Chapter 4 #2
When the needle was ready, Brixton went down on his knees in front of me.
I swabbed the area with alcohol, then pinched some of my stomach chub.
The needle was thin, but what was it about thin needles that they tended to hurt so much?
Once the medicine was injected, Brixton leaned in and kissed the spot.
My breath caught in my throat in an audible gasp.
“Grab your shoes and your purse. We’re about to go eat.”
“Go eat?” I repeated.
“Yeah, Ry. I watched Genesis go through this process. It’s not easy, and after a while, the hormones in the injections are gonna have you wilding.
” He laughed and shook his head at what I presumed was a memory of Genesis acting out.
“You don’t need to be on your feet in front of no stove.
You deserve to be pampered. I set something up. ”
“But you have a game tomorrow, Brix. You need your rest. It’s”—I quickly checked my watch—“almost seven.”
“A few hours won’t hurt me, lil mama. I’m thirty-three, not sixty-three. Besides, I’ll catch a nap after the shoot around tomorrow.” I was still hesitant. “Rowdy Ry.”
“Huh?” I looked up at him.
“Let me feed you.”
His eyes were so soft that I couldn’t deny him. “Okay.”
What Brixton had set up was the two of us being whisked away in his navy blue luxury truck to Heirloom Soul.
It was the most talked about restaurant in the city by black folks who couldn’t get enough of the upscale atmosphere and mouthwatering Caribbean/soul food fusion cuisine.
With his hand resting easily on my lower back, he led us through a side door, where we were met by a smiling young lady.
“Welcome to Heirloom Soul, Mr. Cole. We’ve been awaiting your arrival.” Her Jamaican accent immediately put me at ease, as did the aromas floating around us.
“Hey, how’re you doing?” Brixton returned her greeting.
“Great. Please follow me.”
And we did. We followed her to a table that, while not necessarily hidden, was out of the view of the main dining room. It overlooked the kitchen, and I presumed that it was the chef’s table.
“I’ve never been here,” I told him as I took a seat.
“Genesis went to culinary school with the guy who owns this place. He was looking for investors, and she brought the opportunity to me. Once I tasted dude’s food, I immediately became an investor. I eat here all the time. Everything is fye.”
“Okay.” I looked over the menu. “What do you recommend?”
“What do you like, Ry?”
“I’m simple. My favorite foods are fried chicken and macaroni and cheese.”
He gave a small chortle. “Those foods are simple in theory, but they take a lot of skill. Not everybody fries good chicken. If it’s your favorite food, you already know that. Whose fried chicken do you actually like?”
I thought about it briefly. “You’re right. I like my momma’s fried chicken and Genesis’s. Oh, and this one restaurant in Vegas.”
“Exactly, not simple. And we won’t even talk about macaroni and cheese. You know only two out of every ten people knows what they’re doing when it comes down to it.”
I giggled. “True. What’s your favorite food?”
“If it’s off season or a cheat day, I’m having tacos. Or Pizza. When I’m on my healthy athlete regimen, there’s this jerk salmon that Gensie makes.”
Gensie was what Genesis’s family called her as a nickname.
“Oh, she makes that for Christian.” I let my eyes roll into my head. “That is so good. She usually makes him some healthy kind of mac-n-cheese that I don’t like. But what does she make you to go with it?”
Brixton and I fell into an easy conversation about food until the waitress arrived.
I still hadn’t narrowed down my decision. “Uhm…” I hesitated.
“Yo, let us get the ox tails, gumbo, shrimp and grits, deviled eggs, and the red beans and rice. Oh yeah, and the buttermilk biscuits.”
“And fried green tomatoes,” I added.
The waitress gave a smile. “Can I get you anything to drink while I go put your order in?”
“Just water for me.”
“Sweet tea, please,” I said before turning my attention to Brixton. “That’s a lot of food.”
“I’m a lot of man.” His shoulders bounced up and down in a shrug.
“And are,” I agreed. We both laughed. “But I know you don’t eat like this during the season. You have a game tomorrow.”
“I’ll be cool. I’mma graze around the table once the food comes. I’ll eat a little of this and a little of that. Then, you’ll take the rest of it home with you. Like I said earlier, while you’re going through this process, I want you off your feet as much as possible.”
I remained quiet.
“Ry, all of this medicine forcing your body to do something isn’t the way your body was designed to work.
I’m not criticizing. I believe in IVF. I’m thankful for IVF.
It got my sister where she needed to be.
It’s about to get you where you need to be.
But if I’m being honest, IVF isn’t my preference.
I think it’s a lot on the female body. If I had my way and we were on it like that with each other, I would much rather you get pregnant the old fashioned way.
But I’m a realist. I know that sometimes circumstances prevent that.
So, since this is the way you have to do it, I want you to do it with care.
I want you to give your body grace. When you can get off your feet and chill… please get off your feet and chill.”
“But take-out and restaurant food are full of sodium and unnecessary fat. I definitely don’t need that.”
“I agree, you don’t need that. Which is why I already set up meal delivery for you with Gensie.”
My mouth fell open. Genesis wasn’t just my sister-in-law; she was my homegirl. We talked. I knew she wasn’t taking on new clients. I knew she had a waitlist a mile long. “How did you get her to squeeze me in?”
“I added you to my account. Whatever she makes for me, she’ll just double it. When I’m out of town, a courier will deliver it.”
“And when you’re in town?”
“I’ll bring it by and we’ll eat together.”
The tone he used made me feel like there wasn’t any room for debate. Besides, it would be nice not to eat alone.