Chapter Six
Jamal
“Go!” I shouted at the car in front of me, even though they couldn’t hear me. It was going too damn slow, and keeping me away from Geo. I’d been away from him for far too long already; ever since I told him to leave my neighborhood.
Lord knows I didn’t want him to leave; especially when I could practically see him falling apart in front of me.
All I wanted to do was scoop him up and make everything better, but I had to do what I thought was best at the time.
Watching him drive away while knowing how upset he had to be was the hardest thing I'd ever done.
Since he left, I had tried to call and text him several times, but the attempts stopped going through. Geo blocked me, which is what I deserved. I could only pray that once I reached him, once he could see the sincerity in my eyes and hear it in my voice, that he would let me explain everything.
I was finally able to park and ripped the key out of the ignition before leaping from the car. I hurried up Geo’s front steps and knocked on the door. I didn’t receive an answer, but I knew he was home, judging by his car parked alongside the road.
I knocked again, but again was met with silence.
I wasn’t sure if he hadn’t heard me, or if he was ignoring me, which I deserved.
But I wasn’t going to give up that easily.
I didn’t want to leave him until I had a chance to plead my case.
If he sent me away after that, then so be it.
It would rip me apart, but I would accept his wishes.
“Geo, if you can hear me, I’m here,” I called through the door.
“Please talk to me, sweetheart.” When I heard no answering sounds, I added, “I’m going to sit out here and wait.
” I’d wait all night if I needed to, and catch him when he was leaving for work.
I didn’t need sleep. I didn’t need anything except Geo.
I sat on the top step and dropped my head into my hands, waiting for my sweet man to appear. I don’t know exactly how much time passed, but I felt the chill of the evening settle on my shoulders, and watched the light of day fade away.
A loud whoop sound made me raise my head, and I was taken aback by the sight of a police cruiser parked in the middle of the road in front of me. Two uniformed officers climbed out of the vehicle and stepped towards me, and my heart sank.
Oh no; Geo! Did something happen? Is that why he didn’t answer the door? What’s wrong? I stood up quickly, hoping for answers, and both of the officers stopped walking and placed their right hand near their hips, hovering over their weapons. Shit.
“What are you doing here?” One of the officers asked. With just one look at me, he’d decided there was no way I could live in this neighborhood.
“I’m just waiting on someone.”
“Well, we’ve gotten some complaints from the neighbors. They feel threatened.”
I took a quick look at the surrounding buildings and saw not one, not two, but three curtains quickly snap shut. They had no problem reporting an innocent black man to the police, but they couldn’t own up to it and look at me.
“I’ve just been sitting here,” I explained, but the officer shook his head.
“You don’t belong here, boy.” Boy? The term raised my hackles, but I took a deep breath to remain calm. The last thing I wanted was a confrontation. “You need to move along, or you’ll be coming with us.”
I didn’t want to leave until I’d spoken with Geo, but the last thing I needed was to be toted away by the cops. I couldn’t put my job and livelihood in jeopardy when it was unnecessary. I sighed and moved down one step when a click sounded behind me.
My heart leapt with hope and excitement when Geo poked his head out of his front door, looking adorable in a fluffy robe and a showercap. His eyes snapped from me, to the cops, and back again before asking, “What’s going on here?”
“We’re responding to a threat, sir,” the second officer piped up. “But we’re taking care of it.”
“Jamal isn’t a threat,” Geo replied clearly. Even though he was surely pissed and hurt, he still guarded my character.
“So he’s a friend of yours, then?”
“I know him,” Geo responded after a moment, and my heart sank into my stomach. He wasn’t claiming any type of relationship between us.
“And you’re sure you’re okay?” The original officer asked incredulously.
Geo’s voice held an undeniable bite when he answered, “I said I was. There’s no threat here.”
“Okay then,” he shrugged. “Have a good evening.”
As the cops neared their vehicle again, Geo ushered me inside his home.
He shut the door and locked it behind us, muttering to himself, “Nosy ass fucking neighbors.” Since he was such a sweet soul, I knew he had to be riled up to be speaking that way.
It gave me hope that he still cared for me, even if it was deep down.
“How long were you out there?” He finally asked.
“I’m not sure. A while. I wasn’t trying to be creepy; I knocked. I just wanted to talk to you.”
“I didn’t hear you. I was trying to relax in the bath.” It explained his cute outfit. When Geo noticed me looking, he snatched the shower cap off of his head, explaining, “I just did my highlights. I didn’t want to get them wet.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. As adorable as he was, this wasn’t the time. “I thought maybe you were ignoring me. I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me.”
“I’m not sure I do either. But I don’t want you out there with those assholes.” Even if he hated my guts, he was still a good man.
“Well, thank you for not turning me away. Can we talk?”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I saw you with that woman. You gave her the gifts I brought for you. You told me to leave.” His eyes welled up with moisture, which spilled over his cheeks. “You broke my heart, Jamal.”
“Geo, I swear that’s the opposite of what I wanted to do. I hoped to make your day brighter by sending James and-”
“His name isn’t James Pond anymore,” he interrupted.
“It reminded me of you so I changed it.” He was so pissed at me that he couldn’t even stand to call his pet the name I’d given it.
“It’s Swim Shady now.” Once again, I had to stop myself from smiling.
Everything he did was so damn cute, but I knew this wasn’t the time.
Especially when Geo peeked out the window and told me, “The cops are gone now, so you can go.”
“Geo, please listen to me.”
“Why?” he snapped. “So you can tell me that you made a mistake? Or that it will never happen again? Because you’re damn right it won’t. I’m not giving you that chance again. I fell for everything you told me, but you’re not fooling me again.”
“You didn’t fall for anything; I’ve meant everything I’ve said, especially the way I feel about you. But there are some things that I should have told you that I haven’t.”
“Like that you have a side piece?” Geo glared.
“She’s not my side piece!”
“So I’m the side piece?” Tears flooded his face, but when I reached for him, Geo swatted my hands away.
“I don’t have a side piece! You are the only piece, and every piece of my heart.”
His voice was raw and desperate when he asked, “Then why were you touching her? Why did she kiss you?”
“Sharice is just a friend,” I explained, but Geo rolled his eyes. “I’m serious! We’ve known each other since we were in kindergarten. Yes, we were holding hands, and yes, she kissed my cheek, but I swear it wasn’t what you think.”
“Enlighten me,” he replied in a flat tone.
I took a deep breath, wondering where to begin. “Will you sit with me?” I wanted him to be comfortable for what would most likely be a difficult conversation. But also, I hoped if we were seated together, he would be less likely to kick me out of his home. And I just longed to be closer to him.
Geo stared at me for a moment before sighing and taking a seat on the couch. When I did the same, he scooted as far away from me as possible, dashing my hopes of closeness. I hoped my explanation would change that, and needed to jump right in.
“I told you that I didn’t want you to come to my neighborhood because I was embarrassed, which is partly true, but there’s more to it than that. There are things about me that my neighbors aren’t aware of.”
“Clearly,” he replied in a flat tone.
“But that’s not because I’m embarrassed of who I am, or of you.
It’s for safety.” Geo didn’t respond; he only arched an eyebrow.
“When I was younger, there was a man who lived two doors down from me named Mr. Cade. He was such a nice man; he always had a smile on his face and had kind words for everyone. He even looked after me some nights when my mom had to work late at the hospital, and I wasn’t old enough to stay alone yet. He would even help me with my homework.
“One night, some other neighbors saw him out with his boyfriend. They were just walking down the sidewalk, holding hands, not hurting anyone. But the group was so disgusted, so enraged by his lifestyle that they jumped them. They beat the two men within an inch of their lives and left them lying there like garbage.”
As I spoke, Geo’s hand raised to cover his mouth, and his eyes watered once more.
I continued, “Passersby eventually called an ambulance and the men were taken to the hospital, where they stayed for weeks due to their injuries.
My mom visited Mr. Cade on her breaks, sitting with him even though he was unconscious for days.
“When he finally woke up, my mom tried to convince him to talk to the police. He knew who his attackers were; he saw them nearly every day. He could have easily picked them out of a lineup or described them to the police; hell, he could have given their names. But he was too scared. He never gave them up. Whenever he and his boyfriend were well enough, they moved away. Mr. Cade didn’t even gather his things from his apartment; he was too terrified to go back. ”
“Those poor men,” Geo whispered from behind his fingers. “I’m glad they survived, but that had to be so painful and scary.”