“Is she okay?”
Jru fired at the white sheet, piercing the center where the hole was only three centimeters wider than the bullet she’d lodged in it. She quickly moved on to the next without celebrating.
“She is ready for another child.”
“Are you?”
“I’ve been trying to put one in her for the last six months,” he admitted.
“Yet she hasn’t turned up pregnant.”
He shook his head.
“It wasn’t the time.”
This time, he nodded, “It wasn’t the time.”
“Don’t worry. She’s healthy. You’re healthy. A child will be born when the time is perfect. A son.”
“Yeah–” he agreed, “He will be.”
We watched as Jru struggled to make the third target. With sad eyes, she faced us. Her shoulders shrugged as she questioned her lack of progression with the task at hand.
“You’re in your head, CJ,” Chemistry told her, “Give Tee Rugger a hug. We’ll work on it back home. We have to go.”
“Okay.”
Her disappointment was clear. I accepted the weapon and pulled her into my arms.
“I’ll come over, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And we can practice more.”
“Now?”
“No, baby, but soon. Very soon. I promise.”
“Okay.”
I kissed her forehead and then her cheek.
“See you later, baby.”
“Later, baby,” she responded.
Chemistry took her into his hands. He wasted little time putting distance between us. With my heart in his possession, I turned around and used the weapon she’d surrendered to clear the target she couldn’t quite pierce. The string that held the coin in place split on impact.
Very soon, Jru.
His footsteps halted at once. I quieted my thoughts to listen to whatever it was he was preparing to say.
“And, baby–” he tossed over his shoulder.
“Yes?”
“Don’t come without that nigga who has your nose wide open.”