Page 20 of Until the Ink Dries

I started before Jordan interrupted with wide eyes.

“Who was on what earlier?” he asked, like he didn’t hear me.

“Man, get the hell out of here. Nothing like that. She was in the neighborhood. I saw her the other night, and she was on some snappy shit. So, she felt the need to come here today and annoy me.”

I walked from behind the counter and grabbed my keys to head to my place. I told one of my tattoo artists, Jin, to lock up once she finished her final appointment and to call if she needed anything. Jordan followed me toward the back as I made my way up to my place.

The moment we walked inside, he made a beeline for my kitchen and ducked down to rummage through my fridge like he hadn’t just signed a 200 million dollar contract to stay with his current team for another four years.

“Why every time you come in here, you in my fridge?” I asked as I ruffled through the many bills in front of me.

“Everybody knows folks who got kids got the best snacks. Now stop trying to change the subject and tell me about this date you had with Willow. She still fine?” he asked, while pulling one of my baby’s juice boxes from the fridge.

“I don’t even know why I’m talking to you about this. She just went with me down to the food trucks. It wasn’t a date. I ate, and she talked. That was it.”

I kept my eyes focused down, not looking up at him, although I could feel his eyes burning through my forehead.

“Yeah, aight. You haven’t really answered my question. You know what? Don’t worry about it, I’ll go find out myself tonight.”

I finally looked up at him with a lift of my brow.

“Nah, leave that woman be. She got enough shit going on.” I told him, then continued to work through my mail.

Jordan’s laugh caught my attention again, so I looked up at him to see he now had a fruit snack and a bag of chips.

“Man, you are about to be at the grocery store replacing all that shit. You know Charlie doesn’t play about her snacks.” I told him.

“Hell yeah, she mean just like her damn dad. Nah, but forreal I’m gone need you to slide through. I’m sure mama will keep lil’ bit if you asked her,” Jordan pointed out.

“Charlie is not my people’s responsibility.”

“You don’t have to convince me you’re a good father. But you need a break, too. The kind that Tierra’s ass is getting on the regular. And before you say it, I know you love being with your daughter, but you can’t tell me you don’t want to put eyes on Willow again. The way you keep shuffling between those same damn envelopes when her name is brought up is saying it all. No need to front with me. We will just go for an hour, tops. Come on, make that call.”

I expelled a breath and pulled my phone from my back pocket to give my mom a call. I don’t know why this need to see Willow was so heavy on my heart, but this shit wasn’t going further than checking on her. I can admit, I hated hearing about what she had been going through. She didn’t deserve the shit.

Just one hour and one conversation. That should be more than enough to sate this curiosity that Willow undoubtedly had piqued.

* * *

THE CLASS REUNION

“Would you stop checking your phone?” Jordan asked.

He was driving. I’m sure it was his way of making sure I followed through with going as we planned.

“Stop worrying about what I’m doing and drive this muthafucka. You already got me going to this damn thing.”

Jordan laughed and continued to listen to the music while heading for East Rose High School. Even though I lived in town, I never found a reason to visit the school. I didn’t have a reason to come back here or seek out people I went to school with. I saw the majority of my classmates in passing if they still lived in town, but that was about it. It wasn’t something that I needed to be concerned with, which is why I didn’t give a damn about attending.

It wasn’t long before we were pulling into the school parking lot. I don’t know who got the school to agree to allow them to host the reunion in the school gym. But, here we were. Once Jordan parked, I stepped out of the car and straightened out my leather jacket. I kept it simple; I went with a clean white tee, a pair of black jeans, with my leather jacket, and my thick Cuban diamond necklace.

“Damn, can you believe we are back here? I remember all the crazy shit we used to get into here.” Jordan said, walking around his truck.

I stuffed my hands into my pockets and nodded. “Hell yeah, shit was cool as it could be.”

Jordan pushed my shoulder, and we burst into laughter. “You love to act like you don’t give a fuck. I keep forgetting that’s how you pull all the women.”

I waved him off as we walked toward the open doors leading to the gym.

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