Chapter 15
KATRINA
It was so easy to catch an orgasm or two from Jason. His skill in the bedroom was cause for alarm. I shouldn’t be feeling this way about him. It wasn’t normal. He didn’t stay the night and that was okay. If he’d stayed we probably would have continued to have sex and I wouldn’t have gotten any sleep.
I was okay with sleeping alone. I’d been doing it for two years. I had a brief conversation with Aaron and Kennedy. Aaron seemed to be doing well at his father’s place. I was a little jealous because Aaron was my baby and I didn’t want his father buying his love and affection. Erik wasn’t just a cheater with women. He also cheated with parenting.
I talked to Rolanda and it was nice not being judged for sleeping with someone as young as Jason. She warned me to be causal. She told me he might be just getting his dick wet. She also warned me that he could fall in love with me if I put it on him good. I didn’t think the latter would happen.
Jason just seemed to be a different kind of young. I didn’t think he was going to develop any real feelings for me. Once the summer was over he wouldn’t remember my name. He was probably going to tell his little friends how he was laid up in some old lady over the summer— some old Black lady.
I didn’t tell her that a few tears fell from my eyes when he was hitting it. I didn’t think it meant anything. I was just sex-starved and my emotions got away from me. Jason was a really good lover. He was passionate, tender and affectionate. I hadn’t had that in a long time and that’s why I teared up. It wasn’t anything more than that.
I couldn’t wait to see Jason. He was currently the one consistent thing in my life. He was there when I needed him and he was okay with it.
I was relieved to see him. His perfect face was just what I needed in my life. His cheekbones and jawline were that of a movie star. Having slept with him made him sexier to me. I couldn’t call him a boy anymore because he was a man in the bedroom. He had moves that were going to make some young woman so happy one day. His future wife might make more money than him. She was going to be satisfied in the bedroom. That would probably make up for his lack of ambition.
He entered the store through the back like always. This time he kissed me first then put his backpack down.
“Good morning babe.” I loved it when he called me babe.
“Good morning. I’ve been meaning to ask you what’s in your backpack.”
“You can rummage through it while I get us some coffee from Kaladi’s.”
“What?”
“Do you want a large or medium?”
“No, yes, I want a large. Did you give me permission to go through your precious backpack?”
“It’s far from precious. It’s a totally regular backpack. I don’t have any problem letting you go through my things. I don’t have anything to hide.”
He was lying. Everyone had something to hide. I actually had more than others.
“Are you going to get the coffee?”
“Yes, master.”
“Uh, don’t say that.”
“You’re so crazy. Extra sugar?”
“Yes, do you need money?” I asked.
“Kat, I have money.”
I watched Jason stroll out the front door of the store like he didn’t have a single care in the world. At his age, he probably didn’t. It must be nice to have multiple years in front of you to mess up before you get it right. Someone my age had no room for error.
When he was out of sight I picked up his bag and placed it on the glass countertop. I started unzipping things. He granted me permission and I was going to take it.
There was an extra t-shirt in the bag. I unfolded it and looked at it. It was a David Bowie t-shirt. Not shocking, he seemed to know every popular musician of the last fifty years. There was also a plain gray t-shirt. He had a wallet with sixty dollars in it. Wonder why he didn’t take the wallet with him?
I opened the pages to a spiral notebook and there were poems inside of it. I flipped through a few pages and realized they were song lyrics. I didn't recognize the words to these songs.
I knew he sang other people’s songs but I didn’t know he wrote songs. Hopefully, he’ll wake up one day and decide to pursue a career in music. There was a protein bar, a bottle of coconut water, a blue bandana, breath mints, and earbuds.
The switchblade was the item that stood out but it wasn’t abnormal for a man to carry a blade. His cell phone was inside the front zipper. I couldn’t open it because it was locked but I didn’t want to open it. It seemed like it would be invading his privacy. Cell phones had personal information. I slipped the cell back in the pocket. I zipped and closed all the compartments and placed the pack back on the floor.
I waited until Jason returned. He had two coffees and two donuts. We worked together for a few hours until he urged me to go edit one of my books.
While I was sitting in the back yard with my feet up on the chair beside me I felt something was drastically different about me. I was happy. Right there I prayed that someone like Jason
