$trings

25

[30 July]

CARLOS LOOKED AROUND AGAIN while clutching my hand a little tighter. He cursed at what he saw, what we'd been seeing for an age now: green grass, soft blue canals, thin brown strips of charming pebbles, pretty trees, summertime-themed people. It was getting a little annoying now, even for me. He started pulling me while I was searching for what we were looking for. But I stopped him quickly, before we had moved five metres. "We should wait another minute," I insisted.

"We gon' be late, baby," he murmured, now watching my eyes from above his mask.

I watched his too, murmuring, "We can't just leave her though..."

"We'll come back."

"But--"

"Baby," – my man rolled his eyes – "these niggas have been waiting for like, two minutes. They ain't got no time for this."

I heaved a breath and examined the park again. Still, there was no sign of what we were looking for. No sign of a small woman wearing a plain black cap. No Mimi.

I nodded hesitantly after checking once more. And Carlos dragged me away instantly. We were on the pebbly track in no time, treading past small crowds of people. Many of these people wore no masks, which was why I felt a little out of place. Here, especially. It seemed COVID was being pardoned around here. I loved the idea.

Carlos and I kept our strides swift over the long gritted pathway. What we had to do needed swiftness either way, so if we dared delay, we would pay the price. I fixed the backpack on my shoulders again after some time of striding quickly, and I glanced sidelong at my man, who sighed and checked his side, where the brook was swaying calmly just across a long line of palm trees. I checked my side after a moment; it was still only grass and trees and small crowds there. No one looking professional. No one-

Oh wait. Then, I saw them: two persons, an old lady and a small man propped against a fancy black car a little way in front of us. I shook Carlos. He looked ahead immediately. I saw him smile. I smiled too while looking ahead. And we hastened our pace casually again.

We got to the car after an oddly long while, and the two persons eyed us up once we were clogged before of them on the grassy side. They remained erect on the pebbles, leaning calmly on their fancy black car. Carlos greeted them formally after a moment. They nodded at my man and peered at me. That obliged me to greet them formally as well. Or perhaps it was the way their faces screamed 'respect me! Kiss my ass, even!'

"May we help you?" the man inquired, ogling us through tinted specks. His lips had barely moved though. I thought that quite abnormal.

"Yes, actually..." Carlos went right in, taking down his bag from his back first, "...we're here to make a delivery to... uh..." – he checked a clipboard – "...Mz Hunter and Mr Anderson...?"

"Right." The lady held out her hands and took up the clipboard. She signed it quickly.

"Are you new... around here?" the dude quizzed us, swaying forward from the car.

We told him no. And I added that we were just visiting for the summer. They bobbed their heads together. Ate my lie right up. The lady passed us back the clipboard with another nod, and she crossed her arms. So, this meant I was to dismount my backpack. I did so with composure. Lugged out the package wrapped up in gift wrapping paper. Handed the package to the lady. Then, I put the backpack back on my back.

The lady thanked us while the man bundled our two great packages in the front of the fancy car, and moments later, Carlos and I were moseying back the way we had come. Back to where we had been, hoping to find Mimi there.