12. Trench
Trench
As I fought against the water, I turned my head so I could take in air.
When I made it to the wall, I grabbed hold of it while I rested.
I’d been taking full advantage of the pool offered to the residents here.
The water helped me feel lighter when life felt a little heavy.
Getting out of the pool, I grabbed my towel to dry off.
After I dried my body, I made my way to the elevator while drying my hair.
It felt good coming and going as I pleased without being monitored by my parents.
The freedom I was experiencing had me excited to see what else the world had to offer.
“Oh shit,” I gasped as I bumped into someone. Dropping my towel, I came face-to-face with this light-skinned cutie. “My bad, I wasn’t watchin’ where I was goin’.”
“It’s fine,” she smiled. “I’m Lola. You don’t look familiar, so you must be new around here?”
“Yeah, I just moved in. I’m Trench.”
“Trench? That name sounds like some trouble I’d like to get into.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. You gotta girlfriend?”
“Nawl, I don’t. Why you ask?”
“Cause I’m tryna fill that position.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yep. Here’s my number. Give me a call sometimes. Maybe we could go skinny dippin’.”
I accepted the paper with her number on it before I stood there and enjoyed her walking away.
She was more forward than I was used to, but easy on the eyes.
For a moment, my mind thought of Harli, but then I remembered she wanted nothing to do with me.
A part of me thought that due to our relationship we would’ve talked about it.
When she walked away that easily, it hurt me more than what she said to me.
The idea of moving on was becoming more enticing with each passing day.
Soon as I stepped inside my condo, my phone rung with a call from my mom.
“Yes ma’am,” I spoke into the phone.
“Just callin’ to make sure I was still unblocked,” she joshed, but I could tell there was some truth to what she’d said.
When I left their house, I had them blocked for three days before I felt bad and unblocked them.
With the boundaries I made sure to implement with them, it had them walking to a new tune.
“You still comin’ to work today, right?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I?”
“Just makin’ sure. And you haven’t had any pop-up visits?”
“No, I haven’t. Just like I hadn’t had any when you asked me about this four days ago and every day since. Who is supposed to pop-up on me?”
“Nobody, just makin’ sure, son.”
“Man, Ma, I told you to stop with the matchmakin’ shit. You keep on and you gonna go back on the block list.”
“No, it’s not that. I’ll just leave it alone.”
“That’s yo’ best bet. I’ll see you later. Bye, Ma.”
“See you later, baby.”
Looking down at my watch, I noticed I had enough time to shower and take a nap.
I was still waiting to hear back from this culinary school I’d applied to.
Cooking was my real passion, and with the world at my feet, I couldn’t wait to explore that.
After I showered, I set an alarm to wake me up from this nap.
It didn’t take long before I was knocked out and awakened by the alarm clock.
“Aye, I get to close with my favo,” I cheered as I noticed the high schooler, Dequan, we’d just hired, was closing with me. “Let me clock in, and we’ll catch up.”
When I walked into the office to clock in, I noticed my mom grabbing her stuff to leave.
That was the first time she didn’t linger when she knew I was coming in.
As overbearing as she could be, I knew it was a place of protection, but I was glad she was railing it in.
After I clocked in, I leaned against the threshold as she packed up with her back to me.
“You headed out, Ma?” I asked, causing her to jump slightly before she turned to face me.
“Yeah, my bed is callin’ my name,” she chuckled. “I’m sure you could use a night where I wasn’t lingering in the hope of you talking to me.”
“I ain’t even gonna lie, you right about that. I know you may think you mean well, but it can be a bit too much.”
“And I’m understanding that more and more each day.
Because I understand you didn’t leave to hurt me but to stand on your own two feet.
Me and your father are so proud of the young man you’ve become in spite of us.
I just hope one day you can meet another young lady that makes you happy. Again, I’m sorry about that.”
“Heartaches are a part of life. So, I know I’m not the first nor will I be the last to ever experience that. I just gotta keep pushin’. Everything gonna work itself out.”
“You’re absolutely right. I’ll see you later, baby.”
She placed a kiss on my cheek on her way out.
After I checked the cameras, I went back to the front of the store.
The store was slow while me and Dequan caught up.
I felt like a big brother as I gave him advice on everything he had going on.
With the store being slow, I had him take his break to get some homework done.
On the weekdays it was a ghost town, but jumping on the weekends especially, on release days.
I went to the back to grab a box when the bell chimed, letting me know that a customer had entered the store.
“Feel free to look around. I’ll be there to help you in one second,” I announced as I walked from the back with the box covering my face. When I placed it by the register, I was shocked to see Harli standing in the middle of the store. “Uh, is there anything in particular you’re lookin’ for?”
“Nope, just browsin’,” she answered with that angelic voice that was like music to my ears. “Anything you’d recommend?”
“Depends on what yo’ style is.”
“What would you say my style is?”
“Me? I’d, uh, I’d say yo’ style is attention grabbin’ but not in a loud way. It would be the beauty of the shoe and not a color. So, anything that gives that vibe would be your kind of shoe.”
“And what you recommend in that style?”
“I got the perfect shoe. I’ll be right back,” I confirmed before I stepped to the back of the store.
Being near her again had my heart feeling like it was about to jump out of my chest. I wasn’t sure what type of time she was on, so I played it safe and kept it about shoes.
Harli was a sneakerhead, but she grew her collection piece by piece off her own muscle.
I figured after she’d ghosted me, that was the only real reason she’d be in the store.
Grabbing the shoes that would fit her to a T, I made my way back to the front. “Here they are.”
“Hell yeah! These are fire as fuck. I’ll take ‘em. Do you have them in a size seven?”
“Yep, that’s what these are. Come on, I’ll ring you up.”
“Ok.”
As I rung up her shoes, I did my best to steal glances of her on the sly.
She still looked good as fuck, and I couldn’t believe I’d fumbled her.
Our eyes connected when I handed her the bag with the shoes in it, and I had to stop myself from professing my feelings to her.
After she accepted the bag, she stood there like there was more she wanted to say.
“Thank you, Travis,” she smirked.
“Don’t call me that,” I shook my head. “You’re welcome though. Thanks for shoppin’.”
“Damn, it’s like that? Here I was thinkin’ this was some flirtin’ type of shit, but you dead serious.”
“Yeah, it’s like that because what else is it supposed to be? You made it crystal clear it was fuck me.”
“I was hurt.”
“Ok.”
“Ok? You really doin’ me like this?”
“I mean you really did me like that, so help me understand the difference?”
“Uh…”
“It’s not one. Like I said, thanks for shoppin’,” I looked her over before walking towards the back.
“Wait!” She blurted out, stopping me in my tracks with my back still towards her. “I wanna do what you did. Let’s race for it. If I win, then we go on a date.”
“And if I win?”
“Then you’ll get what you want.”
“Bet. The same spot as last time at twelve.”