Color Blind

Chapter 19

Neither of us could agree on the type of food that we were in the mood for, so we finally settled on eating in the food court of a nearby mall. After standing in separate lines that each seemed to be a mile long, and me ripping some guy that couldn't understand the fact that I didn't want to give him my number a new one, Lafayette and I were finally able to sit down and eat.

I could tell that he had wanted to ask me something since he'd gotten the ring purchase out of the way, but was waiting for the right time to bring it up. Finally, after it became clear that the "right time" wouldn't be any time soon, I just came out and asked him what was on his mind.

"Well..." he began slowly. "I was just thinkin' 'bout Scott."

"Scott?" I asked alarmed. "What's wrong with him?" It wasn't like Lafayette to bring up anyone out of the blue like that.

"Oh...nuthin'. Nut'n's wrong wit' that fool. I was just thinkin' 'bout...you and Scott..."

"Me and Scott? What are you talking about Lafayette?"

"Well, and don't take me the wrong way when I say this 'cause you know I love ya, swee-dee," he drawled. "I really do. But it seems ta me like you're wastin' the man's time." He put his fork down and looked me dead in the eye.

"What?" I demanded. "What the hell are you talking about wasting his time?" I was suddenly furious. Who the hell did Lafayette think he was all up in my business?

"Slow your roll, youngin," Lafayette said calmly. "I'm just sayin'. We're grown now, and you and Scott are still playin' around like you're kids. Rica, you're twenty-two years old. And Scott, well he's twenty-four goin' on fiddy. You know he always been older than he should be, and this kiddy stuff that you keep tryna pull on him is wastin' away the little bit of youth he has left."

I narrowed my eyes. "What kiddy stuffy? Did Scott put you up to this?"

Lafayette shook his head. "You know better 'n that. This is all my own observation, so don't even bring it up to him. I'm just sayin', Scott's been after you since we were kids, and you been runnin' away from him...since we were kids. He coulda had a hundred girls by now if he han't been so busy chasin' after you. But try tellin' him that. He already knows what he wants, Rica, and it's about time that you figure out what you want too. I mean, sure he's white and all, but he's good people. So if his color is seriously gonna keep you from bein' wit' him, you need ta sit him down and explain it to him in a way that will make him believe you. Or else, you're gonna end up bein' with some other dude and Scott's gonna still be thinkin' that eventually you two will somehow end up together. You know he's always talkin' all that mess about how it's fate for you to be together. He means it. That's one superstitious kid, and as soon as he found out you were Tia's cousin, he's been beggin' her to make it happen ever since. He's still tryna get her to do it now, like yesterday...literally yesterday, even after all these years..."

I sat back in my chair and pushed the food away. No longer hungry, I let out a frustrated sigh. Lafayette was right. I had already wasted almost ten years of the man's life, more if you counted the five years that I was oblivious to the fact that Scott even existed. It was time for me to make a move.

Looking across the table with helpless eyes, I asked Lafayette, "Well then...what do you think I should do?" Honestly, I had absolutely no idea.

"Hey..." again Lafayette threw up his hands. "I don't know what you should do. I really don't even know how you feel about him, to tell you the truth. It stresses me out jus' bein' around you two on the real, though, beh-be. The situation is jus' so stupid to me. One a y'all needs to grow up and come straight wit' it, and it seems to me that Scott already did that back in the day."