Page 88 of Tainted

Kenyon: Tell her I said wassup.

Mom always said I’d wander into a hurricane if I thought a secret was hidden in the eye. I was deep in Kenyon Keyes's world, where warning signs look like neon lights at a carnival. Yet, I couldn't pull myself away. Each mystery about him only fed my desire to know more. It was risky, stepping closer to the storm that was Kenyon, but I couldn't help myself.

“So, who is yourWilliam Daniels?” Nana asked.

“What are you talking about, Banana Girl?”

“That rock-headed boy that had your mother wearing that same doe-eyed frown you have right now. So that can only mean one thing.”

“Where do you come up with this stuff?” Brandy asked.

“I’ve lived long enough to pick up on these things. After she’s done telling me about this boy, you can explain why Otto is always at my house like he pays bills.”

“Questions that need answers,” I smiled sarcastically at Brandy. She waited for Nana to turn her head before flipping me the bird.

“Little girl. Answer my question.” Nana’s firm tone made me sigh because Kenyon was the last thing I wanted to discuss, especially in front of Brandy.

“He’s.” My lips hissed, dragging the word out while trying to find one that fits, but I couldn’t. Kenyon wasn’t just one thing. That’s what made him so dangerous, “. . . complicated," I started, my voice trailing off. "We’re friends, kinda. Sometimes, he acts like we could be more.” I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the weight of the unknown. “It's like standing on the edge of a cliff. It’s exciting, but I’m scared, too. What does that mean, Banana Girl?”

“You’re fucked,” she laughed so hard it turned into a cough that shot Brandy up on her feet, grabbing Nana’s cup. After a few sips, she explained. “Feels like that man has a piece of your soul, and he’s just roaming around with it, doesn’t it?”

“Something like that.”

Kenyon went against every lesson my parents gave me on men, but I couldn’t deny how he made the little girl in me feel safe and happy.

“Feelings, especially about love, are messy and wild. Sometimes, they don’t make sense, so don’t overthink, baby. Some people make you feel stupid, and some make you feel special. That’s just how life works.”

“Who made you feel special?” I asked.

Nana's eyes softened with fondness, “His name was Benjamin. We met one summer at the boardwalk while he was visiting family. Benjamin had a smile that could light up the darkest days.”

She paused, a hint of sadness creeping into her voice. “But summer ended, and Benjamin had to return home, so it was goodbye.”

“You just let him leave?” I asked in disbelief.

“What was a girl supposed to do?”

“Not let him leave if he was all that.”

“Times were different back then. Later, his cousin, Diana, told me he had left because of the army.” I squeezed her hand, offering silent comfort as she relived the bittersweet memories of her youth. “Life took us down different paths, but I’ll always cherish the memories of that summer.”

“If that were a movie, I’d watch it,” Brandy smiled.

“My life isn’t that exciting to make a movie about, but I want you to make me a promise,” she insisted, struggling to move closer. “Don’t you get too caught up in that club, you hear me? One minute, you’re doing what you have to do. Then you blink, and ten years have passed, and you have nothing to show for it. I don’t want that for you.”

“She told you that, too, huh?” I sneered, rolling my neck to Brandy.

“I didn’t need her to. I figured that one out all on my own. I guess my brain ain’t so fried after all. Anyway, I called my friend, Sonya Hayes. She’s working in New York right now but will call you when she’s back in town.”

“Are you feeling okay, Banana Girl? You really want me to believe you know Sonya Hayes?” I asked, touching her forehead.

Sonya Hayes was your favorite dancer's favorite dancer. Her grace on stage was undeniable, but her fight off stage createdopportunities for dancers. She opened dance studios all over the country, including one here in Northbridge.

“Girl, it ain’t nothing wrong with me. Sonya and I went to high school together. I even dated her brother George for a little while.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Same reason you didn’t tell me you were shaking ass at that club.”

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