“You need something to drink?”
“Yeah, I do. I’m kind of parched. I feel like I just got done working out.” She seemed shy talking about it. I laughed at her and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet, only setting them right down once I heard knocking at my door. I raised myeyebrow, standing still for a second, wondering who the hell it was at this time of morning.
“Uh oh, another girl coming over here to check you?”
“Never that. Let me check and see who it is, though.” I reached into the kitchen drawer and grabbed a gun on the sly, trying not to scare Jas too much.
When I looked through the peephole in the door, I saw that it was my neighbor, Miss Brenda, knocking with one hand as she clutched her robe to her with the other. Jas came around the corner from the kitchen.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I know who this is.”
I twisted all the locks on my door.
“Thank god you answered.”
“Miss Brenda, what’s going on?”
“I’m so sorry to be knocking this late, but I knew you were up because of Ramadan, and you said you eat around this time. Oscar is having another one of his meltdowns, and I’ve done everything I can to calm him down, but he just won’t stop throwing things and attacking me.”
“Okay, let me get dressed, and I’ll come down. Give me a minute.” I stopped her from feeling the need to explain. I already knew what was happening, and I closed the door and walked to my room, passing up Jas.
“Are you sure everything is okay?”
“Yeah, I just have to go downstairs, because my neighbor's son has autism and she has a hard time with his ass sometimes.”
“Really? And she feels comfortable knocking on the door at this hour for you to handle him? What are you supposed to do?”
“I do what I can, when I can. I don’t like seeing women suffer, and ever since I moved in here, I’ve tried to be there for them. Plus, for some reason, he listens to me.” I grabbed a shirt from the closet and put it on. Jas just stood back with the cover wrapped around her, with a smile on her face.
“What are you smiling for?”
“A caring nigga with good dick. You don’t see that often.”
I laughed at her.
“You say anything just like your brother, don’t you?”
“I’m not as bad as him by far. Just telling the truth. I like that about you. My son has autism. He doesn’t have huge meltdowns like that, but it’s good to know that if he ever does, I know someone good to calm him down.”
“Of course, I’m your guy.”
She reached up and pinched my cheek.
“I’ll be back. Lock up until I knock on the door and tell you it’s me.”
“Okay, be careful.”
She walked me to the front door and grabbed my wrist before I could open the door. Jasmine pulled me down by my neck and kissed me like she missed me already. This wasn’t a sexual kiss; this was one from a woman who cared about me. I’d felt this same kiss from Delilah before.
Once I pulled away from her, she grabbed my cheek and laid one more kiss on my lips.
“See you in a bit.”
I walked out the door, and I’m sure I wouldn’t be back for another hour, depending on what Oscar is on tonight. I’d beendown these steps several times, and there were times it took hours to get him back in his bed and to sleep.
Thinking about how I’m helping him also put Delilah on my mind heavy. If I can be there for people I barely know, then I have to try to be there for her. With or without a relationship, she matters to me, and I’m not letting anything cloud my being a good person.
