Page 20 of My Brother's Keeper
He licked his lips as he glanced around. “Ya-ya—”
“Ok, Alyse, we see you! You’re not a square after all,” girls from Blue Reign said as they passed by.
I turned to glance back at him.
Why do you let them talk to you like that?
I knew they had fucked it up for me, and there was no way he was going to speak, but I had an idea. “Follow me,” I told him.
I rushed over to my car, hopped in, and took off, with him following behind me on his bike. It took about ten minutes for me to get to my apartment. He followed behind me as we walked through the luxurious courtyard. Once we made it to my door, he tapped my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I live alone,” I told him.
He nodded, as we entered my place. I could see him looking around. He went to sign, and I stopped him. “Here you will speak. Out there, you get a pass, but here in my space, we talk to each other, deal?”
I could see him contemplating. “Jalen, what did you tell me?” I paused before I started to sign.
You and me. No one else.
I could see his eyes close, then open. “O-o-o—”
I placed my hand on his.“Slow down and breathe.”
“O-o-kuh-kay.”
So, there it was, he stuttered. However, the way he sounded in my dream was just the same, with a deflection. I smiled. “Why are you so afraid to speak?”
Eyes close. Eyes open. “Puh-p-puh-people du-du-ddd-don’t hu-hu-hu-hu—”
“Slow down.”
“Have pa-pay-pu-pu-patience.”
I nodded. “Well, I have the patience. You can talk to me.” I smiled. “I have dance practice, and it’s about three hours. How long do you plan to be around? I want to spend some time with you.”
I will stick around.
I threw my hand on my hip. “Talk.”
He ran his hand down his face. “I-I-I’m here f-f-f-for as la-la long as yo-yo,” he paused in frustration.
I gripped his sweater, bringing him closer as my head tilted up to look at him. “I’m not here to judge you, but if you want us to have anything, I expect you to try. Take your time.”
“You wa-wa-want me,” he finally got out.
I could see relief in his eyes. He stroked my hair as he leaned forward and did the unexpected; he kissed me, and I melted. His soft lips and gentle touch were everything. I just hoped that when I told him I was a virgin, it wouldn’t change anything.
SYMPHONY
“Hi, Daddy,” I said as I kissed his forehead.
I decided to come and check on him today after having that conversation with Mison. To know your parents were no longer around made my heart ache, and the thought of me losing my mother or father terrified me. I mean, Daddy wasn’t the same, but at this point, I would accept any condition he was in.
Samantha moved around his room gathering things for his bath as I sat beside him. She was his daytime nurse. He needed around-the-clock care, so when my mother or I were too busy, we always made sure someone was there. Luckily, Daddy had invested his money well, so we had enough to pay for the best nurses in the city.
My father’s ability to do anything was barely there. The most he did was gaze around the room, twiddle his good fingers, and stroke his salt and pepper hair from time to time.
Seeing him was a constant reminder of that night. I grabbed his hand to get him to look at me. When he did, his eyes landed on my neck, and I knew that night replayed in his head as well. I gave him a weak smile as I touched the space my necklace used to be. “I know, Daddy, I miss it too. Grandma spared us. She was our angel that night,” I muttered. “So, we should be grateful.”
I could see a tear slide down his face. I didn’t want to get emotional in front of him, so I did my best to keep it together. Kareem fucked up our world, and I hated him for it. I hated him so much that I wanted to go to jail just to spit in his fucking face. I shot up from the chair, causing my father to jump. I kissed my daddy’s forehead. I had someone I needed to see.
