by Kiki Swinson
“Just figured you might have better things to do than remember lil old me.” He chuckled softly.
“Ha ha,” I said playfully.
“So I’ve been wondering. What is it you like to do for fun?”
That question caught me off guard. I would have expected him to just ask me out on a date. He didn’t strike me as the kind of guy to beat around the bush. In that moment I realized no one that I had ever been out with had asked me that before. Normally, it was just a straight invite to dinner. I was puzzled but intrigued. And there was something that I absolutely loved to do. I was no good at it but enjoyed it very much. “I like to bowl,” I revealed.
“Bowling.” He repeated as if he was surprised.
“What, are you shocked?” I ask.
“Nah . . . Bowling is good. How about you let me take you out for a night of bowling? Then maybe dinner after?”
The offer sounded good, but I hadn’t been out on a date in a minute. Since Kenneth’s death, my focus really had been Ma and work. Anything else simply was not important. But for some reason, I didn’t want to tell him no. “Sure. I’m down.”
“Cool. So I’ll pick you up.” Now that was a no. There was no way I was telling him where I lived. For one, Ma would be asking questions, and for two, I didn’t know his ass like that. Niggas be getting too comfortable too quick. “How about I’ll meet you at the bowling alley. Then I can follow behind you for dinner.”
The few seconds of silence that followed confirmed that he was reluctant to accept my response. “That’s cool. When are you free?” I’m glad he decided not to try and convince me otherwise, because I probably would have canceled the whole date.
“Friday. I get off at three and I’m free for the rest of the day.”
“One hundred. Text me the time and bowling alley and I’ll be there.”
* * *
Three short weeks later, Reginald and I had been on four dates. It was safe to say that we were inseparable. He turned out to be cool people. And he let me beat him at bowling. That was his first key to my good graces. Hanging out with him, I actually had a good time. I had started to anticipate his phone calls and texts during the day while I was working. Hanging out with him gave me a reason to really say no when they asked me to come in on my days off or stay longer. Tonight had been my night to close up after a full twelve-hour day, but I didn’t care. As soon as I got off, I went home, took a shower, jumped in my car, and headed straight to Zeke’s Bar & Grill, where I had agreed to meet Reginald for appetizers and drinks. I still had not allowed him to pick me up at home yet. I wasn’t ready for that. But I had to admit I was falling for him.
“So how was work?” he asked. We were sharing an order of chili cheese fries.
“Busy.” That was the only way I knew to describe it. One customer after the next. But I didn’t want to talk about my job, so I switched up the conversation. “What’d you do all day?”
“You know me. All work, no play.” He popped a fry in his mouth.
“Here you go with that again,” I joked. We hadn’t really talked a lot about him and what he did because mainly we were having fun. The only reason he knew I worked at the bank was because they kept blowing me up on one of our dates.
Reginald’s smile suddenly faded. Chewing on the fry I had just put in my mouth, I became concerned. “What’s the matter?” I swallowed.
“I’m good.” He paused. He said he was good but I wondered if that was the truth, because that solemn look was still all over his face. “Porsha, the last couple of weeks that we been kickin’ it been cool. I have enjoyed every moment we were together.”
I was really worried now. I guess this was when he was going to tell me that he had children and probably a damn wife. I braced myself because he would get a piece of me that he did not know existed because I was not interested in being no nigga mistress. I guess apprehension was written all over my face as he reached for my hands. I kept it cute and politely moved them out of his reach.
He sat straight up in his seat. “With us getting closer, I wanted to lay it all out for you. Be straight up and tell you who I am.”
I was growing impatient. “Reginald, just say it.”
“Well, for starters, Game is my street name.” He paused. “I’m a hustler, a dealer in the streets. And I ain’t no lightweight.” He paused again. “I wanted to tell you so that you could hear it from me and not in these streets. A lot of people know who I am even though I try to keep myself low key. But these streets have fame, even when you don’t want it. Unfortunately, I have it.”
Still I remained quiet. I had to allow everything he had just said to me to soak in. And once it did my heart began to break slowly. I was disappointed. He was living the same life as my brother Kenneth. A life of uncertainty. The streets were dangerous, and no one understood that better than me, now. Losing Kenneth had been the worst eye opener. And a deal breaker for Reginald and me. “I’m glad you told me. Honesty is always key.” I gave him a weak smile. “But all I can think about is my brother. His name was Kenneth and he was in the streets. Kenneth . . . was murdered about two years ago. Fast money, you know.”
“I’m sorry about that.” The look on his face was sincere.
A single tear slid down my left cheek. “No, I’m sorry. Sorry it has to be like this . . . And I wish you the best.” I stood to leave.
“Wait, what you sayin’?” Again he reached for my hands, but I moved them to my sides.
“I gotta go, Reginald . . . Game . . . whatever it is.” I walked away without looking back. And just like that, my life was back to its norm.
* * *
The days and weeks had slowly crept by since I had walked out of the restaurant and away from Game. All his calls to me had gone unanswered. I had considered blocking him several times but never did. As much as I hated to admit it, I missed him so much. We had only gone out for a few short weeks, but it felt like I had known him for years. In one of my weaker moments I had actually picked up the phone and almost called him. Thank God I quickly came to my senses and hung up. Cutting him off had been the correct choice. I owned that.
Today Sasha was forcing me out of the house to pamper myself. Briana had gone out of town to assist her cousin at a hair show. They had invited me since I was off, but I was just not feeling it. I didn’t want to do anything. And when Sasha called me up for a day of pampering, I had immediately said no. All I wanted to do on my two days off was sit in the house, order takeout, and pout. But Sasha wouldn’t take no for answer. I had ignored several of her calls. Soon she was at my door.
“Get the door, Ma,” I yelled from my room. Reaching on top of my dresser, I grabbed my one and only pair of Guess shades. I loved them so much. I only had the one pair because I couldn’t afford to waste my money on designer things. I had to save for school, if and when I ever returned.
“Well, who is this beautiful young lady?” Ma was bent down on one knee when I entered the living room, cooing over Rein. She was a cutie. With curly brown hair and big deep dish eyes, she could break anybody’s heart. Smiling back at Ma, Rein showed all of her teeth.
“This is Rein,” Sasha announced proudly. Briana and I had already met her weeks ago, but this was Ma’s first time. In fact, I had only told her a few days ago that Sasha had a child.
“Hi, Rein.” Ma touched one of her natural curls. Rein continued to giggle.
“Ain’t she beautiful Ma?” I smiled.
“Adorable,” Ma agreed. Then she reached down to pick her up. Rein fell into her arms.
“Wow, you must have the magic touch. She never goes to anyone that she doesn’t know,” Sasha said.
“Tell me about it. She had a fit when Briana and I tried to hug her the first time we met,” I shared.
“Right.” Sasha laughed. “And that is usually her response when she first meets anyone.”
“Well, Ma does have that magic touch,” I add. “A’ight, Ma, give Rein up. We gotta get goin’,” I said, looking at the time on
my phone. I knew we had a time to keep because Sasha had made appointments.
“Yeah, sorry, Ms. Jennifer.” Sasha also checked the time on her phone. “I gotta drop Rein off at her sitter.”
“Wait, no. You can leave this sweetie pie right here with me. She’ll be fine.”
“Ma, she probably won’t want to stay.” I slid my shades on.
“She’ll probably break out screaming when I walk out the door,” Sasha added with certainty in her tone.
“Nonsense. She’ll love being here.” Ma smiled with confidence.
“Maybe next time. We’ll come by and hang out soon, then she’ll get to know you.”
“All right. Bye, my Rein.” Ma smiled at Rein. I knew she didn’t want to give her up.
Sasha reached for Rein, who started crying. Ma smiled. “See, I told you. This is my Rein and she wants to stay. You two go ahead and have fun. No rush. Rein and I will be fine.”
Sasha grinned. “All right, we out then. Let’s go, Porsha.” Sasha walked slow, looking behind her, waiting on Rein to cry, but she never did.
* * *
“Yo, what’s up with you?” Sasha asked while our feet soaked.
“Nothin’, I’m good. How many times do I need to say it?” I tried to be convincing.
“Girl, no, you are not. I know we ain’t been tight since high school, but we were best friends for years. Point is I still know you, Porsha. And you need to be honest with yourself.” I started to protest, but no words came. “Listen, you can’t miss out on happiness because you are afraid. Game does what he does, and that’s that. It’s for him to keep himself safe, and I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. Besides, he has workers. It ain’t like he out there on the grit, right? You did say he was the man,” she reminded me.
I nodded in agreement. All she said was true.
“All right then. Do what makes you happy and follow your heart. Leave the rest of that shit to the wind. I would.” I guess that was her terms of endearment. I pushed the whole Game issue to the side, though, so I could enjoy the rest of the day. And I did.
But later that night, lying in bed, praying for sleep to find me, Sasha’s words follow your heart kept running through my mind. I considered the good and the bad of doing that. Would it be at some horrible cost? Or was I overreacting? My mind was made up.
“Hey, Reginald, or should I call you Game?”
CHAPTER 9
Being back with Game for the past few weeks had been great, and I was excited about all the fun we were having. I told myself I would not think about his lifestyle; that way it wouldn’t affect our relationship. I knew that would be difficult, but I was still willing to give it a try. There was something I had to do, though, that was most important, and that was introduce him to Ma. I wouldn’t be able to keep it from her much longer that I was dating. So earlier, while on a short, much-needed break, I called him up and invited him over to the house for dinner. I worried that he might come up with an excuse so that he would not have to come, but he made it clear that it was cool.
Originally my plan was to cook myself, but when I called Ma up and told her I had invited someone over for dinner that I wanted her to meet, to my amazement she jumped at the chance to do it. In fact, I was so stunned I didn’t ask any questions. I would just allow her to do her thing. Rushing home after work, I jumped in the shower and then got dressed. Picking up my cell phone, I noticed it was time for him to arrive. Tossing my phone onto my bed, I picked up my MAC lip gloss and spread it on. I prayed he wouldn’t be late. I didn’t want Ma to have any reason to dislike him. Right now she was touchy about anything that involved me. I was all she had left in the world. The knocking on the door sent my heart speed racing. I really wanted this to go well. Putting the lip gloss down, I yelled to Ma that I would get the door.
I wanted to contain the grin that spread across my face as I opened the door, but seeing how fine he looked, I couldn’t resist. “Hey,” sweetly fell off my lips.
“Hey, sexy.” He smiled. Stepping inside, he instantly pulled me into a hug. He felt so good. I laid my head back and allowed him to kiss me.
“Mmmm, I have been waiting on that all day.”
I blushed. “Are you ready?” I looked him in the eyes. I needed him to take this seriously.
“Yeah, I can’t wait to meet your mom.” I started laughing so hard. “Why are you laughing?” He was curious.
“Listen, Jennifer ain’t no cakewalk. She don’t play when it comes to her kids. And please, if you want to play the son card, call her Ma, not Mom.” I gave him a heads-up. She hated being called mom. She said it made her feel old.
“Got it. Ma, not Mom,” he repeated. “No worries. I got this.” For his sake I hoped that he did. “Food smells good.”
“And it will be. Ma can burn in the kitchen,” I said just as Ma descended from the kitchen. The look on her face was serious. She gave Game full eye contact. I grabbed his right hand and pulled him alongside me. “Ma, this is Reginald Shaw. Reginald, this is my mother, Jennifer Moore.”
Game didn’t seem the least bit nervous as he reached out for Ma’s hand. “Nice to finally meet you, Ms. Moore.” I cringed. Strike one. I’d told him to call her Jennifer. But Ma didn’t seem fazed. Maybe she was giving him a pass.
“Likewise. And, Reginald, call me Jennifer.” Surprisingly, the serious look had faded from her face. No smile was there either, but a bit of softness appeared. I could breathe now. “I hope you brought your appetite, dinner is ready.”
At the dinner table Ma had the food spread out like a feast. Cabbage greens, corn on the cob, lasagna, and Texas toast garlic bread. I couldn’t remember the last time she had cooked a meal like this. I wasn’t really hungry until I saw all the food. Game’s face lit up at the sight of the table. We all sat down.
“Ms. M . . .” Game paused. He had almost called Ma Ms. Moore. I chuckled. “Jennifer, this food looks delicious.”
“Thank you. You like sweet tea?” she asked him.
“Yes, one of my favorites.”
“Good.” Pushing her chair back, Ma disappeared into the kitchen, then returned with a huge container of her delicious sweet tea. It was about to go down. Had I known she was gon’ go all out like this, I would have been invited him over long before. Soon all our plates were full of food. Especially Game’s—he was not shy about smashing.
“Are you from around here, Reginald?” Ma asked before sipping her tea.
“Yes, born and raised in East Oakland.”
“Okay . . . So what are your plans with Porsha?” She jumped right in, not wasting any time. I was so embarrassed I couldn’t even look at him. I stuffed my mouth with cabbage.
Game had food in his mouth, so he finished chewing. He glanced at me briefly, then at Ma. She sat with her eyes locked on him, not eating anything. “Well, I want to continue to get to know her like we have been doing since we met. And I want to make and keep her happy.”
I could feel his eyes on me again. Slowly I returned the gaze with a smile.
“I guess some of that sounds okay. But . . . I don’t know. I don’t know if she’s told you yet. Porsha has plans. And she needs to stick to them.” She looked at me. “For her to do that, she needs to be focused.”
“She has told me about her plans for school. And I don’t want you to worry. I support her one hundred and ten percent.”
“I’m not going to forget my plans, Ma. I told you already, everything is going to work out.” The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint her. Losing Kenneth was the last bit of hurt I ever wanted her to experience.
“I’m glad to know that you support her, Reginald. I’ll hold you to that.” She bit into her corn on the cob, the first bite of food she had taken since we had our plates in front of us. I knew that meant she was satisfied with his answers. The rest of the dinner turned out good. Once we were done, we both offered to help Ma clean the kitchen, but she refused.
And since she refused to allow us to help, we decided to head out to mee
t up with Briana and Sasha for drinks so that I could officially introduce them. Jumping in Game’s black on black Mercedes-Benz SL, we stabbed out. Oh, the luxury of his car; the seats made me feel as if I were floating. I never wanted to leave his car.
Reaching over and softly placing his hand over mine, Game said, “See, I told you not to worry. Your mother adores me.” He grinned.
“Adore. That’s a mighty conceited word.” I laughed. “I mean you a’ight.”
“Don’t be jealous. She likes you too.” He chuckled.
“Whatever, I am the one she adores.” I smiled. “But real talk, I think she likes you. And I’m glad.” I sighed then rested my head against the headrest.
“Man, she can cook. Everything was bomb! You gon’ have to convince her to cook for me again.”
I laughed at that as well because what he didn’t know was that to get Ma in the kitchen lately, it had to be an occasion or you had to drag her. Tonight we had gotten lucky. “If I were you, I wouldn’t count on it. You might want to plan on bringing her takeout when you visit.” I giggled but was keeping it all the way one hundred. He would see in time.
We pulled into the bar parking lot. Game found a parking space, then leaned over to me for a kiss. Once inside, we made our way to the bar to meet up with Briana and Sasha. After I introduced them all to one another, we had a few laughs and drinks. Then I decided it was time to go. I wanted some me time with my man alone. Back in the Mercedes he invited me to his house, and I happily accepted. It was still early, and I was not in any hurry to get home. And there was no way I was going to hang out with him at our house. We drove almost forty minutes before pulling into a high-security gated community.
At first I wondered why we were there, but after Game gained access using his credentials, it became clear. Less than a minute later we were pulling up to this huge house. My mouth nearly hung wide open. I had never seen anything like it in real life. On television maybe. The huge home was attached to a six-car garage. I wondered if he owned a car to fit in each one. That question was answered quickly. Pulling inside one of the garage spaces, I was floored when I saw the remaining five cars parked there. It was like an episode of Cribs. I’m talking Bentley, Porsche, Ferrari, and Cadilliac Escalade. And I’m talking about all new.