Page 39 of Heightened Assurance
“Apparently. I just might call her, considering that is my friend and I don’t understand why you, one of my brothers, thinks it's a good idea to talk to and or date my friends.”
“Nah, it ain’t like that.”
I could tell he was holding something back, but I didn’t badger him. For once I just let it go and stayed in my own business, considering right now I had a lot of it.
Chapter 10
Oden
I couldn’t get the expression or the face of the man I had seen in the restaurant out of my mind. I didn’t know him, and as far as I knew, he didn’t know me either. But something was familiar about him besides the fact that he looked like an older version of Sora. Then, as if I wasn’t feeling crazy enough, when he saw me, he seemed like he had seen a ghost.Why?
By the end of the night, I knew who he was, because of course the old man paid on a card before he left. Not only that, but he’d also pulled Kie to the side, asking her who I was. Why did Wiley Ortega need to know who I was? I had no street dealings, but my brother did. Well, not so much these days that I know of. Either way made me uneasy. I feared no nigga, but the look in his eyes was one I couldn’t place. Like he knew me, but I didn’t know anything about him. Not only that, but you didn’t need to be in the streets to know the name Ortega rang bells.
After I dropped Aja off to school and Jade off to her shop, I went by the restaurant for a while. There was pretty much nothing to do there but look through some of the endorsements Kie had signed me up for. I didn’t deal with any of that andpurposely left it all to be dealt with by Kie or Lois. I hated social media and anything that had my face tied to it.
“Fancy seeing you here on a day you don’t have to cook. Is there something we need to talk about or discuss? Are you leaving us again?” Lois’s eyes were on me, trying to gauge my mental state. The last time I showed up here on a day I wasn’t scheduled, it was early in the morning and I was telling her I needed to take some time away from the restaurant I had literally just brought her and her wife on to help me run.
“Nah, nothing like that. I’m good, Lo.”
Her expressive eyes lingered on me for a moment before she nodded. “Then I won’t badger you. What are you doing here today?”
“Shit, killing some time. I dropped Aja off at school and Jade at work. We’re going out to the house this weekend for a few days.”
She nodded. “Things with Jade are good.” It was a question in the form of a statement she wanted me to agree or disagree with.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“You deserve to be happy. Just because things with you and Ashley didn’t work out doesn’t mean you get to become some old dusty ass man walking around here half dead.”
“Damn, half dead, Lo?”
“Yes, half dead. You know the old niggas who know they’re getting old but don’t act like it. Out here messing with all the YHs, complaining because they don’t cook or clean. They just fuck.”
“What is a YH?” I was confused as hell.
“A young hoe. You know, how they have YNs.”
I waved her off, laughing at her terms.
“Well. Even though you have only allowed us to meet Jade one time, from what I see she is your speed. And she likes your caveman ass. Have you gone missing on her yet?”
I looked at Lois like she was crazy, but she didn’t budge. She stared at me, waiting for an answer with her arms folded across her chest.
“Once, when we first started talking.” I thought back on when Jade told me I ghosted her. It immediately brought a smile to my face because even though it wasn’t that long ago it felt like ages. I was so obsessed with this woman that I couldn’t imagine not talking to her for any period. Somehow the sun rose and fell with her smile in my life. Her happiness and contentment had become something I held close to my heart.
“And what was her reaction?”
“Course she didn’t appreciate it. She said we should come up with a code word that I’d say or send to her when I felt the need to step away.” More laughter escaped my lips at the thought because I wouldn’t dream of it.
Lois chuckled. “A code word, huh?”
I nodded.
“That’s cute. And she’s good with Aja?”
“Of course she is.”
“Then don’t fuck this up, jarhead. And please snag my wife an invite to the opening of her new shop. Because if I have to hear her talk about those damn shoes Jade wore one more time…” Lois grilled me momentarily before she turned on her feet to leave.
