I smiled and shook my head. “He’s okay, Manuk. Let him wait inside?”
“Sure thing, girly. Have a seat, brotha. You want a soda?” Manuk lumbered back around the bar with me and picked up a glass.
“Ah, no, I’m good – I mean, no, thank you. Just here to walk the lady home.”
“I like that,” Manuk said, and I rolled my eyes.
“I’m perfectly capable,” I said and Manuk grinned.
“Ain’t nobody say you weren’t. I just nevah liked the idea of it, you out there this late – even just a couple blocks.”
I smiled and shook my head.
“I can take care of myself,” I said and Manuk held up his hands in surrender. He knew better than to argue with me.
I sighed and looked to Sauley. With and arched brow, I asked him, “And what’s all this?”
“From Mace. I don’t know. I don’t ask questions. I just do what I’m told,” he said with a grin.
I went over and he held up the card. I plucked it from his hand. I smelled the flowers – a hastily bought bouquet of pink and white lilies with pink roses that was fragrant and beautiful –but still had the Safeway grocer’s price sticker on them and I grinned.
“He pick these out or did you?” I asked.
“Uh, I did. Do they suck?”
“No.” I laughed. “They don’t suck; but maybe take the price tag off next time,” I whispered loudly and then hid my mouth behind my hand and giggled as he cursed and went to work trying to peel the sticker off the floral department cellophane.
I opened the card while he struggled with that. The front was a cartoon bunny on its stomach holding a flower and under it was written, Need a Hug?
I frowned and opened the card, its message was, Thought so! I’ve been missing you, too. Hope we’ll be hugging soon.
I smiled. The handwriting above it was extensive and I didn’t want to make Sauley wait too long so I decided to read it at home.
“Gimme two secs to grab my hoodie and we can go,” I said, and he nodded, still scraping at the damn sticker on the flowers I was going to unwrap, trim, and stick in a quart Mason jar as soon as I got home.
“You out, sistah?” Manuk asked from the kitchen.
“Unless you got anything else for me,” I called back.
“Nah! See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow!” I called back and gathered my sweater and my bag from under the bar. Sauley stood up and got the door for me. I locked up behind me so Manuk didn’t have to come out and do it.
“You really don’t have to keep doing this,” I said casually, and he laughed dubiously.
“Mace would have my ass,” he said, and I twisted my lips thoughtfully.
“Not even sure why he cares,” I said with a one-shouldered shrug. “I mean, he just left.”
“Yeah, I get it,” he said and sounded a little rueful. He handed me my flowers, and I smiled. It was hard to be hurt or whatever with the blossom’s heavenly scent wafting up into my face.
“You guys want your TV and game system back?” I asked. “He sort of left that too.”
“Oh, uh, I’ll ask,” he said.
Our noses started to run from the cold, and when we reached my place, I asked for politeness’ sake, “Did you want some hot tea and to warm up before you go?”
“Ah, nah. Thanks for asking. I’m just going to head back to the club.”
“Okay,” I said. “Be safe.”
“Thanks, ain’t got no problem with that,” he said and shot me a wink. He was handsome in his own right; young, a devilish glint in his blue eyes and a slight unkempt scruff on his cheeks, his hair a medium brown and kept short. He was attractive alright, probably tattooed but with the cold, I hadn’t seen much to indicate it other than he seemed the type – and I would know considering how much ink rode underneath my skin.
I let myself into the downstairs and he waited, watching as I took them to my apartment door. I glimpsed him still standing out there when I slipped inside my cozy if shabby space and I sighed, throwing the locks and bolts behind me, securing myself as best I could from the outside world.
I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against the painted wood and breathed slowly for a moment, letting the emotions wash over and through me; surprised a bit that relief was at the fore.
Relief that he had been as good as his words left on the torn piece of paper bag that rested beside my bed. The paper that I held in front of my face and read over and over, trying to divine more meaning than what was there out of the printed words.
I went into my kitchen, used the cheap dollar store sheers I had to trim my flowers and arranged them in some water. The quart Mason jar I had was just big enough to contain them. That done, I went into my room, lifted off my bag and slid the card in its envelope from it. I sat on my mattress, flowers by my feet, and slipped the card out and opened it to read what he had written.
Hey Raven,
I told you I would be in touch. I wish this were in person but soon… I want to heal up completely before I come see you. I hope you don’t mind I’m sending Sauley as my messenger boy. It’s a lot kinder than some of the other shit he could be doing. I’m going to send him to walk you home every chance I get. Feel free to pass messages through him. Either written or verbal is fine. I’ll send more with him. I figure if I don’t hear something back this time you waited to read this.
I know it’s only been a
