Page 4 of The Wright Man

The man shook his head with a soft chuckle, like he was used to her doing whatever she wanted. Then he turned his attention to Mama, who'd come around the side of the moving truck after hearing the commotion.

I tensed on instinct. Something about watching a grown man walk up on my mother always made my back straighten.

"Wassup, new neighbor," he said, extending a hand with easy confidence. "Chris Reed. Most folks just call me Cap. I live right across the street with my girls. Sorry about Angie popping over unannounced—she gets a little excited."

Mr. Cap. I'd remember that.

Mama stared at his hand like it might bite her before finally shaking it. Beside the truck, Kareem had gone still—arms folded tight across his chest, jaw set, one quiet step closer to Mama. None of us were used to men who smiled just to be polite.

"I'm Dana," Mama said slowly. "These are my sons, Kareem and Maleek." She nodded at us without looking away from him.

Before Mr. Cap could say another word, the girl at his elbow stepped forward, planted both hands on her hips, and announced: "And I'm Christina Raye Reed. I'm eight. You can call me Tina." She looked straight at Mama, then cut her eyes to me with total authority. "Your braids are really pretty," she said, pointing at my head. "Who did them? Because whoever did them did a real good job and I just want them to know that."

Mama blinked. Then, for the first time all day, she almost smiled. "Thank you, baby. I did them myself."

"Really? That's skill," Tina said, nodding like she was an old lady "That's real skill."

Mr. Cap pressed his lips together like he was trying not to laugh. I didn't know what to make of her.

He glanced at Kareem again and gave him a casual wave. "What's going on, champ?"

Kareem didn't answer. He just cut his eyes toward Mama and held his ground. I didn't like the "champ" thing either, honestly. But Mr. Cap didn't skip a beat. He turned to me next.

"How's it going, Maleek?"

I wasn't gonna say anything—but Angelica nudged my leg, giving me that bossy look she'd been giving me all afternoon.

"Not bad, Mister Cap Sir," I muttered, still unsure, but figuring I owed her at least that much.

Mr. Cap smiled like I'd said something impressive. "Glad to hear it."

He looked back to Mama, eyeing the mountain of boxes still in the truck. "Y'all need a hand with any of this? I'd be happy to help."

Mama didn't answer right away. She studied him for a second, like she was waiting for the catch. I could practically hear her brain asking what's the angle?

Before she could shut him down, Angelica piped up from beside me.

"My daddy's really strong!" she called proudly, raising both arms and flexing like she was doing a bodybuilder pose. "And he's a police captain — that's like the boss of all the police! He makes all the rules and everybody listens to him. So he can definitely carry all the boxes, can't you, Daddy?"

Mr. Cap laughed. "I don't know about all of them, Angie. But I can definitely speed things up."

To my surprise, Mama nodded, giving a polite but reluctant smile. "We're just moving boxes to the entryway for now—sorting comes later. Anything you can help with would be appreciated."

Mr. Cap gave her a two-finger salute with a polite smile. I didn't like it. Too friendly.

"You're the boss," he said, already rolling up his sleeves. Then he looked at Kareem again. "Lead the way, big man. Tell me what to grab."

Kareem still didn't say anything, but after a beat, he hopped back onto the truck and started toward the first stack of boxes.

Tina followed, marching up to the truck with her chin high like she'd been invited specifically.

Kareem looked down at her. Then at her hands. Empty. Then back at her face.

"You just gonna stand there?" he said. "Or you gonna help?"

Tina blinked at him like he'd said something deeply unreasonable. "I don't carry boxes. I just got my hair done." She touched her afro puff protectively. "Do you know how long this took?"

Kareem stared at the puff. Then back at her. Deadpan. "It's a circle."