Page 10 of Mr. Right Now
“Have a seat and we can talk a little before your parents get here.” Instead of sitting behind her desk, she sat with them in the area she’d reconfigured that had comfortable chairs arranged in a circle. “Juneteenth was originally celebrated in Texas, when the enslaved were finally told they were free. The thing is, it was over two years after President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing them.”
“That’s whack. What took so long for them to find out?”
“Let’s just say those in power decided to keep the free labor going,” she answered. Jayana opened her mouth to say something else, but went still when Dante appeared. “Hey. Come join us.”
“I don’t want to interrupt your session,” Dante said.
She stood and patted the chair she’d vacated. “It’s not a session. They’re asking about Juneteenth. You can sit here.”
The students called out, “Yeah, come on, Mr. Powell,” and “We want you to come in.”
Dante smiled and took the seat she offered.
“Ms. Cole told us it took two years for Texas to find out slavery was over,” Travis said. “Then they started the celebration called Juneteenth.”
“Did they do Juneteenth in LA, too?” Kira, another student asked.
Dante shook his head. “Not initially. Here in LA, they celebrated Emancipation Day, usually on New Year’s Day. One of the earliest documented celebrations was listed in the Los Angeles Herald in, I think 1874 on New Year’s Eve. That year they had a dinner and dance. There wasn’t a huge African American population here at that time, so most of the gatherings were centered around the church and featured speeches from former slaves. It wasn’t until a large number of people, as part of the Great Migration, came to Southern California from Texas did Juneteenth become popular.”
Jayana didn’t know who was more captivated as he spoke, her or the students. Dante’s knowledge about LA’s Black history had her wanting to grab a notebook and pen to take notes.
The receptionist stuck her head in the door. “So this is where you all are. Your parents are here, guys.”
A chorus of “aww” sounded.
Dante stood. “You’ll be back tomorrow, so we have plenty of time to talk. But it might be better if you researched it on your own in the computer room,” he added. He gave each student a fist bump as they trudged out, clearly not ready to leave.
After a round of goodbyes, only Jayana and Dante remained in the office. Jayana said, “That was amazing. I felt like I was in class. You really should think about teaching.”
He chuckled. “Nah, I’ll leave that to the real educators. You weren’t too bad yourself.”
“I love talking with them. They ask about a million questions, but they’re great kids and I know they’re going to go far.”
“That’s the reason I started this program. I want them to have every opportunity to succeed in whatever career they decide.”
They stood staring at each other for a lengthy moment. “So did you need to talk to me about something?”
“Just wanted to check on you, see how things are going, and find out if you needed anything.”
“No complaints so far.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Are you planning to stay late tonight?”
Jayana smiled and went to her desk to start packing up. “Nope. I’m actually leaving on time. What about you?”
“Same. Would you like to go out to dinner?”
She paused placing her laptop in her tote. “As in a date?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “You can call it that if you like.”
A part of her was ready to shout,hell yeah!But the conversation she’d had with herself and with Karina about wanting more from a relationship made her hesitate. She angled her head. “Is this about you wanting another night of sex?”
Dante chuckled. “I’d be lying if I said the possibility of sharing another night of passion with you hasn’t crossed my mind, but no. That’s not what this is about. Last week you told me to let you know when I was ready to accept that there’s something going on between us.” He shrugged. “I want to get to know you, Jayana. That’s all. For now, anyway. I can’t promise that I won’t kiss you, though.”
“That’s good because I kind of like your kisses. And I’d love to have dinner with you. What do you have a taste for?”
His brow lifted. “You keep asking questions like that and dinner will be the last thing Itaste.”
