20. Tegan
TEGAN
PRESERVING MEMORIES – ONE MONTH LATER
The butter sizzled in the saucepan, and the aromatic fragrance of a cake baking filled the kitchen. I slowly stirred the water and then the sugar as a pair of arms wrapped around me.
“Mm, it smells good in here, Baby.”
“Thank you. I can’t wait for you to taste it.”
“I already know it’s gonna be delicious. Anything you touch tastes like it came straight from heaven, girl.” He kissed the side of my neck and then gave my hips a little squeeze before he moved to the refrigerator.
“I put the towels in the washer, and the dark clothes are in the family room,” he announced as he pulled the orange juice from the refrigerator.
“Thanks, babe. I’ll get to them as soon as I finish with this cake.”
“No need. I’ll fold them myself.”
I smirked at him and asked myself for the gazillionth time if he was too good to be true.
He poured himself a glass of juice and then poured one for me before he handed it to me. I turned away from the stove and rested my hip on the counter as I drank my juice.
“So, what do you want to do for the fourth?” he asked, pulling his glass from his mouth.
“I don’t know. My parents usually have a big cookout with family and friends over and then a large fireworks show at the end of the evening—a competition with the neighbors, so to speak. What about yours?”
“We do the same, but we do it at the beach house. They have a big bonfire at the end of the night with a fireworks show.”
“That sounds nice, but I don’t want either of our families to feel left out.
Even if we go to one parents’ house for the first half and the other parents’ house for the second half, someone’s bound to get in their feelings, wondering why we didn’t come and eat there or come to their fireworks show here. ”
He chuckled. “Yeah, you right about that. So, what you thinking? Staying at home and chilling?”
“As wonderful as that sounds, I have another idea.”
“I’m listening, beautiful.”
“How about we create a celebration of our own. Not just our friends or anything like that, but I was thinking about a community function. Something that the entire group of business owners can get behind, and we do it for the community we serve. That way if there’s anyone in any of those neighborhoods who doesn’t have plans, they won’t feel left out.
We’ll do all the cooking, provide the drinks, and the entertainment. ”
“Like bouncy houses and facial art for the kids, maybe some balloon sculptures, and live music.”
“Yeah, you’re getting my drift,” I replied before I turned back to stir the mixture again.
“We could even donate our services and goods. Like I can offer haircuts from the staff and me, if they’re game and don’t have other plans, between certain hours out on the street, you can offer up free cupcakes or something, and maybe Mrs. V can do a story time.”
“I love this idea, but before we run with it, we’ve got to make sure that everyone is on board, Harlem.”
“Yeah, and we’ve only got three days to pull this off. Today’s already July first, and most people might already have plans.”
“Right.”
“Nothing beats a failure but a try,” he declared, pulling his phone from his pocket.
“Who are you calling?”
“Everybody. You just worry about that cake for now, Baby.”
I giggled as he immediately launched into speaking with Eli. My mixture had become thick and bubbly now that the water had evaporated. I poured in half a cup of spiced rum and finished making my glaze.
By the time that the cake was finished and the glaze had been poured, Harlem had spoken with no less than seven people, all who agreed to support in whatever way we needed them to.
While the cake cooled, I called Palmer and my staff to see if they were onboard, and I was happy to see that everyone was.
Some of them would arrive a little later, but they were all coming.
We both hopped on our computers to create some marketing materials to promote the event and distribute it among all the participating vendors so that they could hang it in their stores immediately.
It was Wednesday afternoon, one of the few days that I had taken off, so I emailed the materials to the print shop down the street from the bakery, and I asked Mimi to pick them up.
She and Naina would pass one out with every order and place one flyer on the door, two on the counter, and one at every table in the bakery.
I wasn’t sure how many people we could get through to with last-minute notice, but the more that I thought about this, the more it settled deep within me that it was the right thing to do.
“What made you want to do this, bae?” he asked, folding a royal-blue towel.
I sat across from him, folding a jade-green towel.
“I have spent many holidays with family and friends, having a blast. This year, I wanted to pick up where my mother left off, giving back and serving others. For years, she had us volunteering in the same community that I now work in. I guess I figure it’s my turn to start something.
Are you sure that you’re good with giving up your holiday tradition with your family? ”
He set the folded towel aside and moved to where I sat on the couch. He lifted me onto his lap, wrapped his arms around my waist, and he kissed my temple. “I’m good with doing whatever, as long as I get to do it with you. You’re what matters most in my life now, bae.”
“Aww, thank you,” I muttered, turning in his arms to kiss him. I cupped the back of his head, and I pressed my forehead against his. Against his lips, I softly affirmed him.
“You are a beautiful soul, who sees the good in others. You inspire other people to give and be their best, and I’m so thankful for you.
You have been my strength through some tumultuous times, like the storm, Hollis, and Carl.
You have blessed my days by doing simple things for no other reason than just to confirm that you see me, you appreciate me, and you love me.
“Thank you for taking this vision, or idea that I had, and running with it. I have no doubt that it’s going to be something beautiful because you are a part of it. Thank you for loving me like you do, Harlem. I love you so much, and I’m so thankful that you’re in my life.”
“I’m just blessed to have you, that God thought me worthy of not only knowing you but being loved by you. It’s all good. You and I are a team, and we’re about to make dreams come true, bae.”
He kissed me again before we returned to awkwardly folding clothes, with me still sitting on his lap. Harlem turned the TV onto the Food Network, and we watched a cooking competition.
“Have you ever been interested in applying to be on one of these shows?”
“Nope.” My voice was filled with conviction and finality.
“Why not?” he asked as he moved the empty towel basket aside and reached around me to drag the underwear basket closer to his leg. He handed me a stack of underclothes, and he grabbed some to fold too.
“I do what I do for the love of it all, not for the recognition or clout. My baking is something so sacred that I got from my dad’s mother, my GiGi.
So, I reserve my cooking and baking for the nostalgia and to make a living.
I do it for the enjoyment that I give people and that I see on their faces.
“It was hard enough deciding to do it professionally and open myself for judgment, but I knew that this is what I would be great at and could have a wonderful career doing. The last thing I want is to take it on some show and have my skills picked apart and judged, have people make comments about something that I know I’m good at, and have me doubting myself and walking away with poor self-esteem, all for the sake of them making good ratings.
No, sir. I’m good with what GiGi poured into me and what I’ve worked hard at,” I replied with light laughter.
“Are you afraid of being judged or failing?”
“Listen, I’m confident enough in my skills, and I’m not worried about losing. I simply want to protect and cherish the memories of GiGi and me.”
“I can respect that.” He laughed, and I turned to stare at him.
“What’s so funny?”
“This shit is crazy, man. We’re sitting here folding each other’s underclothes like it ain’t nothing. I never expected to be enjoying something so mundane as folding clothes, but I enjoy doing it with you. I enjoy doing everything with you.”
“Same. The little things that didn’t have any meaning at all or were tedious, now have a new meaning when I do it with you.”
I smiled at him and brushed my lips against his. He smiled back and replied, “Girl, you make me so damn happy.”
“Thank you, bae.”
“Do you think that you’re ready to take a vacation?”
I thought about it for less than a minute before I replied. “I believe my staff is fully capable of handling the shop in my absence, but I wouldn’t want to be gone too long.”
“Who would you trust to handle the financial aspect in your absence?”
“Naina. I’ve been watching her closely and considering making her full-time and promoting her to assistant manager of the bakery.”
“That’s wassup, babe.”
“I’ve checked my finances and projected sales, and I’m certain that I can handle it. My bakery has done very well over the last five months.”
He kissed my forehead, eyelids, nose, and then my lips before he agreed. “You should do it then.”
“What about you? What are your most precious memories with your grandfather?”
Harlem’s face lit up with a smile. “Man, my nigga, Pop-Pop, that’s my mom’s dad, he had a crazy work ethic. He owned several new car dealerships, a chain of grocery stores, and he was always into real estate, which is where I got my love of real estate from.
“He would take me with him to check out new properties all the time. He would point out why some properties were worth investing in and why others weren’t.
The time we spent together was precious to me because he was always teaching, always showing, and always leading by example.
That man believed in me when nobody else did, and for that, I will always love and cherish my Pop-Pop. ”
“I knew that your maternal grandmother’s side of the family owns Sexton Liquors, and I knew that your granddad was a businessman; I just didn’t realize that he had that many businesses.”
Sexton Liquors was one of the top liquor companies in the country, and it was a popular brand among the hip-hop and entertainment community.
It catered toward the younger crowd. It wasn’t Harlem or his siblings or his mother who ran the company, though.
Harlem’s aunt, his mother’s oldest sister’s family ran the company, but Harlem’s parents, his siblings, and Harlem himself had stock in it.
“Yeah, he was a hustler. That’s where I get that mentality from, having various streams of income.”
“Just think, most people meet you, and they just see this barber shop guy. They’re all proud of you for being a Black business owner, and they love supporting Black-owned businesses, but you’re a legit baby business mogul in your own right.”
He laughed. “Not quite there yet, bae, but we’re working on it.”
“Mm. I love that.”
“You’re gonna be there too. The way we’re making money moves and investing in the future, Hollis, restarting your online services, and teaching baking classes in the community.”
Over the last few weeks, I discussed reopening my online services to ship goods to people who weren’t in the community, and we had also been working on a strategy to give baking classes at the community center for the youth. I was so excited about that.
“It feels good to be doing the things that we’re doing, Harlem.”
“To whom much is given, much is required.”
“You’re right about that,” I replied softly. I hopped off the couch and walked into the front hallway. When I returned, I held out a gift bag to him.
“What’s this?”
“Just a little something for you.”
He smirked and opened the gift bag. He removed the box and unwrapped the engraved clippers with his initials on them before he extended an arm and reached for me.
“Come here, girl.”
I plopped onto his lap and wrapped my arms around him.
“You like it?”
“I love it. Gimme some sugar.”
I pressed my lips against his, taking time to lick along the seam of them before he nipped mine, forcing them open. His tongue lightly caressed mine before our tongues danced together doing a teasing, tempting tango.
When I pulled back, he pressed a kiss to my forehead and whispered, “Thank you,” against it. It was a moment before he pulled back and smiled at me. “I love how you look out for me.”
“Because you take such good care of me,” I replied, and it was true; I wanted for nothing with this man. He made sure that all my needs were taken care of.
I was thankful for the blessings I had received, and I was even more thankful that not only did I now have someone to share them with, but I also was able to give back to those in need.