Page 14 of Standing In The Sun
Monday whistled low under his breath. “You know her?” he asked, voice laced with curiosity. With a teasing glint in his eyes, he added, “That your baby?”
Lunar exhaled sharply through his nose, his gaze scanning the images as his mind rifled through memories like a worn-out Rolodex. The girl looked familiar— brown skin, pretty face, just the type he’d go for. But he prided himself on never forgetting a face. A name – maybe but a face - never.
His fingers pinched at the screen, zooming in on the boy’s face, searching for anything— any trait that might mirror his own. The tension in his chest loosened just a bit when he didn’t see himself staring back.
“Man, I don’t know what this girl got going on.” He licked his lips, the bottom one slipping between his teeth as he sank into deep thought.
Monday clapped a firm hand on his shoulder, his expression more serious now. “I think you should see what she’s talking about. Just to be safe.” He hunched his shoulders.
Lunar swallowed.
Monday was right, but that didn’t stop the knot of unease tightening in his stomach. If this was what it looked like, if that little boy was his…then he’d already missed out on too much.
His jaw clenched, pushing the thought away before it could settle too deep. Without giving himself more time to think, he typed out a reply, dropping his number with a simple message.
Hit me up. ASAP.
* * *
Ahvi swiped her hand across her forehead as she moved around the kitchen, plating up food in to go containers. She was tired but needed the money to pay for the storage unit to store her things until she found an apartment.
When her dad died, her life got even harder because he wasn’t there for her to lean on.
Ish did construction up until his body told him to stop. He retired after he committed to one last project out in Sapphire City.
Now, Ahvi was moving on autopilot.
“You don’t hear the door?” Dro walked through the unlocked door, face twisted from the heat, shirt already off like it always was.
Ahvi had been so deep in her thoughts she hadn’t heard a damn thing – not the door nor Dro stepping inside. Her eyes widened at the sudden intrusion. “You talkin’ bout me hearing the door when the real issue is me needing to keep it locked.”
“Nah, the streets know not to fuck with my baby mama.” Dro grinned, fully aware his lie was weak as hell.
The streets didn’t fear men like Dro. He barely existed to them. Just another small-time hustler too scared to be a jack boy. So no, Ahvi wasn’t safe because of him.
She sucked her teeth, waving him off. “What you doin’ here anyway?”
“Where Kamari?” he asked instead, eyes dragging over her body like he had the right.
Ahvi could feel his gaze-- the way he still saw her as one of the baddest girls from their hood and he carried that like a trophy. Like baggin’ her was his biggest flex. Too bad for her, being with him had been one of her worst mistakes. If she could go back, the first thing she’d change was letting him sweet talk her out of her panties.
She put the plate down and turned, arms folding. “What you here for, Andrew?”
“Damn, I can’t stop by to see the love of my life?”
“Hell no.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Why you so hard on me, baby mama?”
Ahvi sighed, exhausted by the same tired conversation. She wasn’t about to have it again. Dro was grown. He knew exactly where he fell short, knew damn well why she stayed on his ass about stepping up for their son. As far as she was concerned, there was no point in reminding a muthafucka of something they already knew.
“Kamari is with my sister, so what you need?” She stared at him, wondering what made him so special for her to give her time to in the first place.
Dro was fine, there was no question about that but that was where the good qualities stopped. He was broke, and that wasn’t the biggest issue since she was broke too. He lacked the best qualities of a man – leadership and the ability to make her feel safe.
Ish had warned her. He’d told her all the ways a man was supposed to step up to the plate to lead the house. Clearly, all of that went in one ear and out the other since she popped up with a baby by a man that didn’t see value of leading his family.
Once again, he ignored her question, peeking into one of the to go plates. “You got one for me?”
