“Hey, you were great,” he says. “I hope you’ll come back and do it again.”
“Thank you,” I reply. “I will”
The manager hands me a check, which I gladly take. With that, I keep on going right out the door. Sha’quan points me in the direction of the car, and we walk that way.
“Hey, you killed both shows tonight,” he says. “For real, you were great.”
“Thanks, bae. I tried to be.”
“So, what’re we gonna do now?”
“I don’t know. Whatchu thinking?”
“Well, I was kinda thinking about how we ain’t really been on a real date. We’ve basically been kicking it at the Coffee Cat and our places. I know it’s late, but I was thinking maybe we can go do something like a real date.”
I smile and say, “So you’re asking me out on a date?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re gonna wait until we basically live together to ask me out?”
“Ay, I know the shit’s backward, but better late than never.”
“Okay. I would love to.”
“Cool. Imma take you somewhere nice.”
“Don’t take me where you be taking yo hoes.”
“Man, chill with that. But now that you mention it, I might have to change plans…I’m just playing—I got you.”
We get to the car, and he opens my door to let me in. There he goes with that gentleman shit again. I gotta admit I love that shit though. I think to myself, Should I hold out tonight since this technically gonna be our first date? Man, fuck that shit! It’s too late for that anyway. Depending on where he takes me, his ass is mine.
We ride off down the street, and I put on some music. I can tell Sha’quan is vibing to it. He’s nodding his head along. Then, he reaches over and puts his hand on my thigh. I grab his hand in mine, and we just hold hands as he drives down the way. I’m tryna see where he’s taking me. I hope he doesn’t fuck up the mood.
He turns off and starts going through a bunch of side streets. I don’t know where the hell he going, and I start drifting off to the music, singing along and looking out the window at the night sky. It’s real pretty tonight.
Before I know it, we’re slowing to a stop. I look at the building we pull up to, and it’s some place I ain’t never seen before. Sha’quan parks, cuts the car off, and gets out. I’m still looking, tryna figure out where we’re at. I think we’re somewhere over by Johns Hopkins or something, in one of those real nice neighborhoods. Sha’quan comes around to my side and opens the door so I can get out, so I take his hand and climb out.
“What is this?”
“You’ll see.”
We walk inside, and my mouth damn near drops. It is beautiful up in here, like some fancy place with table cloths and art and shit. I start feeling special, like a princess, as Sha’quan guides me inside.
I guess he knows the host dude, because they speak to each other, as Sha’quan asks, “Hey man, do you think we can fit in?”
Dude nods and says, “Yeah, it’s not busy tonight.”
We follow him back to a table, and he sets us down some menus. Sha’quan pulls out the chair, and I sit down. He walks around and takes the other seat. I look around at the whole ambiance, and I’m impressed. I feel underdressed, but it’s cool because it’s kinda dim in here. There ain’t really that many people.
“This place is nice,” I say to Sha’quan. “How’d you know about it?”
“One of my dudes I went to culinary school with works in the kitchen here. I started coming over here after he started. I love this place. I usually don’t really bring chicks in here like that.”
“So, who’d you come up in here with then?”
“My mama. My lil’ sister sometimes. A couple other people. Nobody I’m really kicking it with.”
“I didn’t know you had a lil’ sister.”
“Yeah, Shaquana. I got some years on her.”
“Oh wow! Sha’quan and Shaquana, huh?”
“Yeah, my mama’s mad corny for that shit.”
“Ha ha! It’s cute. So, I guess I must be special to get this treatment, huh?”
“Must be.”
I smile and look at the menu. I don’t even know what half of this shit is. Then, I see the prices, and I frown. Gahdamn! It’s high as hell up in here. Sha’quan sees my expression and starts laughing.
“Stop looking like that, shorty. I got it. Just find yourself something to drink. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“You ain’t gotta break the bank on me. I know you just cleared your savings.”
“Chill, I got it. Imma take care of everything for us.”
“Oh, you’re gonna order for me?”
“Imma order for us.”
“You think you know what I like?”
“I know what you like. Me.”
“Boy, shut up!”
“Naw, but for real, I got it. I like this place so much because they got a tasting menu. I don’t get to eat that many delicacies and shit on the regular, so I come up in here and taste their shit. Imma hook us up. You’re gonna love it.”
“Aight then. Well, I guess I’ll get myself a lil’ girly drink.”
“Whatever, man.”
“Don’t be tryna get me drunk so you can take advantage.”
“I ain’t gotta get you drunk for that.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“Anyway, Imma get me a Mai Tai. I ain’t had one in a while. Whatchu getting?”
“I dunno. I’m thinking about getting one of these dope-ass wines outta here. That shit’s good as hell. Even if you don’t like wine, you’re gonna like this shit. Plus, Imma get me a lil’ Italian Crown, or just a straight Crown Royal Apple on the rocks.”
“Oh, you’re tryna get down with the Crown tonight?”
“Ay, shit, we’re out. Might as well.”
“Okay, I see you.”
“Plus, we got one more stop to make.”
“Where we going?”
“Mind yo business.”
“Whatever Sha’quan. It better not be anywhere crazy.”
“It’s the strip club.”
“Quit playing with me!”
“Nah, I got it. Trust me. Imma make it a good night.”
“Aight, I trust you.”
And I meant it. Somehow, I did trust Sha’quan, even with everything that was going on. I’d been with other guys before, but it's different with him. Like, special. He can be a bit of an asshole, but he always takes care of me though. That's what I love about him.
The waiter comes over and takes our drink orders. We start talking about random shit; our childhoods, school, past relationships, joking around and whatnot. It’s actually really nice. We get our drinks, and Sha’quan has me taste the wine. I don’t even like wine, but it’s good as hell.
Shortly after, the waiter brings out this platter with all kinds of shit on it. It’s like some kinda meat wrapped in bacon, somethin that looks like sushi, and different stuff I’ve never seen before. Sha’quan tells me to just try everything. I start tasting and a lot of the stuff tastes good. It’s like quail, lobster tail, lamb, kale and shit. It's tasty. There’s one nasty-looking thing that I don't try. It looks all slimy and shit.
Sha’quan says, “It's octopus.”
Oh, hell naw. He slurps the shit up, and I’m disgusted. We laugh, drink, eat, and talk. It's like the best date I’ve ever been on.
Finally, the waiter brings the check. I take a peak, and it's not as bad as I thought. It's like a hundred dollars, including the dessert Sha’quan ordered.
He pays in cash and leaves a tip before we split. We go back out and get in the car.
I completely forget he said we were going somewhere else until he starts riding round the opposite direction of home. It’s like he’s got something he want me to see. At this point, I got a nice lil’ buzz going, so I just sit back and enjoy the ride.
He pulls over at like a woodsy area and tells me
to get out. I'm looking around as I do, and I'm like, Where the hell he got me at?
We walk around some trees and make it to this huge body of water. It’s beautiful. The moon shining on the water, and the trees look all nice. It's like a painting. It’s a lil’ chilly, so I put my arms around myself. Sha’quan comes up behind me and puts his arms around me, too. We just stand there looking for a while.
Sha’quan whispers in my ear, “I come here sometimes just to chill and think. It’s like my special place.”
We stand there for a while longer, then he takes my hand and leads me back to the car. I fall asleep on the way home, and he wakes me when we get there.
We go up to his place and get comfortable. I know there’s a lot going on, but right now none of that shit matters. I’m just glad to be with him. It feels like a dream, and I just grab hold of him and kiss him with all my might. I want to show him what he means to me. Plus, I'm a lil’ drunk, so I'm on some other shit. I must be drunker than I think because before I know it, I’m naked and Sha’quan and I going at it on the bed. I can be some freak shit when I’m drunk, so I throw my ass up in the air and tell him to fuck me.
I don't have tell him twice. He stops to put on a condom—I guess he ain’t tryna have no more scares with babies. He then comes up behind me, grabs my ass, and slowly slides himself into me. It takes a lil’ adjustment, but after a few strokes the shit starts feeling good.
Sha’quan starts to quiver and shake. I guess it's too much for him. He slows to a stop behind me and I hear him pop the condom off. I turn over to lay on my back. He looks over at me.
“Should I put on another one?” he asks.
“Hell yeah!”
We both laugh, and he grabs another. I watch him in the glow from the streetlight and admire him. This is one fine motherfucka! His muscles are all well-defined and shit. Then there’s that shiny bald head and that handsome face. He looks over and sees me watching and gives me a sexy smile as he gets back in the bed.
We make love and forget about all our problems. Somehow, it’s just understood that we’re gonna make it a good night and deal with the other shit when we’ve got to. We keep going until we’re exhausted, then we cuddle up and go to sleep.
The next morning, over breakfast, we decide to just forget about the test for right now and just enjoy each other. We pretty much decided we’re moving in together, though I'm still holding out for the results so I know for sure. He respects that, which is cool. We really just take the time to hang out and get to know each other. It’s cool that we work together, so we got the time to do it. Over lunch, he tells me about his crazy ex, Shaniqua. He says they used to live together like three years ago, and she never got over it. I tell him about my ex, Rodney, who tries to pop up on me every now and again, and this dude D’Anthony I keep on standby. It’s cool to be open and honest with each other.
At the same time, I’m still working on my music, tryna make sure I have some heat to catch people’s ears. I'm thinking maybe I should try and put together a mixtape, but then I'll have to figure out the studio. I used to just go to this one by Morgan State, but me and dude fooled around. Once it was over, I stopped. I'm thinking all this, but I’m still just really into Sha’quan. The more time we spend, the more I feel like we could really work, like he could really be the one.
After work, we go have a drink at this intimate lil’ spot with live music. It’s kinda nice to enjoy a performance from the audience. It’s a nice mix of Jazz, Soul, and a touch of Hip hop. We sip our drinks and whisper funny things back and forth, then we leave so Sha’quan can make me dinner. He went to the store and got a bunch of shit. I'm just sitting in the kitchen, watching in amazement as he moves around. He really has a gift. It reminds me of his dream to have his own restaurant. It’s gonna be so cool to get to see that someday.
He makes this bomb-ass stuffed steak with some macaroni and cheese, his famous cornbread, and a vegetable medley. The shit is so good I'm damn near licking the plate. By the time we drink some wine and have some cheesecake for dessert, I'm stuffed. We take a shower together then lay in the bed and watch TV. I guess I fall asleep because the next thing I know, the alarm is going off. It's my day off, leading up to the performance tonight, so I just kinda lay there.
I can feel Sha waking up in more ways than one. I smile to myself, but I don't move. He starts kissing on my neck and shit. I act like I'm still sleep. He keeps going, rubbing all up on me and grinding on my ass.
“C’mon, boy,” I whisper. “You gotta go to work.”
“I'll be late,” he whispers back.
I turn over to face him, and we start getting into it and shit, then his phone goes off. He ignores it. It goes off again. He’s still ignoring it, tryna make his way inside me. The third time, I stop and say, “Maybe you should get that.”
He sighs and rolls over to look and see who it is. When he sees, he sits up quick and puts his ear to the phone.
I'm thinking, Who the fuck is that?
I hear him say, “What’s wrong?”
There’s a pause as he listens to the other side. I can hear a woman’s voice yelling. Here we go again, I think, as I start getting pissed. He starts stammering and shit like, “I'm sorry…I’ve been busy…no, I don't mean it like that…I just…there’s been a lot going on…No, I'm sorry…I miss you…”
I'm getting madder and madder until I hear him laugh and say, “Aight, Ma. Damn, I'm sorry...I know, I'm a bad son…Imma be over there in the next few days. Ma…Yeah, naw for real! I actually got somebody I want you to meet…yeah, a girl…Whatever, Ma, I'll call you back and let you know…C’mon man, I promise…I love you, too.” He hangs up the phone shaking his head. He turns to me and goes, “My mama’s getting on me because she ain't heard from me. I ain't been by to see her.”
“When was the last time you’ve seen her?”
“I think the day after I ran into you again I went over there to fix something.”
“Damn! It ain't because of me is it?”
“Kinda, but not really. I’ve just been on other shit. I kinda feel like waiting until I get the test results, but my mama will bring her ass over here looking for me. You do wanna meet her, right? “
“Of course.”
“Cool, well, I guess that stops our lil’ fun. I better go shower and get ready. Unless you’re still feeling it…”
“Go shower, boy!”
He leans over to gimme a kiss, then heads for the bathroom. I lay back down and think about everything happening between us. Now I'm gonna meet his mother. This shit is real. He's already met my mama, and my mama liked him.
Hopefully his will like me.
I'm just happy right now. I don't have everything I want yet, but I’m on my way.
Or should I say, we’re on our way.
Five
Sha’Quan
I had to laugh when my mama called like, “Damn!”
I didn’t mean to, it's just that ever since Neeci came into the picture, it’s been about her and work. It ain’t no excuse; I gotta go see about my mama. I usually talk to her every week and see her at least every other week. That's why she called hollering at me because she was worried. It’s cool, her and Quana can meet Neeci.
I already know I'm not gonna tell ‘em about this baby shit. Imma just gonna wait for the results, and if I gotta tell ‘em, then I will.
I go on head and get ready for work. I'm tryna decide whether I should wake Neeci up for a ride, but I just decide to take the bus and let her rest. I want to get myself a lil’ something to eat from the kitchen and then tip back in the room to get my shit to go. When I come back in, I see Neeci getting ready.
I say, “Whatchu doin’?”
“Getting ready to take you to work,” she says. “You ready?”
“You don’t have to get up. I coulda just took the bus.”
“You don’t gotta do that. I would let you take the car, but then you would have to come back and get me for tonight. I'll take you; it's cool.
”
I'm glad because I really didn’t wanna deal with that bus. I grab my stuff, and we head out for the car. As always, Neeci’s gotta set her music up before we go anywhere. I just sit back and wait. It's cool because she always puts some good shit on. She turns up some James Brown and drives off. It’s a nice jolt to start the day. I start dancing around in my seat real crazy to make her laugh. She giggles and tries to keep her eyes on the road. Then, I give her my performance of “This Is a Man’s World”, just playing around.
When I finish she says, “Alright nah! That wasn’t half bad.”
“I know this. I'm a man of many talents.”
“Ha ha! I see. You gotta nice lil’ voice. I might have to put you on my album.”
“We can be the next Ashford and Simpson.”
We laugh as we pull up to the Coffee Cat Club. When we get there, I lean over and give her a big kiss before I get out. We say our goodbyes, and I get ready to go inside.
I see a group of chicks, one I used to mess with, looking. They’re probably tripping because I'm all boo’d up and shit, but I don't give a fuck. It is what it is. I just go in and get to work.
The day is pretty busy, so I barely have time to think. By the time I look up to see about taking a break, it’s about time for Neeci’s performance. I finish what I'm doing and let Juan know I'm done, then I slip out of the kitchen to look for Neeci.
I don't have to look too long. I just follow the eyes of just about every nigga in here. Neeci is standing over at a table, looking better than a motherfucka. Like wow! She got on this lil’ dress showing off all her curves, but still leaving something to the imagination. The color looks damn good on her, her skin is all shiny, and her hair looks great. I walk towards her, enjoying the view. In my head I’m thinking, This is my girl! Damn, I'm a lucky man.
As I get closer, I realize her friend and cousin came back to see her. I walk up, put my hand on her lower back, and kiss her cheek. She jumps, but then she looks up and smiles when she sees it’s me. She re-introduces me to her people, and I shake their hands.
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