3. I Peeped It
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Days had gone by and let me just say... Tiana was not a lowkey neighbor.
She was always out and about or constantly had some new car in her driveway. I was starting to grow suspicious of her and so were the rest of my neighbors on this block.
I had gone outside to get my newspaper when I saw Drew drive up into his driveway. Drew was my neighbor, one I actually didn't mind establishing a friendship with.
"Glad to see your ass back from business. All I've been hearing are the females starting rumors." I said with a laugh as I crossed my lawn over to his yard.
"I can only imagine. Last my wife told me was she saw you go into that neighbors house late a few nights ago. What was that all about?"
"She needed help with her electricity and I lent a helping hand. She's one busy neighbor though." I stared at her house just waiting for the next car to show up or for her to come walking out of the house.
"You haven't talked to her since?" I shook my head. "Amazing how no one wanted to be nosey and try to get dirt from her." He said with a laugh.
"All I know is her name is Tiana. I was thinkin' about going over there and asking about all the cars." It has me too suspicious, I don't want to be caught up in whatever she's doing but this curiosity is killing me from the inside out.
"You do that and let me know what's up with her. I'll see you around." He dapped me before stepping around and walking up his driveway.
I swiftly jogged across the street and walked down to her house. A man and woman both emerged from the garage and got in their car, seeming not to notice me standing just off the side.
I continued my way up to the front door and rang the doorbell. As I stood there waiting, I started to drift off into thought about everything that was not relevant to what I was currently doing. I saw empty boxes on her porch and thought about what I would do with empty boxes... Make a fort out of 'em.
"Oh, hi." Tiana said when she opened the door. She was shocked and quickly tightened the tie on her robe some more.
"Was this a bad time or-"
"No, not at all. I was actually just starting to relax. I finished some work on my computer and was just going to watch movies. Come in." She gladly stepped aside and I walked in. "Do you want anything to drink? Coffee, soda, water-"
"Coffee would be chill." She nodded her head and I followed her back to her kitchen. "So how are you?"
"I'm great. Just tired after this week. Between work and the big move. How have you been?" How the hell does she move so gracefully around the kitchen? If it were me, I would have knocked over every last damn dish.
"I'm pretty good. I would assume you've been busy. I've noticed you constantly leaving out the door or having people show up." Her eyes flickered up to mine and she had an odd look on her face. "I notice things."
"Just friends who came over to help me move the furniture around and choose paint colors. I'm too stressed to make decisions so my friends help me out." She said as she poured the coffee into the cup. "Creamer, milk, or black?"
"Creamer please." I said still locking my eyes on her. "The same friends just don't come back to help?"
"I like to get many people's opinions." She walked over and set the creamer down in front of me, as well as the coffee. "I'm not sure how much you want otherwise I would have poured it for you." She took a seat next to me at the small round cafe type table.
"It's all good. So tell me about yourself Tiana." I stirred the coffee around with the spoon and brought my eyes back up to hers. "I figure since we're neighbors, we might as well get to know each other."
"Well I'm Tiana-"
"Obviously." I interjected with a laugh. "Continue."
"I came here from Georgia after I divorced my husband and am an entrepreneur." She maintained a business like composure which is something I peeped I straight from the beginning.
"Divorced?" She nodded. "That's rough but an entrepreneur in what-"
"Trade." I took a sip of my coffee and let the burn of the coffee singe my throat. "What about you-"
"I ain't done questionin' you." I said with a smile.
"I didn't know I was going to be interview today. I would have dressed for the part." She shot back.
"If I do say, you're overly dressed in my opinion but I'll let that go." Her cheeks had that pinkish hue to 'em as she dropped her eyes. "So how old are you?"
"22."
"And already divorced?"
"He went through wives like money flying out the hand. I didn't know I was his sixth wife. He told me I was his second and when- I don't need to further more explain the situation."
"How long were you married for?"
"A year." That's that hurt though. "Can I ask you now?"
"We'll switch off every few questions but go on ahead." I took another sip of my coffee and was glad I was getting that rush of sugar that I needed.
"How old are you?"
"24."
"And what do you do for a living?"
"Move and sell drugs. Not that I care if you do, but don't go around saying I do that." I just want to see if she'll go run her mouth, I'll openly say I mess with drugs in the sense of transporting it.
"Risky."
"I like the risks and it's an easy job. Not to mention it's not a boring ass nine to five job that requires a suit and tie."
"Fair enough. Have you ever been in jail?"
"For short periods of time." I was starting to feel much more comfortable around her and she seemed a lot less tense and uptight. "What are your thoughts of me so far?"
"Well, you're a nice person but you just keep in your house all day. At least when I'm home I never see you outside."
"I try to keep out of sight to stay away from trouble."
"That's smart of you. I wish I could just stay locked away in my house all day."
"Sell drugs and there's your answer." I said making us both laugh. "There's somethin' a little familiar about you. Were you born in Georgia?"
"No. I was born here but moved there with my ex and then I came back here. What about me is familiar?"
"Somethin' about your face just looks really familiar. I could just be confusing you with a different person." Nah my memory is usually on point, there's something about her. Unless she was just a background person when I was making a sell a couple years back.
"Oh, well good luck trying to remember. I would have imagined a face like yours if I saw it any other time." A lot of females tend to remember my face but not my name. Which is a good thing.
"What'chu tryna say about my face?"
"You're pushing it."
"I don't feel threatened, I'll continue to push it." I continued to say with a laugh. "As much as I'd love to sit here and joke with you, I'll let you get you're relaxing time. I'll see you around and thanks for the coffee."
"You weren't a bother or anything, I hope you're not thinking that. I actually enjoy having you here." We both had stood up from the table and just stared at each other. "I mean that in a friendly-"
"Suuure Tiana. But we'll see each other around." She walked me to the door and I took myself back across the street to my house.
So what do I make of her now? Well, she's still my suspicious neighbor that has my curiosity wrapped around her finger. She may have explained herself and what she did but that wasn't completely settling with me.
Oh well, I needed to go make a few sells before I forget and procrastinate it another day. Grabbing my merch off the counter, I pulled my hood up to just about my eyes and took to the streets.
***
The sound of sirens woke me up abruptly. I sat up and stumbled out of bed, grabbing a sweatshirt and jogged out to my porch.
"Drew!" I yelled. He turned around and came walking up my driveway. "What's goin' on?"
"Apparently there was a gun shot? I don't know I didn't hear it but someone called 911." I flashed him a confused look and looked down the block.
"How? We would have heard."
"That's what I'm saying. It could have been fired from a street two over." From the corner of my eye, I watched a car drop of Tiana and speed off the way it came.
The hell was your ass doing at this time Tiana?
"Yeah I bet that's what it was. I'm going back to bed, if there's any new information tell me in the morning."
"I got you." He walked off my porch back over to his yard while I went back inside. Looking across the street, I saw the one light on in her window till it was cut off and that house was now pitch black.
This should be fun.