Risk It All

I Think She Likes You

Raye in the m/m

Jidenna POV-

"So what do we use bread?" I asked Miss Ruby she invited me over her condo and was teaching me how to make cornbread.

"All that education and you are still as slow as a car stuck in traffic." She shook her head. "What am I going to do with you."

"Miss Ruby the shade. It's hurting my feelings." I slightly chuckled.

"First we're going to melt the butter in this large skillet." She got the skillet and put it on the stove. "Cut a piece."

I took the knife and cut a piece. "This enough?"

"If we were eating air. Bigger."

I laughed and cut a bigger chunk and put it into the skillet. We watched it melt.

"Okay now take it off the fire and stir in some sugar." She said preparing the catfish she was going to fry.

I did as she said.

"Now add eggs and beat until well blended." She went to battering the fish.

"What does it mean to beat?"

She sighed. "Jidenna, Jidenna. Like this." She showed me.

"How do you expect to have a woman and not cook?"

"There's take out that I can make look like I cooked it. She'll never know."

Miss Ruby hit me upside my head. I laughed.

"Beat the eggs." She eyed me and went back to the fish.

I beat the eggs.

"Now what?"

"Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in the pan."

I followed her instructions.

"Now Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended. Then Pour batter into this prepared pan." She handed me a pan.

I followed her instructions the door opened.

"Mama Ruby I picked some things up for the house." I heard a female voice.

"We're in the kitchen Raye."

"We're?" She came to the door.

"Yes this is one of our new neighbors Jidenna. Jidenna this Raye my god-daughter. She's staying with me for a bit."

"Nice to meet you." I held out my hand, then I realized it had batter all over it. "My bad."

"It's fine." She laughed and shook it anyway. "I'll go put this up, then help you guys cook."

"Yes we need you on Mac and Cheese."

"Mac and cheese coming up." She ran to the back.

"Beautiful isn't she?" Miss Ruby winked and smirked.

"You're not slick Miss Ruby." I shook my head finishing mixing.

"She's single." She was trying to throw a hint.

"Miss Ruby." I chuckled at her trying to play match maker.

"So Mac and Cheese." Raye came in the kitchen looking for ingredients.

"Yes I didn't trust Jidenna to make that."

"Mama Ruby leave him alone. I'm sure he's a fine cook." Raye took a long pause. "To someone on another planet."

"Oh so you going in too now?" I looked at her smiling.

"I'm just saying from all the lumps I know this is going to be some struggle cornbread." Raye laughed. "You have to mix until there aren't many lumps." She took it from me and showed me. "See."

"Well since both y'all want to go in, I'mma just watch." I sat on a stool watching them cook.

"That might be best." Miss Ruby smirked finishing battering the fish and preparing it for the skillet.

"Y'all hurting my feelings now."

"Aww...we'll teach you. You'll be a pro in no time." Raye put the cornbread in the oven.

"I don't know Raye, some students are hard to teach. Even those who went to Stanford."

I eyed Miss Ruby who tried to slick throw out my crenditials.

She winked and went to frying the fish.

"Oooo Standord." Raye said. "Too bad my alma mater Harvard's better."

"Well actually I rejected Harvard. So it could've been mine too." I said smartly.

Jidenna actually did reject Harvard. Ahh man bae so smart. 😍

"That's what they all say." Raye rolled her eyes and went to making the Mac and cheese.

"Seriously you went to Harvard?" I asked.

"Yup. Political Science was my major."

"Wow impressive. What brought you to Chicago?"

"She's from here and taking the Obama path. Community organizing/ activism with a hope that it can lead to a political career."

"Mama Ruby tell all my business why don't you."

"I think that's cool. Giving back to the community. What type of organizing?"

"Stopping all this violence around the city. What do you do?"

"He's the VP of marketing at Burnett Marketing downtown." Miss Ruby answered for me.

"Oh you're apart of the 1 percent that takes money from the poor and distributes it to the wealthy. Impressive."
She said sarcastically and gave a fake smile.

"Raye don't start with the political mumbo jumbo." Miss Ruby sighed. "She's passionate about these sort of things forgive her Jidenna."

"Why it's the truth? He knows it. He sits in his nice plush office while young men who look just like him are gunned down in the streets. I wish I could live in a safe bubble. Not worry about real world problems because I'm so comfy on my cash. You got it good. Unfortunately my conscious nags me too much."

"So you hate the wealthy?" I asked her.

"Pretty much."

"But you went to Harvard one of the wealthiest and elitist schools to exist. Isn't that a bit contradictory?" I challenged her.

"On a scholarship because I'm from Cabrini green. the projects in case you didn't know." She snapped.

"And so am I. Born to immigrant parents who had nothing when they came to America and that was all they could afford." I snapped back.

She looked at me. Then cleared her throat and turned her attention to Miss Ruby.

"Mama Ruby what else do you need me to do?" She put the Mac and Cheese in the oven.

"That's it darling. You can rest I know you've been working all day."

Raye looked at me then went to the back and closed the door.

"I think she likes you." Miss Ruby smiled.

I chuckled back. Maybe. Maybe.