I rushed out of the restaurant, cursing under my breath as I jogged to my SUV. Jamal’s school had called, and I’d been asked to report to the school immediately since he was involved in a physical altercation. I wasn’t sure what happened, but he was currently sitting in the office with an unhappy principal, so it couldn’t be good.
When I made it to the parking lot, the first thing I saw was a tall black man circling my company truck, clearly trying to see inside. His bald head gleamed as he stretched to inspect the passenger seat.
Clenching my fist around my key, I approached him. “Can I help you with something?”
The stranger quickly straightened, backing away. He watched me silently, dark eyes assessing me.
“Why are you circling my car? Are you trying to steal it?” I glared at him.
“No, ma’am. I was simply mistaken.”
“Mistaken? It looked as if you were inspecting my car for some reason, and I want to know what that reason was!”
“I wasn’t inspecting your car, ma’am.” He didn’t say anymore, turning to walk toward the road as if the conversation hadn’t even happened.
“Wait a minute!” I called after him, huffing when he continued walking as if he hadn’t heard a thing. I wanted to call after him again and see what that wasreallyabout, but I didn’t have the time to deal with it while my nephew needed me.
The drive to the school was tense, my thoughts racing through my head a mile a minute. I spent the whole ride going back and forth between trying to figure out what on earth was going on with my nephew and the reasons that strange man had been peering into my car out of all the other ones that had been parked in the lot.
I didn’t feel any less unsettled until I sat in the principal’s office with an annoyed-looking Jamal slouching in the chair beside my own, glaring at the wall as he listened to the principal talk.
“Miss Sharpe, we’re all here because your nephew has had to be taken out of class today, as he was involved in a fight with another student. As you can see, Jamal is perfectly fine. The other student, however, has a swollen eye and suffered some scrapes on his knee. Jamal claimed that he only got into the fight because he was defending another student.”
I felt a little guilty for feeling so relieved to hear that. I wasn’t happy to hear that Jamal had gotten into a fight, of course, but at least he wasn’t fighting for no reason, and most importantly, he was okay. He wasn’t hurt, and the other kid would be alright too, soon enough.
“Miss Sharpe, we are aware of your current circumstances, and we are terribly sorry for your loss. However, fighting in school is strictly prohibited, and it’s school procedure to remove both children involved from the premises for the day.”
The majority of the drive back to the restaurant was spent with me wondering whether I was doing enough for Jamal and Janiyah in the wake of their parents’ demise. Janiyah seemed to be doing well after the year they’d had, but her brother had become withdrawn. Gran and I had spent a lot of time with him, attempting to put him at ease, help him through the difficult time. We were all doing the best we could, but I couldn’t help the bitter thoughts that traipsed through my mind as I glanced at the boy through my rearview mirror.
Clearly, I’m not doing enough.
Turning off the engine once I was parked in my usual spot in the lot, I turned to Jamal. “So, you know why there’s no time on the console today, right?”
“But Tia Qwinny, Teddy was the one being mean to Simon, and Simon’s my friend!”
“I know, buddy. It’s great that you wanted to help Simon. Teddy shouldn’t have said those awful things.” I tipped his chin up, staring into his tear-filled eyes. “But, as I told you, fighting is wrong, too. You can’t make someone stop being mean by hurting them. That won’t help them to see that what they’re doing is wrong, will it?”
He sniffled. “I guess not.”
I swallowed the tears clogging my throat as I helped him out of the car and wrapped an arm around his shoulders as I guided him into the restaurant.
God, I don’t even know if I’m doing this right. Poor thing, how can I take the place of his parents? I’m feeling my way through the dark in this.
Marlon was cleaning a table near the entrance. He met my gaze with a tight smile. “Hey, guys, table for two? And why aren’t you at school, Mr. Jamal? Didn’t feel well?”
“Something like that. Give me a sec,” came my curt response.
I walked with Jamal to the back and unlocked the door leading to the backroom and our apartment. At the bottom of the stairs, I crouched in front of him. “Hey, I know it’s been a tough time lately, but we’ll get through this, okay? You’re not alone, buddy, I promise.”
He glanced up at me, and the tears in his brown eyes broke my heart. I pulled him into my arms, hugging him tightly. “It’s okay, JJ. I’m right here. Always. I love you and your sister more than anything else in this world.”
Giving him one last squeeze, I rose to my feet, nudging him toward the stairs. “Go on. Granny’s made cookies, you can have that and some milk after your fruits.”
His face brightened, and he skipped up the stairs with my calling after him, “And I don’t want to hear that you and Janiyah have been arguing when I get back!”
Over the next few days, things went back to normal. Jamal returned to school, and he’d returned home to report that Teddy had apologized to Simon for what he’d said. Jamal has also apologized to Teddy for hitting him, and the three boys apparently played together during recess. I was glad that they settled their kindergarten beef, though I had to admonish Jasper for giving Jamal a high five for being the victor in the fight.
Speaking of Jasper, I had no idea what was happening between us. I enjoyed his kisses and spending time with him. It felt like the day wasn’t long enough whenever we’re together. I find myself thinking of him constantly, even though I shouldn’t. His stay in my life is temporary.
