As soon as I laid eyes on Noelani, I got the same feeling I had when I first saw Marlena. My stomach was nervous, my hands were sweaty, and had we met under other circumstances, I probably would’ve been stumbling over my words. The only other time that had happened was when I met Marlena.
Noelani had a problem that needed to be solved, and I was focused on solving it. When she began flirting with me, the nervousness disappeared because I knew she was feeling me. The more we talked, the more I wanted to talk. I would’ve done anything to extend my time in her presence.
After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I took a quick shower, then dressed in a black T-shirt and black athletic shorts. On my way to the kitchen, I knocked on Ramina’s door.
“Come in,” she said, her voice slightly muffled.
I opened the door to find a pillow over her head.
“Hey, I’m about to head to work. You need anything?”
“Can I have money to get food?”
“Let me know how much to send unless you need cash.”
“School starts next week, and I need a few things. Can we go shopping later?”
I sighed because I knew I wouldn’t feel like going shopping after work.
“Can it hold off until this weekend? I’ll ask Uncle David if I can get off a few hours early on Saturday.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I closed her bedroom door and headed out, turning on the alarm and locking the front door. When Ramina was old enough to understand, I made sure she knew not to ask our mother for anything. Whatever she wanted or needed, I made sure she got it.
Thankfully, she didn’t ask for all the name brand shit that girls her age liked, but for her birthday and Christmas, I spoiled her with that shit even though her bad ass didn’t deserve it half the time. She had enough high-end shit to keep up with everyone else back in Savannah. Hopefully, it was the same here in Onyx City.
When I entered the shop, I couldn’t get past the waiting area without Sammi stopping me to be nosy.
“Who was the girl?” she asked, getting straight to the point.
I shook my head and chuckled. “I don’t know what girl you’re talking about.”
“You lie all day long, Rowdy. You know what girl I’m referring to. Who is she, and why did you give her so much special treatment?”
“I haven’t given anyone special treatment. If you’re talking about the woman I brought here before we closed last night, she was in a bind and needed help.”
“In case you didn’t know, we don’t change tires here.”
She pursed her lips and folded her arms across her chest as if she’d just told me something I didn’t know.
“I know that shit, Sammi. My uncle said it was cool, so if you have a problem with it, take it up with him.”
She smacked her lips. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“Chill with all the questions, Sammi.”
I walked away shaking my head. On my first day at the shop, Sammi made it clear that she was interested in me. I did my best to ignore her subtle advances for the first couple of weeks.Ultimately, I had to let her know I didn’t shit where I ate and wasn’t interested in hooking up with anyone I worked with.
She’d backed off and been cool since then, but I guess seeing me give Noelani special treatment struck a nerve. I hoped her attitude was short-lived because I didn’t have the energy to tiptoe around her feelings, whether I continued to see Noelani or not.
After chopping it up with my uncle and some of my coworkers, I got a call for a tow. The first call was always the bat signal, and I’d continue to get calls for tows for the next few hours. I left the shop and headed to my first stop, which was forty-five minutes away.
When my personal cell phone rang, I was disappointed it wasn’t Noelani. Instead, it was Myra. I let it ring several times as I contemplated letting it go to voicemail before finally answering.
“Wassup, Myra?”
