Page 6 of Jagged Edges

Bello.

His presence was striking.Hewas stunning. Clad in black from his head to his toes, the color being a true match to his deep, dark hues. The arches of his bones and face structures were scientifically orchestrated and carved by God himself. He’d spared no details when it came to this man who stood a mere six feet to my five-three. On a bad day, I’d give him five-eleven.

The firmness of his chest confirmed the seriousness of his gym regime. Undoubtedly, he was a fan of weight lifting and all the other exercises men deemed worthy to increase muscle mass and decrease fat. I wasn’t complaining and I doubt that any other woman amongst the partygoers - married or single - were either. The way that his physique was portrayed in his dark clothing was appreciated.

I have to work early in the morning.The replaying of my impartial truth made my stomach turn. I did have to work, but it wasn’t in the morning. In actuality, it wasn’t until one o’clock in the evening when I was scheduled to come in and would be off by six. Still, he didn’t have to know that and I wasn’t willing to hand over that information. Especially not to a stranger, who wantedto take me for drinks in the wee hours of the night. I wasn’t even old enough to drink, legally.

And, if it wasn’t the case, I simply wasn’t interested. Drinking wasn’t my thing. I’d refused every cup that was passed my way in high school and every shot that I was encouraged to take. With everything going on in my life, the last thing I wanted to do was become dependent on any type of suppressant because once it was all said and done, they wouldn’t make my circumstances disappear. They’d only make them worse - especially if they became an addiction.

Four

“Happy Birthday to you,”the crowd cheered as we all surrounded the birthday girl.

Mrs. Frank was stunning in her designer gown and sparkly pumps. I could only imagine how hard she’d hit Mr. Frank’s pockets to score the entire ensemble. Trinity Frank was the ultimate diva and I loved that for Melonie. While I was still figuring myself out as I navigated through my journey to womanhood, the lack of awareness of self and personal desires was becoming evanesce. Each day, I was fighting to let go of the survivor my mom had made me at such a young age to a thriver with plans to be the best version of woman that I could be.

“Make a wish before you blow out your candles, mom!” Melonie chanted and then disappeared just as quickly.

I tried following her with my eyes but lost the battle within a few seconds. I readjusted my focus, watching as Mrs. Frank whispered a few words before blowing on the candles, eyes still closed. She lifted in cheer as she reopened them, wailing her hands in the air and clapping.

Melonie reappeared just in time. Only this time, she wasn’t empty-handed. She sat a large green bag with GUCCI displayed on each side in front of Mrs. Frank. Her mother was bursting with pride as she pressed her hands on the sides of her face and mouthedthank you.

“Happy birthday, mom,” Melonie screamed. “It’s from me and B! We saved a long time for this!” She found me with her eyes and gave me a quick wink.

I hadn’t contributed one dollar to Mrs. Frank's birthday gift. In fact, I’d shown up to the party empty-handed. Melonie being the thoughtful person that she was had included me in her offering, causing the pricking of my eyeballs and the intense warmth of my heart.

I love you, I mouthed in response with a wink of my own.

Muah!Melonie blew a kiss my way.

“She kind of has no other choice, Mel. Not when it includes extras.”

It reappeared. That voice. That bass. That baritone. That face. That fragrance. That…

“Uncle Bello!” Melonie screamed, puncturing my heart, unintentionally, and setting my soul ablaze, simultaneously.

Before wrapping his arms around Melonie, Bello placed an equally large GUCCI bag in front of Mrs. Frank, who had her hands over her mouth with tears streaming down her face. The makeup she’d probably tried reserving all night was melting away with the tears that she cried. My own emotions clogged my throat as I watched what seemed to be the reuniting of the family members.

As Melonie’s arms squeezed Bello’s neck, his eyes met mine. The smile trailed from the dark circles to his dark lips where I discovered he had a mouth full of gold. As if on cue, his tongue swiped his lips to lubricate them a bit. Now, shining like he’d coated them with gloss, I nearly lost all self-control.Oh, God. The thudding of my heart matched that of my lower lady parts.

Uncle?Rang loud in my head.

“Wishes. They do come true!” Mrs. Frank cried with Mr. Frank at her side.

Bello, eyes still fixated on me, moved from Melonie and over tohis sister? Mrs. Frank wrapped him in her arms, the resemblance finally appearing out of thin air. She was chocolate, too, but a few shades lighter than Bello. They had the same dark eyes and dark lips. Both of them sported a silky, thick texture for hair that left me to question their true ethnicity. The sleekness of their strands let me know they had an interesting lineage. Ethiopian? Even Indian, maybe?

Stuck.

Immobile.

I was planted in place as my eyes followed his and then every moment after they’d left me. Before I was able to lift as much as a finger, the crowd was dispersing throughout the house again and we were alone. Bello had stayed behind, set on restoring my mobility, obviously, because there was no way I wanted to be anywhere alone with this man. Not with the way he looked so longingly at me and surely not with the new bit of information I’d just received.

Uncle.

“Third time’s a charm,” he reiterated.

Soundlessly, I turned on the heel of my foot and started for the inside.Third time’s a trap, I corrected. Once inside of the house, I was on another mission to find both Melonie and Mrs. Frank. I needed to officially wish her a happy birthday andsee exactly what Melonie had bought from us both. Instead of wasting my time searching the common areas, I headed straight for the master bedroom where I was certain they were hiding out. Melonie’s giggles confirmed my suspicions as I knocked on the door.

“Is it okay if I come in?” I questioned.

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