“I’m not really sure if there’s someone in particular I’m looking for. I just know that I’ll know when I know. And yeah, I’m definitely not getting any younger. I won’t rush into anything, but when I do find the right woman, I definitely plan on snatching her up and having some kids.”
“How many kids do you want?”
“At least two.”
“Okay, that’s cool. I can’t wait to be a mom. Even though my mom has her ways about her, as most mothers do, I was raised by an amazing woman, and I know I’ll be an amazing mom if I ever get the chance to do so.”
“I think you’ll be a great mom, too. You just have to put yourself out there and not let what your ex did stop you from moving on and giving some other nigga a try. Not everybody is built like that nigga, trust me.”
“I hear you. Right now, I’m focused on work and getting my life back together. Once I’m back on track, I’ll get back out there.”
“Well, at least you know what kind of nigga you don’t want. Now, you just need to find a nigga who does have the things that you want.”
“I know. My friend keeps telling me I’ll find the right man when the time is right. But unless I meet him at the gym, which is pretty much the only place I go outside of work, then it’s probably not going to happen any time soon. Well, Ross downat the door flirts with me every morning, maybe he’s the guy for me,” she said, laughing, but I didn’t find shit funny.
I didn’t like listening to her talk about another nigga flirting with her, and I didn’t fucking know why. I shouldn’t have given a fuck about another nigga flirting with her, but the feeling in my chest said otherwise. With the way I felt, I wanted to head downstairs and check Ross’s ass, but I knew he, along with everyone else, would think I was crazy as hell. So, I knew I couldn’t say shit because it truly wasn’t my place to do so.
“I agree with your friend, it’ll happen when you least expect it. They say you just have to be open to it happening for you, and it’ll happen. That’s about all the advice that I have for you,” I said, laughing.
She laughed too and then went back to finishing her food. We spent the rest of the meal talking about our childhoods, how we got on the paths that we were on, and just about everything in between. It was crazy to me how we had grown up so differently yet still had so many things in common. We liked a lot of the same things and had a lot of shared experiences, too.
One thing I appreciated about her was that she didn’t judge me for my past. I didn’t tell her a lot of the shit that I’d been into when I was younger was still very much part of my life because she didn’t need to know all my business. But, even with what I told her, the only thing she said was that she was proud of the man that I’d become. With the little bit of shit that I shared with Logan’s ass, which wasn’t much, all she did was judge me, my parents, and everyone in between. It never bothered me, though. Her opinion wasn’t one I valued enough for it to do that.
“Hey, wake up, we’re at your house,” I said, lightly tapping her shoulder. Her cries were replaced with light snores somewhere on our ride, and I hated having to wake her up because she was sleeping so peacefully.
Waking up, she looked around as she rubbed her eyes. Once she turned to face me, her eyes grew wider as though she was shocked to see me sitting in the driver’s seat. I wasn’t sure if she was just a lightweight when it came to alcohol or if she was truly that drunk. As I waited for her to say something, I admired how beautiful she was, even with her hair all over the place and lipstick slightly smeared. I felt like she was her most beautiful self when she was in her most natural state. That was when bitches really couldn’t fuck with her on any day of the week.
“Oh God, you’re going to fire me, aren’t you? I can’t remember everything in that contract right now, but I know one of the clauses was to not have any public altercations, and I know I’ll be viral come the morning,” she said, smacking her forehead.
“Nah, you’re not fired. You can’t control that nigga approaching you and not respecting your boundaries. So, this time doesn’t fall within the scope of our contract.”
“Really? Okay, thank you! Let me get in the house and out of your way for the night. Thank you for the ride,” she said, attempting to open the door and damn near falling out of the car in the process.
“Wait, let me help you,” I said, rushing out of the car and over to her side to help her get out. As she tried to stand, she damn near fell backward.
Seeing that she still wasn’t going to be able to walk on her own, I scooped her up and carried her to the door. As she rested her head on my chest, something about holding her felt right, and I knew that it shouldn’t. In more than one way, I was the wrong nigga for her, and knowing that, I couldn’t understand why everything about this shit felt as good as it did. Instead of paying attention to what was going on inside of me, I focused on getting her up to the door and inside so that I could leave and shake whatever the fuck I was feeling at the moment. I hadn’thad but one drink while I was out, but I knew it had to be the liquor.
“Do you have your keys?” I asked, looking down at her. Her eyes were still closed, but somehow, she managed to fumble through her purse and hand me the keys.
As we stepped inside, a man, who I was assuming was her father, walked over to us. From the look on his face, he wanted me to explain what the fuck I was doing in his house and with his daughter in my arms, who was clearly out of it. Instead of placing her down, I adjusted her in my arms and gripped her tighter as I held my hand out for him to shake.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Sincere. I’m Kenedi’s boss,” I said, waiting for him to shake my hand.
“It’s nice to meet you. You want to explain why you’re carrying my daughter at this late hour of the night. I thought she was out with Zaveah, yet here she is in your arms.”
“Well, I actually ran into them while I was out, and she was clearly too drunk to drive home, so I offered to bring her here.”
Rubbing his chin, he replied, “Good man. Well, seeing as though you’re a lot younger than me, go ahead and take her up to her room. It’s the third door on the left,” he said, pointing up the steps.
“You got it,” I said, following his directions and carrying her into the room.
Once inside, I looked around the room that seemed as though I had stepped into an early 2000’s time capsule. There were posters, lava lamps, fuzzy rugs, and everything else you’d expect in a teenage girl’s room. Stepping over the clothes on the floor, I made my way over to her bed and gently laid her down. As soon as her head hit the pillow, her eyes popped open, and she smiled up at me.
“Thank you for getting me home safely,” she said, leaning up on her elbows and staring at me.
“Don’t mention it. Are you going to be good for work tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just need some sleep.”
