“I’m gonna try,” Akeem says before stepping toward Sunjiya. “You ready?” he asks.
“Yes. So ready,” she gushes. “And I really think I’m going to hit one. You didn’t miss at all.”
“I’ve been shooting since I was eight.”
“Right. I got the best teacher then. School me,” she says and he shakes his head at her excitement.
“A’ight. Let’s go. We’re starting with stance,” he begins and they head to the station line. Carefully and as detailed as he can be, Akeem talks her through the steps and properly positions her body. Then he mounts her shotgun on her shoulder. “Does this hurt or feel uncomfortable?” he asks with concern.
While she can definitely feel the weight of the gun on her shoulder and a bit of tension, the minor pain won’t prevent her from doing this. She’s been itching to shoot a gun. So after slightly tilting her head to the side, she replies with insistence, “No. It doesn’t hurt.”
“Okay. Then, look over the top of the muzzle right here,” he says while placing his hand on the muzzle. “I don’t want you to focus on the clay for these first shots. I’m going to call pull but you just shoot. You have to get a feel for your gun and actually squeezing the trigger.”
“So just shoot anywhere?” she questions.
“Yeah, at something stationary, not moving. Like…um…that tree right there,” he says while pointing.
“Got it. Now?” she questions too excitedly.
“Take a deep breath with me,” he says and she slightly turns to face him. “Just do it with me. You have to be calm to focus, aim, and shoot. Come on. In and out,” he says and she follows. As soon as she exhales, she focuses on the tree, ready to take her first shot. He examines her finger placement to ensure that the trigger is between her fingertip and first joint. “You’re gonna squeeze, not jerk. Apply slow, steady, and straight-back pressure,” he directs and she nods. “Ready?” he asks and she nods again. “Pull!” he yells and she squeezes.
Because of her proper stance and holding of the gun, the recoil is minimum and her shoulder barely feels the jolt. However, the clay isn’t hit as planned and she actually grazes the tree.
“I hit it!” she screams excitedly and Akeem grabs the gun before she drops it. “You saw that right? My first shot and booyah!” she brags proudly.
“I saw. You did great. You ready to shoot again?” he asks.
“Hell yeah. I wanna try the tree again then the pigeon thing.”
“Okay. Let’s work on your aim.”
Sunjiya holds her hand out for the rifle and he safely passes it to her. She sets up again and he goes over aiming techniques with her by demonstrating with his rifle. She mimics his actions as he talks her through the process. Her second shot is more successful and she hits the trunk of the tree. The clay pigeons are next. She’s determined to hit at least one.
Although her excitement and determination are abundant, her skill level and experience with rifles is not. She doesn’t hit any clay pigeons but that doesn’t diminish her smile. Sunjiya has a blast and seeing Akeem’s pleasure while shooting and teaching her only heightens her great time.
“That was fun, right?” she asks once they make it back to the rental.
Stepping toward her and leaving no room between them, Akeem gently presses her back against the passenger door. His hand caresses the side of her face as he tilts her head toward his. Today was more than fun. It was perfect and solidified his feelings and his desire to be with her.
“It was everything,” he admits. “In the middle of this shit with your sister, you thought of this. Thank you.”
“I wish I could think of more to do because I really appreciate you looking for Tanjaya. Once you figured out I wasn’t her, you could have said fuck it, killed me, and went back to your lifein Texas. Hell, you still can, but you’re not. That’s not the man you’ve shown me. You’re helping me find her and you’re going to make sure Marcelin never hurts anyone else again. I can’t thank you enough for that.” Her arms latch around his neck before she leans in to kiss him. “Thank you,” she says.
After ending their embrace, they enter the car and head toward the storage facility. Right as they pull up to the entrance, so does Aunt Pri’s tan Camry. Akeem slows and allows her car to approach the gate first. When she gains access, he trails her to the unit.
“God’s timing is always perfect,” she says once they are out of the vehicles.
“I hope so,” Sunjiya says as she approaches. The moment Sunjiya is in front of her, Aunt Pri pulls her in for a tight hug. “You look pretty,” Sunjiya compliments when they part.
“So do you, baby,” Aunt Pri says before looking over at Akeem. “And lawd, you’re still handsome.” She winks. “I hope y’all ready because there are a few boxes.”
“Yes ma’am; we are,” Akeem assures.
As Aunt Pri steps to the ten by thirty by eight foot unit, Akeem prays it’s not filled to capacity. The size is equivalent to a two-car garage; so filled would be too damn much.
Once she unlocks the two locks, Akeem steps up, unhooks the latches, then lifts the weatherproof door. It’s full enough. Over half of the unit is filled with boxes, an old exercise bicycle, artificial plants, and a few lamps.
“This is it,” Aunt Pri announces while waving her arms.
