by Sequaia
“Why y’all kids laying back here?”
I lifted my head to look him directly in the eyes. His expression indicated hurt and confusion, while his tone was one of a damn drill sergeant.
“My bad, man. I didn’t realize we fell asleep. We’ll move.” I gently nudged Aúrea, trying to get her to wake up.
“Y’all want to eat?” His tone softened, as well as the expression on his face. I thought she was still asleep, but when she replied with “Food? Yes,” she proved her ass was awake. I cut my eyes at her, knowing she was paying me no mind. She knew I was going to tell his ass no.
“Come on,” he ordered.
“I got money. We don’t have to eat your food for free.” I was not looking for a handout, although him finding us back here looked foul. But I wasn’t a homeless kid. We were back here by choice.
“Bring y’all asses on,” he commanded, dismissing me.
I stood, helped Aúrea to her feet, and waited. Something about his fatherly approach got me up, a tone I’d been waiting to hear my entire life.
We followed him through the back door of his restaurant, where we had fallen asleep, which couldn’t have been any longer than four or five hours ago. We were supposed to be taking a short break against the wall near the dumpster but evidently fell asleep.
“There’s a washroom over here. Clean yourselves up. Meet me on the other side of this door.” He pointed to the right where he said the washroom belonged, then straight ahead where he wanted us to meet him.
“Come on.” Taking Aúrea by the hand, we stepped into a bathroom. I mean—a fully equipped bathroom, with a shower and everything. It made me wonder if he always brought in strays from off the street or lived here. I hadn’t been in the back of many restaurants—none actually. Regardless, I doubted a complete bathroom in the back was how they came. Plus, he was too open to helping us. We could’ve been the young Black version of Bonnie and Clyde for all he knew, and still, he was willing to clean and feed us.
“Oh-my-God, babe, I’m about to take a shower.” The smile stretched across her face expressed her excitement.
“Go ahead.” After washing my hands, I stepped out. Honestly, I was eager to shower myself. I didn’t realize how much I missed the luxury until now. Not to mention, sleeping by a huge-ass trash can did not produce a refreshing scent. I wandered toward the front and met the “Good Samaritan” at the stove, cooking.
“Have a seat.”
“My name is Prentice.” Introducing myself was my way of showing him I wasn’t some bum-ass kid—just a young man with an identity who wasn’t for no shit.
“I’m Mr. Lewis. I would say nice to meet you. Given your circumstances, I don’t know if that’s acceptable to say or not.”
“Look, man . . . I mean, Mr. Lewis, we dozed off. After today, you won’t see us again, so my bad if us being out there inconvenienced you.” I relaxed in the chair, folding my arms across my chest. I was not in the mood for a lecture or sarcasm.
“What you running from?” He turned, placing a nice stack of pancakes on the table.
Instantly, my stomach took on a mind of its own and began doing somersaults and rumbling like crazy. Mr. Lewis glanced at me and chuckled before walking back over to the stove. I can’t lie. Embarrassment is an understatement of what I was feeling. My damn stomach was performing as if it were a college marching band. The growling, the instruments, and the somersaults were the damn dancers. Within seconds, he was placing sausage and bacon on the table next to the pancakes. Self-control was a mothafucka at this point, but there was no way I’d eat before Aúrea.
“You gon’ answer my question?” he challenged, looking me straight in the eyes. I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed it at first, but OG reminded me of Uncle Phil from Fresh Prince, a shorter, darker version. Anyway, the resemblance was there.
“Who said we were running from something?”
“You gotta be, two kids as young as y’all. What, you two can’t be any older than 16 or 17? And you haven’t been on the streets that long. I know because you both still look healthy, still got a little weight on your bones. I’ve been around the block more than a few times and—”
“And you don’t know us. Look, if this gon’ turn into an intervention or interrogation, we can leave.”
“Noo, baby, I wanna eat. Ooh, thank you, mister. This food looks so good.” Aúrea entered in the middle of our conversation.
Her timing couldn’t have been worse. I was ready to go, seeing where this was heading. Now, we wouldn’t be going anywhere. She walked to the side of the table closest to the stove where he was standing. Like lightning, I grasped her arm, directing her to the other side. Not roughly, of course. Mr. Lewis seemed cool, but I was protective of Aúrea. If he were to attempt some slick shit, he’d get to me before reaching her.
“It’s fine, young lady. I made plenty of food. These omelets are almost done. Soon, you’ll be able to dig in. By the way, my name is Mr. Lewis.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Aúrea,” she introduced herself in that friendly-ass voice of hers. She always sounded like she was flirting when she wasn’t. I knew it was just one of the shortcomings of her upbringing, but I hated that shit.
“Babe, that shower felt so good. You sure you don’t want to take one?”
I could have sworn she turned her nose up like she was disgusted or some shit.
“Nah, I’m gon’ wait ’til we get to our next destination.” I probably did stink. We slept next to a trash can, and for the past four days, we were sleeping where we could and taking ho baths. Four days ago, I committed to leaving with her. We had taken the bus to a city about three hours from our hometown, a bus station where we were sure my mother and her foster parents wouldn’t find us. Besides, knowing my mother, she had an APB put out on me after the first twenty-four hours I’d been gone. I wouldn’t put it past her to tell authorities Aúrea kidnapped me.
“It’s fine, Prentice, I don’t mind. Have at it,” Mr. Lewis offered, calling me by my first name like we were cool and shit.
“I’m good,” I responded with finality. Neither of them said anything about it to me again. I wasn’t leaving Aúrea alone with him or any other man. He seemed all right; actually, he came off as a solid dude, but it took more than a hot meal to gain my trust.
Mr. Lewis placed a short stack of omelets on the table before telling us to eat up. Aúrea wasted no time filling her plate and digging in. I knew she had to be hungry. Hell, I was too, but damn. Her plate was lightweight embarrassing. Plus, she only left me with a little bit. It wasn’t the amount of food on her plate that bothered me. Seeing her so hungry, not being able to provide for her fully, is what got me. We had only so much money to our name, and we were trying to get to California. We had to budget. The four days we’d been gone, we’d eaten just enough to get us through the day.
“Y’all eat up. There’s more on the stove if you want it. I have to go straighten up the front before my place opens.”
I nodded my head, and Aúrea thanked him again before he walked off.
“He seems nice, babe. Maybe we can get him to give us . . . well, loan us a few dollars.”
My head shot up toward her so fast it was a miracle it hadn’t dropped from my neck onto the floor.
“Is you crazy? That man is feeding us, and he doesn’t have to. Now, you talking about getting some money? Nah, we straight. We don’t need his money.” I gave her a look that said, drop it. The dissatisfied expression on her face hurt. Still, I wasn’t backing down.
I used my fork to cut a piece of my omelet and put it in my mouth. If this wasn’t the best egg, ham, cheese, and some other stuff mixed in, I don’t know what was. I was hungry, but my taste buds never lied. This man’s food was like an explosion in the mouth, a good one—no homo. We ate, avoiding small talk. The echoes of our smacking were noise enough.
“Hey, Mr. Lewis, this food is amazing,” Aúrea told him as he strolled back into the area where we were seated.
I wat
ched as she got up and sexily stepped over to him. I know she has some wide hips, but my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. She was swaying those hips extra. When her ass brushed up against him, I was ready to flip. I knew what she was doing. One, I had already told her not even ten minutes ago that getting anything further than this meal was a no. Two, I wasn’t in a relationship with a ho. Unintentionally, I slammed my hands on the table. It was the only thing I could do to simmer my frustration.
“Aye, let me speak with you real quick, Prentice,” Mr. Lewis said to me, moving further away from Aúrea. He did so noticeably, and I respected that.
“Wait right here.” I stood from my chair and followed Mr. Lewis to the front of his establishment. Instantly, I was mesmerized by the Harlem Renaissance vibe of the room. Yeah, I was on the run with my girl, but I was far from dumb. School was my thing. My 4.0 GPA confirmed it.
“I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life. However, I do want to tell you what I’ve observed. You tell me if I’m wrong.” He paused, I guess, waiting for me to reply, so I nodded for him to continue.
“You aren’t running from anything . . . but she is,” he nodded his head in the direction of the back as if I didn’t know who he was talking about. “You’re very protective of her, which is how I came to my conclusion. I should have noticed it at first since you were asleep in front of her outside. It was also how you pulled her toward you when she came out of the restroom that gave it away. So you’re running with her?” he asked again.
Instead of lying or answering him verbally, I shrugged. Figured if he knew so much, he’d come to his own conclusion, anyway.
“Like I said, I’ve been around the block more than a few times. We both know that I’m right. I respect you for trying to respect y’all’s privacy. Let me tell you something I know, without a doubt, young man. You are not helping or protecting her by running. Young women like her will be running their whole life until they receive real help. Help that you can’t give her. Whatever she’s dealing with will eat her alive before she’s able to bounce back. That’s if you don’t convince her to get the help she needs now. That girl will be running for a long time, and you can’t change that, but if you take the journey with her, it will change you. If you care, and I can see that you do, don’t help fix her situation by showing her it’s okay to run. Fix it by teaching her it’s okay to stay and fight.” He stopped speaking, walked over to the cash register, and opened it.
“This is in case you decide to keep going. I hope you choose to do the right thing. That young woman in there is not a lizard. She won’t be able to heal what’s been chopped off, alone. She needs a team of people who care to share in her healing process, starting with you.”
It took everything in me not to cry or acknowledge aloud that he was right—because he was right. I also made a promise to Aúrea that I had to keep. So against my better judgment, I pocketed the money he gave me and vowed to repay him one day. He nodded at me. I wasn’t sure if it was a nod of approval or disappointment, and that bothered me. This stranger’s support meant something to me. Hopefully, my next move would make us all proud.
3
Aúrea
“Why are you slowing down? Our new life awaits,” I sang, pulling Prentice by the arm. Suddenly, he seemed to be dragging his feet as if he were pulling a chain of bricks by the ankles.
“Aúrea, we need to talk,” he said, pulling me back. I turned to face him, and his worried gaze scared me.
“Wh . . . What?” I stammered as a bunch of unfavorable scenarios flooded my mind. Something about his approach concerned me, and in a panic, I began scanning the area. Did someone spot us? The police? A family member? I wondered, looking around for a familiar or unpleasant face as my heart beat in my chest like conga drums.
“Babe, look at me.”
His demanding yet gentle tone regained my attention. As I peered at him with questioning eyes, he took my hand and pulled me toward a nearby wooden bench. Sitting didn’t equate to anything good. Still, I followed his lead as I had been doing and sat down.
“What’s up?” I attempted to sound confident. Like, whatever he was about to say to me, I could take on the chin with no problem—even though I was doubtful as hell I could. I don’t know what it was, but this was the first time since we’d left home days ago that I doubted this journey we were on.
Since leaving the restaurant, he’d been quiet. I was talking his ear off as always, and he hadn’t said a thing. Not too unusual because when I ran my mouth, I hardly let anyone get a word in. But he knew how to shut me up. Or would at least try. He hadn’t this time, and that indicated a problem. One I didn’t care to see—until now. Excitement clouded my judgment, and now my gut told me that excitement was about to take a backseat. If there were one thing I knew, it was that my gut never steered me wrong when it came to fuck shit.
“Running to California isn’t going to fix anything, A.”
“I’m going to California, Prentice.”
“Listen to me. You know I’ll do anything in the world for you, would even die to protect you. But if we run, we’re not making Von pay. We’re only leaving the opportunity open for something else to happen . . . probably to someone else.” His eyes were low like he’d smoked some good Cali Kush. Only that and agony could produce such dullness. Agony was the reason for the sadness in his eyes, which could be fixed if he stuck to our plan.
“I tried fighting, remember? A black eye I had to lie about. Then I tried again. Tried to get help, and nope, nothing.” I shrugged. The day I attempted to tell my guidance counselor about Von came to mind. It was only last year, and she was no help. A victim basher, if anything. So if someone who was paid to help kids like me didn’t care, no way someone else would care for free. “This is what will work. Besides, who’d believe a teen who stays getting in trouble and has had the fast-ass little girl reputation since junior high school? I’ll pass,” I said, yanking my hand away from him. However, he wasn’t having that and pulled it back.
“I believed you. My mom would believe you. All you need is a support system, and you got that with me.”
Those hazel eyes of his always got me. It was like looking into them made the world appear better.
Become better.
In his eyes, everything was perfect and would be okay. Just not this time.
“Tuh! Even your mother only sees what people say about me. She’s not trying to help me or get to know me.”
“She will. I will make her. She isn’t mean to you all the time, either,” Prentice defended.
“She tolerates me for you. I don’t know what that man said to you at that restaurant. He doesn’t know you, and he doesn’t know me, so he can’t give advice on our lives. We have a plan. I’m sticking to it. You promised you would too.” I scanned his face, focusing on his lips, hoping they would expel the only answer that mattered to me.
“It has nothing to do with anyone else. I feel like a bitch if I run instead of handling this like a man. I’m supposed to protect you, and running ain’t doing that,” he raised his voice.
I jumped. I had this thing about loud voices. Being yelled at the majority of my life should’ve had me accustomed to loud noises. I wasn’t, though, because when someone yelled at me, it never meant me any good.
“Oh, shit, babe, I’m sorry.” He pulled me into his arms, hugging me securely. “I’m sorry,” he whispered in my ear as silent tears escaped from my eyes.
We remained there, at least five minutes, him holding me, apologizing, as my tears stained his shirt. The fast beating of my heart echoed through my ears as he took the initiative and broke our embrace, taking my face into his hands.
“Look at me,” he ordered, and as much as I didn’t care to, I did. To my surprise, he had tears in his eyes, as well.
“I love you. I got you. Just stay with me. We’ll work this out together,” he pleaded while my mind was screaming, Hell no. I shook my head defiantly.
“You trust me?” he questione
d. I nodded because I did, even though he wasn’t my favorite person right now. “Then allow me to fight this battle with you instead of running.”
“Nothing good will come from that. I’ll end up in another home. Probably worse . . . or a group home where they’ll treat me like I’m in prison. At 18, they’ll throw me to the streets. I’m taking my life into my own hands now. The system ruined my life. There’s no win for me, even if we get rid of Von. I love you, Prentice, and I am extremely thankful for you, but I’m not going back. It was unfair to ask you to leave when you’re not the one with the issues. You have nothing to run from, only a future to run to. You should just let me go.”
I felt pieces of my heart break with each word I spoke and fall into the pit of my stomach. I felt sick, but I had to do what I had to do. I wasn’t new to making hard decisions. Truthfully, if everything would have gone as planned, I’d wonder what trick God was playing on me or what lesson he was trying to teach me. I didn’t feel worthy of a happy ending but was damn sure trying to have one, though. Running gave me an opportunity that staying wouldn’t provide. So it was a chance I was willing to take, even if it meant losing Prentice.
“You’re serious?” he checked with furrowed brows.
“I am.”
His head dropped in defeat, shielding his eyes. I knew he was hurt. So was I. Unlike him, I learned to live through the pain. Nodding, he dug inside his pocket and pulled out a handful of money.
“This is all the money we have—a little over $1,500. I’m going to get shit straight here; then I’m sending for you. If, by then, you don’t want to come back, then I’ll come to you.” Sobbing, he forced out every word. I knew he meant what he said or wanted to mean it.
Taking the money from his hand, I dropped it into my purse before wrapping my arms around him and kissing him deeply until we both needed to come up for air.
