As we rode by the group of people on both sides of the street, they shouted Duke’s name and he gave them a nod. That simple action alone let me know just how loved he was in this area.
A few more minutes passed before he pulled into the parking lot of a small building tucked in the center of this neighborhood like it had always belonged there. It seemed as if, later on; they had just built more places around it. A wooden sign read Big Moe’s with a picture of a slab of ribs on it.
Duke turns off the bike, then waits a moment as I put one leg over to get off. I turned to face the small red building with chipped paint. It wasn’t polished or trendy, but the smell of smoke and sweet sauce gave more than enough reasons Duke brought us here.
I hadn’t realized how long I’d been standing there looking at my surroundings until Duke spoke up a few steps from me.
“You plan on coming inside, sweets?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder with a smirk.
I nodded and walked over. Duke opened the door and stood back to allow me to walk ahead of him.
“You don’t plan to let that nickname go, huh?” I asked with a smile as I stopped so he could walk beside me.
Duke placed his hands in his pockets with a smirk. “You answering. I’m going to assume you fuck with it.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to contain my smile as best as I could. He turned around and led me to the register. A few folks were waiting on their orders, sitting on the side with a ticket in hand, so Duke was able to head right up to the counter.
“What’s up Duke!” the handsome brown skin man with shoulder length locs said.
Duke reached out and dapped him up.
“What’s up Jay. Big Moe got you running shit tonight?” Duke asked.
“Hell nah, you know he don’t trust nobody with this place. He’s in the back cooking the ribs. I’m sure he will be up here in no time. It wouldn’t surprise me if he heard you back there. But you want the same shit?”
Duke chuckled and nodded, then turned to look in my direction. “You sure you don’t want any?” he asked.
I waved him off and smiled. “I’m good.”
He turned his attention back to Jay and pulled a few bills from his wallet to cover everything. Jay handed Duke a receipt.
Duke’s hand settled at the small of my back as he guided me toward the back door. We stepped out onto a patio where a few older men were gathered around a game of dominoes. The moment they saw Duke, they smiled and called out to him.
“Ain’t seen you in a minute, man,” the older man with the red bucket hat said.
“Man, it’s been too long. How Miss Mattie doing?” he asked him.
“She good, at bingo every other day.”
Duke chuckled and then dapped them up before leading me to a small picnic table off to the side. “No Letting Go” by WayneWonder was playing low. Any time I heard this song, I couldn’t help but to sing and rock my hips. Duke shocked me when he joined in singing along with me.
“Uh huh, what do you know about Wayne Wonder?” I asked.
Duke chuckled. “I know enough. Not to mention, I own a bar, Sweets.”
“I’ll give you that.”
We sat silently for a moment and just bobbed our heads to the music. Moments later, an older man walks outside with a white bandana wrapped around his head. He was holding a container of ribs; I presumed. Duke stood from the table and dapped him up before taking the food.
“When Jay told me you were here. I needed to come out and speak, not to mention he pointed out you had a beautiful woman with you. You know I had to come and introduce myself.”
Duke chuckled as the older man stepped closer to the table with a warm smile.
“You know yo’ old ass is a big flirt. You better cut it out before Miss Janine comes up here. But, this is Solana. Solana, this is Big Moe.”
I stood from the bench and held my hand out for him to shake. He brought the top of my hand to his lips to place a kiss. Before it could reach his lips, Duke pulled my hand from his and gave Big Moe a look, one that I wasn’t prepared to dissect what it meant. But I damn sure knew he wasn’t going for all that.
“My bad youngin’ I didn’t know this was your lady. It’s not my fault you brought in a young ass Halle Berry in here.”
