Chapter 6
SIX
Mccoy
“Everything is good. I can hear and see everything,” Saturn said as she stared at her phone.
I’d just installed the camera app and showed her how to set it up.
She looked at ease and I was happy to be the cause of that.
Just from how we were starting, I knew time wouldn’t be an impediment.
This was our first day having meaningful conversation and it felt like I’d known her for a long time.
I told myself I wouldn’t get my hopes up, but I found myself thinking about Saturn every chance I got.
“Good. Next on the list is gun safety. It doesn’t have to be now, but we need to get you to the range. Until then, do you have any mace or a pocket knife?” I questioned seriously.
One of the reasons I was so invested in Saturn’s safety was because I’d seen and heard a lot growing up in Gwendal.
Gwendal was a beautiful place, but like any other big city, it had its flaws.
I couldn’t count how many times I saw news reporters talking about a woman being robbed or held at gunpoint.
I hoped like hell Saturn would never have to put her gun skills to use, but I’d rather she have them than not.
“I’m scared as hell to hold a gun, but I’ll go.”
“Why are you scared?”
“Because it’s a weapon that can kil?—”
“It’s the person behind the trigger that harms people. Weapons don’t operate on their own. My sister was scared the first few times too but you get used to it the more you go. With you, I think it’ll be more of the noise that you have to get used to,” I explained.
“That may be true. But how was the rest of your day? I don’t think I asked what you did for work.”
“My day was cool. I finally got around to unpacking my last box and the shit feels good. I can go home and chill instead of building and moving shit around. As for my career, I’ve recently gone in a new direction. I spent eight years as a business consultant and now I’m into cars.”
“Into cars? Like as in selling them?”
“Yes, ma’am, but a little more than that.
I only buy vehicles that are considered old school.
I go around to auctions, buy old cars, fix them up, and sell them.
The good thing about this market is that I’m mostly dealing with people who have disposable money.
Most of my clients are men and these cars are usually only driven in the summer.
It’s not meant to be an everyday car, which makes it more of a luxury. ”
“Oh wow. That’s interesting. Who taught you how to fix cars?” Saturn asked curiously.
“My dad. He worked as a mechanic, and naturally, it was something we bonded over. I never lost my passion for it, but I also wanted a degree in another field.”
“I understand. Before my grandmother passed away, I was in school to be a teacher. Early childhood education was what I had my heart set on,” she admitted.
“Have you ever thought about finishing?”
“It crosses my mind from time to time, but the shop is my first love and has my heart. I can’t see myself letting my grandmother’s hard work go to waste.
She got that shop in the sixties, when it was damn near impossible for a Black person to get a business loan.
She put so much work and money into it that I can’t part with it. ”
“I’m not trying to sound like an ass, but you know you can do more than one thing at a time, right?
Rich people do it all the time. I’m not saying anything is going to happen overnight, but why don’t you look into hiring people who show you they’re capable of running the shop, then you can go back to school.
You can still be involved, but now you don’t have to be in the field daily.
You’ll own a business and fulfill your desire of being a teacher,” I suggested.
I was still learning Saturn, so I wasn’t sure if the look on her face was one of offense or if she was just in deep thought. Maybe she’d already thought about everything I said.
“Damn. I’ve never put that much thought into it. For whatever reason, I’ve always felt bound to the shop.”
“Don’t feel bound to anything. That takes the fun out of life. If being a teacher is something that crosses your mind often, I think you should work toward that.”
I was glad Saturn hadn’t taken offense to my words.
She was a different type of woman than what I was used to, but I believed part of it was the small-town living.
In my opinion, the people who grow up and stay in a small town usually liked life on the simpler side.
Which was fine, but I wanted Saturn to step outside her comfort zone and realize life didn’t have to feel like a video on repeat. Anything was possible.
“I see your consulting skills are shining through right now.” Saturn smiled as she took a sip of her drink.
“Five dates, sweetheart. But no, that was only me giving you encouragement. If you need my consulting skills for the shop, I’d be happy to help with that whenever.”
“I think I’ll take you up on that offer. Not tonight though. You’ve done enough for me in one day.”
Saturn had no idea the hold she had on me.
I’d go down a rabbit hole right now if she asked me to.
One thing she’d have to learn about me was that I loved to help others.
Bringing joy to other people was what made me happy, especially when they genuinely appreciated it.
As the night progressed, we cooked together and had a few drinks.
This time around, it was me explaining my childhood and how I grew up.
Now, it was almost midnight, and I was getting ready to leave.
We were in the middle of a movie when I heard light snores coming from Saturn.
I was sure she had work in the morning, but I wasn’t ready to leave just yet.
“Can I ask you a question before I go?”
“Of course,” she responded as she stretched her arms.
“Where do you see this going? Do you only see me as a friend or do you think we could date our way to the next level? Please be honest with me. That way I know how to move.”
“Honestly, I’d like to date and see where it goes. I just don’t wanna rush anything.”
“Okay. I can live with that answer. Do you close the shop for lunch?”
“Yes. If I’m working alone, I close it for thirty minutes starting at noon,” she responded.
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow at noon then. Have a good night and I’ll call you in the morning ’round nine if that’s okay with you.”
“Call whenever you’d like. Text me when you make it home. I know where you live so I’ll be expecting a text within the next ten minutes,” she teased.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Not able to help myself, I pulled Saturn in for a hug and left her with a kiss to the forehead then one on the cheek. She watched from the doorway as I got in my truck and backed out of her driveway. I was missing her company already.
“The crib looks nice. When will you officially move in?” I asked Justin as I paced around the living room of his new home.
When he said he’d be moving soon, I assumed he meant before the year was up.
Here we were only a couple weeks after having the conversation and he’d closed on a house.
Getting a house on the same block as me was Justin’s initial plan, but someone else got to it before he had a chance to make an offer.
He ended up going with a house about ten minutes away from me, which I thought was still close.
The layout of his home was slightly different from mine and I felt like the walls were thicker.
We’d been standing in his living room for quite some time now and I could barely hear the cars driving past.
“Thanks, man. I told you it was decent. I got some loose ends to tie up in Gwendal, but the movers are set to drop my shit off in two weeks. My condo is packed for the most part, but I’m trying to figure out if I’m gon’ order new furniture and shit,” Justin explained.
“You may not need to order shit. Unless you gon’ take the old furniture and put it in your mancave.”
“That’s what I was thinking about doing. I’m not sure yet though. I really don’t wanna wait months for no damn couch to be delivered. I won’t be sitting on the shit until Thanksgiving,” he joked.
“Real shit. I’m sure there’s places where you can get everything quicker. I’ll ask my friend and see what’s up.”
“Your friend?” he quizzed with a brow hiked.
“Yeah. The one I was telling you about from the flower shop.”
“Bruh, yo’ ass was supposed to apologize and pay for the roses. How the hell is she your friend now?”
After catching Justin up on what was going on between me and Saturn, I left his house and made my way to the local pet store.
For a while now, I’d been thinking about getting a dog.
Now that I was fully self-employed, I had more time on my hands to properly care for one.
Back when I was consulting, I chose not to get any pets because of my work hours.
Getting a dog and leaving him home for most of the time wasn’t something that made sense to me.
“Hello, welcome to Tia’s Pets. Can I help you with anything?” a short, middle-aged woman greeted me when I walked through the door.
The green apron she wore reminded me of Saturn, causing me to smile. There were a handful of other customers looking around and some of the pets were even out their cages, being held by small children.
“Hello. I’m just taking a look around for now,” I answered.