Excuse any mistakes.
Seattle, WA
Saturday
"There is always something to do. There are hungry people to feed, naked people to clothe, sick people to comfort and make well. And while I don't expect you to save the world I do think it's not asking too much for you to love those with whom you sleep, share the happiness of those whom you call friend, engage those among you who are visionary and remove from your life those who offer you depression, despair and disrespect."
Nikki Giovanni
—
Zeke pulls into Remy's driveway, and shuts off the engine. Naomi grabs her purse, adjusting her leather jacket and immediately getting out of the truck. Zeke and Naomi were at odds over how Zeke handled the situation with Amir.
Naomi felt silly for being mad at him, simply because he was protecting his sister. Any sane relative would have probably done the same.
However, despite Amir's actions, that was still her brother.
As she rung the doorbell, Zeke appears behind her and sighs heavily. "It's been a month, Naomi."
"And you still haven't told me why you have a gun." She glares at him.
Zeke shrugs. "For protection."
"Well, I don't want the kids to be able to get their hands on it."
Zeke looks at her. "They haven't in all this time. Look, I got it. Don't worry about it."
Before Naomi could reply, the door opens and Remy appears on the other side of the threshold. Her arm is in a sling with her other arm holding a bowl of popcorn.
Naomi sighs in relief, and immediately pulls Remy into a loving hug. "Can you just work from a desk already?"
Remy laughs a little, hugging her best friend back. She was shot in a takedown the week before, in the arm and chest.
"I'm okay." She tells her. Zeke steps in and closes the door behind him. Remy looks at him and smiles. "Hey bro." She says as she pulls away from Naomi.
"Hey Remy." Zeke greets her with a hug also.
Keegan walks down the foyer with their daughter in his arms. "Is that Auntie Mimi & Uncle Z?"
Marìa wiggles out of his arms to run to them. "Hey my baby girl." Naomi gasps, scooping her up.
Zeke watches as Naomi effortlessly talked to Marìa in Spanish. Keegan looks at him and shakes his head. "I think her and her mama be cursin' me out."
"I know for a fact they do." Zeke laughs.
"I'm so glad y'all made it because I made some bomb ass authentic tacos." Remy stuffs her mouth with popcorn and leads them to the kitchen.
"Madre, can I have juice tonight?" María asks.
"Hmm," Remy hums, a signal that she's thinking. "I guess so."
Keegan stops Remy from trying to do too much and points towards the dining area. "Go sit down woman. You don't need to be doing all of this."
Remy takes a deep breath and turns on her heels. Naomi laughs a little as Remy mumbles a few curse words under her breath in Spanish.
"Man, that woman gon be the death of me." Keegan shakes his head.
"I don't know how you do it." Zeke says. "I'm not sure if I would be able to sleep at night if Naomi was doing dangerous takedowns."
The two men watches as Naomi and Remy go into the dining room. "I was so scared when they called. She was in surgery for hours."
"I'm just glad she's okay. Maybe this would be a wake up call."
Keegan shakes his head no. "She loves her job."
"I think she loves you and Marìa a little more." Zeke gives her the benefit of the doubt.
"She wouldn't give up the job for me. But, she'd do it for baby girl."
Zeke gives him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "I know you think that because of her past. However, Remy has matured and is now a wife and a mother. That's important to her."
"I hope so." Keegan says with a sigh. "How are things with you and Naomi?" He switches topics.
This time, it was Zeke who sighed. "Rough. That's marriage though."
"I don't blame you for what you did. If that was my sister, I'd do the same." Keegan looks at him.
Zeke nods. "Yeah, I think she understands that. It's just that's my sister and that's her brother. It'll always be a conflict."
"I'm just sayin'. That's a big guy. If it was me, I woulda shot his big ass."
The both of them laugh as they take the food into the dining room.
"It's about damn time. I'm hungry." Remy snaps.
"Look here, relax." Keegan glares at her. "You've been mean since you been at home."
"You act like this is something new baby." Remy waves him off.
Naomi shakes her head. "Remy, cut the guy some slack. You got shot which I'm sure already scared him half to death."
"This is not my first time being shot." Remy looks at her.
"You're right, but you were really almost killed this time." Zeke adds.
"Exactly." Keegan says. "Going in there with no damn bulletproof vest. Do you even care about my feelings? Or Marìa's?"
All eyes were on him because anyone could hear the frustration and anger in his tone. He avoids the stares as he fixes Marìa's plate.
"I didn't know you felt that way." Remy says.
"No bulletproof vest?" Naomi looks at her with disbelief on her face.
Remy sighs. "A little girl was inside and we were running out of time. I made a decision on instinct and I went in. I wasn't thinking correctly. But, I saved the girl."
"Yeah, you also got a little girl at home." Keegan retorts.
"You don't think I know that?"
Keegan shrugs. "Sometimes, no."
Remy bangs her hand on the table causing everyone to jump. "For once in my damn life, can my job not be the center of the conversation? I love my family and I also love my job. Obviously my family comes first, but in the line of duty, the people also comes first. I took an oath to protect and serve. And unlike others, I take it very seriously. But, don't ever question my loyalty to Marìa or you." She glares at Keegan.
"Okay. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. It's just... I want you to come home to me." He looks at her. "In one peace. I'm not at peace unless you're in my arms at night."
"In my vows, I promised you that I'll come home to you every night. And I haven't broken that promise." Remy sighs. "May not be in one peace, but I'm here."
Keegan doesn't say anything else. He just leaves it at that.
"Well, Nia and Shiloh are officially in a relationship." Naomi breaks the awkward silence.
"What the hell?" Remy starts to take a bite out of her taco, but stops to look at Naomi. "Bitch, you owe me $100."
Naomi facepalms herself. "I was hoping you forgot."
"Pay up sister."
"That's foul. Y'all bettin' on my Nia Bia like that." Zeke shakes his head. "I expected better."
"Nia Bia got the boys coming to the yard for her milkshake." Remy winks.
Zeke gives her a blank stare. "Stop. Nia is a virgin."
"That's what she say." Remy smirks.
Zeke looks at Naomi who only shrugs her shoulders. Keegan raises his eyebrows. "The hell that mean Naomi? I need answers or I'm callin' Bryce."
"I'm not all in the girl's personal life. But, I doubt it. We would have talked about it." Naomi says. "That's not the point, anyway."
"She's just sixteen. I would want her to wait." Zeke speaks up.
"I agree, but we're in Seattle right now and she's in LA. We're not around her 24/7. It's not about what we want. You just have to trust her." Naomi explains. "Trust our parenting."
"Agreed." Remy nods. "Although Mimi was poppin' it for pimp at that age."
"Q had me head over heels." Naomi rolls her eyes. "Young and dumb."
"Madre, you was popping it too?" Marìa asks in her naïvety.
Keegan covers his face as the entire table laughs. She asked in the most innocent way possible. "Yes ma'am, I sure was."
"Remy." Keegan called.
Remy holds up her hands in defense. "I also promised not to lie to my baby. At sixteen, her madre was a little out there."
"A little?" Naomi lifts up an eyebrow.
"Okay, okay. I was a whore." Remy shakes her head at the memories. "Oh my God. Why no one stopped me?"
Keegan eyes widen. "The hell was you doin?"
"Women." Remy smiles.
Zeke chokes on his taco. "Damn."
—
LA
A red, orange and yellow ball of rage roared upward eating its way through the wooden pyramid at its base. Plumes of grey were buffeted into the night sky, carried aimlessly by a chill November wind.
Ashen debris glided silently away from the smoke onto the throng of excited teenagers that all stood in awe of the great beast, their eyes transformed into orbs of light, each flickering orange flame playing a light show on their pupils.
The bonfire was an annual hangout hosted by the seniors. It included nearby high school students who just wanted to socialize and have fun.
Sitting on a bench, Adrian watches as Nia and Shiloh interacting with one another. She looks to be happy with her decision and surprisingly, Adrian is too.
All he really cared about was her happiness and if that meant she would be with Shiloh instead of him, then so be it.
Suddenly, Nia got up and begin running while giggling. Shiloh got up to chase her, but Adrian knew he wasn't going to catch her. He wasn't even sure why Shiloh tried.
"Wassup Malachi? Been a minute." Roman says.
Adrian tears his eyes away from the couple and looks at Malachi. Ever since Mara left Malachi, Adrian distanced himself away from him. Plus, he had baby mama issues.
Adrian didn't need the drama around him. He had enough on his plate.
"Yeah, been busy. Tryna be there for Giselle at her appointments and focus on ball." Malachi sighs as he takes a seat.
"How far along is she now?" Roman asks.
"Five months."
Khalil shakes his head, not believing that Malachi would be a father soon. He felt sorry for the baby. Malachi didn't have it in him. "Good luck brother."
A verbal forgiveness wasn't given, but Adrian didn't try to kick his ass. Therefore, Malachi figured that this was a step in the right direction. It seems like the group effortlessly went back to how it was.
Even given just a script of their conversation, with no context or voices, you would know they were boys. The task directed conversation was interrupted only by jokes, often at the expense of one of their friends.
Yet from the dialogue that followed it was clear that no offence had been taken, quite the contrary. They enjoyed the banter, the witty and not-so-witty put-downs.
They teased and jibbed one moment and discussed team strategy the next, taking one another seriously and giving well thought responses.
But the sensible talk could never last too long, like it was scheduled by an egg timer. Soon the hilarity would start all over again.
Checking out of the conversation briefly, Adrian looks around and his eyes lands on a girl that has had his attention for a minute.
She didn't attend their school, but she did run track. He saw her quite frequently when he would go to Nia's track meets.
She could have graced any billboard or magazine cover, but she was better than those two dimensional photoshopped models. Somehow her imperfections made her perfect.
There was a shyness to her, hesitation in her body movements and corkiness in her smile.
"Aight bro, you gotta go get her number. She fine as hell." Roman pats Adrian's back. "And it'll help you get over Nia." He snorts.
"Shut up." Adrian glares at him and jumps off the bench.
He watches as she leaves her group of friends to go stand by the ocean. He figures that this is his chance and he isn't about to waste it.
Grabbing his jacket, he walks to where she is. Her back is turned against him with her arms folded across her chest. He could tell that she was a little chilly.
He placed his jacket over her causing her to look back. She smiles lightly at him. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm Adrian, by the way." He introduces himself.
"Savannah." She looks at him.
"Nice to meet you, Savannah." Adrian sticks his hands into his pockets. "You're from LA?"
Savannah shakes her head. "No, I moved here my freshman year. I'm originally from New York. My mom and dad moved here to give me a better chance to get noticed on the track."
"I knew you looked familiar."
Savannah smirks. "I'm sure you did. I know that you're Nia's friend." She adjusts the jacket on her arms. "At one point, she attempted to get me to talk to you."
Adrian laughs a little. "I think I asked her to do that."
"Why you couldn't do it then? You're doing it now."
Shrugging his shoulders, Adrian looks ahead. "There are some girls who I think are outta my league. Don't matter how confident I think I am."
"No reason to think that. You're handsome and you smell wonderful." She says causing both of them to laugh. "Just off the approach, you're winning. Plus, you're a gentleman."
Alluringly, she would blink her eyes from time to time, allowing her eyelashes to flutter like the wings of a butterfly.
Unconsciously, Adrian stares. Savannah can feel his eyes on her, and she tries to stop her cheeks from turning an apple red.
"Are you from LA?" She asks to kill the silence.
"I was raised here. I was born in New York, though." He says.
Savannah looks at him. "Manhattan?"
Adrian nods. "You?"
"Same." Savannah hugs her body, wrapping Adrian's jacket around her tighter.
"We got a lot in common."
Adrian watches the ocean, lost in the rhythmic percussion of waves on sand. His eyes are steady to the horizon, face aglow with the last orange rays before twilight beckons the stars.
His lips bear the semblance of a smile, just enough to show that he is enjoying his thoughts, whatever they may be.
"Why the smile?" The softness in Savannah's voice made the hair on his arm stand up.
He looks over at her, allowing the smile to grow a little wider. "Things haven't been this clearer in a long time for me. Past two months, I've really grown. That me wouldn't have been abled to approach you and be serious."
"Hm," Savannah hums. "So, what are your intentions?"
"Right now? To get to know you. The good, bad and ugly."
She nods. "Fair."
Reaching into his pocket, he takes out his cell phone, unlocks it and hands it to her. "Having your number probably is important if I wanna get in touch."
Savannah takes it, and punches in her number. She saves it before handing it back to him. "If you really want a chance, don't keep me waiting Adrian."
She takes off his jacket, and hands it back to him. "I won't." He says.
—
It was late and Rayne needed to lock up the salon for the night. Adonis agreed to watch her kids until she was off. She knew that they were probably running him crazy.
The bell chimes signaling that someone walked in. She looks up to see a familiar face. But, she couldn't quite put a name with it.
The handsome man smiles at her, showing the perfect dentures. "You look like you don't remember me." He laughs.
Rayne shakes her head. "I remember your face, but not your name."
Placing his hands in his pockets, he walks closer to her. "José. The guy from New York during Fashion Week. You took a picture with my niece."
José
Rayne snaps her fingers as she begun to remember. "That's right. José. I'm Ra—"
"Rayne." He finishes. "I'll never forget that name. A beautiful name for a gorgeous woman."
As much as she tried to hold in her blush, she couldn't. "Thank you. Is there something I can help you with?"
"I just wanted to see if that deal was still on with my sister. Her birthday's tomorrow and I think it'll be a pretty cool surprise."
Folding her arms across her chest, Rayne nods. "It is. I keep my word."
"That's refreshing to hear." José gives her a flirtatious smile before looking around the salon. "Do you cut hair, too?" He looks back at her.
"I do."
He takes off his hat and runs a hand through his messy hair. "Think you can help me out here?"
Rayne looks at the watch that's located on her wrist and shakes her head. "Maybe tomorrow. I have to go pick up my kids."
Josè nods in understanding. "Of course. How many?"
Rayne begins to gather her things and she looks at him curiously. "Three. One boy, two girls."
"Cool. I bet you're like one of those extra moms. Always going over the top for your babies." He jokes.
"When my son graduated from kindergarten, I threw a three parties that entire weekend. When my oldest daughter graduated from pre-k, I made it seem like she was graduating from high school. I almost bought her a car."
José's face contorts in confusion. "Really?"
"I'm joking." Rayne laughs and finishes gathering her things. Grabbing her keys, she looks at Josè, wondering if he had anything else to say.
"Oh, I guess I need to go." He snorts. The both of them walk to the door and he holds it open for her. Once they were out, he waits for her to lock up. "So, what time should we come?"
Rayne turns around and goes through her schedule in her head. "Around 1pm?"
"That's perfect."
Rayne smiles at him. "Well, I'll see you two then."
He watches as she walks to her car. "Oh, wait. I got it." He runs to the driver's side and opens her door.
"Thank you." She looks at him before getting into the car.
She pushes the engine button and lets down her window. "Why are you still outside my door?" She laughs. "Aren't you cold?"
"I wanna take you out on a date." He blurts out.
Rayne sighs, and shakes her head. "I'm newly divorced and dating isn't something I'm ready to do right now."
"Oh, damn. I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's okay. But, when I am ready, you'll be the first guy I allow to take me out." Rayne looks at him. "That's if you don't find someone else by then."
Josè chuckles a little. "Oh I doubt it. I'm gonna wait this one out."
Rayne smiles a little before looking ahead. "See you tomorrow, José."
"Likewise."
Rayne lets up her window before driving off. As she's driving, she's shaking her head. "That lil boy fine as hell." She says to herself.
Me reading y'all comments:
I updated chapter 2 of Sealed by the way.