BRUCE LEE CALLED… BUT I GOT ZO

So today, my phone rings. And of course, it’s him. Lorenzo.... I call him Brent. That’s what his mama named him. Not a nickname, not a persona. just plain old Brent, but somehow he thinks he’s some kind of smooth operator five years later.

Quick recap for context: I met Brent, back in college. Club, Friday night, loud music, everybody dancing like tomorrow doesn’t exist. He asked me to dance. I danced. That was it. That should have been it. But no. He spent the rest of the night hovering. Every song. Every corner. Every glance in my direction. I don’t know if he thought persistence equals charm, but to me? LOSER ENERGY.

Fast forward five years. I’m minding my business. I see his number pop up.. Brent....My first instinct? Ignore. No. My second instinct? Curiosity kills the cat, Leata. So I call back.

And this is how it goes, in my head first, because obviously the real conversation is like a rerun of bad 2005 rom-com dialogue:

Me: Hello?
Brent: Hey…
Me: …Who?
Brent: It’s your future.
Me: …Your future what? 
Brent: Your future husband.
Me: That’s odd, because I haven’t commissioned one yet.
Brent: Never say never…
Me: OK, I don’t even know you anymore. Explain why you’re in my life now.
Brent: Call me back.
Me: Click

And just like that, he doesn’t even realize that my patience expired five years ago.

Here’s the thing. I don’t engage with ghosts of my past. I don’t return calls from men who clearly mistook persistence for worthiness. If I wanted your attention, Brent, I would’ve called. But I didn’t. Because I’m not waiting for someone to figure it out after half a decade.

So, here I sit, monologuing into the void like a queen speaking to a court of ghosts. And to you, Brent, whoever you are today, hoping for another chance:

I am not your puzzle to solve. I am not the rebound to validate your delayed ego. I am a sovereign presence, and if you don’t recognize that, your name "Zo", Lorenzo, Brent, whatever—is irrelevant.

Consider this a public service announcement:
Step off.
Move on.
Stop calling.

Because while you’re rehearsing your lines, I’m building a life that doesn’t pause for your confusion. And somewhere between all that, the universe is quietly laughing. At you.

End scene.