Page 70 of Heart of a Savage
“Mommy, Mooney… this is Messiah Crawford. Messiah, this is my mom, Sabrina, and my good friend, Monroe.”
My mom smiled widely, and I could tell she was impressed. “It’s good to finally meet you, Messiah. I’ve only heard a little about you, so I’m hoping I can get to learn more while we dine over this delicious food Mooney has made.”
“Of course. I’d love to get to know my new mother-in-law.” Messiah smiled.
“Please stop,” I said, cringing at the thought of marriage. I may have acquiesced to allow him access to the inner me, but marriage?
“Let that man say what he wants, sis,” Mooney said, placing a pitcher of juice on the table.
“Shut up, Mooney, before you become homeless.”
“Let’s all just have a seat, shall we?” my mom suggested, and we all sat down.
Moms said a prayer over the meal, then we began to load our plates with the creamy chicken Alfredo, lobster tails with lemon butter sauce, and poached salmon.
“You cooked this?” Messiah asked Mooney.
He nodded. “It’s very seldom that I get to show off my culinary skills since Evermean stands clear of a house being dropped on her.” I kicked him under the table. “Ouch! Why you kick me for telling the truth?” He chuckled.
“Stop calling me that shit.”
“See… just mean.”
“Arie, stop abusing this man,” Sabrina reprimanded. “Messiah, not trying to be nosy, but I have one or afewquestions to ask.”
“You can ask me anything, Mrs. Sabrina. I’m here for you to get to know me.”
My mom smiled. “What do you do for a living?”
“I own a Fortune 500 company where we supply medicines to pharmacies across the metro area. We’ve just recently expanded into Georgia and California. Looking to grow even bigger by this time next year.”
“Okaay. Come through long-term goals!” my mom jested.
Messiah chuckled while I looked at Sabrina acting differently. She was loving this. However, I didn’t know if I liked it.
“That’s what’s up, bro. I’m like a jack of all trades. I do a little bit of everything you can think of. My parents used to tell me they thought I had ADHD because I can never focus on one thing, but I beg to differ. I think all of us have a little ADHD in us.” Mooney chuckled.
“What is your job here again? I just need to know if I have to worry about you living here with my girl.”
I sucked my teeth. “The verdict is still out on if I’m your girl… we’re just friends,” I lied. I wanted to be his girl, but I couldn’t help but pretend we weren’t that way.
He winked. “We won’t be for long.”
Mooney chuckled. “Trust me, brother, Arie is not my type. I like my women soft and nice. Arie’s like a Warhead, sour ashell until she becomes sweet, but still leaves a sour taste in your mouth.”
I flipped him the bird as Messiah chuckled. “I’m working hard on changing that.”
“My baby is sweet; she’s just been taught to always be one way. I hate that her father made her out to be this villain and to be so violent. I understood his reasoning, though. In their line of work, she had to make sure she wasn’t a pushover. I’m hoping you can get the job done, Messiah. Arie deserves to love and be loved.”
“What is love, Mommy? From what I know, love hurts. Hence, you and Daddy. Love leaves you, hurts you, or gets you in a mess that you can’t get out of.”
“Your father and I still love each other. Unfortunately, he had to go away, so yes, that does hurt, but he didn’t leave me purposely.”
“I just don’t want to give my heart to someone, and they end up breaking it. That wouldn’t be good for either party.”
“I’m going to help you get to that point. I think you know how much I’m feeling you, and how I don’t care about your attitude. It only makes me want to peel back those layers to see the beauty I know that’s inside of you.”
I stared at Messiah, not knowing if he was being genuine or not. He had proved to me that he wasn’t letting up on me. I guess it was up to me to see if I wanted that with him or not.
