Race Relations

Coffee and Milk

                                                       Coffee and Milk

Nathaniel pounds on his cousin’s Mike’s door. Be home, he prays, please be home. In his hurry to leave Leila’s condo he had forgot to call and now he doesn’t know if this is a vain trip. Finally he gives up and starts to walk away but the condo door opens.

“Nathaniel” Mike says. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to speak to you” Nathaniel informs him, rushing inside the condo and takes a seat on the couch. His cousin gives him a guilty look, “is this a bad time?” he asks Mike, not knowing what he walked in on.

“Unh, no; but let me send ‘seniorita’ Mariana out and I’ll be with you in a second”

“Oh, that’s why I have been pounding on your door with no answers”

“Hey!” Mike says with a laugh “A man has to handle his business” and for the first time in his life, Nathaniel envies his cousin, his way of life, his carelessness; His sense of blindness. He watches his cousin escort the woman out the door, giving her a slight kiss on the lips before he returns back to attend to Nathaniel.“Ok, what’s up my emotionally disturbed cousin?” he asks with a light chuckle and Nathaniel eyes him angrily.

“I can’t do this Mike, she’s driving me insane!” he admits placing his face in the palms of his hands. Confused, Mike asks.

“Who’s driving you crazy?”

“Her, I bumped her, more like trampled her and she twisted her ankle and now I find out she lives in the same building as me; the same building Mike!”

“Who the hell are you talking about Nathaniel?”

“Leila!” he yells in frustration. “I crashed into her”

“Holy shit Nathaniel” his cousin yells in panic “You tried to kill her, I knew how you felt but I didn’t think, oh my God. I didn't think you were going to turn KKK on my ass, what the fuck is wrong with you” His cousin rambles in a panic. “Shit, Shit, Shit!”

“No dimwit, I didn’t fucking try to kill her but I might die if I don’t get her out of my head soon

“Unh”

“I was running and I crashed into her and since I’m stronger I nearly pummeled Mike!”

“You don’t say; so this chick has really got your dick jerking unh?” Mike jokes.

“Ha-ha” Nathaniel says mockingly, not in the mood for his cousin’s dead jokes. “I never had this problem before, you know. It’s like she’s popping up in my everyday life.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t keep avoiding her”

“I’m not avoiding her, hell I fucking can’t. She twisted her dam ankles and no one is here to take care of her?” Nathaniel admits his blue eyes full of worry, filled with confusion.

“What?” Mike asks his amusement clearly obvious “you going to play babysitter Nathaniel now?” he asks in an exploding laughter. “I must say, life has a funny way of messing with your balls”

“What am I going to do? I can’t just leave her in her condo like that? I mean she could sue me, you know. And that would be bad for the company”

“Is that what you have been telling yourself on the way over here; the rats in New York know that’s bullshit! You want to take care of that woman, if you didn’t you could have called the ambulance, paid for a nurse, you have so many options open to you but you don’t want to take them; I’m thinking maybe uncle’s words did not completely ingrain themselves in your brain. And don’t come with that she can sue us bullshit, we have much money that we can silence this case before it even begins so play another card shithead, I’m not folding. What the fucking truth?” Mike asks his cousin. Hopeful of the situation because he knows that Nathaniel is not like his parents, his aunt and uncle; the ones that think they are better than anyone else. Nathaniel runs his hand through his hair and with a great sigh confesses.

“I think I’m attracted to her, I don’t fucking know how, I definitely don’t fucking know why but I’m attracted to her” his cousin simply smiles at him and like a parent speaking to a five year old he asks

“Now was that so hard?”

“I’ll show you hard when I put my fist through your face” Nathaniel warns.

“Ok, so what are you going to do about it?”

“What do you mean what am I going to do about it? Nothing! I can’t date her! I’m not like you, someone who fucks like a jackrabbit and don’t know their fucking place in the world”

“Ouch”

“Sorry”

“Sorry? I don’t care. Let me tell you something, I know that’s not really how you feel; you’re just scared that Mommy and Daddy will take you out of their will and that’s the reason. Your scared of the criticisms you’ll face from their friends, what? I bet they even got your wife all picked out already don’t they.”

“No!” Nathaniel argues.

“They do don’t they!?!” he asks accusingly, “And I bet it’s some blue eyed girl. Nathaniel you can’t keep on letting them make these kinds of decision anymore, it’s your life bro, and before you know, poof! it will be gone, enjoy it. Be a fucking man and put some coffee in your milk”

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