Chapter 46 LEWIS
LEWIS
I walked into the Pensacola Police Department and inhaled a breath of fresh blue air.
Yesterday, Interim Chief of Police Potter called to inform me that my transfer request had been approved and that I was welcome to start whenever I liked.
It took me no time to rush back to Atlanta and pack my shit.
I barely said bye to any of my colleagues and got the hell up out of there.
Mama was happy for me. She wasn’t even sad about me leaving Atlanta. While I thought she would’ve trailed me to Pensacola, she chose to stay in Atlanta. Auntie Jenny promised to keep my mama together. Lord knows that worried me, but I had to trust that God had my mama.
Box of belongings in hand, I made my way down the hall and to the elevator that would take me to the floor where my new office was located. On the third floor, I stepped off the elevator and walked the short distance to the space that I would call home for the foreseeable future.
Inside the partially empty office, light poured in from floor-to-ceiling windows and a large oak desk was positioned against the wall to the left of me.
I placed the box on the desk and went to stand by the window.
From here, I could see Escambia Bay sparkling in the distance.
Pensacola wasn’t Atlanta. However, my drive to the farm wasn’t nothing compared to when I was still living in Atlanta.
Adir offered me a rental apartment inside Dr. Bell & Associates, which was great, considering Shyah had no idea about this move.
Plus, I wanted to decrease the likelihood that we would slip up before saying I do.
I was adamant about being in alignment with my lady’s boundaries.
Later today, I would be surprising her with the news.
Until then, I got to work cleaning and moving into my office.
As I cleaned, my mind strayed to my homeboy.
After being on life support for five days, Von was finally able to be weaned off the machines.
It was scary as shit waiting to see if his body would respond to being off the assistance.
When he successfully made it through the first night, we were all able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Adir thought it was best to keep him sedated until his body was a little stronger.
Everything he and I had been through over the years couldn’t come to an end this way.
There was so much we had to talk about, so much he needed to know.
I wanted to give him closure on our vigilante and assure him that I was with him until our last breaths.
That was the type of relationship I had with Von.
He and I must’ve been blood brothers in a previous life.
He had to keep fighting. Not just for Maja and his family, but for me too.
A few minutes later, I came across a few nails that were left in the wall. Glancing over my shoulder, the nails were directly opposite my desk. I had the perfect photographs to hang there. Retrieving the first photograph from the box, I hung up the still of me, my mama, and my father on the wall.
“Sergeant Winston,” I mumbled to my father’s smiling face. I knew he was looking down and proud of the son he’d made.
The next photograph I hung up was of me and Shyah. That woman would never understand how beautifully she came in and turned my life upside down. Shit, I could hardly remember life before her.
Stepping back, I made sure both photographs were perfectly aligned and was pleased that they were.
My door swung open, snatching my attention away.
“Damn, mane. I can’t enjoy my shit for one day without you poppin’ up?”
Antonias grilled me. “Nah, you can’t.”
“Let me guess. Adir told you that I was moving to town.” I wanted to laugh at the look on his face, but I kept it cordial.
“I don’t know what yo’ angle is, but I will bury you over my sister.”
This time I did chuckle a little bit. “Say, mane, I wouldn’t expect anything less.
My only angle is to seize the moment to make Shyah mine for the rest of our lives.
I’m so gracious of a nigga, that I knew she wouldn’t want to be away from you, Bianca, the kids, or the rest of the crew.
We both know how close she is to Maja and Heir.
Plus, I couldn’t take that from her. So… I’m here.”
After a few seconds passed, he said, “You better put that shit in stone.” Without another word, Antonias left the same way he came.
“Well, that’s the best blessing you gon’ get, my boy,” I joked to myself.
Getting back to work, I made four trips to my truck to retrieve the rest of my boxes and spent the next couple of hours making the space mine.
My door opened again.
“What the fuck now?” I griped. An older couple stood at the door. Instantly, I recognized Shyah’s adoptive parents.
“Oh! Oh, shit—I mean… Come in,” I said.
Their eyes scanned my office, taking note of the way it was coming along. For a moment, their gazes settled on the picture of me and Shyah hanging on the wall.
Finally, the man stuck his hand out. “Gion Suarez. This is my wife, Margarite.”
“Right. I know exactly who you two are. Shyah talks about you often.”
That brought a smile to their faces.
“So, we hear you wanna marry our little girl,” Gion stated.
I ducked my head. “I do. And as salty as he is, Antonias gave me his blessing.”
The three of us shared a friendly laugh.
“Well, now you have ours,” Margarite intoned. Her voice was so damn soft. “Take care of our girl.”
“With my whole heart, I will.”
“Any man who’s willing to uproot his life for the woman he loves, is alright with me,” Gion added. “It was nice meeting you, Lewis.”
“You, too,” I replied.
When they left my office, I chuckled under my breath. One day, my sons and daughters would have this same village surrounding them. I couldn’t even be mad at it.
Hours later, I stood back to take in my new office. Everything was in its place, it was freshly sanitized, dusted, and the floors were swept. Maintenance brought in the rest of my furniture and necessities. Already, this move felt divine.
Just then, there was a knock on my door. It was time.
I opened the door and grinned at Bianca. She had a blind-folded Shyah behind her. We both stifled a laugh. Taking over, I took Shyah’s hand from Bianca’s, then waved goodbye to Bianca. Proudly, she blew me a kiss.
“Lewis?” Shyah questioned when she felt my fingers against hers.
I removed the blindfold from her eyes and let her scope our surroundings.
“What? Where are we?” she asked. Seconds later, it dawned on her. She squealed with delight and jumped into my arms. “Wait! What does this mean?” She leaned back and searched my eyes.
Kissing her lips, I said, “It means that Sergeant Winston is here for good. It means that I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to make us official.”
Tears coated her eyes. “Are you serious?”
I caught the tears that slipped. “Yes, baby, I am. While I wait for you to accept my proposal, I’m gon’ already be in position to take my place on the farm.”
Shyah’s arms tightened around my neck, and I picked her up to let her wrap her legs around me.
“I’m ready,” she professed. “I accept!”
Laughing, I placed her on her feet. “I’m supposed to get down on one knee.”
She cupped my face. “Since the day we met, you’ve been on one knee. So, like I said, I accept.”
Ecstatic, I picked her back up and twirled her around. I was sure everyone within a block’s radius heard and felt my baby’s joy.