Page 94 of Happy Endings

Chapter 34

The room felt much too bright, even with his eyes closed. Andre’s head pounded. He sat up, groaning. The pounding didn’t stop.

“Xavier, open up! Is Andre in there?” The pounding continued.

He watched through a haze as Xavier slipped on boxers—wait, he slept naked?—and opened the door.

“Xavier, is Andre—” Keisha stopped when she spotted him on Xavier’s couch. “You look like shit.”

He deserved that. “I feel like it, too.”

“I got a call from Mrs. Harris. There’s smoke coming from Mama Hazel’s.”

“What?” he said loudly, and immediately regretted it.

“I told her to call 911, and that I was on my way.”

“Wait, 911?”

“I had to find you first. Left my keys in the restaurant last night. I need your keys.” She held out her hand. “Right now.”

“I’m coming with you.” Andre found his jacket and threw it on. He tried to ignore the pounding inside his head.

“Me too,” said Xavier as he tossed on jeans and a shirt.

Mama Hazel’s was only a few blocks away, but they could hearthe commotion. There were sirens and a crowd gathered near the restaurant.

Andre broke into a run.

There was smoke billowing out of his mother’s restaurant. Out of the door and windows. The air shimmered from heat emanating from the building. Andre stopped when he ran into a wall of heat. This couldn’t be happening. Not Mama’s place.

Flames shot out of the windows, cracking the glass. The fire easily spread to the bookstore next door.

“Sir, you need to move back!” A firefighter tried to escort him farther away. “It’s not safe.”

“But that’s my restaurant,” he said weakly.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll still need to move farther back.” He pointed to a cordoned-off area.

“Andre.” Keisha had caught up with him. “Come on. Let the firefighters do their jobs.”

He overheard the firefighters as she and Xavier dragged him away.

“Chief thinks it started in the kitchen. Fryer or stove,” a different firefighter called out. “We’re going to need foam to control it.”

The fryer! He’d forgotten to turn it off. Keisha told him before she rightfully stormed out of the restaurant. This fire was all his fault. Andre put his head in his hands. He’d fucked everything up.

He heard a sob before realizing it was his. Keisha wrapped her arms around him. He sobbed into her shoulder. They held each other as firefighters worked hard to douse the flames.

After what felt like hours, Xavier jogged over to them. “I heard the firefighters say they’ve got everything under control. The building will be saved.”

Andre stared at the building, but all he could see was smoke and flames. Xavier sounded hopeful, so maybe he was right.

“Let’s find somewhere for you Walkers to rest,” suggested Xavier.

“I can’t leave until the fire’s out.” Keisha shook her head, eyes glued to the building. She pulled Andre and Xavier closer to her.

“Excuse me, are you Andre Walker?”

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