Black Keys

Four.

She was struggling on the inside. She contained so much pain. She was a flower that was planted in the wrong area which eventually led to her dying. That is what Nick gathered from the two songs he managed to play on the instrument before dinner tonight with Vincent, Valerie, and her parents. While he is adjusting his collar, his tries to imagine how she looks or looked. How old was she? What color are her eyes? What's her exact height? All of which he wish he had the answers to.

Turning away from his mirror, he walks to his night stand to grab his cell phone and his car keys to get to Vincent's house. He is always an early bird. Punctuality is a huge thing for him, so appearing late to a dinner would bother him. He hops into his Tesla and heads down. Vincent didn't live too far. Matter of factly, he can walk to Vincent's home because he was about 3 blocks away, but he chose not to.

He enters the home to find Vincent with his girlfriend preparing the table. "Ya'll still not ready?" He questions them.

"Almost. Grab the chardonnay near the wine cellar for me."

Nick does as he says. Just as they finish setting up the table, there is a knock at the door. Valerie jolts to the door in her red bottoms that Vincent bought for her. Vincent takes a deep breath as he wait for them near the dining table while Nick stands there waiting for the night to take off so he can get going.

"Mommy, daddy this is Vincent and his best friend Nick. You guys, this is Mr. and Mrs. Parson. My parents." That name clicked in Nick's mind. Something about that name rings a bell, but he just cannot seem to make it out. Vincent is the first to greet them with a handshake. Nick follows with a smile on his face.

"I'm Nick. I am the best friend."

"I've heard about you the two of you and what you have done for the community." Mr. Parson responds. Before his daughter told him about Vincent, he was aware of the two men and what they have done for the black people in their hood. Nice housing for a low rent fee, investing in black businesses, and sending kids to school. All of which that helped not only people around them, but their pockets significantly. "I am very proud of you guys."

The two men look at each other with furrowed eyebrows. Vincent now expects this dinner to go very well. They all gather around the table. The smell of delicious soul food travels through their nostrils, causing this hunger that none of them knew was there. "Vincent made the Mac N Cheese." Valerie compliments as she her mom takes a bite.

"Mmm. It's delicious. Who taught you how to make it?"

Nick looks down at his plate with wide eyes. His ex taught him. One day, he just sat there and watched her cook. That is something she loves doing.

Vincent takes a tip of his drink before responding. "I used to sit down and watch this girl cook." He tells the truth.

"I knew it couldn't have been Valerie," Her mom jokes. "She's not that great of a cook."

"I see that." Vincent laughs, causing Valerie to suck her teeth.

Nick just kept stuffing his face while they all interact. He keeps thinking about their last name. Once his memory clicks, he looks at the couple. He never knew that was Valerie's last name. Truth is, he barely spoke about her until Vincent brings her up."Parson. You own the Parson Bank?" He asks. That bank is like a Navy Federal. it comes with great benefits for their customers. Matter of factly, his business account is with the bank that has several branches around the country. "The corporate office is downtown. I used to be there all the time."

The mom slowly puts her fork down and looks at her husband. Valerie looks at the two who gave birth to her. Nick notices the change in their attitude. "We do not own the bank. Our daughter does. She started the company."

"Daughter?" Vincent looks at Valerie. "You have a sister?"

"Really? When I first started banking with them 3 years ago, I've seen that it was always ran by Kent. Great business by the way."

"Kent is the COO. He is just running the operation while our daughter...-" Mrs. Parson stops herself from continuing her sentence.

"Our daughter is on a journey right now. She left here 3 years ago to go explore." The dad finishes it off. Nick puts his fork down as well. The timeline is starting to make sense a little, but he doesn't want to jump into conclusions. He looks around the table. Part of him wants to ask more questions, but he doesn't because he sees how uncomfortable the family is.

"I never knew Valerie had a sister. "

"She's older than me."

"Oh. Well, I help she enjoys her journey. Where is she now?" Vincent asks. Apparently, he's oblivious to what is going on.

"We don't know," Valerie mumbles. "We haven't spoke to her in 3 years."

Damn. Nick curses. Even if they are the family members of the stranger he has been trying to figure out, they don't even know where she is or if she is even alive. By how Valerie is sort of living off of Vincent, he can tell that money was not left behind for her. She must be a reason why she left.

"Do any of you guys play the piano?" Nick asks. "I recently started playing. Someone I don't know has been teaching me and she's very good."

"I used to play." Mr. Parson speaks with a smile on his face. "I used to always play at this jazz club with my buddy. Is that stranger good? How far did you get?"

"She is. She's quite the song writer as well," Nick smiles back. "I didn't get far enough, but now I think I will." The five of them continue to eat. Vincent is cracking jokes with them, creating this great rapport. Valerie sits there smiling at the three of them, while Nick looks at her, assuming that her and her sister might favor each other if that person does have ties to them.