Chapter 6-Devon
School didn’t let out for another thirty minutes, and I knew I had at least another hour before my car reached the front, indicating that I’d be able to get him and head to our next destination.
Per the school policy, you could only get your kid when you made it to the check-in point.
It was a safety precaution, so it was more than alright with me.
Since I had time to spare, I decided to hit up Kenya. I hadn’t talked to her since the night before last, and I wanted to hear her voice.
“Hello.” She answered on the third ring. Her voice was curt, and I wasn’t really sure how to take it. Regardless of her tone, I was quick to recover.
“Hey. How is your day going?”
“It’s good. Busy, but if my time isn’t consumed, then I’d—Never mind. How are you doing?”
“I know we’re just in the stages of getting to know each other, but if you need me, I’m here. Is there something you need me to fix or handle for you?” Unintentionally, I gripped my steering wheel. Sitting forward, I waited for her answer.
To be real, I really didn’t know why I even cared like that, but I did.
“Oh. No … Umm … Nothing like that. It’s just trouble that comes with my profession. Nothing I can’t handle, but thank you for the offer.”
“You sure?” I queried in response, shocking myself for a second time. I didn’t know Kenya well enough to be trying to solve her problems, but here I was, ready and willing to save her from whatever the hell she had going on.
“Yes, I’m positive,” she claimed, allowing me to hear the humor in her tone. “Besides, I’m a big girl. I can handle my problems. I’ve been taking care of myself for quite some time.”
“Damn. Tell me you haven’t had a real man without telling me you haven’t had a real man.”
“Excuse me. I’ve dated before … It’s just been a while.” There was a hint of defense present in her words, and I wasn’t surprised.
First off, she was an attorney, and I could only assume that being on the defense was a part of her nature.
Secondly, even before being an attorney, she was a black woman.
If you know, then you damn well know. Black women were top tier in every single area, especially being on the defense whenever something was said that they either didn’t want to hear or didn’t want to admit was true.
“Two things can be true at once, baby girl.” I conceded.
“You may have dated someone, but I can guarantee you that he wasn’t a real man.
If that was the case, then you’d never know what it was like to handle your own problems, because every battle you were a part of would’ve been his to fight. Now, tell me I’m wrong.”
The only sound was the faint hum of the phone itself. The silence was more amusing than anything because it confirmed my suspicions while letting me know that with Kenya, I had my work cut out for me.
I suspected that not only had Kenya never experienced a real man who held her down, but I also had a feeling that she was the type of woman who was going to fight me tooth and nail before she submitted to me.
If we worked out together, letting me lead was going to be necessary.
I’d be damned if I sat back, not fulfilling my duties as a man because I didn’t want to ruffle her feathers by demanding her to submit and live in her soft girl era.
No, submitting was a prerequisite for me, whether she did it with ease or not.
“How are you doing today?” Her silent refusal to address my assumption was all the confirmation I needed.
“I’m great. I had some downtime, and I wanted to hear your voice.”
“Thank you for thinking of me.”
“The other day, I mentioned wanting to go on a date with you. When will your schedule allow me to do that?”
“Give me a minute to look at my planner.” I didn’t really know how to take the fact that she legitimately had to pencil me into her life.
This had to be the price of dating a woman who had a career and not just a job.
“How does Friday work for you? I tend to work through the night and the weekends, but after court, I don’t necessarily need to come back into the office Friday. ”
“Friday works for me.” I pulled my attention from our conversation because the pickup line was beginning to move.
The movement was minimal, but it happened, and I was glad for the progress because sitting still was a pet peeve for me.
There were very few things that I considered being worse than wasted time.
“I’ll plan our date. Send me your location and I’ll pick you up at seven. ”
“No, that’s not going to work for me.”
“Why not? If seven isn’t good for you, then I can be flexible.” I offered, thinking that was the reason. Although she said Friday, maybe seven really didn’t work for her.
“That’s not it,” she denied. “Sharing my location with someone I don’t know well is a risk that I’m not in a position to take. I’m not inclined to divulge such personal information so soon. We can meet somewhere, but I’ll be driving my car.”
Before I had a chance to be offended, I had to remember we hadn’t met under normal circumstances.
She didn’t know me like that, and I could only respect her being cautious and smart regarding her well-being. Yet, and still, she had me messed up. As a man, I at least wanted to have a car service pick her up.
“I don’t have to pick you up from your house. I’ll send a car service and—”
“No, you won’t,” she interrupted. I released a bitter chuckle, doing my best to keep my temper in check and my emotions at bay. “If you send a driver to pick me up, then they’ll have my address. Therefore, you’ll have my address.”
I was a man with connections and resources. Finding out her address would be something small for me. Kenya was slowly revealing how stubborn she was, and I was going to concede and play her game … for now.
“I’ll take that as a challenge to earn your trust,” I answered, and instead of pushing the matter any further cause I knew that I wouldn’t get anywhere, I switched gears.
“Do you have any food allergies?” I already had a place in mind for our first date, but I needed to make sure that she didn’t have any allergies before I put my plan in motion.
“Not that I’m aware of.”
I chuckled under my breath, finding humor in the fact that she didn’t give me a simple yes or no. She had an attitude, and that wasn’t going to be a problem with me, as long as she didn’t take things too far with it.
“Good. I’ll let you know the details once I have things planned.”
“What do you have in mind?” She queried. Curiosity was apparent in her tone.
“You’ll find out when I send you the details.”
There was a pregnant pause before she responded. “Okay.”
We talked for a few more minutes, still keeping it very surface level, before I decided to end the call.
The line was moving, and I didn’t want to greet my son with her on my line.
On my dating profile, I chose to leave out the fact that I was a father.
It damn sure wasn’t because I was ashamed of him, but I also didn’t advertise my role in his life.
Besides, I figured that I’d feel her out by throwing my son into the mix. That would tell me everything I’d need to know about her and possibly about our future or lack thereof.
Dreux didn’t know about every chick I entertained, and he damn sure didn’t meet them.
That was a privilege that only one woman had a claim to. In hindsight, that was a mistake, which was the exact reason I moved the way I did now.
“Hey, Dad!” Dreux greeted me as he opened the door and hopped in the passenger seat of my truck. He set his backpack on the floor and rushed to secure his seatbelt. I was already in motion when I heard it click, cause I wasn’t trying to stay in the line any longer than I already had.
“‘Sup, son. How was your day?” I asked, waiting for my chance to pull out of the school’s parking lot.
“It was good. I had a geometry pop quiz today, and I only missed one question.”
“Do you know why you missed the one question?” I asked, taking my eyes off the road for a brief moment so I could glance at him. He was already nodding his head, signaling his answer.
“Yes, sir. Even though Ms. Hamilton said I got the highest grade in my class, I remembered what you said. The only genuine mistake is the one you don’t learn from, so I asked her to show me how to work the problem. Next time, I’ll get it right.”
“That’s what’s up, son.” I smiled at the fact that Dreux was getting it. When it came to being a man, I preached to him a lot, and it made me proud to know that my words weren’t in vain.
There were a lot of things I had to learn the hard way in life. I’d made enough mistakes to last a lifetime. The lessons I was instilling in Dreux were things I wish my dad would’ve been around to teach me. Instead, I was in the streets learning the hard way.
I didn’t have a chance to continue the conversation. An incoming call interrupted what I was about to say. Her name floated across my truck’s display, and I toyed with the idea of not answering.
“Are you going to answer the phone for Grandma?” Dreux asked, his eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and confusion. My first mind was to say hell no, but that wouldn’t reinforce the lesson of respecting your elders, especially your parents, which was one of the many things I tried to instill in him.
In spite of the overwhelming feeling in my chest to avoid Renae, I answered the phone.
“Hey.” There was no need for an emotional, filled greeting, because it would be fake. I may have been willing to be cordial for the sake of my son, but I wasn’t about to put on to make it seem like we were something that we weren’t.
“I know that’s not the way I taught you to answer the phone, Devon.”
Low and behold, the reason I didn’t want to deal with her in the first place. She loved to act like she was anything and everything except for what she was, which was a damn deadbeat who gave me nothing but expected everything in return.