At the end of the night, which also meant early morning, Craig walked into a dressing room where the promoter was waiting for him. Beverly and Brandon tagged along. You always need someone to witness when these sleazeballs paid you sometimes. He handed him the cash and Craig counted it. It was all there. He counted again just in case.

"You're paying him twice right? He was also the MC, he should get what your other MC was getting" Beverly piped up. Craig looked at her with a smirk. She sounded like Adena just then. Also, the Brooklyn in her came out for just those few seconds. He was relieved, she hadn't completely changed.

The promoter sighed. "Fine," he said and took another envelope out of the inside of his jacket. "That's what I was paying Cedric, now it's all you."

Craig looked inside the envelope. "Ok, that works."

"Nice doing business with you," the two said as they shook hands.

The three of them walked out and he shoved Beverly playfully. "There's the Beverly I know," he said with a smile. Beverly just blushed and waved him off. Brandon was shocked by the whole exchange, never seeing that side of her.

"So how much did you get?" Beverly asked. Craig smiled as he took out the envelope that said 'Cedric' on the front. He opened it and she gasped at the amount. Brandon just smiled.

"25 grand," Craig said with a huge smile. 

Beverly jumped up and down. "Invest that money, don't spend it all at the strip clubs Craig. I know how you are."

"Well, you don't know me too well then. I don't even do that shit anymore."

"Follow us home" Beverly offered. The sun was just about to come out. "Sleep it off here."

Craig smiled, a lightbulb turning on in his head. "Nah I gotta get home. I got a busy day tomorrow."

"Be careful" Beverly said sternly and the two were silent. The expressway he was gonna get on was where the...well you know.

"Don't worry. I'm fine" Craig said, sobering up some. He gave her a hug and dapped up Brandon. "Love you, sis," he said as they walked away. 

"Love you, big bro," Beverly said as she turned around and blew him a kiss, and gave him a thumbs up. Just like Adena did at the airport.

Craig got into his rental and headed home with newfound energy. Getting paid practically 10x more than he signed up for will do that to you.

*

Generally, Capricorns make good bankers, systems analysts, and accountants. They're usually very responsible when it comes to money, whether it is theirs or anyone else's.

*

"I'm going to catch up with some people," Kathy LeVeau told Adena as they walked into the Arts Center the next day for the actual showing and exhibit. Kathy was one of the artists at their Valentine's Day showing. Adena was relieved to see someone she actually knew. They ran into each other at the mixer the night before. Kathy had a red mohawk the last she saw her. Now her mohawk was a platinum blonde. She had on a purple tank top, green cargo pants, and Doc Martens that were covered with splatters of paint. She had a pound of different necklaces on of different lengths, bangles up each arm, and rings on every finger. She had 8 piercings in each ear and her right eyebrow was also pierced. She had on red 1950s-style rimmed glasses and her short stubby nails were all painted black.

"No, go ahead. I'm fine" Adena said. Kathy walked off and Adena started to walk around, analyzing and critiquing every piece of art that was being shown. It was easier to strike up conversations with people when they had some actual art in front of them to talk about. Adena had a lot more confidence this time because of that and knowing that Kathy was also here, though loud and crazy, in case she needed to be saved. 

It was refreshing that she didn't have to dress in layers, even if it was just to go around the corner. She wore a shoulder-less flowing floral top with brown leather pants and heels. It was warm enough out that she didn't have to wear a coat at all. She breathed in the fresh air as she stood on the deck of the Arts Center, she looked down at the sailboat harbor below and a few boats approaching the dock to be anchored. She looked up and to her right and there was the infamous Golden Gate bridge. She took a few pictures for the gallery's website and social media and some for her personal as well as the sailboat harbor. She also took a selfie with the bridge as a perfect background. She took a few more selfies, it was golden hour 24/7 here and her pictures looked good without a filter. A text from Craig came through and she smiled as she replied to him.

She wished Craig was here. He would help her to relax. He was also good at introducing her to people and starting conversations. She had to be a big girl now. She really missed Craig, they texted each other all day but she decided to not bother him now that she was here. She was working. She had to be focused. She walked around and came up to the bar. "What can I get you?" the bartender asked.

"Just wine. White" she said. The bartender handed her a small cup of white wine and she sipped on it. She walked around again looking at more pieces, she nodded her head to the jazz music that played on the speakers. Too bad they didn't hire a DJ for this.

Craig would be perfect.

She shook herself out of it. Focus.

She then saw a painting that caught her eye. It was a Black couple in a close embrace. The man had the woman scooped up into his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist. He was kissing her neck and her head leaned back in pleasure. She had a passionate look on her face, though her eyes were closed. The man was shirtless and his back was partly in front of the viewer but angled so you could see the woman's lithe body sitting in his arms. She had a powerful, huge black afro, he had a clean, brown bald head. Both of them were chocolate brown. She liked it, it was tasteful. They weren't naked. He had baggy jeans on and his body was angled enough to cover the woman up. She then saw another painting she liked, there was a collection of 3 paintings and they all belonged to one artist. The initials read R.H.

"That one's called My Muse," someone said and she turned around. A man who almost looked exactly like the man in the painting, except he was fully clothed, stood there.

"This is yours?" she asked him. She shook his hand and introduced herself. His name was Raymond Hines. They soon got to know each other and they had a long chat about his work and art in general. "Do you mind sending me some prints so I can send them to my boss? Our gallery needs work like yours. It's beautiful."

"You're an art dealer?"

"I am," she said with a smile.

"Sorry, you just look so young."

"I learn quickly."

"Well, it's refreshing to find an art dealer who isn't old and White."

"It's refreshing to see work like yours, and nothing about this is old or White."

"Where's your gallery?"

"New York City. Donatella's."

"Donatella? The sculptor? Wow, she's amazing. She's done a few lectures at the Art Institute. You work for her?"

"Yes," she said and he looked at her impressed. "So how about it? I can send Donatella herself your work and we can talk about it over brunch