Page 16 of Honey's Special Roux

“Absolutely. Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“Okay, boyfriend.” I giggled as I covered my mouth.

He tittered before hitting a U-turn in the street. He turned the music up, and we jammed the short ride to what looked like a community park. This time, we got out of the car and walked along the stone path to the community center doors. We walked around the side, and the sight before me was breathtaking.

“Marquise, this is… wow.”

The wall was a mural of his mother and other women who had died from drugs in the community. The drawings of the women were soft and lifelike. Their gentleness was present in the detailed sketches.

“Who did this?” I asked as I took a few steps back to admire the full picture.

Marquise scratched the back of his neck. “Me and a few other local artists.”

“You did the section for your mom, huh?” I quizzed.

“Yup. How do you know which one is my mom?”

I smiled. “She has the same freckles as you.”

I lifted my hand up to touch the spots around his nose, forehead, and cheeks. His skin flushed a soft red.

“Chill. You gon’ make niggas think I’m soft.”

“You can be soft with your lady,” I explained. I held his hand as we continued to admire the mural.

If Marquise wanted to, he could monetize his artistry. He was absolutely talented. There were so many programs he could get into where they would find him art commissions. I wouldn’t bring it up today, but down the line, I would help him find a better source to make money.

“I haven’t been on a playground in years. Let me get on the swing real quick!”

I tugged him over to the playground and examined the swing before I sat down and kicked my feet. Marquise stood a few feet in front of the swing and watched me.

“You know you a kid for this, right?” he asked with amusement in his tone.

“Not really. Who doesn’t love a good time on the swings?”

“Me. I was more of a monkey bar and jungle gym kid.”

“I remember in like first grade when I thought I was big enough for the monkey bars. I missed the bar and fell face first on the ground. Knocked a tooth out and everything.”

“Silly ass.” He laughed.

“I learned to stick to the rivers and the lakes I was used to.”

I watched the sunset as I slowed down on the swing. I stopped kicking my feet and waited for the swing to stop naturally. When I stood up, I pulled Marquise to the slide.

“Wait for me at the end of the slide.”

“After this, we’re leaving. This is not the type of area you want to be in after dark.”

“Okay.”

I went up to the top of the slide and slid down. Marquise laughed as I squealed from the speed I went down. I pulled him by the shirt until he fell on top of me.

“What are you doing?” he asked with a raised brow as he used his forearms to prop himself up to hover over me.

“Kissing my boyfriend on the slide.”

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