“I’m putting my life in your hands, don’t steer me wrong, ” I poked him in the chest. “I got-chu ma.”
“Can I get a hug before I get in. Just in case this is the last time I’m alive, ” this was my attempt to make him less mad. He laughed and gave me a hug.
I put on the helmet and got in the go-kart. God please don’t let me die.
“I can’t breathe and I’m scared,” I was starting to feel the effects of the darkness inside the helmet.
“You gotta trust me baby,” Aug yelled out. “Go straight.”
“Oh my God. Oh my God,” I was panicking a little as I went straight.
“Now a hard right,” he directed. “Straight, Amb. Straight! Straight!”
I ran into a wall, and he bursted into laughter.
“That’s not funny August,” I couldn’t see him but I turned to where I thought he was.
Someone came and moved my car back on track.
“We almost finished,” he assured me. “Can you not run me into any walls please” I yelled out.
“Aight, now go right. Now straight.” “Am I there,” I felt I was getting closer to the finish line.
“Almost.”
“Oh God, ” I thought I was about to hit another wall. “ You made it,” he walked over and greeted me at the finish line.
“Your turn,” I narrowed my eyes at him. “You mad at me,” he chuckled. “I told you to go straight. That’s not my fault.”
“Whatever,” I smirked and snatched the walkie-talkie from him. He got in and put on the helmet. “This shit super dark.”
“You ready,” I asked him. “Yeah.”
“Okay go straight” I directed him. “Damn, a nigga can’t see nothing.”
“Okay, make a sharp left,” I ran on the track close by him. “Now turn right just a little.” He bumped into a wall.
“I said just a little.” “My bad,” he yelled.
“Now go straight. You almost there.”
“Am I there, ” he said getting closer to the finish line. “Yup.” I greeted him as he took off his helmet.
He was cheesing super hard. The man thanked us for our time, and shook her hands.
As we walked back to the car, August stopped me. “I didn’t mean to snap on you like that. You gotta forgive me. I can be moody sometimes.”
“It’s okay,” I started to walk back. He stopped me again. “I really enjoyed it though. I needed that,” he grabbed me into a hug. “Uh-huh,” I rolled my eyes as we came apart.
Then he did something I didn’t expect. He softly pushed me on his car, put both his hands on the sides of my head, and looked me in my eyes. “So much riding on a nigga back between school, work and family, I don’t really get a chance to do even little stuff like this. So I’m serious, thank you.”
I felt so sad for him at that moment. He was only twenty-freaking-one. He was supposed to be enjoying life, but instead, he was living like he had my work load. Although I wished I could have a break, when I was his age, I enjoyed my youth.
Of course was serious about school, but I still chilled with my friends and did stuff. I only had me to worry about.
Not Aug. I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to want to go out to the club but couldn’t because you had to work late to provide for a family. I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to want to hang out with your friends, but you couldn’t because straight after work, you had to catch up on school.
You know in college, you’re supposed to be able to sleep in if you want to. He couldn’t do that. From the bags underneath his eyes, you could tell he rarely got sleep.
I saw the vulnerability in his eyes, and it made his youth more evident.
He was searching for someone to care for him, just as much as he cared about other people. Everybody had Aug, but who did Aug have. It seemed that if Aug fell apart, everybody else’s life around him would also, because he was caring for them.
I gently rubbed the side of his face, hoping he could feel that through that gesture I was saying, I was here if you needed me.
He must have got the message because he grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Let’s go before I have to show you them twelve inches,” he smirked. “You mean two,” I got on the passenger side.
“Wow you got jokes. Uh-huh. I see how it is.” He got in the driver’s side we laughed and drove away.
Chapter 4
Start from the beginning
