“A hash bowl,” a male voice interrupts, causing them to break their stare. A short, stumpy young man holds a large tray of food standing next to the booth. The large bowl of crispy potatoes, two eggs, spinach, bacon, cremini mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese is in his other hand. “Hash bowl with cheddar,” he repeats.
“Right here,” Sunjiya says while holding one finger up.
“And the rest here,” Akeem says once the young man places Sunjiya’s food in front of her.
“You need anything else?” the young man asks.
“Extra napkins, ketchup, and hot sauce,” Sunjiya responds, then looks at Akeem. “What about you?” she asks him.
After looking at his food, Akeem answers with a nod. “More butter.”
“Me or Dreka will bring that out,” the young man assures them before walking off.
Right before Sunjiya closes her eyes to pray, Akeem asks, “You can eat all that?”
“I’m hungry but this is a lot of food,” she admits. “I wasn’t expecting the bowl to be this damn big.”
“Nah. I mean your allergy. Is it safe?” he clarifies and she smiles.
He’s so concerned.
“Yes,” she responds, still smiling. “This is soy-free and safe. I’m good.” Her smile morphs into a little chuckle.
“What’s funny? You couldn’t breathe,” he says solemnly.
“No. No. I know. That’s not why I’m laughing. It’s you,” she admits, then leans closer to his ear. She doesn’t want prying ears nearby to hear her next words. “It’s just you’re a gun carrying kidnapper who cares,” she says and he shrugs.
“Guns are my job, not who I am. Plus, my son has a food allergy and I don’t take that shit lightly.”
“Son? You have kids.”
“Yeah. Just one but we can talk about him in the car. We got four hours, plus I can’t eat no cold ass grits.”
“Eat. We’ll definitely talk in the car after I nap. This and my drinks ’bout to put me in a food coma.”
Sunjiya bows her head and he joins. When they finish saying grace, Dreka returns with the extra napkins and condiments.
“Do you want anything else from the kitchen or bar? We are closing in fifteen. You can stay and eat but we won’t be preparing anything else,” Dreka informs them.
Akeem looks at Sunjiya, and when she shakes her head, he looks back at Dreka. “Nah, we straight. Just the check,” he says.
When Dreka walks off, Sunjiya pushes her questions to the side for now. Although Dreka said there was no issue with them staying past closing, seeing the restaurant starting to clear of customers and watching staff members stack chairs on empty tables influences their eating pace. Twenty minutes later, both Akeem and Sunjiya are finished. She’s in the restroom while he handles the bill. When she emerges, they head out.
Chapter
Nine
“It’s fifty dollars, Pops,”Quise adds.
“And? I gave you bread last week when I was there,” Akeem says while shaking his head.
“I spent it,” Quise reveals, as if Akeem hadn’t already ascertained that. Akeem knows his son and his propensity to blow money. “I needed a new headset for streaming.”
“And that damn game,” Akeem adds.
“For real, Pops. It’s for streaming. I got a hundred followers now. I should be monetized soon,” he boasts.
“That’s good, son, but you know what comes first,” Akeem says.
