8. Keyoni #2
I zoomed in on several dogs on leashes. The animal lover in me couldn’t help but be concerned about their well-being, wondering if they were properly fed and hydrated. Their wagging tails provided clarity on how they were feeling. It was just as much their day as their human counterparts.
There was a line for a white tent advertising mixed drinks.
I waited with Keyoni at the end, slowly making our way to the front.
We were assisted by an older woman. Keyoni spoke to her with familiarity.
When he introduced us, I learned her name—Ms. Emma—and ordered the same drink as Keyoni.
They carried on a brief conversation before we stepped to the side to wait.
I became intrigued with the animated DJ dancing next to his equipment in the booth.
He managed to mix beats and hype up the crowd all while showing off his moves.
A group of people stood in front of his booth, revealing how they got down as well.
I observed from the sideline, unable to partake in the same fun since I’d inherited two left feet from my dad.
“Go on out there,” Keyoni urged from behind me.
“Yeah, right.” I wasn’t embarrassing myself. “I’m fine being a spectator.”
Our drinks were ready moments later. One sip and I was hooked, refusing to let up the pressure on the straw as we walked.
“Sage!” I heard behind me and turned around to see Lanique walking with Cauvey. Kyree was with them too, in addition to three other men with different stages of locs I didn’t know. “Hey Keyoni,” she added.
He tilted his chin as I gave a soft greeting to my cousin. I saw her before leaving this morning and even cooked breakfast. I didn’t know if I would be seeing her at the block party, since according to Keyoni it always drew a lot of people.
“How long you been here?” I asked.
“We just got here,” Cauvey answered for her. “And we ran into my boys Ro, Kirk, and Blaze.”
I smiled at the trio. “Hi.”
After their quick replies, one stared a little too long, causing Keyoni to get out of character.
“Something wrong with your eyes?”
The culprit parted his lips. “Looking ain’t a crime, Officer Green.”
“It can be,” Keyoni challenged.
“Is that from Ms. Emma?” Cauvey cut in, pointing to my drink. “Where’s she set up at?”
“Down there,” I said, pointing, before revealing what I was drinking. “It’s really good too.”
“Oh, I bet,” Cauvey said with certainty. “Ms. Emma never misses.” He turned to his crew. “Y’all want drinks?” Nobody answered, but they didn’t object either. “Shit, I do.” He started walking toward Ms. Emma’s tent. “Y’all niggas coming?”
The loc heads followed a few steps behind and Cauvey smoothly eliminated a problem before it started.
“I’ll link up with you later,” Lanique told me, quickly catching up with her man.
Knowing it was a lie, I didn’t say anything, blowing off the falsity before it could fester.
Lanique left me alone more times than she actually hung out with me, instead choosing to spend all her free time with Cauvey.
I expected our relationship to grow stronger since we were already solid living in different cities.
But moving to Diamond Falls turned out to be a reality check.
I was on my own. It was nothing I couldn’t handle, but the purpose of me moving around family was to be around family.
When I wasn’t at work, I was in the apartment alone with the animals, unless Keyoni hit my line wanting company.
Or just to talk.
He was starting to also be my listening ear, since my cousin was always off doing her own thing.
“You can find just about anything you want in D-Ville,” Keyoni told me. “Everything’s all in close quarters, but it’s all about who you know.” Walking, I soaked up his words. “You see that lady right there?” Keyoni asked.
I followed his line of sight, seeing a twenty-something-year-old woman whose mouth never stopped moving. “Yeah.”
“That’s Trina. She does taxes on the fifth floor. The lady sitting in the chair next to her, that’s her momma, Ms.Viv. She makes the best peach cobbler. She lives a couple doors down from Jami.”
“Good to know.”
He continued, telling me about other businesses being run out of the building I resided in.
Somebody on the first floor watched kids of all ages.
A seamstress lived on the eighth floor and could make anything out of some fabric.
Almost any kind of food I craved could be found on one of nine floors, since the top floor belonged to DP’s leaders.
I could get a tattoo out of one apartment and a full set of lashes out of another, maybe a bust down too if the lash tech felt like putting her wig laying skills to use.
We walked back down the opposite way, stopping at the booth of a woman selling homemade jewelry.
Although she didn’t have anything that was my style, I supported anyway since the woman’s aura was positive and upbeat.
Keyoni made the mistake of telling her I lived in the building and gave her my floor number.
She smiled and said she would start looking out for me.
When we were far enough away, I asked, “Why’d you do that?”
“Do what?”
I rolled my eyes. Keyoni knew exactly what I was talking about. “You know.”
“I’m just helping you get acquainted,” he said. “You’re still new to the city. New to the building. New to block parties.” He smiled. “This is the perfect opportunity for you to get out and meet people. Shit, they’re your neighbors. And you can network and?—“
“Dad!” Keturah ran up and hugged Keyoni. “Hey, Ms. Sage.” I offered her a smile as Jami walked up holding hands with a woman sporting a low cut. The woman was dressed in black and white, like all the DPs Keyoni pointed out, and held Big Girl’s leash as she wobbled on the pavement.
“Are you having fun?” Jami asked next to me.
“I am.”
“I told ya you would,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Block parties are the best. Ain’t that right, babe?”
Jami’s “babe” turned out to be her on-again, off-again girlfriend Pooh, who offered a firm handshake when Jami introduced us. She already knew Keyoni. They did some weird handshake before laughing like old friends.
Big Girl wagged her tail when I bent down to pet her. Her engorged nipples swayed back and forth with the movement.
“How’s feeding going?”
“Not good,” Jami said. “She’s still being stubborn and don’t want to feed them. All the puppies get at least a bottle a day, sometimes two.” She shook her head. “But they still keep crying and whining and… it’s just a lot.”
“Especially with the landlord on her ass,” Pooh cut in. “Muthafuckas always complaining, fucking shit up.”
“What happened?”
“The neighbors are complaining about the noise. Now I have to have an inspection, to verify the number of dogs living with me.”
“There’s a limit?” I quizzed, regretting the question when it came out.
Of course there was a limit. It was an apartment.
“Two,” Jami advised. Lanique had way more than that. “But it’s cool. I’ll figure something out. I’ll have to get rid of them soon anyway.”
I was volunteering my services before I heard all the details. The puppies were too young to go to just anybody. The dog lover in me couldn’t sit back and stay quiet.
“We’ll talk,” Jami continued, watching Keturah walk off toward a group of girls.
“I’ll call you tonight.” Jami and Pooh were several steps in the opposite direction when Jami turned around.
“Oh, and tell Lanique they’re checking all the renters’ apartments for pets. I told Cauvey, but…you know how he is.”
I didn’t, but… “Okay.”
Keyoni lifted his hands to my shoulders as they walked further away. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “It’s not me I’m worried about.”
Lanique was worse than me when saying no to an animal in need.
He squeezed my shoulders. “I can help you get unworried.”
I struggled to keep a straight face. “That’s not a real word.”
“It can be.” His hands moved down the sides of my arms, causing a tingle to take over my insides. His fingers connected with mine and he pulled me forward. “Come on. Let me show you.”