Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 1 (A Black Panther FanFic)

Black Boys Bloom Thorns First Chapter 27

I'm an orange moon
I'm brighter than before
Brighter than ever before
I'm an orange moon and I shine so bright
'cause I reflect the light of my sun
I praise the day, he turned my way
And smiled at me
He gets to smile and I get to be orange, that I love to be

How good it is, how good it is...

Erykah Badu – "Orange Moon"

Califia held N'Jobu's hand as they waited for her father in the prison waiting room. She was nervous on the drive up, and she was nervous as they were being processed to get inside. Her stomach felt queasy for the last few days. It was one thing to talk about her father being locked up, quite another to take her boyfriend to the prison itself.

When Dante Stevens walked out, his hair cut a little shorter, and his smile as vivid as ever, Califia for the first time in a long time didn't cry when she saw him. She stood and walked N'Jobu over to him. She hugged her father, then, like a teenager introducing her parent to her prom date, she pulled N'Jobu closer to her.

"Pleased to finally meet you in person, sir," N'Jobu said, sticking out his hand.

Dante shook N'Jobu's hand, and Califia noticed the impressed expression on her father's face by the firmness of N'Jobu's handshake.

"Well, N'Jobu, I can see you ain't no Hennessey and swisher sweets type brotha," Dante said.

Califia giggled, "Daddy! Stop it!"

N'Jobu didn't quite get the humor in the reference, she could tell, but he smiled because Dante was grinning.

"Sit down you two," Dante said.

They found a nice open spot near the snack machines.

"So, you are the man that's got my daughter's nose wide open—"

"Ohmigod, Daddy could you not!"

"What's the problem? Your Mama said she hasn't seen you in love like this since Melvin Clayton in the fifth grade."

N'Jobu laughed with Dante.

"Wait, did she come see you?"

"Yes. She didn't tell you?"

"No. She said she visited a few friends while she was out here. She didn't tell me she came here. How was it?"

"Good. She looks good. Sounds good. She's hella proud of you. And she kept talking about this young man right here."

"I'm glad I made a positive impression," N'Jobu said.

Dante eyed N'Jobu for a moment.

"Her mother told me that you are a good man, and good for my daughter."

Califia blinked in surprise. Her mother was polite and made a nice house guest when she stayed with Califia and N'Jobu, but she never said anything to Califia about how she felt about the relationship.

"I was able to see a lot of pictures from your graduation, babygirl."

"I have more to show you."

"Cool. N'Jobu, do you play chess?"

"Yes, sir," N'Jobu said.

Dante went to a corner and brought back a chess set.

Califia watched them play a long and contemplative game that Dante won before N'Jobu beat him in the second game. They then all decided to play monopoly where N'Jobu wiped up both their butts.