Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
F ranklin
Something in me snapped when I saw the neighbor’s boyfriend raise his hand at her like he was about to hit her. The shit didn’t sit right with me, so I cocked my gun to get his attention.
It surprised me when she came outside because I assumed she wasn’t home when I didn’t see her car in the driveway. I heard her when she noticed her car was not there and when homeboy pulled into her driveway.
The dude looked between her and me. “Damn. You got niggas pulling guns and shit out on me.”
There was no way I was going to sit there and watch some shit go down if I could stop it, even though I had ignored them the day before.
She’d been on my mind since she dropped my package off earlier in the day with her bunny slippers. She looked even prettier up close. I didn’t know what to say to her, so I just mentioned her slippers since it seemed as though she forgot she had them on.
“Nah, she doesn’t have me doing anything. I think you are a coward for stealing her car and trying to hit her.”
He sucked his teeth and leaned over the porch. “I guess you want my bitch.” He laughed loudly but wasn’t shit funny.
I started to tell him I could take her if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to stoop to his level.
He was disrespectful. It was clear he was drunk by the way he swayed, so I put my gun down.
I wouldn’t need it. I wasn’t even trying to fight him.
I just wanted him to leave her alone so I could go about my business.
“Look, she wants you to leave, and I think it would be in your best interest if you did.”
He stormed down the steps and stomped across the grass, but I stayed on my porch. It wasn’t because I was scared—it was for his safety. There was a reason why I kept to myself, because I knew how my temper could get, and I didn’t want things to escalate. Things could get really ugly, real fast.
“Man. You ain’t gonna do shit.” His speech was slurred.
“You right. There is nothing for me to do, but if you were smart, you would leave.”
“Fuck you and this bitch. Junicia, this shit ain’t over!” He pulled his pants up, then staggered down the street to a car that was parked a few houses down.
She probably didn’t notice it, but I did as soon as I saw him pull up.
Once the car pulled off, I walked off my porch and over to hers. She took a step back when I walked up her steps. She seemed nervous, and I understood it. She didn’t know me, and I had just pulled a gun out to save her.
I put my hands up in surrender, so she would see that I had left my gun on my porch.
I second guessed myself when I got close. She had this strong presence about her, and for some reason that shit intimated me. “You good?”
“I think so. I’m sorry you had to see that.” She fiddled with the zipper on her coat.
A brown hat covered her hair, but I knew she normally wore it in a bob.
I think that was what it was called. The fullness of her glossed lips had me mesmerized.
Her eyes reminded me of a bowl of melted chocolate, even though they were sad.
I noticed how much shorter than me she was since she had on furry boots instead of the heels she normally wore.
I didn’t notice the first time we were close up.
Damn, she is gorgeous.
Her nose had reddened from the cold weather.
I needed to shake off those thoughts because neither of us needed to be with the other.
“Thank you. I’m not even sure what made you step in, but I appreciate you. He didn’t comprehend that I don’t want to be with him anymore. I don’t know how I didn’t hear him take my car.”
“I don’t either, but I think you might want to start parking in your garage if you can.”
I never parked in my garage, but that was because I used it for other stuff, like working out, and whenever I worked on the model cars. There was space to park in there if I needed to, but I only did it during the winter. I hated cleaning ice or snow off my car.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” She shivered and wrapped her arms around her body. “How can I repay you for what you did?”
“You don’t have to, but don’t make me regret it.”
“Trust me, I am done with him. All his belongings are gone, so there is no need for him to come back over here. I’m actually going to file a police report too. They might not do anything because he returned it, but I want it to be on record.”
I was glad she said that because that showed she truly was done with him. At least I hoped so. I would have hated to step in for her and she went back to him. If that happened, I would mind my business the next time some shit went down.
“Good idea. I’ll let you go. Be careful.”
“Thanks again.”
I turned to walk back to my house. I knew my tea had gotten cold.
“Wait.” I heard her say before I could reach the second step. “I didn’t catch your name. We’ve been neighbors for a while, but we’ve never been formally introduced. I’m Junicia.” She stuck her hand out.
I stepped back onto the porch and shook her hand. I was surprised by how warm it was even though she’d been outside. “Nice to meet you. I’m Franklin.” I held her hand in mine.
“Hi, Franklin.” Her cheeks reddened, and I knew it was from the cold. Something about the way she said my name made me not want to let her go, but then I remembered she had just gotten out of a relationship, and I wasn’t ready for one.
We held each other’s gaze, but I didn’t miss when she shivered again.
“You probably should get in the house or go wherever you need to go.” My mouth said one thing, but I hadn’t let her hand go.
A few seconds ticked by before either of us moved. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it felt like something transpired between us.
“Bye, Franklin.”
“Bye, Junicia.” I watched as she turned to enter her house, and I didn’t walk away until she was behind her locked door. I made sure I heard her turn the lock to be sure.
I walked back over to my house, grabbed my tea and gun from the porch, and went inside. I took the cup in the kitchen to wash it out, then pulled my phone from my pocket to call Quan.
“Yo.”
“Man, you won’t believe the shit that just went down.” I took my glasses off and placed them on the counter, then went to sit at the table.
“Aww shit. I know it’s about to be something crazy.” He chuckled.
Quan and I didn’t talk on the phone that often. Most of the time, it was a quick question or check-in, but not on some gossip shit.
I ran down the story to him. It wasn’t much to tell, so it didn’t take that long.
“I can’t believe it. You pulled your piece out for a chick you don’t even know. It must be about to storm.” He laughed. “He don’t even know what could have happened to him.”
Years ago, when I was a youngin, I shot some dude at a party, and he ended up paralyzed from the waist down.
I never got charged for it because there was a code to the streets we lived by, so nobody snitched.
It was something I dealt with for years, and that was why I was the way I was.
It was better if I kept to myself, because I let my temper get to me once before, and I didn’t want that to happen again.
I was glad things didn’t get out of hand with Junicia’s ex.
“Which is why I try to keep to myself. I still don’t even know why I intervened.”
“I know why, but you don’t want to admit it. You feeling her.”
I had told Quan about her a few times, but I never expressed interest in her. He knew me and knew I didn’t typically talk about a chick unless I was feeling her.
I ran a hand over the top of my head. “I mean… She’s attractive, but you know I ain’t looking for nothing. Plus, I don’t think we would mesh well.”
“Did it seem like she was interested in you?”
“It probably was misplaced. She might have just looked at me like I was a hero or something. She’ll forget about it by tomorrow.”
I didn’t want her to forget about me, but I knew she needed time to heal. I wasn’t trying to be anybody’s rebound.
“She definitely won’t, but I ain’t gonna hold you. It might not happen soon since she just got out of something, but I think you’ll be seeing more of her.”
“She lives next door.”
Quan sucked his teeth. “You know what I mean. I’m just saying don’t blow your opportunity if you get one.”
We talked for a little longer before we hung up.
When I went back into the living room, I looked out the window and saw that Junicia had left. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get into any trouble while she was out.
I didn’t have anything else to do, so I sat on the couch and put a movie on. The whole time my mind kept drifting to my neighbor. I was glad I could put a name to her pretty face, but I would continue to keep my distance.