Page 4 of Love Letters from a Libra
Outside, the steps were warm from the afternoon sun, and I settled into my usual spot with my phone. I scrolled past posts until I found Zanaa’s blog. “Uncle Jules!”
I looked up from my phone to see London bouncing down the porch steps, her hair neatly cornrowed with pink beads that clicked when she moved. She was six with her father’s chin and her mother’s eyes, but she grinned like me.
I offered a fist bump. “What’s good, baby girl?” I asked.
“Mama said you fixed the TV real good. Can you fix my tablet too? It makes weird noises when I play my games.”
“It probably just needs an update. Ask your mama to bring it to me before I leave, and I’ll look at it.”
London nodded and then raced toward the swing set, where Ricky was performing an acrobatic move that was going to end with someone crying. Kids had no fear. I envied that.
Uncle Jerome manned the grill, turning the ribs with precision, while the aunties arranged the covered dishes on the tables. I looked up to see Carlos approaching with two beers. The brown bottles were covered with condensation. He handed me one and then took a long pull from his beer.
Carlos settled on the step next to me, and we sat in silence, watching Ricky achieve the death-defying trick he’d attempted on the swing while London cheered him on like he’d just won the Olympics.
My phone buzzed, but I ignored it. Right now, I was right where I needed to be, surrounded by family and drinking a cold beer.
Carlos and I joked around a bit longer before we sat down to eat with the family. Conversation flowed, and the food was delicious as always.
After dinner, Uncle Jerome loaded his truck with leftover ribs wrapped in foil, telling Aunt Nubi to grab some potatosalad as well. I headed into the kitchen, stacking plates, scraping remnants into the trash, and running the dishwasher.
Aunt Nubi joined me at the sink. “I’m glad I get to enjoy my husband now that you and Amir are grown. Y’all don’t need me hovering anymore. You’ve always been the glue, baby. Don’t forget to have joy too. Let someone hold you for a change.”
Tonya must have told Aunt Nubi about trying to set me up. “I’m glad you’re happy, Auntie. You deserve it. I have my eye on someone, but you know these things take time.” I smiled.
Aunt Nubi crossed her fingers on both hands and held them up, squealing. “Let me get out of here,” she said, kissing me on the cheek before picking up the container of potato salad she’d fixed.
“Love you. Be safe,” I added.
“Love you too,” she replied.
The cleanup felt good after hours of controlled socializing. Not that I didn’t love being around family, but it required a different kind of energy.
Carlos joined me in the kitchen, dumping an armload of tongs and serving spoons into the sink.
“You good?” he asked, handing me a plate that still had BBQ sauce on it.
“Yeah, why?”
“You’ve been quiet today. I mean more than usual. What’s on your mind?”
I considered deflecting his question but knew if anyone would understand, it would be him.
“You ever meet someone and feel like . . . like you already belong to them?”
Carlos stopped moving. “What do you mean, belong to them?”
“I feel like I’ve been pulled toward a woman I’ve never formally met.”
“That’s some deep shit, cuz, but I hear you. Like when I met Tonya, I knew. Not love at first sight or that Hollywood bullshit, but like my soul remembered her from somewhere.”
Relief flooded me because that was exactly how I felt. Like finding something I hadn’t known I’d lost. “Yeah, exactly like that.”
I dried my hands on the dish towel hanging by the sink and made my rounds to say goodbye. I kissed London on the cheek and promised to fix her tablet next weekend.
“Drive safe,” Tonya said as I entered the living room.
“I will,” I replied.
