“Need it for what?”
“This lady I’m seeing,” I say honestly.
“That’s what this really is about,” she says, tapping the table while nodding in understanding. “Somehow he done got wind of you on this date and he feels some type of way about it.”
“But why though?” I ask. I figured that much out myself, but the shit doesn’t make any sense. “Toya’s been gone for five years.”
Every time I talk out loud about my late wife, all the emotions I usually keep bottled up inside come out in some form or fashion. Today, the emotions have me pacing the room as she tries to explain her point.
“Please, Vaughn. You know that boy is a little touched, somewhat vindictive, and a lot jealous. He ain’t worried about protecting his sister’s memory, and if he is, you aren’t doing anything wrong. You loved and honored her while she was here… treated her real good. And I know you still love her, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop living.” My mom says all the things I told myself today when I found myself wanting more. More information about Cori and more of her smart ass mouth. So much more that I still feel bad entertaining the shit. “Do hear what I’m saying, Vaughn?” my mom asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Nah, what did you say?”
She shakes her head, annoyed that she has to repeat herself because I got lost in thought for a moment.
“I said she loved you just as hard as you loved her and I know for a fact that she wouldn’t want you out here living alone for fear of forming an actual connection with someone.”
Instead of responding I nod in agreement. I don’t have to guess if that’s what Toya wanted because before she passed she’d told me the same thing in so many words. I just never felt the need to abide by the shit and the only reason I’m choosing a different path than I originally planned is because Cori fell in the way.
Chapter 7
Cori
“He what?”
The look on Sheena’s face as she peeks her head out of the door of my closet is as expected. She’s never been one for foolishness or frugality when it comes to a man getting her attention, and as my friend, she expects me to live by the same set of rules.
“He took me to The Diner on the south side, the Parade of Homes Tour, then…”
“Nope. Stop right there.” She shakes her head, not even letting me tell her how the rest of the date played out. “You lost me at The Diner.”
“The Diner was nice,” I say, thinking back on my original reaction to the restaurant while judging Sheena for hers.
“I’m sure it was, compared to the Parade of Homes Tour. You’re probably giving him credit for feeding you too, but I ain’t. This is some low-budget side piece shit that them podcast bros be raving about. At least tell me the dick was first class.” I laugh while she’s still in her spot, looking at me with a straight face, waiting for my answer. When I don’t give her one, her eyes go wide in disbelief. “You can’t be serious right now. Was the dick trash too?”
Her assumption makes me laugh even harder, so hard all I can do is shake my head in response, leaving her even more frustrated and confused as she leans closer to me like she’ll find the answers by proximity.
“So you’re saying… it… was… good?” she asks, dragging out every word, waiting for me to confirm or deny.
“I’m not saying a thing. You’re already clowning the man for having a thoughtful and original idea. I’m not giving you any more ammunition to keep going.”
I take the maxi dress out of her hands while she’s busy dissecting my words, trying to decide if the dick was in fact trash. When she realizes I took the dress, she follows me with her eyes as I put it back in the closet, obviously annoyed but not saying a word until I’m back in the room.
“He must’ve done something right for you to be defending him this hard,” she says, still searching for an answer to her question.
“I wouldn’t say all that, but I’m just not gonna let you slander the man when I honestly had a nice time.”
“There goes that word again. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a good dick down that would be considered nice,” she says as she scrunches her face in disgust at my word choice.
“Will you stop? We only had one date. There was no dick down.”
I know I said I wasn’t gonna say anything, but the words are out of my mouth before I realize it, and Sheena freezes then dramatically studies me like she’s seeing something for the first time before laughing to herself.
“So you really like this man?” she asks, confused and unconvinced by the thought, and I give her an honest answer.
“Yes.”
My response comes without hesitation, so naturally I can feel a smile form on my face that’s so infectious it has Sheena genuinely smiling too.
