by Natavia
When I went back to the waiting area, Tacara was giggling with her friends. She was happy that she was able to get to Samiah.
“You are real messy for that shit,” York said to Tacara then she rolled her eyes. I sat by myself in the corner to avoid eye contact with everyone.
“Samiah Simms.” The doctor called out when he walked into the waiting room.
“I’m her brother she had to leave, what do you want with my sister?” York questioned as he stood up.
“Mr. Murphy is alert and asking for her.” The doctor said.
Tacara cleared her throat, “I’m his daughter’s mother so you can take me back there instead of her, and can you tell me what’s going on?”
“Mr. Murphy only permitted me to bring Samiah Simms to the back and only authorized me to give her information on his condition. I can have one of my nurses tell him you are here. From there we’ll see if he sends for you but that is all I’m able to do.” I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I started giggling and everybody turned towards me. I ignored the looks Tacara and her friends gave me as I text Samiah and told her everything.
“The doctor must have our names mixed up,” Tacara said to her friends.
“You know damn well the doctor didn’t mix up y’all names. Samiah and Tacara don’t sound anything alike.” One of her messy friends said to her then started laughing.
“Shut up bitch,” Tacara said to her friend as she rolled her eyes at her.
Ten minutes later, a nurse walked into the waiting room. “York and Rashid, Mr. Murphy asked for me to escort the two of you to his room since Ms. Simms is no longer here,” she said.
“Wait you’re forgetting me,” Tacara said as she stood up. “I’m sorry ma’am, he only permitted for these two to be back there and said for you to go home.” The nurse said as she turned on the heels of her feet leaving Tacara confused. Tacara’s friends cracked up as York and Hoppa followed the nurse to the back.
“Damn girl, you had us come up here for nothing. I could’ve been at home up under Trev, but noooo you had to run out the house screaming and hollering about a nigga that don’t want you. Stop playing yourself and let’s go,” someone said.
“Lanesha, just shut up dang, I’m just waiting for him to say that himself. He’s gone call me back there when his friends leave, I promise you,” Tacara said. Her obsessed behind was still in denial.
“I’m trying to help you out,” Lanesha said.
“I don’t need your help; I know what I’m doing,” Tacara said.
“Hmm, you could’ve fooled me,” another friend said.
I stood up when a nurse rolled Faraji out into the waiting area. It was just in time because I was getting tired of listening to Tacara’s squad going back-and-forth about Zu.
“There goes my ride right there,” Faraji slurred. I’m sure it was because of the pain pills they gave her.
“I’ll go get the car and pull up to the front,” I told the nurse and Faraji before I walked out of the hospital. It was muggy and dark outside, but luckily my car wasn’t too far from the entrance. Surprisingly, my mother got me a car so I could take my grandmother back-and-forth to her doctor's appointments so she wouldn’t have to.
The nurse and Faraji were waiting at the door just inside of the hospital when I pulled up. I got out of the car and opened the passenger’s door as the nurse wheeled Faraji out. I stepped to the side as the nurse helped Farji into the car.
“I’mma bring you to my house tonight,” I told Faraji.
Faraji didn’t answer me because she was already asleep. I turned on the radio and air to keep myself up until I got home.
Thirty minutes later, we were in front of my house.
“Faraji get up,” I shook Faraji calling her name until she finally woke up. I helped Faraji out of my car while she was mumbling in her sleep. I shook her to wake her up because I couldn’t walk her up the steps.
“Yakira got called into work, so she called me when she couldn’t reach you. I gave your grandmother her meds already, but she is asleep now.” Zadik said when he met us out on the porch. Zadik already knew what happened because I text him while we were in the hospital. I could tell he wanted to ask more about what happened but didn’t want to seem too nosey.
“I’mma help Faraji to my room then I’ll be back down,” I said to Zadik as I entered the house. Faraji was still a little wobbly on her feet, so I helped her get dressed for bed inside of my room. After Faraji got into bed, I got dressed for bed myself. I was exhausted, but I was always exhausted.
Zadik was laid flat on his back half asleep on the couch when I walked into the living room. I laid down on top of him and wrapped the comforter around us. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my lips. The kiss caused me to throb between my legs, but I knew he wasn’t going to take it further.
“Thank you,” I said.
“You know I love you and will do anything for you. I’m going to get us out of this shit, trust me. I’m taking you with me wherever I go,” he said.
“You just feel sorry for me,” I said and he pinched me.
“Naw, it’s not that. It’s something else,” he replied and squeezed my butt. I sat up and stared him in his eyes, and it caused my heart to skip a beat. I traced my finger down his face, and he kissed my hand.
“Are you serious?” I finally asked.
“Dead ass, serious shorty. I mean no other girl want me because you are always with me,” he teased.
“The boys on the block feel the same way about you too. They be trying to holla at me, but you be blocking,” I said. Zadik rolled over so he could be on top of me. My nightgown shirt came up exposing my thigh. He pushed my panties to the side and thumbed my clit. I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip. I knew we looked awkward because Zadik was so tall his body hung off the couch. After I had an orgasm, he sat up and adjusted himself. I laid across his lap and fell asleep.
**********
“No, Miss Hattie get back here,” I woke up on Zadik’s lap to the sounds of Faraji yelling my grandmother’s name.
“I have to find Tootsie Bell,” my grandmother shouted. All I could see was my grandmother’s bare wrinkled ass as she ran out the front door with Faraji chasing after her. I got up and chased behind them. I knew it looked crazy, and some of the dope boys that stayed on the block all day were laughing at us running out of the house barefoot with pajamas on. I was pissed at the situation I was in with my grandmother, luckily we caught up to my grandmother before she could make it two feet from the front yard. She was so strong and agitated that it took both Zadik and me to get her into the house.
“Instead of laughing you’ll could’ve helped,” Faraji screamed at the block boys still laughing. Then she followed Zadik and me into the house seconds later and shut the door behind her.
When we got back into the house I asked Zadik to take Faraji home for me. It wasn’t the afternoon yet, and I was already both mentally and physically exhausted. I went through me and my grandmother’s morning routine on autopilot after Zadik and Faraji left. After I gave my grandmother her meds we fell asleep in her bed. It took me back to when I was a kid, and I use to snuggle underneath her.
********
The next day…
I was on my way home from work when all of a sudden my car sputtered and smoke started to come from the hood. My heart started to pound in my chest as I feared my car catching on fire with me in it. I coasted to the side of the road and turned my car off. I took my keys out of the ignition grabbed my purse and phone then exited the car. I walked a few feet away from the car before I started to call my friends and Zadik. What a surprise that no one answered when I really needed them, needless to say, I got desperate for help and called Chloe.
“What do you want Emeka?” my mother asked as soon as she answered the phone without so much as a hello.
“My car is smoking, and I’m stuck on the side of the road, I need a ride.” I pleaded with my mother, although I wanted to hang up the phone in her
face. The sun was beating down on my face causing beads of sweat to form on my forehead.
“You better call a cab and tow truck,” was all my mother said before she hung up in my face. I would be lying if I said that surprised me. What would’ve surprised me is if she would’ve come to get me.
I screamed in frustration as I kicked the ground. I felt a sense of relief and a tinge of embarrassment when a pick-up truck pulled over. I caught a glimpse of the driver and my heart almost skipped a beat. I felt like I was betraying Zadik by eyeing the handsome, brown-skinned stranger. He wore a pair of khaki shorts, and he was shirtless. On his feet was a pair of dirty Timbs which weren’t tied up. He had a tattoo on his chest and a few on his arms. He was tall too, not as tall as Zadik but he was taller than me. He licked his lips and smirked at me and it caused my knees to buckle. He looked like he was in his early to mid-twenties.
“Aye, you need any help?” he asked.
“My car is smoking, so if you know anything about cars then, yes I need your help,” I answered.
“Nah, if it's not changing a tire or oil than I can’t help you, but I can give you a ride somewhere,” he said.
“I can’t get in the car with you. You’re a stranger and could be a killer or something.” I was only half-joking when I said that.
“Is that right? Well, the same can go for you, but it will be on my conscious if I left you out here. Ain’t no telling what can happen to you on this back road,” he said.
“Like I can really harm you,” I said.
“Look my name is Cayman. I’m just being a good dude by offering my help. How ‘bout this, just sit in my truck away from the sun while you call a tow truck.”
“Only if I can sit in the driver's seat,” I told him. He opened the driver’s side door and I climbed up the big pick-up truck. I almost lost my footing, but he caught me. He closed the door so the air conditioner could cool me off. It was hot and humid—I felt like I was going to die.
“Ugghh,” I screamed in frustration.
“Every tow-truck company I called said they can’t get out here until a few hours and my friends still not answering,” I told him. What a fucked up day I was having.
“Look I have a few houses blades of grass that I need to go cut for my uncle. You can sit in my truck and relax while I work. By the time I’m done, a tow-truck might be available,” Cayman said.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“You can come with me, damn. Shorty, we are out in the middle of nowhere. If I wanted to hurt you, I could,” he said. He handed me his license and a business card.
“What’s this for?” I asked him.
“Take a picture of both, and send them to a friend or sumtin’ that you know won’t mind kicking down my door if you go missing.” When he said that, the first person that came to mind was Adisa for some reason. Adisa didn’t have a problem speaking what was on her mind and going the extra mile for her friends.
I took the pictures and sent them to Adisa with a little message attached. I figured out why they weren’t answering the phone. I went into work earlier than them, so I got off early. They were still at work and we couldn’t have phones on the floor. I let out a deep breath when I thought about how long it was going to be until one of them called me back. I climbed over to the passenger’s seat and Cayman shook his head at me.
“Disrespect a nigga’s seat like that, huh?” he asked.
“Don’t start with me, damn it,” I replied and he laughed. I laughed a little too because he didn’t take my sarcasm attitude seriously. I guess he knew I was having a bad day, and that wasn’t my usual behavior.
“What’s your name?” he asked as he pulled off.
“Emeka,” I said.
“That name doesn’t fit you. I was thinking a Sarah, or Emily,” he laughed.
“Why?” I replied.
“You just seem uptight or something. I know a few Emeka’s, but they are ghetto as fuck,” he said. He stopped at WAWA and asked me if I wanted anything. I had to admit, an Italian sub sounded good. I climbed out of the truck to go inside with him. I didn’t feel comfortable letting him buy me something. Cayman ended up paying for my food anyway. We went to the bathroom to wash our hands before we ate. We sat in his truck in the parking lot and ate.
“This shit hit the spot,” he said.
“Do you want the rest of mine?” I asked. I eyed the empty sandwich wrappers to his two subs, and couldn’t believe he ate both of them.
“Naw, I’m good. My mother got a nice meal waiting for me when I get off. So, tell me a little about Emeka,” he said. I noticed the way his eyes looked into mine, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I wasn’t uncomfortable in a bad way though; no man has ever looked at me that way before. Cayman was different from the other guys around my way. He had manners, and I could tell he was raised right. He was the type to walk ahead to open the door for someone. Zadik was mature for his age, but Cayman was mannish.
“I’m eighteen-years-old. I graduated high school and will be attending college in less than a few months. I’m an only child, and I have a very small group of friends. I like to read and spend time with my grandmother. I’m pretty much an open book. What about you?” I asked. Cayman told me a few things, he was twenty-two years old and only had one year of college left. He was the supervisor for his uncle’s landscaping company which was very popular in our city and other areas. His uncle’s company kept the grass cut around the mall I worked at. I was shocked because I didn’t expect all of that from him. I ended up spending the whole day with Cayman. I text my friends to let them know I was safe because they kept calling. I forgot my piece of shit car as I enjoyed his company.
“I’m exhausted,” Cayman said as he yawned. He had just gotten finished with the last house for the day. He started his pick-up truck and pulled off. I watched him as he drove, one hand on the steering wheel as he leaned back in his seat. I studied his remarkably handsome features from the side and wondered what that bubbly feeling was that I had. His phone rang, and it was his mother calling him. She had his plate ready and told him to come and get it while it was still hot. He made a U-turn in the middle of the road and headed to his parent’s house.
“I think this is kidnapping,” I joked.
“Shorty, hush your trap. You know damn well you like being with me. I saw you looking at me,” he said. I blushed and shyly looked away from him. I asked myself was I betraying Zadik over and over again.
“I saw you looking at me too,” I said.
“Yo, you are beautiful as shit. I noticed that little bubble back there too when we were in WAWA. I was definitely checking you out,” he said. It was something about the way he complimented me. He didn’t care how it sounded, as long as I got the picture.
“I was going to drive right past you, but I looked in my rearview mirror. Something told me to stop and I just had to. Don’t think I’m a road creep or nothing. I don’t do shit like this,” he said and I believed him. I was a shy person, but it was something about him that eased my mind. He pulled up to a two-car garage home then cut his engine off.
“I will be right back so don’t take my shit,” he said. My phone beeped and it was Zadik texting me. He wanted to know where I was at. I was ready to respond until someone knocked on the window. I almost panicked when I saw a pretty caramel woman standing outside of Cayman’s truck. She gestured for me to step out of the truck. I nervously unbuckled my seat belt as I opened the door.
“I don’t bite, sweetie. What is your name?” she asked.
“Emeka,” I answered shyly.
“Well aren’t you a beautiful little thing. Cayman said he couldn’t stay long because he had someone waiting outside. I don’t mean to be nosey, but Cayman doesn’t bring anyone here,” she said. I blushed when I didn’t have the right to. I knew it was going to be the last time I saw Cayman.
“Ma, chill out,” Cayman said from behind her. She turned around and waved him off.
“Boy, hush. You had this poor girl si
tting outside. Go in the house and make another plate for her,” she said to him. He went back into the house while mumbling something underneath his breath. I thought it was cute. It would’ve been nice if Zadik’s mother was as friendly. His mother was never home, but she was always grumpy when she was. I spoke to her, but I stayed out of her way. Cayman’s mother had an easy going spirit. Cayman came out of the house with an extra bag while me and his mother talked. I always wanted that, a mother figure. Not saying it had to be her, but I craved that type of attention from my mother. My grandmother used to give it to me before she got sick. Cayman kissed his mother’s cheek and I thanked her for the food.
