Page 6 of Keyoni & Sage
“Hey! Whatchu doing here?”
I attempted to hand over my card. “Buying expensive ass coffee.”
“Whatever.” She pushed my hand away, straining her neck to try and see through my dark tint into the back seat. “Is Kaiser with you?”
“Yeah, he’s back there.” I started to put my card away. “So’s your niece.”
Her face lit up. “Where’s my baby?”
Keturah rolled her window down. “Right here. Hi, Aunt Ivory.”
“Hey, auntie’s baby. Come here,” Ivory requested.
“You better not—” The back door opened before I could finish. Keturah hopped out, ignoring my objection. Ivory leaned further out of the drive-thru window, extending her arms for a hug Keturah eagerly bounced into. They stayed entangled way too long. “A’ight now. That’s enough.”
I wasn’t trying to bring attention my way, since driving family and friends around in my company car was frowned upon. It didn’t make sense for me to drive Keturah to school in my personal car just to go back home and get my assigned SUV, especially considering how close the station was to Keturah’s school.
Ivory waited until they separated to run her mouth. “Don’t be rushing my baby,” she said as Keturah got back in her seat, reaching to pull the door closed. “She can take as long as she wants. Ain’t that right, auntie’s baby?”
“Yep,” Keturah agreed confidently.
“You already know. I’ll shut this whole place down for my Turah boo.”
She was quick to make up a name for my daughter. And Keturah was quick to eat it right on up; I caught her smiling in the rearview mirror.
“That’s crazy.” I shook my head, glancing out of the side mirror at the extended line. There were five cars behind me, probably more, since the last car partially wrapped around the building. I didn’t know if or how many people were behind him. “Holding up the line just for a hug.” Looking forward, I sighed before my eyes dropped to the clock in the dashboard. “What’s taking so long? Y’all harvesting the beans in the back or something?”
I looked at the clock again. It still read seven forty-two a.m.
“No,” Ivory said snidely. “And if you’re in a rush, you came to the wrong place. They serve that weak, quick shit up the street. We serve quality products. Quality takes ti?—”
“Here you go, Keyoni,” Whitney interrupted, reaching past my sister to hand me two cups. “Have a nice day.”
“Thanks.”
“Mmhmm,” she hummed, looking up at a screen displaying orders.
Whitney was Ivory’s cousin, not mine, and although direct at times, she took her role as manager seriously.
I drove off to Whitney telling Ivory they had customers waiting. I didn’t hear Ivory’s response, but knew Whitney would shut down any rebuttal, because when it came to business, Whitney didn’t play. She considered Diamond Brewed just as much her company as Ivory’s.
Keturah finished her drink before I dropped her off. She was all smiles when she got out, wiggling her fingers to tell me bye.
Uncharacteristically, Kaiser didn’t sit up to see Keturah off. He laid down in the back, remaining in that position when I pulled into my assigned space.
“Kaiser,” I called out, seeing my partner lift his head in the rearview mirror. “Time to go.”
He laid his head back down, uninterested. Something wasn’t right.
I got out and went to the back to see what was up. Kaiser stood sluggishly, meeting my gaze before jumping down in slow motion.
“You a’ight, boy?” I asked, expecting some kind of response.
I was convinced that Kaiser was a man in a dog’s body because he understood damn near everything I said.Any other time.Whatever was wrong had him walking past me a few steps to plant his ass on the ground, refusing to look my way.
Then a grating sound pierced my ears—a combination of retching and gurgling—serving as the precursor for what Kaiser threw up right in front of me.
It was then that I knew what kind a morning it would be, a fucked up one. So when it came to fruition, I wasn’t surprised.
