Page 33 of Ms. Mosley

Tingles ran through me as I glanced at the clock on the wall of the restaurant. It was the way he expressed himself that did it for me.

“Home with you?” I asked, though I had heard him loud and clear. I felt a rush of nerves.

“Yeah. That’s cool with you?”

“Hmm, well…”

“Well, what? You safe with me. I won’t bite unless you ask me to.”

I laughed. “Prosper, please. We both know you will bite whether I want you to or not.”

He laughed as well, a genuine sound that made me feel lighter.

“Please,” he begged, playfully clasping his hands together.

I offered a half-smile as I weighed my options. “I guess that works. But you have to bring me home in the morning. I have to go meet with my sister around noon. It’s important.”

“No problem,”

∞∞∞

With bated breath, I stepped into Prosper’s home, still in disbelief that I had even agreed to come. His place was extremely nice, inside and outside. The scent that filled the airwas heavenly, just like him. I didn’t get too far before my eyes landed on the most stunning dog I had ever seen.

“Roof!” The Doberman barked, bounding toward us.

“Oh, my. You have a dog?” I asked, smiling.

“Sup, boy,” Prosper greeted as the dog jumped up at his leg. “Yeah, this my lil man, Black.”

“Wow, he’s certainly not little. And he is so beautiful.” I said, admiring the glossy black and brown fur that shimmered under the light. The gold Cuban Chain Link around his neck was even more stunning.

“Down, boy,” Prosper commanded gently, patting Black's head. “You know the rules. Go speak.” He chunked his head, gesturing for him to come to me.

And he did, wagging his tail enthusiastically. A lover of animals, I immediately squatted down to introduce myself and began to pat him. He seemed to really take to me. So much so, that when I stood to follow behind Prosper, Black trotted right after me. Anytime I stopped, he would stop too, and when I sat down on the couch, he plopped down beside me, gazing up at my face with his tongue hanging. The sight made me laugh.

“Is he always this sweet?”

“Only to those he knows. I guess he even recognizes how special you are.” Prosper retrieved Black’s leash from a hook on the wall. “I’m going to take him for a walk. I’ll be right back.” He told me.

However, when he called for Black, he ignored him, pissing him off.

“Nigga, get out my woman’s face and bring yo’ ass on.”

I laughed, watching as Black quickly hopped from the couch and fell into submission.

Later, when Prosper returned, he fed him, and as soon as Black finished his meal, he plopped down right in front of me on the floor. Prosper settled beside me, draping an arm aroundmy shoulder. For some time, we just chilled and watched TV. Without knowing the situation, one would’ve thought we were one big happy family. It was both strange and heartwarming to me, especially when Prosper lifted my feet onto his lap and took his time massaging both.

He was rough around the edges, but his soul was beautiful. I could see it in his actions—the way he cared, the little things he did. His mother and nana, whom he always spoke so highly of, had done their thing raising him.

“I see you went with black on your nails again.” He broke the silence between us, staring at my toes.

My cheeks flushed. “I always choose black, pink, or white, remember?” I deflected his observation.

“True, but this whole month has been black. When I left campus, they were black. I notice you got a refill since then, and yet you didn’t change the color.” He looked at me, wearing a knowing smirk. “I wonder why.”

“Shut up,”

He chuckled, reaching for his glass.

---