Despite still being extremely beautiful, I could tell life had indeed molded her into a fiercer, harder version of the girl I remembered. El always impressed me with how smart she was. The only reason I never tried her was that I felt like I would ruin her. She was class president from our freshman year until senior year, captain of the cheerleading squad, and our valedictorian. A good girl like that had no business with a hoodlum raised by gorillas. So, I stayed in my lane, which was Starlet. Once she became my girl, there was no need to entertain the idea of El, so I didn’t.
It was good to see her though. However, I hated the situation I found her in. The thought of any man putting his hands on a woman angered me, especially one as small as her. I would never sit around and watch some lame shit like that happen. I was thankful I walked in when I did. Who knows how long the men in that shop would’ve let that go on?
El’s soft hand on top of mine snapped me out of my thoughts. “Relax. I’m sure everything is going to be fine.”
I chuckled. “I was actually thinking about what I walked into back at the shop.”
“Oh,” she whispered. I didn’t miss her hands tightening around the steering wheel.
“When I get situated, I want you to take my number down in case something like that ever happens again. I’ll body a nigga behind you, El.”
She glanced over at me quickly. “Perfect . . .” Her voice was soft and melodic as fuck.
Something about the way she said my name made my heart cave in on itself. I turned to glance out of the window and watch the vibrant green trees blurring by. I needed something to focus on before I ended up getting myself in trouble. I wasfar from a cheater and always had self-control. Looking at my surroundings was safer than looking at her.
I cleared my throat and decided to ask another question that was on my mind since we were talking about the barbershop. “How does a valedictorian become a barber, of all things?”
She giggled, and I turned in time to see her shrug lazily. “I never really had anything I was passionate about. Of course, my parents urged me to pursue something a little more vigorous and challenging, but I don’t know. I kind of fell in love with the idea of doing something most women don’t, and I’m good at it.”
I nodded and grinned. “Hell yeah, you got a nigga looking spiffy.”
Her beautiful smile stretched across her face and even reached her eyes. I swear, she glowed in an ethereal kind of way. “Well, it does help that you’re already handsome. Haircuts enhance what’s already there, like makeup does for women.”
I shook my head with a smirk as we fell into a comfortable silence. I sat up a little when the welcome sign for the town of Macbee came into view. My mouth got a little dry, and my heart started to race a little. I couldn’t believe I was really about to see Star and my son. I’d dreamt of this moment countless times, and now that it was about to happen, I wasn’t sure how to feel other than thankful.
El had put Star’s address into the GPS on her phone before we left the shop, so she took a series of turns, allowing it to lead the way to my family. When we turned on Star’s street, I smiled, seeing all the cars lined up against the road. Even the balloons tied to the mailbox could be seen. El eased in front of the house, and suddenly, I couldn’t move. My eyes remained trained on the front door. There was a plastic covering with a picture of Sterling dressed as the Black Panther with the words ‘Happy Birthday’ above his head. Star never did mediocre, so I wasn’t surprised.
“What’s wrong?” El finally asked when another minute passed of me just sitting there. She eased the car into an open spot on the side of the road, placed it in park, then turned to look at me. “Perfect?”
I snapped out of the trance I was in and looked at her. She seemed genuinely concerned. I ran my sweaty palms up and down the legs of my jeans. “I guess I’m more nervous than I thought I would be.” I dropped my chin to my chest. “I don’t even have a gift for my little man, and this is my first time meeting him.” I allowed my head to slam against the headrest as feelings of failure started to overtake me.
“Hey, hey! Don’t do that. Your presence is the gift, Perfect. He will be happy just to have his father here.”
“He doesn’t even know who I am.”
She placed her tiny hand on top of mine again. “You’re not giving yourself enough grace. You’re home now, so you get the opportunity to know your son and for him to know you too. But you can’t start to build that bond you desire if you don’t take this first step. Forget not having a gift; focus on the fact that the first desire in your heart was to be here with your family. That counts for something, Perfect.”
Her reassurance was exactly what I needed to hear. “Thank you, El, for everything. You really didn’t have to do this.”
She gave me a toothless grin. “I know, but I wanted to.” She broke our tether when she lifted her hand. Suddenly, I felt a little cold, but I ignored it. “Now, get out of here. You have a birthday party to crash,” she joked.
After a smile, I nodded and opened the door to let myself out. I shook all the nerves from my limbs before crossing the street and making the short walk to the front door. I rang the doorbell and waited patiently until I realized no one was coming to the door. I heard chatter from nearby and followed the sound until I got to the back gate.
I opened it, and I swear it was like I stepped into another universe. Star hadn’t shorted Sterling on this experience even a little bit. I was impressed as I walked deeper into the birthday party. Kids and adults were all over the place either talking, eating, playing, or enjoying the photobooth set up in the back corner of the yard. My eyes searched the crowd for Starlet.
It took a while, but eventually, I spotted her by the bounce house. She was calling for Sterling with her back turned to me. I saw the perfect opportunity to sneak up on her. I couldn’t contain my smile as I eased up behind her and placed my hands over her eyes.
“Guess who?” I whispered in her ear.
When she spun around, it was like she saw a ghost. All the color literally drained from her cheeks, and her mouth popped open. “P-Perfect . . . what are you doing here?”
She was frozen in place from shock, making me chuckle. “I’m home, mama. I wanted to surprise you and baby boy for his birthday.” I expected her to rush into my arms, but she remained rigidly in place. “You not happy to see me or something?” I finally questioned when it started to feel awkward.
Before she could respond, Sterling ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. I’d seen pictures of him over the years and still couldn’t get over how much he looked like Starlet. He had her entire face, down to the chubby cheeks.
“Mommy, can I have another slice of cake?”
She was still staring at me, but his voice snapped her out of the trance she was in. “Um, yeah, baby. Go ahead.” He took off running without giving me a backward glance. A little piece of my heart chipped away, but I took a deep breath to settle myself. “You gotta go, Perfect.”
