Poke.
“And I would never leave you, right?”
“That’s why I love you, Adrian Jenkins,” I say, and kiss her on her neck. “That’s one of the reasons you are going to be my wife.”
“I can’t wait to start our family. You’re going to be such a good father.” She leans in and kisses me again, this time letting her tongue gracefully slide into my mouth. I don’t give a damn who’s watching us, because I’m into my woman. When we stop kissing, we hold each other and cherish the moment. Adrian remembers she has a customerwaiting and pecks me one last time before going back into the salon. I get the movies and head out.
Any other time, with any other woman, I would be playing my macho role, but Adrian makes a brother lose all his cool. I never think about how stupid I probably sound with her until I get somewhere alone and think about our conversations and how I am when we’re together, especially the pet names we use with each other. From muffin to boobunny to lovesnack, sometimes we get carried away, but that’s our thang and I love it to death. As I drive along the street, I think about this whole marriage idea. Even though my mother has been away for nineteen years, my parents are still married. I don’t think they ever divorced, unless they did it by mail, without me and Shreese knowing. I never got a full explanation on what really happened, and it’s hard to get Pops to talk about it. Maybe it’s time for a man-to-man.…
I decided to stop by my dad’s house before going to the movie store. It took three rings of the doorbell before Pops answered.
“I thought I heard the doorbell.” Pops opened the door and let me in.
“What are you up to?”
“Shit, I was reading the paper and I guess I drifted off to sleep.”
I followed Pops to the living room. There were newspaper pages strewn over the couch, and a blanket hung lazily to the floor.
“So what brings you over this way on a Saturday?”
“I was in the neighborhood running some errands for Adrian.”
Pops smiled. “She got you running errands, huh? Next thing you know, she’ll have you buying her female goods at the grocery store.” Pops laughs a tired laugh, but his sleepy eyes still twinkle.
“I already do that for her,” I huff.
“Good. That’s how you make it work.”
I wish Pops believed what he just said. Otherwise, I believe my mother would still be here. I used to think that if he begged or put his foot down, then Louise would still be here. Now he sits around giving out the very advice that he should have followed. But I havea wedding and a future wife to worry about—I’m not gonna try correcting his situation. We’ve been without Louise for so long, she is hardly a subject anymore.
“Pops, I want you to play a song for me at my wedding.”
“Oh, son, I don’t think I can do that. I haven’t touched those keys since your mama left.”
I sit quiet. My father is right, and I feel awkward for asking him such a question. He hasn’t played the piano since she left, and when he mentions that I feel guilty for asking him to. My mother had always been an awkward subject in my family. I was just hoping Pops would see my wedding day as an event worth getting his fingers back in shape to tickle the ivories, but I guess not. Now, I don’t want to talk about it anymore. A slight heat is making itself known in the pit of my stomach. Pops looks over at me.
“Why you want me to play, Greg?”
“Adrian likes this song by Roy Hargrove called ‘Things We Did Last Summer,’ and I wanted you to play it for her on the piano.”
“Roy Hargrove. He’s about your age, ain’t he?”
“Yeah, Pops. We went to Holmes Middle School together. I took you to see him last year at the Meyerson Symphony Center.”
“Now that’s a bad-ass old-school trumpet-playin’ young cat right there! He’s a little loud and was hard on my one good ear, but he’s been trained well.” Pops’s eyes light up again as he recalls who
“And I would never leave you, right?”
“That’s why I love you, Adrian Jenkins,” I say, and kiss her on her neck. “That’s one of the reasons you are going to be my wife.”
“I can’t wait to start our family. You’re going to be such a good father.” She leans in and kisses me again, this time letting her tongue gracefully slide into my mouth. I don’t give a damn who’s watching us, because I’m into my woman. When we stop kissing, we hold each other and cherish the moment. Adrian remembers she has a customerwaiting and pecks me one last time before going back into the salon. I get the movies and head out.
Any other time, with any other woman, I would be playing my macho role, but Adrian makes a brother lose all his cool. I never think about how stupid I probably sound with her until I get somewhere alone and think about our conversations and how I am when we’re together, especially the pet names we use with each other. From muffin to boobunny to lovesnack, sometimes we get carried away, but that’s our thang and I love it to death. As I drive along the street, I think about this whole marriage idea. Even though my mother has been away for nineteen years, my parents are still married. I don’t think they ever divorced, unless they did it by mail, without me and Shreese knowing. I never got a full explanation on what really happened, and it’s hard to get Pops to talk about it. Maybe it’s time for a man-to-man.…
I decided to stop by my dad’s house before going to the movie store. It took three rings of the doorbell before Pops answered.
“I thought I heard the doorbell.” Pops opened the door and let me in.
“What are you up to?”
“Shit, I was reading the paper and I guess I drifted off to sleep.”
I followed Pops to the living room. There were newspaper pages strewn over the couch, and a blanket hung lazily to the floor.
“So what brings you over this way on a Saturday?”
“I was in the neighborhood running some errands for Adrian.”
Pops smiled. “She got you running errands, huh? Next thing you know, she’ll have you buying her female goods at the grocery store.” Pops laughs a tired laugh, but his sleepy eyes still twinkle.
“I already do that for her,” I huff.
“Good. That’s how you make it work.”
I wish Pops believed what he just said. Otherwise, I believe my mother would still be here. I used to think that if he begged or put his foot down, then Louise would still be here. Now he sits around giving out the very advice that he should have followed. But I havea wedding and a future wife to worry about—I’m not gonna try correcting his situation. We’ve been without Louise for so long, she is hardly a subject anymore.
“Pops, I want you to play a song for me at my wedding.”
“Oh, son, I don’t think I can do that. I haven’t touched those keys since your mama left.”
I sit quiet. My father is right, and I feel awkward for asking him such a question. He hasn’t played the piano since she left, and when he mentions that I feel guilty for asking him to. My mother had always been an awkward subject in my family. I was just hoping Pops would see my wedding day as an event worth getting his fingers back in shape to tickle the ivories, but I guess not. Now, I don’t want to talk about it anymore. A slight heat is making itself known in the pit of my stomach. Pops looks over at me.
“Why you want me to play, Greg?”
“Adrian likes this song by Roy Hargrove called ‘Things We Did Last Summer,’ and I wanted you to play it for her on the piano.”
“Roy Hargrove. He’s about your age, ain’t he?”
“Yeah, Pops. We went to Holmes Middle School together. I took you to see him last year at the Meyerson Symphony Center.”
“Now that’s a bad-ass old-school trumpet-playin’ young cat right there! He’s a little loud and was hard on my one good ear, but he’s been trained well.” Pops’s eyes light up again as he recalls who
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