Page 111 of The Prodigy

“It’s not. At least, not right now.”

He laughed as I walked toward him. He looked better, almost good as new. It had been almost a week since the shooting, and you’d never know he was hurt from looking at him. I saw his wound every day when I changed the dressing for him, but beyond that, he was the same Jakari. His spirits were high.

“Look.”

I wiggled my nails in his face. He leaned back a bit to get a look.

“That’s your name.”

“I see that,” he said proudly. “They look good.”

“And…,” I held up my new driver’s license with my other hand. Jakari peered at it, his smile growing bigger by the second.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Windermere. You stuck with a nigga for life.”

I laughed at that. “Maybe, maybe not. We haven’t talked about that.”

“Let’s talk about it, then.”

I reared back. “Oh. I wasn’t—”

“Nah, let’s talk. I wanna know where your head is at.” He patted the bed next to him and I took a seat.

“Well, my head is all over the place,” I said. “I mean, look at how we started. You know?”

He nodded.

“I didn’t even tell you what my daddy said.”

“I mean, to keep it a buck, I don’t really give a fuck what that nigga has to say. I know that’s your pops, but it don’t seem like he did what he was supposed to do.”

“I can see how it might look that way—”

“Ain’t no look. He didn’t work, he didn’t look for your mama when she left, he ain’t have no motherfucking smoke for the nigga that forced himself on you. What am I supposed to feel for his ass? Not respect, I know that.”

“I hear you.”

“Good. I ain’t gotta meet him. We ain’t gotta have no kinda relationship. I’m good on him.”

“Okay, then.” I was quiet, letting that sink in. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

“You mad at me cuz I said that?” Jakari asked.

“No. I get it. I just wish things were different.”

“My daddy used to say, you can either wish for a life that don’t exist or you can move according the life you got.”

I nodded. “Your daddy was a wise man.”

“Yeah. It depends on the subject, though. He had his faults, believe me.” He sighed. “Anyway, where your head at, Malika? What’s the deal?”

“As smart as you are with everything else, you can’t figure out where my head is at?”

“I asked, didn’t I?” he said with a grin.

“I changed my name, Jakari. I still live here with you, away from my sister and my nephew, who I love. I never told a soul what I saw that night. And I never will. Because I got you. I’ma ride for you for as long as you need me to. I’m in this. I don’t even know when it happened, but I don’t feel like your prisoner anymore. I feel like your wife.” I paused to catch my breath. “I can’t believe I just told you all that.”

“I appreciate your honesty.”

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