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I laughed, shaking my head.

“Well, I’m not Duke, and I have patience,” I replied.

“So, what can I get for you, Mr. Caine?”

I looked up at the menu, scanning over the different options like I hadn’t been here a million times before.

“You know what, Jackie? I think I’m going to try something different today. You know this is my favorite location, so I know whatever I order will be good.”

“You know it. I haven’t been the manager for six years for nothing.”

“You know, that’s why I respect you, Jackie. You the manager, and you're still taking orders on the cash register. A lot of the Essex Chicken managers could learn something from you. Maybe if I ever take over this place, I’ll have you host a training camp to get everybody right. Close all the restaurants down for a day or two. Make everything new again.”

“I know that’s right. You will be a fabulous owner once Mr. Essex is no longer here. Speaking of, how is he doing? We haven’t gotten one of his pop up visits here in a while.”

“He’s still living is all I can say. Spends most of the time at the funeral home on Jefferson. We know he doesn’t have much time left.”

“Damn, cancer really sucks. My mother died from it some years ago.”

She shook her head because I know that memory plagued her ass just as it did mine. Breast Cancer is what took my mother out about five years ago. She didn’t suffer long because it was already in the late stages when they found it. It made me sick to my stomach knowing she was fine one day and then dead two months later.

“But anyway, what can I get you, Caine?”

“I’ll take the boneless chicken, grilled with Hot honey sauce drizzled on top. Make sure they grill my shit to perfection too. I been hungry all day and probably won’t eat again after this.”

“I got you. What sides can I get you?”

“Uh, give me the mac and cheese and the mashed potatoes. I want it all to go.”

She punched everything into the register as I pulled out my wallet and handed her a twenty-dollar bill over the counter.

“I’m not taking your money for no food here, Caine.”

“Well, put this in the tip drawer, then.”

“We don’t have a tip drawer. You know Mr. Essex doesn’t allow us to accept tips.”

“You got two pockets, don’t you? How will he ever know?”

I winked at her, and she took the twenty-dollar bill and put it in her pocket.

When I turned around and walked away from the counter to wait for my food, I had a smile on my face. However, that smile was interrupted when I saw Isis coming into the restaurant, waddling with that huge ass stomach in front of her.

I sat down at the table near the front to wait for my order, but I kept my eyes on Isis the entire time. She had to be about seven months pregnant, but somehow, she still had more ass than she had stomach, and her skin was glowing the way most pregnant women’s skin did.

Even from across the restaurant, I could see her curls hanging down her back. I never cared much about a woman’s color, size, or shape because I liked them all, but Isis was probably the first woman I'd ever felt love at first sight. She had the kind of body women spent thousands of dollars trying to create and pregnancy hadn't took that away.

I got up and walked to her at the register because it wouldn't hurt to say hi.

“Okay, it’s $15.34.” I caught the end of Jackie telling her the total.

“Jackie, she good on the payment”

Jackie’s red lined lip curled.

“Okay, here is your drink cup.”

Isis grabbed the cups from the counter and scoffed before walking over to the soda machine. I followed behind her because I could still feel the animosity between us. I never wanted shit to be like this between me and anyone I once cared about, even if it was in the past.