After listening to the voicemail from her daughter, I became even more curious and the next thing I knew, I went through the entire phone. It’s a flip phone and very basic. It has a few text messages but no pictures. From the basics, I quickly learned her name, Beverly Mitchell, and that changed everything. The lady I’d left at the hospital was no longer a stranger and the guilt I was feeling got heavy as fuck. It practically crippled me when I learned she’d died.
“Whose old ass phone is that?” I hear, causing me to look up.
It’s Narissa, to my surprise. She’s holding a bag in her hand and walking into my office. We didn’t have plans today, so I don’t know what’s up.
While placing the phone back into my desk drawer, I say, “I found it in the restroom. The lost and found is in here,” I lie. “But what are you doing here?”
“Since you snuck out on me early this morning, I thought I’d bring you breakfast. Well, early lunch,” she says with a grin.Then she walks in and places the bag on my desk. She stares into my face then asks, “What’s wrong? I can’t be back here?”
“Just caught off guard,” I admit. She and I have been kicking it since that night but it’s just been on some fuck and chill shit. This…this pop-up at my job shit with food ain’t really us. I haven’t even been back to her job, McCall’s. “We don’t do lunch.”
As if she didn’t hear shit I just said, Narissa steps behind my desk, leans in, and kisses the side of my face. “It’s just food. You gotta eat and so do I before I go in. I won’t take up too much of your time. Besides, they have my car. I’m stuck until she’s clean.” She pecks the side of my face again then walks back to the other side of my desk. “It’s Smokey’s,” she says when she sits. Then she pulls out two containers and two bottles of coke. After checking both, she passes me one. “I got you brisket; you don’t eat pork, right?” she asks.
“Yeah, I don’t. Thanks,” I say, a little taken aback that she knows that because, again, this shit isn’t us.
As if reading my thoughts, she says, “I cooked bacon twice, and when I asked if you were hungry, you said no.”
“Bet,” is all I say.
The truth is not only do I not eat at everybody’s house, I also wasn’t trying to have a meal with her. Narissa is cool. I really like kicking it with her and her head is fye but I’m not trying to be in a relationship. Right now, I’m about my business and trying to open up my second location on the northside. I don’t have time for any relationship and eating together is very much relationship shit.
“You eat beef?” she asks with so much concern in her tone.
“Yeah, I fuck with it, especially Smokey’s brisket. Thank you,” I tell her. This definitely wasn’t expected but I’m not a mean man. She bought me food and I am hungry. However, before I eat it, I reach into my pocket and pull out a bill. I place it on the desk. “I can’t have you buying me food though.”
While grabbing the c-note, she says, “You didn’t have to give my money back but thank you.”
She digs into her box and I sanitize my hands then open my box. She got me the brisket, potato salad, and smoked corn. Shit looks good as hell and my stomach growls on cue.
As I eat, even though Narissa is here and looking good, my mind is stuck on Adora and her message. She’s been leaving voicemails almost every day for her mom. The number hasn’t been disconnected. I also found an old charger that I use to keep the battery full. Listening to her soothes something in me I can’t explain but it’s just not about me. It’s her and her loss. I was there; I tried to help her mom, and now, I just want to help her somehow.
Since that night, Kadean has insisted Miss Beverly ran him off the road and caused the accident but, I don’t know if I can trust that. I love my little brother but I also know he’s reckless. If there’s something wrong and he’s around, nine times out of ten, his ass is involved or caused the problem. Because of him, I’m indebted again to fix another fuck up. This one was the ultimate; a lady lost her life. There’s no amount of money I can pay to cover this one and that fucks with me heavy.
“Is the corn good?” Narissa asks, pulling my thoughts away from Adora.
“Yeah. It’s straight. You didn’t get any?”
“No. I just got this sandwich and the potato salad. Can I taste it?” she asks and I hold back my frown. I’m real particular about my food and this definitely isn’t us.
“You can have the rest,” I tell her.
She reaches her fork toward my container. “I just want to taste it,” she insists.
I hold my hand up to block it. “You can have it. Hold up,” I say and she laughs.
“You are a trip. Let me get this shit straight. I can suck your dick but you won’t kiss my lips and you won’t let me put my fork in your damn food. You better be glad you’re cute with good ass dick. Otherwise, I would leave you.”
“Leave me?”
“Yeah, end this, stop fucking you.”
“Say that then. ’Cause that’s what we’re doing,” I reiterate, making it known yet again what it is between us.
“Trust, I know,” she says, then rolls her eyes. “But I was hoping we could move past that. We’ve been doing this for almost two months and I’m only fucking you, Xai. Are you fucking another bitch?” she asks and I just glare at her. When I don’t respond, she rolls her eyes again then huffs.
I close my box then look at her. “I told you what I’m on and it ain’t a relationship right now. You’re pretty as hell and cool as fuck. I like kicking it with you but if what you want is more, I can’t do it. Real shit, you can move on. I’m not gon’ hold you. Any man would be lucky to have you.”
“But just not you, huh,” she says.
