“Yeah.”
“When? I’m going with you,” Akeem says.
“You’re not. I can hire a travel companion or healthcare professional to go with me. I should be okay, but if they suggest I need someone, I’ll hire it out.”
“Why the fuck would you do that when you have me?” Akeem barks, offended as fuck. They are always there for one another; this time especially isn’t different.
“’Cause I don’t wanna waste your time if I don’t qualify,” Axton admits.
“Never a waste. I’m going with you. When is it?”
“The first week in April. I’m looking for a place to stay now.”
“Bet. I’m there and Sunjiya can look for the place. That’s what she does.”
“Thanks, bruh.”
“Now, when you qualify and take the new drug, what can happen exactly?”
“Partial vision restoration, full, or nothing at all, but it’s worth trying.”
“It definitely is. I support you; that shit goes without saying. And I won’t say shit to Mom or Dad, but if I don’t hear from you when you go, I’m pulling the fuck up.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Axton says, truly appreciative of his brother. “What you got going on today?”
“The tree finally ’bout to come down. She loves it but it’s dying and shedding. The team should be here in a minute.”
“Imma let you have that. I’ll hit you later. Love you, bruh.”
“Love you too.”
Akeem ends the call and tackles his food. Before he finishes one of the croissants, lobby security alerts him that Kris and her team are here.
“So where do you want to start this?” Darisha asks Sunjiya as she closes her laptop.
“Not here. I’m not feeling campus today,” Sunjiya admits. “Somewhere with food though. I’m hungry and didn’t pack anything.”
“Good. I’m hungry too. I didn’t pack anything because Trent’s greedy ass ate all the lasagna I cooked last night,” she says, referring to her longtime boyfriend. “I know a spot, if you don’t mind driving.”
“I’ll drive,” Sunjiya says as they walk out of the lecture hall.
“It’s the best soul food in Austin. You’re going to love it.”
Darisha was the very person Sunjiya connected in class and they’ve been bonded ever since. During first day icebreakers, they discovered they were the two oldest students in the Intro to Travel and Tourism course. The other thirty-six students in the class are all under the age of twenty-one. Darisha is thirty, and since her little boy started kindergarten in August, she decided to finally enroll in college. They have so much in common and Sunjiya really appreciates her friendship. Today, Professor Henderson detailed their midterm projects and allowed them to pick their own partners. Sunjiya and Darisha immediately decided to pair up.
Whip My Soul is a family-owned and operated soul food restaurant. According to Darisha, they serve the best soul food in town and no one can beat their fried chicken. The restaurantopens at eleven, so it’s only been open for an hour. However, there is a small line to get in.
“It’s popular for lunch and on the weekends but the wait is worth it,” Darisha tells her.
“It already smells good as hell,” Sunjiya admits as she scans the large blue menu attached to the wall, her mouth already watering. “What do you normally get?”
“The fried chicken for sure and the soul egg rolls, the one with collard greens,” Darisha says. “But I’m telling you; it’s all good.”
About ten minutes later, the line moves and they finally make it to the counter to order. True to her word, Darisha orders the fried chicken and soul egg rolls with sides of mac-n-cheese and rice and gravy. Since it’s her first time here, Sunjiya decides on a sample platter: a fried pork chop, chicken wing, and one filet of fish with collard greens and yams. For drinks, they both get Kool-Aid. The food is cooked to order, so they discuss the project as they wait at their table.
“Family of four, thirty-five hundred dollar budget, minimum four-day stay, kid-friendly, and at least one excursion,” Sunjiya summarizes the parameters of the family vacation project. “Our grade is fifty percent for the actual vacation, forty for the fifteen-minute presentation, and ten percent for team participation.”
“We can use Prezi for the presentation. I have a subscription,” Darisha says.
