He laughed. “I plead the fifth.”
“That’s what I thought. I know better than that.”
“You don’t know shit!”
“You like seafood?” he asked me.
“Yeah, sort of?”
“You do or you don’t?”
We stopped at a beachfront restaurant that looked like our villa. It was luxurious, with a spa-like feel, with calm colors like blue, yellow, and white. The hostess, a stunning woman with skin like polished mahogany and a bright smile, led us to a table outside, looking onto the beach, near the sand, so close to the water.
“Aye,” Romelo spoke when he seated across from me. “Did you seat us outside because we’re black?”
Her face turned beet red.
“Uh, um,” she stammered, looking from me to him.
My mouth gaped open in shock as I kicked him under the table. “Stop it,” I muttered through a closed mouth.
“Let her answer the question.”
“Oh no sir, I wasn’t—” she cleared her throat. “Er, um, I wasn’t trying to offend you. By all means, I’m not racist at all?—”
“You ain’t got to explain yo’ self to him,” I cut her off to rebut.
“People recommend this view a lot, that’s all.”
“Who yo manager is?”
Her brows knitted. “My manager?”
“Ma’am no, don’t pay any attention to him, please. He’s just being an asshole.”
She was a little hesitant to walk away and eyed Romelo for an okay, before trotting off after placing our menus on the table. When she was out of earshot, I rolled my eyes at him.
“You’re gonna be the reason they spit in our food,” I retorted.
“Mane please, ain’t nobody gon’ spit in our shit. I’ll blow this bitch up,” he spat.
“We’re in their territory.”
“You know what you want to eat?” He questioned, switching the subject while glancing down at his menu.
My head darted at the menu, scrunching up my face.
“Don’t go getting no chicken tenders and fries,” he teased me.
“None of this stuff looks familiar.” I frowned. “I’ve eaten lobster and stuff, but seafood scares me. The last time Mimi ate some, she got food poisoning.”
“You should get the conch fritters. They’re good,” he mentioned.
The waitress came over to us, looking calmer now.
“Have you settled on your choice of drinks yet?” She smiled at both of us with a thick melodic accent.
“I’ll take a Sprite,” I spoke up first.
