9. Gemini Black #4
Amina didn’t come out of the bathroom until about ten minutes later.
This was the longest she’s ever taken. When she came out, she was holding her shower bag in her hand, and she threw on sweats with a tank top.
She walked over to me, and instead of sitting next to me, she chose to stand directly in front of me.
She had a look in her eyes as if she was getting ready to complain about something.
Being on this truck with her every day, I was beginning to learn her.
“What happened?” I asked.
“My period came on. I’m starting to cramp. I have medicine on the truck, so I’ll take it once we get back on,” she shared with me.
Even when she decided to get on the truck with me, I wondered what that would be like for her when her period came on.
I just remember growing up, hearing my mama and Gianna talk about how bad their cramps were.
Gianna could turn into a mini devil when it was that time of the month for her.
God, I pray that Amina wasn’t the same way.
I didn’t need another loop for us to get through.
We just started vibing and getting to a place where we could be around each other without going at it.
“Oh Lord. Let me get the fuck out of your way right now,” I joked. You could tell that she didn’t want to laugh, but she did it anyways. She laughed, and then playfully pushed me.
“I won’t be any worse than anything that you’ve already dealt with from me,” she said.
“Yeah aight,” was all I said.
She backed up, so that I was able to stand up. Instead of having her carry her shower bag, I carried it for her. I carried hers, and mine. I walked it back to the truck, and once we were on, she immediately went for the bag that held her medicine, and she took something for the cramps.
She grabbed the basket that held all her dirty clothes in it, and I carried it for her.
I carried mine too. We took the bedding off, so that we could wash that as well.
Once I had everything, I stepped off first, and helped Amina get down.
She now had on a zip-up sweater to go on top of her tank.
Her braids were pulled up into a bun that sat on top of her head, and she looked comfortable.
It was easy to walk out of the lot, cross the street, and make it over to the plaza where the laundromat was.
Of course, Amina didn’t know what the hell to do once we made it inside, so I had to show her.
I’ve been to this location before, so I already had a laundry card.
All I had to do was add funds to it, that would cover all my loads, plus Amina’s.
It wasn’t that many people in here, so we were able to snag all the washing machine units that were next to each other and place our clothes inside. While the clothes were washing, we found a seat. Amina sat right next to me. She turned her body around, so that she could face me.
“I saw it was a grocery store a couple of stores down. I want to get tea, and soup from there,” she announced.
“What kind of tea, and soup you want? I’ll get it right now, while you watch the clothes,” I let her know.
“You can get me an organic ginger tea. It doesn’t really matter the brand.
Just as long as they have that. For the soup, just a chicken noddle soup.
I feel bad always making you pay for my stuff.
I want to pay for something,” she whined, doing that shit that I loved.
I stood up, pulling the joggers up that slipped off my waist a little bit.
“You paying me with your presence. Just sit back and wait for me to get back. Don’t talk to strangers,” I said it in a way, as if she had a habit of going around, talking to people that she didn’t know. With a smile on her face, she waved me off, pretty much telling me to go.
I left, walking down where the Kroger’s was.
I knew how to grocery shop, so it was easy grabbing a basket, and finding the organic tea, and chicken noodle soup that Amina asked for.
After that, I could have paid for the items and left, but I didn’t.
In this moment, I thought about the things that my step- dad would do for my mom, and my sister whenever it was that time of the month for them, and they started cramping.
He would go out of his way to do things for them that would cause comfort.
I had to think back long and hard, remembering the things that he would buy.
I grabbed honey, saltine crackers, fresh strawberries, grapes, and chocolate.
I knew she said that she had the medicine already, but I grabbed some Midol for her.
In this same aisle, they had a heating pad, so I added that to the cart too.
Fuzzy socks, lotion, and when I got to the front, where the registers were, I added another stuffed teddy bear for her.
I came in here for two things and ended up grocery shopping.
I checked out, and I made my way back to the laundromat.
When I walked in, Amina was still in the back, sitting with her legs crossed, watching the door.
She saw me when I walked in, and I could see her questioning me with her eyes, wanting to know why I had all this shit.
I walked over, sat the items down in the chair that was on the other side of her.
“Gemini, what all did you get? I only gave you two things,” she squealed, looking in the bags, seeing that all this stuff was for her.
I took the seat on the other side of her, slouching in the chair a little bit, while spreading my legs. I picked my hands up, placing them behind my head.
“I grew up in the house with women. I remember my stepdad used to get some of these things for them when it was that time of the month. Just doing what I’m supposed to be doing.
I heard you say that your cramps are starting up, so I got you a heating pad,” I said it like it was no big deal.
With a smile on her face, she came over to me, put her hands on the side of my face, and she kissed my lips.
“Thank you,” she responded.
“It’s no pressure,” I responded.
I watched her as she reached into the bag that held the chocolate. She opened it and started eating it.
“I told my sister that you be kissing me,” I blurted out. When I said that, I saw it in her eyes that she didn’t find that funny.
“You’re lying, right?” she wanted to know.
“I asked her how she would feel if I started liking one of her friends,” I said.
“Noooo. Gemini, what? Why? What did Gianna say?” she wanted to know.
“Chill out. She wasn’t tripping about it. She threatened me. Multiple times too. I would rather ask her now before we get too deep into this shit, and then I gotta say something later down the line,” I voiced.
“What you think going to happen later down the line?” she asked, and I smiled.
“You going to fall in love. You going to be fucked up about me. That’s why I said something before we get there,” I went on to say, and she looked at me like I was crazy.
She let out a dramatic laugh. Slapping herself on the thigh and everything.
“Oh, please! I would love to see that happen,” she talked shit.
“Baby, I saw it last night. You was fucked up about me last night. Last night showed me all that I needed to know about you,” I egged it on.
“Yeah, and I was drunk,” she thought she had an argument by saying that.
“Drunk minds show how you really feel. You fucked up about me, and that’s okay. The way it’s going with us, I’m fucked up about you too. I don’t want you anywhere else besides where the fuck you already at,” I was honest.
You could tell that what I said was like music to her ears.
She smiled at that. She dropped the chocolate bar in her lap while leaning over, so that we could kiss again.
So many things kept getting in the way of us fuckin.
We couldn’t do that shit the other night because we were at my grandma’s house.
We couldn’t do it last night because she was drunk.
We couldn’t do it now because her period just came on.
When we did do it, I swear to God I was going to show out.
Mark my words… when she finds out what this dick is hitting on, she’ll never bring that nigga up again a day in her life.