Page 20 of I Need It

“Hello, Mister Ceasar. I’m Chrissy Douglas,” she said as she shook his hand, letting him know she wasn’t trying to be that familiar.

My mama always handled herself with class. I appreciated that about her so much. She showed her boys what it meant to be a woman and set the bar high as fuck. Yendi and Angel were good women, and I had a feeling, behind all that hurt Mya was carrying, she was a good woman too.

Once Mama pulled her hand away, she said, “I hope y’all enjoy the food. Be careful heading to Houston.” She turned to me and said, “Love you, son.”

“Love you too, Mama.”

As we walked out of the diner, I saw KJ arriving. I wasn’t trying to stall and see anybody, but when I saw Uncle Jasper standing at the car talking to Mya, I slowly shook my head. Nosy ass niggas. I huffed as Mr. Ceasar chuckled. I went straight to Uncle Jasper, seeing that he was keeping Mya entertained, because she was smiling and laughing.

“What’s up, Unc?” I said, noticing he had a blunt between his fingers.

He turned to me. “What’s up, nephew? I was just keeping yo’ lady company.”

He said that shit on purpose. “We’re just friends. Nosy ass.”

He slapped my hand and chuckled. “You know how we do it. Holla at me when you get back. Nice meeting you, Mya.”

“Likewise, Mister Jasper.”

After Mr. Ceasar got in the car, Mya winked at me and smiled. I smiled back and made my way to my truck. As I was getting in, I saw Uncle Storm making his way outside. KJ got to me first. “Dang, nigga. You blowing in and blowing out. I barely caught yo’ ass.”

“I know. These niggas all in my shit, especially this nigga coming this way.”

“I got’cho nigga. I see what you did, tryna take the heat off yo’ ass,” Uncle Storm said as he approached us.

“It worked, because look how long it took you to catch on.”

He pushed me on the head. That was always his thing with me. “I see you still tryna get at lil mama in that car though. I’ll talk to yo’ ass when you get back.”

When he walked off, I slapped KJ’s hand then got in my truck. I got on Highway 90 and headed west. As I drove, my phone rang. When I saw Mya’s number, I answered. “What’s up?”

“Man… how the hell they stuff this chicken with mac and cheese?”

I chuckled. “That’s my aunt Jen’s specialty. People come from near and far for that. My mama made the mac and cheese, greens, and beef tips.”

“The food is so good. It won’t be our last time eating there, that’s for sure.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

“Thank you, Chris.”

“Call me Christian, Mya.”

“Oh. I umm… I apologize.”

“It’s cool. No apology needed.”

“Okay. Well, talk to you when we get to my place.”

“A’ight.”

I ended the call and smiled slightly. The smile left my lips though because Avery briefly crossed my mind. I knew most guys named Christian went by Chris. I did, too, at one time. That all changed when Avery got locked up for child molestation. He called me Chris all the time. That was why the family had started calling me Chris. I was so fucked up by what he did, I didn’t want anyone calling me Chris anymore.

My family respected my wishes, although it took some time for them to get used to it. Sometimes, they still slipped up, even after all these years. While I was done with the bullshit that concerned Avery Bolton, I still didn’t want to be called Chris. I didn’t want to even look at him as my father. Maybe I wasn’t over it. Whatever the case, the name left a sour taste in my mouth.

I watched Mya and her father speed by me in his Buick LaCrosse then slide over in front of me to lead the way to Mya’s apartment. I had a good feeling about her, and I could only hope that good feeling wasn’t skewed by my strong desire to be loved.

CHAPTER 8

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