45th Street

Eshals POV - Last Forever

   I decided to give Bino another chance, one because I had nothing to do and two because Femi wasn't returning any of my calls after her incident with Quan. I called her Ma and her Ma told me Femi was okay, she just didn't feel like talking. I promised Femi to come see her tomorrow after school with all her favorite snacks.
   Bino took me to a fancy restaurant on the Northside. It's nice as hell in here with a vibe. He sits in front of me with his hands on the table as he looks at me.
   "Why did you cut your hair off?" I ask looking at him, it doesn't look bad, I just wonder why all of the sudden.
   "I'm a businessman, the hair made my clients look at me a doughboy." He says leaning back in his seat. The waitress brings us two wine glasses and a bottle of pink champagne.
   "Aren't you?" I ask about the dopeboy part as he pours me a glass, it catches him off guard.
   "I don't stand on corners, If it wasn't for my product niggas wouldn't even have corners." He says then pouring himself a glass. That's a good way of wording it. He's the mastermind of it all I guess.
   "I see." I say taking a sip from the glass.
   "Look I wanted to apologize about ghosting you shorty I jus-" I stop him, I don't like hearing apologies. It's best to hear no excuse rather than a bad one.
   "It's okay, I'm used to it and I understand." I say laying my glass down, he goes to add more champagne but I stop him.
   "Wait shorty," he laughs, "so you are used to niggas treating you like a stranger and ghosting you?" he asks laughing, I don't find it funny though.
   "No, I do the ghosting usually and the niggas do the bullshit lies and excuses you name it." I say, he stops laughing.
   "Oh you for real shorty."
   "Don't be a buzzkill B, it's all good, I mean look at me I just would never settle for less, hints why I'm single." I say, the waitress then comes and brings us our food. She smiles at Bishop and Bishop looks away.
   "That's good, that's good I like your mentality." He says smiling unwrapping his utensils from the white fabric cloth, "I'm trying to get to know you, some more, so therefore, many more dates and gifts will be coming your way since you're my future girl." He says smiling at me.
   "So I'm your idea of a future girl?" I ask, testing him. He takes a bite of his food and finishes chewing.
   "Yeah, I mean your style is different, I like it, it's street and expensive and I know you can switch it up. I heard you helped Z too, that was a real bold move it was easy but it was bold you know, you show no fear in you and you not out her depending on no nigga, am I right?" He aks, he had me all the way to the end until he asked me that dumb ass question.
   "I've never depended on a nigga not a day in my life, If I don't find a way to do it myself I just ain't gonna do it. I have my own business going on, it's not much or big time like yours but it's something." I say checking him with class. He smiles at me and claps.
   "I respect that, so I see you still in school." he says, changing the subject, thank god.
   "Yeah, I graduate this month." I say taking a bite of my pasta.
   "So you're eighteen I'm guessing."
   "Nineteen, so you are kinda smart." I say jokingly, he laughs.
   "So you got jokes shorty, I'ma let it slide though, do you have any siblings?" He asks, cutting through his steak.
   "Nah, I'm the only child, I live with my mother, my dad was shot when I was a baby by a Disciple. It's just me and her she works late nights as a nurse and brings in what she can." I say taking a sip of champagne.
   We eat and talk for a while, when we are done we still continue to talk and drink, I told him how my Dad passed away and that's when I found out the same about his Dad but his lost was recent. I even told him about the whole click, Talik and what he did, my fight with Keisha, the whole run down.
   His mother died from Cancer when he was fifteen. I can only imagine what it feels like losing both of your parents and still managing to smile. He tells me a little about his business and about how he gives money to the recreation center on 45th street and that's how they built the community pool. He's only twenty-one with a lot of money to blow and he's spending it the right way from the way it looks.
   He has a goofy funny persona, and that's what I like the most about him, his looks was just a bonus.
   "So you just let him walk over you basically." I say laughing as we walk to the car, Bino opens the car door for me.
   "No, he's a fucking five year old I don't hit kids, Nook trained that little boy to kick my ass." Bino says laughing, he slams the car door. I'm happy with him, this has to be one of the happiest nights I've had in a while, everything is going good for the first time. I want this moment to last forever, I know there's heartbreak behind all of this, maybe even betrayal but that's something I have to prepare myself for later. You only have one life so why waste it thinking about the what-ifs and maybes?