Nothing Lasts Forever

Shauntrell Marisoul Jamison, also known as Soul, is a woman who knows what she wants and how she wants it. She also knows what she doesn't want; and that is a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. As a matter of fact, in her mind, her world, that emotion doesn't exist. She likes (well, more like loves) the opposite sex. She just doesn't have any love for them in her heart. She refers to it as the L-word. While working at one of the gas stations owned by her family, she meets Dray Lee when he comes into the store to get something to drink. As soon as she sees him, she knows she wants him. Knowing her affect on the opposite sex, she counts on that to get her what she wants from him. She's bold and blunt, but her womanly wiles don't work with this man she finds out soon after meeting him. It's going to take much more than showing her interest and smiling at him. At the beginning, he lets her know what he wants, what he's looking for; and what he's looking for is something she doesn't want; a relationship. However, not only does she find herself in a relationship with Dray, she finds herself in a monogamous relationship with him; and for the first time since becoming an adult, she finds herself with a significant other. Throughout the relationship, Soul refuses to give more than she's willing to offer. Her grandmother refers to her as the emotionally challenged one in the family. Soul doesn't see herself as emotionally challenged though. She just sees herself as a woman who loves sex and has no problem admitting that that's all she wants from a man. There are too many men in the world to settle for just one. So, why is she still with Dray? Why can't she just let him go? What's keeping her from doing so? She doesn't know and she doesn't want to know. While having a conversation with her father, Soul's heart almost tears in two when her father says that she is more like her mother than he thought. Those words were something she never wanted to hear because she never wanted to be like her emotionless mother. She knows her father was not trying to hurt her, but his words did nonetheless. He then tells her that he does not want her to make the same mistakes her mother made with the opposite sex. Little does Soul realize that she is making the same mistakes, except her mother was out for something totally different.