Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
After placing her laptop in its protective case, Sunjiya stuffs it into her extra-large tote.
She removes her wallet from her purse then places it in the tote next.
The kitchen island is covered with the items she thinks she needs, some she might need, and other items just in case.
Today is her first day of class at ACC and she’s feeling a cocktail of emotions: excitement, nervousness, and anxiety.
But thankfully, excitement leads the charge.
It’s only an intro course for some, but for her it’s a big deal.
Although she received a free ride to college and had the aptitude to attend, she didn’t graduate like her sister.
She took a few courses at Miami-Dade but barely earned twelve credits.
This course is the first step in her journey to correct her unsuccessful educational past and she can barely contain her excitement.
It’s fueling her compulsive need to fill her tote.
When she turns to grab the salmon salad she made from the fridge last night, Akeem walks into the kitchen. Although it’s colder than normal for mid-January, he’s only wearing a pair of black sweats. The heater is on in the condo and the fireplace in the living room burns.
“What’s all this?” he asks as soon as she turns to grab the croissants from the counter.
Her eyes study him and his lack of clothing. In a panic, she frantically asks, “When are you getting dressed? My class is at ten-forty and we have to leave in ten minutes so I’m not late.”
“I’m not going anywhere. It’s January twelfth. Christmas is over, bae. Kris and her team are coming to pack everything up and I’m gonna dispose of the tree,” he says nonchalantly.
“Akeem, not my tree.” She sighs.
“Bae, it can’t live forever. It’s starting to shed. It’s gotta go out,” he insists.
“I guess,” she says disappointedly. For Christmas, they had a beautiful, nine-foot, freshly-cut, live Abies Fraser Fir and Akeem hired a design team to decorate it and the condo to her precise specifications, a white and gold winter wonderland.
Quise flew out on the twenty-eighth and spent New Year’s with them.
“Where are you going to take my beautiful tree?” she asks.
“To a tree farm,” he says sarcastically.
“Stop.” She laughs. “I’m just going to miss it and the decorations, that’s all. But what about my class.”
“You can drive yourself.”
“Ugh. I guess I better leave soon. I’m going to have to get a permit to park on campus,” she says as she quickly opens the pack of croissants. She just lost fifteen minutes in the condo. “You want one?” she asks and he nods.
Quickly, she slices three croissants and fills them with salmon salad. After packing hers in a plastic container along with an apple and bag of chips, she places his on a plate and covers it with a napkin.
“Thanks.”
“So, if you are handling the tree, you’ll need the truck. I guess I’m driving the Rover,” she says with a slight smirk because he loves his Rover. He drives it more than his Tundra.
He reaches inside of his sweats pocket, pulls out a key fob, and places it on the island. “Nah, you’re driving this,” he says coolly.
Sunjiya immediately notices the key isn’t familiar. It doesn’t belong to his Rover or Tundra. She grabs it and sees the symbol. As a smile creeps across her face, she questions, “Mercedes?”
“Your last Christmas gift.”
“Akeem! I know you didn’t buy me a car,” she practically squeals. “Did you? Is this for real? You already did too much for Christmas. This is too, too much,” she raves.
“You don’t want it?” he teases. Unbeknownst to her, the car is really her birthday present. She refuses to celebrate her day or accept any gifts, so he overcompensated on Christmas and today.
“Hell yes, I want it!” she exclaims before rushing into his arms. “Thank you,” she pushes out over the lump forming in her throat. Her emotions choke her. With tears of joy crowding her eyes, she looks up at her thoughtful and loving man. “I love you,” she says.
“I love you too.” After kissing her, he taps her ass. “We gotta get all this shit in there so you won’t be late.”
“It’s too much?” she asks as she looks at the overly stuffed tote, lunch bag, and tumbler.
“How long is your class?” he asks and she grins.
“An hour and a half, but I’m going to stick around campus a little to learn my way around. So I might need all of this.”
“Yeah, it’s your first day. It’s always better to be overprepared.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. Okay, I’m going to run to the bathroom then I’ll be ready to see my new car and go to class.”
They walk back to their bedroom. While she goes into the bathroom to check her face and relieve her bladder, he steps into the closet to slide on a pair of Ones and a sweatshirt.
He grabs her jacket off the back of the chaise in their small seating area and helps her into it when she steps out of the bathroom.
“You look beautiful,” he tells her once she adjusts her jacket.
“Like a college student? They’re going to be babies and I’m almost thirty.”
“Like a fine ass college student,” he assures her, then smiles.
“Now, I’m ready then.”
When they walk through the living room, she takes one final lingering look at their gorgeous tree and décor.
He grabs her things from the kitchen then they head to the resident parking garage.
In his normally vacated, reserved third spot is a brand new Verde Silver Metallic E-350 sedan with a gigantic white bow on the hood.
After kissing all over his face a thousand times, she runs to her car.
She places her hand on the hood then lightly drags it around her new baby.
When she makes it to the front of the car, she sees the ACC decal in the window.
He got my parking decal!
The tears that have been pooling in her eyes since she got the key to her car pour out.
His thoughtfulness has no bounds. He always thinks of every small detail and this one hits her right in the heart.
Going back to school and pursuing something she now loves means everything to her.
He recognizes that and gets her a car and parking decal.
When she steps into his arms, she forgets all about her mascara and finishing powder and lets her tears fall.
“Bae, come on,” he soothes as he thumbs her tears. “You’re gonna be late.” She nods but doesn’t move.
She remains in his arms until her tears stop.
Then, and only then, she pecks his lips, breaks their embrace, then steps toward her beautiful new car.
After she unlocks the door, she gets in and starts it.
He places her things in the passenger seat then removes the large bow.
She runs her hands across her steering wheel, admiring her macchiato beige and black interior, and inhaling the crisp, new car scent.
He bought me a car!
When the bow is completely off, he steps to her window and she lets it down. Her beautiful smile is cemented. She’s happy; so he’s happy. It’s just that simple.
“Have a good first day. I love you,” he says.
“I will; thanks to you. I love you so much.”
He watches until she backs out of the space and heads toward the exit.
When she’s out of his sight, he journeys back inside.
After washing his hands, he grabs a bag of chips from the pantry to go with his sandwiches.
The faint sound of his cell ringing in the bedroom stops him right when he’s about to sit on the island stool.
“What’s up, bruh?” he answers when he sees it’s Axton.
“Different day, different shit. I got some interesting news,” Axton says.
“About what?”
“I finally figured out the numbers on the Post-It note.”
“Post-it note?” Akeem repeats and it hits him. “Tanjaya’s?”
“Yeah. It’s been a minute but I broke the code and got a hit. They’re bank accounts and it’s a few more than what’s on the list, seven total, plus one overseas in the Caribbean, Antigua. As her sister, Sunjiya could get a nice piece of money after she handles all the legalities.”
“I don’t know,” is all Akeem says because he doesn’t know if this is something Sunjiya would even want to deal with.
She hasn’t even mentioned her sister’s death since it happened and he hasn’t pressed her about it.
Her life hasn’t been easy and she’s dealing with that the best way she knows how.
He simply supports her, and financially, she’s good because he’s good.
He owns all of his vehicles and the condo.
His investment portfolio is prolific and lucrative.
One job sets him up for a year and he typically takes two or three a year. She doesn’t need the money at all.
“Well, I got all the info if sis wants to know.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“How’d it go with the car?” Axton asks. The two brothers don’t have many secrets between them. In fact, Axton helped locate the specific color of her ride. Green and turquoise are her favorite colors.
“She had no clue and she loved it. She’s on her way to campus right now.”
“That’s what’s up, but you’ve set the bar. In May, Quise is going to expect a Hummer or some shit,” Axton says while laughing.
“Trust. I know. He was hinting at a Maverick during Christmas. But we have a plan. If he gets straight As from now until the end of the school year, I’ll get him one. It’s a decently-sized truck and his driving is actually really good now. I let him drive the Rover while he was here.”
“That’s why he hit me yesterday about his math class; he’s serious about them As.”
“His ass wants that damn truck.” Akeem walks back into the kitchen and slides onto the stool. “What’s up with you?”
“That’s my other news and it’s for your ears only. I’m not telling your momma or daddy until I have more details,” Axton says seriously.
“This sounds deep.”