CHAPTER 3 Good Friends & Good Food. #2
We entered the kids' clothing store and went to town, sifting through the racks to find the clothes that we couldn’t wait to put our babies in.
Her daughter was bout a year older than Sera, so they weren’t technically wearing the same size, but luckily, the designs we both loved were available in both of their sizes.
They loved to match, and I knew they’d squeal for days once they showed up somewhere in the same outfit.
Two hours and way too many bags later, we were saying our goodbyes and heading home.
I had no more plans for the day, so I thought I’d stop by the store to get a few things to make myself a dinner I’d been craving - smothered chicken in gravy with rice, greens, cornbread, and some candied yams on the side.
I could feel my mouth water just thinking about it.
So, I hopped into my car and headed to the nearest grocery store to retrieve all of the ingredients I’d need.
I also made sure to pick up more of the snacks that I knew Sera loved.
We were running low on a few other essentials, so I grabbed them when I remembered.
As I went to pick up a case of water, someone grabbed it before me and placed it under my cart.
When they looked up, I was face-to-face with a man.
“Oh, uh, thanks,” I say, nodding politely.
“It’s nothing, gorgeous,” he smiled, his pearly white teeth shining in the fluorescent light of the aisle. “Didn’t want you hurting yourself trying to lift that heavy thing by yourself.”
“I would’ve managed,” I reply as I walk back around to grab onto the handles of my cart. “I’ve done it plenty of times before.”
“Oh, bet,” he nods. He licks his lips as his eyes subtly travel the length of my body. I roll my eyes. Here we go… “Well, you know, if you had a man with you…” He places a hand on my arm, and my eyes bug. “You wouldn’t have to worry about that, baby.”
“I’m not your baby,” I reply, looking at him as if he’d lost his mind. I knock his hand away. “And don’t touch me! The fuck is wrong with you?”
“Damn, bitch,” he replies, rolling his eyes. “You acting li-”
“Everything all good, Zee?”
We both look up, and I’m surprised to see Jakayla walking towards us with her sister and cousin Warren not far behind her.
She makes it over to where I am and takes my hand in hers, pulling me away from the man.
Warren walks up to him and punches him square in the jaw.
I jump back, shocked, as the man loses his balance and falls to the ground.
He screams as he holds his face. Kay lets go of my hand before walking over to him.
She squats down beside him and lightly smacks his face twice.
“Aye, you good?” she asks. The man looks at her like she has two heads. She jerks her head back towards me before saying, “You see that one? I don’t play about her, and you’re lucky my cousin ain’t beat yo ass.” She sighs before standing. “Now, get yo bitch ass up and get from ‘round here.”
The man quickly got up and damn near ran out of the store.
Kay stuffed her hands in her pockets and walked back over to me.
She smiled an innocent smile as I looked up at her in shock.
I’d never seen her swear or get aggressive with anyone other than her cousins and sister.
I could feel my cheeks warm because I was turned on, and I knew that my panties were ruined.
There was just something about her exuding confidence and power that made me want to do whatever she told me. I didn’t care who was watching.
“You good, Zee?” she asks, and all I could do was nod.
“H-How did you know I was here?” I ask, still confused about how she just materialized.
“Coincidence,” she shrugged, glancing over at her cousin and sister. They shake their head, before snickering at something only they knew.
“Coincidence, my ass,” Morgan continued to laugh.
She walked over to where I was and slung her arm over my shoulder.
I caught the annoyed look that Kay flashed her, and I giggled.
“We were delivering an order across the street, and Kay saw you pull up, so she wanted to come over here, claiming that she needed to get something for tonight.”
“I…I…” Kay said, but I continued to giggle as I stepped closer to her. I hugged her around the waist, looking up at her.
“Aww, did you miss your bestie?” I teased. “You were gonna see me tonight, but you couldn’t wait? You’re so obsessed with me. It’s cute.”
“Whatever, big head,” she chuckled, palming my face and pushing me away from her. She glances down at my cart, and I notice that big ass Kool-Aid smile on her face when she looks at me. “You cooking good tonight, I see. Hell yeah!”
“Hell yeah is right, because that looks like just enough for us to get a plate, too,” Morgan says, peering into the cart too. “Are Warren and I invited too?”
“Yeah, we want some good cooking too,” Warren smirked, looking at Kay, who looked like she was ready to kill them. “Don’t be looking at me like that, Kayla. You can’t be hogging all the good eating. You know Zee be throwing down.”
“Y’all make me sick, you know that, right?” she replies, causing them to fall out laughing.
“It’s okay, Kay,” I assure her. “I don’t mind. I just need to get another pack of chicken.”
She tried to argue with me that I didn’t have to cook for them, but after I told her that I wanted to, she reluctantly gave in.
They trail behind me as I get the last of the ingredients I need, and when it’s time to pay, they’re all arguing over who’s going to pay.
It was like this any time I did anything with Kay and her family.
Even though I didn’t mind paying, I was never allowed to, not even for a pack of gum or an extra barbecue sauce cup.
They would nag me for hours if I even reached for my wallet, so I learned years ago to just stand to the side and wait for them to finish arguing.
I wasn’t complaining, though. Because of how well supported I was, I was able to stack my money and eventually buy a house for my daughter and me.
Four bedrooms and 3 ⒈／⒉ baths with a spacious backyard.
It was beautiful, and I loved having a comfortable place with lots of space for her to grow.
I focus back on the ruckus in front of me in time to see Kayla swiping her card and the other two grabbing the bags to load them into the cart.
Warren pushed the cart out as Morgan munched on a candy bar she’d slid onto the counter.
Kay took my hand and led me over to my car, where she opened the passenger side for me.
I didn’t even question it as she walked over to the driver’s side and got in.
I could see Warren and Morgan loading the groceries into the back of their truck, and I didn’t fret because this was also something I was used to.
When we got to my place, they unloaded the groceries as well as the bags of clothes I’d purchased earlier, and I began to prepare dinner.
Kay helped me and even enlisted the other two.
They complained at first, but she told them that if they didn’t help, they weren’t gonna eat.
That got them to work quicker, and all I could do was shake my head because the whole Collins family was a mess.
The dinner came together in no time, and soon we were sitting around the table laughing and joking as we enjoyed the meal.
After dinner, Warren and Morgan helped with the cleanup, and then they said their goodbyes.
Kay and I called to check on Serenity, but my sister said that she was fast asleep, worn out after a day of playing at the park.
I told her to give her a kiss for me, and she assured me that she would before telling me goodnight.
After disconnecting the call, I looked up to see Kay standing there with a bowl of popcorn. I smiled, motioning for her to join me on the couch. We didn’t say anything as we watched the movie we were supposed to watch the other day. It was the perfect ending to the day.