Page 34 of Made to Love Ya

“Thank you, baby. I love spending time with you too.”

I had begged him to let me help paint the wall. I knew that he didn’t need my help, and I also knew that he could have completed the job much faster without me. But I just wanted to be up under my man and enjoy some time with him. All day long, he had been on my mind. So, when I finished my writing for the day and shared a new recipe on my blog, I instantly headed to the home improvement store. Armed with the list that Izael had given me before he left this morning, I purchased paint, paintbrushes, a drop cloth, and a roll of plastic for the couch.

Izael had told me not to worry about doing that, but I wanted to do it. I wanted to be a part of it from the minute he told me that he was going to fix that ugly mark on the wall this morning.

“How long will it take to dry?” I asked as I leaned back on my hands. My arms were stretched out behind me, and I sat on the floor and watched the wall.

Izael finished tidying up the paint and making it look nice and neat before he replied with, “Forever if you’re gonna sit there and watch it.”

“Baby, I’m bored, and I don’t have anything else to do.”

“How about we go to the little park across the street while the paint dries?”

“And do what?”

Izael shrugged. “Shit, I don’t know. I’m sure we’ll find something.”

“All right. Let me change out of these shorts, and I’ll be ready in ten minutes. Unless, of course, you want me to go in these.”

Izael mugged me. “Try taking your ass out the house in them little ass shorts if you want to. You ’bout to get every nigga out there fucked up.”

“I just wanted to see your reaction.” I winked.

“You play too much. I’ll be back. I’m going to wash my hands,” Izael replied and headed into his room.

I exchanged the shorts for some ripped jeans, a tank top, and a pair of sandals. When I returned from my room, Izael stood in the middle of the living room, looking delicious as hell. He had changed into a pair of black track pants, a black T-shirt, and some black Air Force 1s.

“Took your little ass long enough.” He swatted me on the ass as I walked by him on the way to the front door.

“You ain’t been waiting for me that long.”

“Girl, I’ve been out here waiting for almost ten minutes. You said it would take you ten, but it’s been eighteen.”

“Well, I had to make sure that I was looking good on my baby’s arm,” I replied as I walked out the door.

“Nah, you look good no matter what you wear. I don’t give a damn if you were in a Mumu with slippers and curlers in your head. You’re still fine to me,” he stated as we jogged down the steps.

“Boy, shut up. Men will say anything.”

“Nah. Men who feel about their woman the way that I feel about you mean that shit. We don’t need all those weaves, fake fingernails, eyelashes, and beat faces and shit to love on our woman. We see through all that to the true beauty of a woman.”

“So, you’re saying that we do all that in vain?” I asked.

“Nah,” he replied as he pushed the building door open for me to step outside.

It was a warm summer day, but there was a cool breeze blowing. My hair blew behind me in the wind as Izael took my hand in his. The way that he claimed me made me feel loved and wanted. I smiled as another couple walked by us, and the woman smiled at me. It felt good to have a man who was proud to show me off when we were in public.

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I think y’all do that shit for each other. Women be out here trying to look good and already got a man. Y’all either doing that shit competing with other women because you want her to recognize you’re that bitch, or you’re trying to get another nigga’s attention.”

The traffic light for cross traffic turned red, and the pedestrian light signaled that we could cross the street. My heart smiled at how he continued holding my hand as we crossed the street to the park.

“Or maybe we just want to keep looking good for our man because that’s how we got him in the first place.”

“Not me. I saw you with them thick-ass pigtails way back in the day. You were still my girl, snaggletooth, ashy knees, and all,” Izael teased me.

I slapped his arm and laughed. “Boy, shut up. You were a little crusty, too, back then.”

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