Chapter 4
“I ran into my future wife,” I told my brother as we settled down to eat.
I’d only seen my brother and his family a few times since I touched down, and my nephew had been bugging me to come over and chill for a while. My previous visits had been short, and he wanted my undivided attention.
“You’re getting married, Uncle G?” Trey asked with a mouth full of food.
“One day, Nephew.”
“Wait a minute. I thought you were gonna go out with a few of my friends,” Kindra said.
DJ gave me an ‘I told you so’ look.
“About that . . .”
“Graham! I already got two dates lined up and a possible third.”
“Tell them something came up.”
She tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. “They’re both looking forward to meeting you.”
“Baby, maybe this is for the best. Don’t you think it’ll be weird if he goes out with more than one of your friends?” DJ asked.
“You think I’m crazy enough to set him up on dates with friends in the same circle? I’m smarter than that, DJ. These women don’t even know each other.”
He put his hands up and shrugged. “I tried, Bro. I got nothing else.”
“Fine. I’ll go out with these two women, but please don’t set me up with anyone else.”
Kindra smiled and shimmied in her seat. “Yay! Thanks for this, Graham.”
“Wait a minute. I might have agreed too fast. What do they look like?”
She gasped as if I’d offended her. “You don’t trust me?”
“Umm, no, I don’t. Let me see pictures.”
She huffed and puffed as she got up to retrieve her phone. As she returned, she swiped and tapped the screen, then handed it to me.
“This is Monroe. I met her in my Pilates class. She’s thirty, no kids, and works in banking.”
I took the phone and studied the picture. Monroe was pretty, but I could tell by the way she dressed that she still did shit that young people did, like clubbing and arguing on social media.
“Let me see the other one.”
She took the phone, swiping and tapping the screen again before giving it back to me.
“That’s Linette. I met her at a women’s empowerment conference. She’s thirty-five, divorced, has a five-year-old son, and is an elementary school music teacher.”
Linette was attractive as well and definitely looked more mature than Monroe. Based on the picture, she definitely had a teacher vibe and would likely be more my speed.
“They’re both attractive women, although neither of them can hold a candle to my future wife. I’ll go out with them one time, but I’m not making any promises beyond that. Send me the details.”
Kindra clapped her hands and squealed with delight. I wasn’t sure why she was so excited about me going out with her friends, but I hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed when nothing came of it.
“Mom, why are you setting Uncle G up on dates? He said he was getting married, and you aren’t supposed to date other people when you get married.”
We laughed at Trey’s observation.
“First of all, your uncle doesn’t even have a girlfriend, so he’s not getting married any time soon. Secondly, stay outta grown folks’ business,” Kindra told him.
“I promise I wasn’t in it, Mom, but my ears are right here. Uncle G, you almost done so I can beat you on this game?”
“Go get it ready. I’ll meet you in the family room.”
Trey got up, cleaned up his mess, and left the kitchen in a hurry.”
“I’m warning you now, don’t make any bets with your nephew. He will swindle you out of hundreds of dollars before you know it,” my brother warned.
“I can handle that lightweight.”
“You’ve been warned,” Kindra said with a giggle.
“Back to what fueled my wife’s determination to play matchmaker. Did your neighbor finally come out of hiding?”
“I don’t think she was in hiding. We’ve just been missing each other.”
“It’s probably more like you’ve been missing her. I doubt she’s even checking for your ass.”
“As my older brother, you shouldn’t be such a hater. I saw her at Fried Rice & More.”
“Did she see you?”
I nodded. “Low-key, I think she was sniffing my shirt.”
“And that’s who you want to marry?” Kindra teased.
“I mean, I don’t know if she was actually sniffing my shirt, but she was standing behind me, very close, and when I reached for my phone, I bumped her with my elbow.”
“Weirdo,” Kindra sang as she stood.
I ignored her, and she went about her business.
“Did you talk to her?”
“Briefly. She was rushing to get the food home. I’m not worried, though. I’ll see her again.”
“What is it about her that has you ready to commit?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have.”
He shook his head as he stood. “I can’t wait to see how this plays out. I’ll clean up this mess while your nephew takes your money.”
I laughed on my way to the family room. Trey was ready, and I had no plans on going easy on him. His game of choice was the most recent release of one of the professional basketball games.
I wasn’t hip to all this new technology because the only time I ever played was when I came to visit.
The older Trey got, the more knowledgeable and better he became.
I failed to take in the learning curve, and my nephew whupped my ass, although I did manage to squeeze in one win out of the five games we played.
It was well past his weekend bedtime when I gave him all the cash I had on me, which was over a hundred dollars, and he skipped away to his bedroom. After the ass-whupping he gave me, he could’ve at least given me a hug.
“I told you. The boy is good and shows no mercy on us old guys,” DJ said.
“Nothing you said could’ve prepared me for that, and his shit-talking is top tier for somebody who’s not allowed to curse.”
We laughed at my comment as he walked me out.
“I would say he learned from the best, but he surpassed me a few years ago.”
“You and your wife are raising a monster.”
“Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if that’s why God has only blessed us with one.”
The mood turned slightly somber. DJ and Kindra had been trying for another baby since Trey was about two years old.
They both had been checked out, and nothing was medically wrong that would stop them from conceiving.
Neither of them wanted to seek medical help, and they decided that if it was meant to be, it would be.
“If it’s meant to be . . .” I started.
“It will be.”
We exchanged a one-armed hug and patted each other on the back. He remained at the door until I was in my truck and pulled away from the curb. Although I’d been busy getting settled and hadn’t seen much of my family, I enjoyed being close to them again.
About fifteen minutes later, I turned into my driveway and noticed Naryah’s porch light was on. After securing my car in the garage, instead of going into my house, I walked down my driveway to check my mail.
Before I made it to my mailbox, I heard barking coming from Naryah’s porch, pulling my attention in that direction again. Que stood on the step and continued barking in my direction, but he didn’t make a move to come after me.
I forgot all about my mail and headed toward her house. The closer I got, the more excited Que seemed to become. Naryah was already on her feet, watching as I neared her. With the way our interactions had been going, I was surprised she didn’t run into her house.
“Que, calm down,” she scolded.
Not only did he not calm down, but as soon as I was close enough, he playfully jumped on me the same way he did during our first encounter.
“Wassup, boy!” I greeted him, holding him under his neck and rubbing.
We played for a few minutes before he calmed down and stood next to Naryah. She kneeled to his level to talk to him.
“Herqueles Javonte, what’s gotten into you? Huh, boy? When did you become so friendly? What if this man was coming to hurt me?”
“He knows I’m a good guy who means you well.”
She turned her head, angling it upward to look at me. I expected her to say something, but after a few beats, she looked away.
“Are you losing your fire, boy? Is your age catching up to you?”
She rubbed under his chin and on top of his head simultaneously.
“I remember you saying he wasn’t usually very friendly.”
She stood and returned to her seat while I remained on the first of two steps.
“The only people Que usually fucks with, excuse my language, are me and my son. He tolerates my mother and sister because he knows they don’t really do animals.
He doesn’t bark or go into attack mode when they come around and is still very protective of them because he knows they’re family.
Everyone else we encounter, he barks aggressively or growls, including other dogs. ”
“That explains why you’re confused by his behavior toward me.”
“Very confused.”
“You mind if I sit?”
She shrugged and nodded toward the empty chair closest to her, but on the other side of the front door. I sat down, and Que came and sat next to me.
“Are you serious right now, Que?”
He whimpered but didn’t move, causing me to chuckle.
“If you trust his judgment, know that I’m not here to hurt you.”
She nodded toward a small round table next to her, and I noticed a pink .22 caliber gun that I hadn’t seen initially.
“Que would risk his life to save mine, but I’m no damsel in distress. It’s tiny, but it packs a punch if you know where to shoot. I call her Misty.”
Impressed, I nodded but wondered what happened in her past that made her keep her defenses up.
“So, what’s got you sitting on the porch at this late hour?”
“Just wanted to enjoy the quiet with a glass of wine. My days can be pretty hectic with work and mommy duties, especially in the summer.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m an accounts manager for an insurance company. Nothing special. You?”
“Retired Chicago police officer.”
“Retired? Chicago? Interesting.”
“How so?”
“You don’t look old enough to be retired, and Black Elm is a long way from Chicago.”
“If you want to know how old I am, just ask.”
“I didn’t want to know, but now I’m intrigued.”
“I’m quickly approaching forty-three.”
“For someone who had such a demanding, high stress job, you definitely don’t look your age.”
“I appreciate that. I don’t usually ask a woman’s age, but since we’re on the topic . . .”
“How old do you think I am?”
I laughed. “You want me to give you a reason to use that thing?” I nodded toward the table.
“I promise I won’t shoot you. Take a wild guess and be honest.”
I mulled over my thoughts for a moment. “I can’t lie. At first glance, I thought you were in your late twenties, but I was hoping you were at least in your thirties.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve never entertained a woman more than ten years younger than me, but I’d make an exception for you.”
“I’m thirty-five.”
“I guess today is my lucky day.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Just because my age falls within your dating requirement age doesn’t mean I’m going to date you.”
“Why would you break my heart like that? Que’s already given me his stamp of approval.”
I reached down to rub the top of his head, and he purred like a lap dog. Naryah gasped and shook her head.
“I never thought I’d see the day that my favorite non-human betrayed me.”
“Don’t think of it as betrayal. Think of it as giving you the okay to get to know me.”
“So, how’d you end up here from Chicago?” she asked, changing the subject.
“I see what you did there, but I was born and raised in Black Elm.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. When I decided I wanted to become a police officer, I chose an academy in Illinois because I knew I wanted to join the Chicago Police Department.”
“Interesting. Why’d you retire so young?”
I took a moment to think about how much I wanted to say before responding.
“At the end of last year, I got shot in the hip. It was pretty bad, and the initial prognosis wasn’t good.
My parents and brother flew in to be by my side when I had the surgery, and the fear and worry in my mother’s eyes broke me.
I’d managed to make it over twenty years without being shot, but every time I called her, I could hear the worry in her voice. ”
“So, you decided to retire early?”
“Not at first. I wasn’t ready, on top of being stubborn. The day I was shot, one of my colleagues was killed. We were close, and I took it much harder than I thought because I felt like I didn’t do enough. That night haunted me to the point where it was all I could think about.”
“Wow. I, umm, I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. You asked a question, and I answered, although I’m sure you weren’t expecting all that.”
“I wasn’t, but thank you for sharing. I’m sorry about your colleague.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you for listening.”
“How’s your hip?”
“I defied the odds, and it’s almost a hundred percent.”
“That’s good. Umm, . . . how’s your head?”
I was surprised by her question because my mother was the only other person who ever asked about my mental health.
“It’s good, but I went to therapy.”
“Good. I swear by it. Most Black men aren’t willing to admit they need therapy, let alone go.”
“If you give me the opportunity to get to know you, you’ll find out I’m not like most men, regardless of their background. I’m a different breed.”