“I don’t know. You wanna marry me, Jade?” I cut my eyes between hers and the road before I pulled into the drive-thru of the Wisconsin based establishment she wanted her milkshake from.
“I didn’t say th?—”
The intercom interrupted her speaking. “Welcome to Culvers, may I take your order?”
“Yeah, lemme get a large vanilla milkshake with caramel sauce around the cup,” she ordered, then looked at me to ask if I wanted something without speaking.
I shook my head. I wasn’t too big on sweets, but Jade had a sweet tooth out of this world.
The intercom was loud once again. “Will that be all?”
“Yes, thank you,” she answered before I could.
“Pull around.”
I reached in my pocket, pulling out my wallet as I pulled around. By the time the person in the window opened it, I was holding out my card and waiting for an answer.
Jade had since picked her phone up and began tapping away.
“I said do you want to marry me, Jade?”
She dropped her phone, eyes trained on me. That smile was fucking contagious. She was so nervous; you would’ve thought I was asking her to marry me right now. “I didn’t ask you that for you to answer a question with a question, Oden. Yes or no, it’s that simple.”
After I had her milkshake and my card from ol’ girl, I pulled out of the drive-thru.
“Nah, it’s not that simple. What would make it simple depends on your answer. So, I’ma ask you again, Jade. You tryna marry me or something?”
She laughed. “You are so difficult. Maybe, Oden. Now can you answer my question?” She jabbed her straw into the milkshake.
“Yeah, but only if it’s to your maybe slanging ass. But I ain’t in no rush and neither are you. We straight in here. When the time comes, I’ll be ready to memorize your ring size and greet you on one knee.” I meant every word I said too.
She grew quiet, slurping from the cup of thick ass milk, cream, and ice. A few seconds later, I felt her eyes.
“That answer work for you?”
“Yup, and for your memory, my ring size is a six.” She had to be snarky.
I cut my eyes in her direction, noting the smirk on her face. My grip on her thigh tightened because I wanted nothing more than to throw this car in park and pull her into my lap, but I couldn’t. We were at a busy intersection. It was cool though because I’d get her when we got home. “Bet.”
This morningI dropped off lunch to Aja at school because now her lil uppity ass didn’t want school lunch. I blamed Harlem for that shit, and of course I made it worse with playing into it when I could. She was my baby, of course she could get what she wanted. Then I went about my next order of business, getting Jade a phone on my line. She fought me on that shit tooth and nail but eventually agreed to keep the other number as her business number, that way she could cut the phone off at night. Motherfuckers woke up this morning to her phone ringing back-to-back while she was out with the dog. It was a private number, which reminded me that I was going to see ol’ boy this weekend. While Jade and Aja were at the nail salon, I’d be making sure this stalking shit was one and done. My only irritation was the fact that he moved like a fucking ghost or like somebody who knew how to hide. Reminisce said two of the addresses he waslisted under were busts. I was willing to bet the one for some computer business he had wasn’t. I just had to catch him on the shift though. It had strange hours and he had employees working for him rather than working just for himself. Lois had been able to get me that much.
After getting Jade’s phone and things together, I dropped her off at the store and made my way to the restaurant. When I arrived, I sat in the parking lot for a minute as I always did. This time was different though. Rather than thinking about the darkness always threatening to swallow me whole, I instead found gratitude in my soul. For once I was grateful for the space I was in and the moments I was experiencing. I was moving on with my life, not existing in a past that could destroy me.
When I finally got out of the car, I grabbed my bag and things from the back seat, heading in. Upon entry, I greeted the staff and made my way to my office. I wasn’t in there for five seconds before Lois was busting through the door holding out a magazine for me to look at. Lo had always been high strung and energetic without caffeine. It was in her.
“Do you see this cover?” She pointed with her long, white nail.
I looked down at the magazine that now sat across my desk, taking in the title,Chicago’s Weekly Grub, and the structure and woman on the front. She was wearing a chef’s uniform like mine except she was in orange. Nice color, but I would’ve had that shit filthy. Her arms were crossed and she smiled in the direction of the camera, standing in front of a table full of food. “Yeah, I see it, what’s up?” My eyes found a grinning Lois. She was too fucking happy for me right now.
“They just reached out to me. They want you featured and on the cover for October.”
“Okay.” I was confused as to what she was so excited about. We had been featured before, shit we being me. All of which hadto be sold to me by Lois. Otherwise I would have said no. This was no big deal to me.
“This is a big deal. This magazine is all over the country. This is the type of exposure that brings tourists and more money. This is a big opportunity, Oden.”
“You selling it and I haven’t said no.”
“Yes, I know which is shocking. Are you just going to say yes with no pushback?” She looked so excited and happy at the thought of me not giving any pushback, so I didn’t. I just agreed.
