Chapter 6
“Welcome to our home.” Mr. Hix greeted me at the front door. The smell of the savory seafood gumbo filled my nostrils the moment I stepped inside. My stomach growled with excitement.
After the savory smell released my senses, I took in the house’s interior.
Clean.
Warm.
Inviting.
There weren’t any gunshot holes in the walls, burn stains on the carpet, or the stench of crack pipes in the air. Their home was something out of a family sitcom, from the clean off-white walls to the wood floors. They even had family portraits lining the hallways.
I extended my hand out to shake. He held my hand in a firm shake, as if to assert his dominance over me, but I didn’t care about any of that. I’d been in rooms with men who’d killed people. Mr. Hix didn’t put any fear in my body. We were the same height, though he had about fifty to sixty pounds on me.
“I appreciate the invite. I haven’t had gumbo in forever.”
“We usually only have gumbo when the weather is cold, but my mother-in-law and daughter have been craving it for weeks now. I never complain about it because I’ll eat gumbo no matter the season.”
He led me into the dining room where Honey’s family sat and waited for me before they ate. The head of the table was empty, most likely where Mr. Hix would sit. To the left of that seat was Mrs. Hix, and next to her was Chamille. Chamille was on some type of gaming device, in her own world. On the other side of the table, Honey sat next to an empty seat, which I assumed was for me. On the opposite end was Miss Janie. She wasn’t a fan of me, but I hoped, after dinner, she’d loosen up a little. It wasn’t a secret she hated the lifestyle I lived.
They all greeted me with warm smiles, something I’d never experienced before. Most times when I walked into a room, I evoked fear or apprehension. Mothafuckas saw the tattoos and clothing choices and immediately assumed I was up to no good. Eighty percent of the time, their assumptions were right.
Another unfamiliar element in my upbringing was family dinners. The Kent household never scheduled family dinners. Shit, even with Aunt Dee and Uncle Cee, I just started eating at home in the last couple of weeks. Granted, I grabbed my plate and went to my room, but still.
“Thank y’all for inviting me to dinner.” I addressed everyone as a whole. I wasn’t the type of nigga to hug and shit, so I claimed my seat and waited to see what was next.
“You’re the first boy Honey has ever shown an interest in, so we wanted to sit down and see what kind of young man you are for ourselves.” Mr. Hix sat next to his wife as he spoke.
“We usually allow guests to bless the food, but I’ll lead us tonight,” Miss Janie explained as she lifted her hands for prayer.
Everyone bowed their heads as she blessed the food. Honey held my hand under the table. I gave her a reassuring squeeze and smiled at her when the prayer was done. I wasn’t sure the proper etiquette of kissing in someone’s home, so I refrained from tapping my lips against hers—even though she looked just as good as the meal in front of me.
“Do you prefer crackers or cornbread with your gumbo?” Mrs. Hix asked me.
“I’m cool with a pack of crackas, ma’am.”
She passed a pack to me.
“I helped make dinner tonight,” Honey commented proudly.
“She’s a natural in the kitchen and will be a chef one day. My grandbaby will be a famous chef who travels the world and brings that Southern flare to different countries,” Miss Janie prophesied.
“She’s told me about her love for cooking. All I can make is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and even then, it still be nasty sometimes.”
They laughed at my story.
“Honey has a really bright future. What do you plan to do after college?” Mr. Hix asked.
“I don’t got a plan for the future. Right now, each day I’m alive is a blessing in itself. There are some things I want to try out and see if it’s something I see myself doing long term, but for now, I’m just vibing.”
“Just vibing,” Miss Janie repeated.
“Everyone doesn’t have their life planned out to the T like me. He’ll figure it out. We don’t want the food to get cold while y’all are giving him the third degree.” Honey lifted her spoon and swirled it in her gumbo before scooping a generous amount into her mouth. She moaned happily as she continued to eat.
That was all the green light I needed to taste the gumbo finally. I placed a spoonful on a cracker and stuffed it in my mouth. My tastebuds started crip-walking with joy at the pleasant taste of the savory dish. I didn’t give a fuck what was being said until my bowl was completely empty. If they directed questions to me, I couldn’t hear them over the singing of my tastebuds. I sat back and licked my lips.
“Wow. I’ve never had something so tasty. I’d take the whole pot if y’all let me,” I joked.
“Would you like another bowl?” Mrs. Hix asked with a humorous glint in her eye.
“Yes, ma’am. If it’s not too much trouble. I can make the bowl myself?—”
“Aht. Don’t even finish that sentence.” Mrs. Hix stood up and took my bowl with her to the kitchen.
“I just think it’s crazy Honey has a boyfriend, but I can’t get a bearded dragon,” Chamille complained.
“There is no correlation between my man and a bearded dragon, dummy,” Honey replied.
“Marquise looks like a leopard gecko with his freckles. It’s basically the same thing.” Chamille crossed her arms.
“Marquise also gets to go home at the end of dinner while we’d be stuck with your reptile forever,” Mr. Hix added.
It was weird to see parents and kids have healthy relationships. No one had yelled in the time I’d been here. No one had said a cuss word or threatened to call the police. The parallels between my norm and Honey’s were damn near night and day.
“Here you go, Marquise.” Mrs. Hix held the second bowl of gumbo out for me to take. The steam coming off the top had my stomach growling again.
“Thank you.” I took the bowl and started eating again.
“My two girls don’t have nearly as big an appetite as you. One bowl and they’re good to go,” Mrs. Hix commented as she watched me eat.
“Big meals like this are new for me,” I admitted.
“Why’s that?” Miss Janie quizzed.
“My mom would spend our grocery money on drugs. It wasn’t until I was making money on my own that I could afford to go to fast food restaurants for my meals,” I replied nonchalantly.
The room grew quiet as the adults struggled to find the words to say. I ignored their solemn faces until my bowl was empty. I wiped my mouth and hands with one napkin and yawned.
“I think I’ve caught the itis,” I confessed.
“Me too.” Honey giggled.
“Well, if you’re ready to head home, I can put you some gumbo in a Tupperware container,” Mrs. Hix offered.
“Fa shit sho! I’d appreciate some to take home for later.”
“Give me a couple of minutes to get that for you.” Mrs. Hix rose to her feet.
“I’ll help clear the table.” Mr. Hix stood from his seat and began stacking bowls.
Soon as the cleanup began, Chamille had slid out of her chair and headed out of the dining room. Miss Janie remained seated as she looked at me. Her inward pointed eyebrows made me feel self-conscious.
“I will admit I have skepticisms about you dating my grandbaby. I don’t know how involved in gang life you’re in, but please keep that stuff away from her. I can’t sit around and say I like the idea of you two dating, especially so young, but I trust her to leave if things don’t work out.” Miss Janie’s voice was sad, like it pained her to have the conversation with me.
“I’m a better person around Honey. She doesn’t judge me or my past and is actively trying to help me in ways I never even considered for myself. I would never intentionally hurt her, and I’m trying to keep my past troubles out of the future I want with her.”
“Two teenagers adamant about being grown. Please be safe and use protection if y’all have sex.”
“Granny!” Honey exclaimed in horror.
“I’m not dumb or na?ve to think y’all won’t be sexually active. Just be smart about it, and don’t make any grandbabies while you’re still a baby yourself, Honey.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Honey mumbled as she covered her face.
I chuckled and draped an arm over her. There was a healthy silence in the room until Mr. and Mrs. Hix walked back into the dining area. Honey’s mom held my to-go bag in her hands.
“Thank you for joining us for dinner. We are glad we got to talk with you,” Mrs. Hix said in a soft tone.
“You’re always welcomed back again another time,” Mr. Hix added.
I stood up from my seat at the table and shook both of their hands before I took the bag with my food. “Fa sho. Thank you.”
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Honey stated as she stood up as well.
We walked hand in hand to the front and stepped outside. She had a goofy grin on her face as she pulled me down to kiss her. Our lips lingered for a few moments before she hugged me tight.
“That was perfect, right?” she asked as I held her.
“It was cool. Nobody threatened to kill me, so I say it was a win.”
She giggled. “Trust me. Daddy wanted to, but Mama kept him levelheaded. He can’t believe his baby girl is growing up.”
“The only person I was really worried about was yo’ granny. I know you care a lot about her opinion on shit, so if she wasn’t on board, I figured you’d be trying to end this.”
“No. I would have changed her mind.”
“Good to know. You enjoy the rest of your night, beautiful. I’ll hit you up after school tomorrow.”
“Okay. Have a good night.”
Once she was back inside, I walked across the grass to Aunt Dee’s house. On nights like these, I’d usually head out into the night, but after two bowls of gumbo, all I wanted to do was shower and go to sleep. Asleep before midnight was an accomplishment to celebrate.
Things will be different with Honey. She’s already making such a difference in my life.
* * *
Weeks later
As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed Honey on the front steps of her house, crying. I barely had time to put my car in park before I hopped out and bolted over to her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her as I approached. I prepared for the worst when she looked up at me with tears staining her pretty face.
“My daddy yelled at me while he was teaching me how to drive. I was so overwhelmed, Marquise. He scared me so bad.” She sobbed.
“Aye, wipe yo’ eyes, baby.”
“B-but?—”
“But nothing. Wipe yo’ eyes and stand up.”
She sniffled as she stood up and used her hands to wipe her face. She continued to whimper as I cupped her face.
“You don’t need to cry. When do you take your driver’s test?”
“N-next week.”
“That’s plenty of time for you to learn. C’mon. I’ll teach you.”
She looked at me as if I’d had three heads. “What? You’re going to let me drive your car?”
“Yeah. You gon’ do just fine, so don’t even worry about the what-ifs. We can get you a couple minutes in right now. C’mon.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes, Honey.”
“O-okay.”
She wiped her face again and smiled softly. We walked over to my car, and Honey tried to get in the passenger seat.
“Nah, get in the driver’s seat.”
“You want me to back out?”
“Yeah. You gon’ have to do it on the test, so practice now.”
She gulped. “O-okay. I’ll do my best.”
When we were inside, she buckled her seat belt and made a move for the gearshift. With a shake of my head, I stopped her.
“Can you see the road with your current position?”
She peered over the wheel and shook her head. “Not really.”
“Fix that before you move. Get comfortable and make the needed adjustments before you put the car in reverse.”
She took a deep breath. “How?”
“Start with your seat first. Move it however you need to.”
She fumbled with the seat adjustments for a few minutes. Her short ass was damn near on the tallest settings. I helped her pull the steering wheel down while she went to adjust the mirrors.
“A’ight. For the mirrors, you want to see the cars behind you in the rearview and the cars beside you on the side mirrors. Adjust them until you have good angles.”
It took a few more minutes to get the mirrors adjusted. Once she was ready, I talked her through slowly backing out of the driveway and to always be aware of her surroundings. Women were notorious for hitting curbs. I had spent a nice check on my current set of tires too.
She successfully backed out and turned down the street. Her speed was barely five miles per hour. From the focused expression on her face to the death grip she had on the wheel, she didn’t want to make a mistake.
“Breathe, Honey. I ain’t gon’ let you hurt us or the car. You don’t have to go five miles. Lightly apply pressure to the gas pedal.”
Her feet lightly tapped the gas.
“You’re doing great. When you get to the stop sign, use your turn signal to turn right. We won’t take you too fast, but we gon’ get you those driving minutes in every day until your test, okay?”
“You’re so perfect.”
“Nah, baby. I’m far from it.”
“Hush, Marquise. You’re perfect to me.”
I smiled and placed my hand on her thigh. “A’ight. Here’s a kind of hard thing to do. When you pull out to turn, you want to go far enough so you don’t hit the curb, but you also can’t go too far out. You risk the possibility of going into the other lane, and when another car is there, you might scrape their shit.”
“This is all so much to remember,” she whined.
“Chill. You want to know how to drive yourself places without relying on anybody or not?”
“I do.”
“A’ight then. Shut up and get it done.”
“Rude!”
“I’m just making sure you stick it out. It’s gon’ be a surreal feeling when you get yo’ license and flex on them bitches.”
She giggled. “Period. When do I apply gas during the turn?”
“You want a consistent pressure until you’ve completed the turn. Take it slow and feel for it.”
She made a wide turn, but in the neighborhood we were in, it was okay. For the next fifteen minutes, we drove around the neighborhood. When we were done, she parked in front of Aunt Dee’s house, and we got out. When we were within touching distance, she jumped into my arms.
“Thank you for being patient with me. All my dad did was yell and make it seem like I was doing everything wrong.”
“Some parents can’t teach, and that’s okay. I got you, though. Long as you are by my side, we gon’ get you ready for the world.”
“I love you,” she said so effortlessly.
“What?”
“I love you.”
I smiled. “You love me?”
“Marquise, please.”
“I ain’t ever heard those three words said to me genuinely before. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say it back until you mean it. Don’t feel pressured.”
“Nah. I love yo’ ass too.”
Something changed. Her eyes glossed over with something… lustful. She held my hand and rubbed my knuckles.
“Are your folks home?” she asked in a low tone.
I shook my head. “Nah. They went prom dress shopping.”
“So you’ve got the house to yourself?”
“Yup.”
“Can I see your room?”
My lips pulled into a smirk. “Fa sho.”
She entered the house a virgin but would leave a grown woman. Not only did I have her heart, but I had her soul too.