Page 6 of The Family Man

I shake my head. “One night I came home, and he just stood there in the dark, on his porch, smoking. I didn’t see his face, only the orange glow from the bud and his height.”

Rosemary sighs. “You didn’t say hi?”

I look at Cassy and Ani as they head out of my kitchen onto the back deck.

Rosemary and I both stood following them. “No, I was annoyed from work and his smoking habit was not appealing to me.”

As we entered the deck, Rosemary and I are pulled down behind my flower plant boxes and topiary.

Like an army officer in a war, Cassia whisper shouts, “Get down, get down!”

“Can you see?” Anise asks Cassia, while peeping through the flower box.

“What the hell is wrong with you two?” I, too, am hiding behind a topiary.

They both ignore my question.

“I can see his ass,” Cassia says as her eyes widen.

“He has a squatter’s ass. That sick kick though damn,” Anise replies, she wiggles her eyebrows at Cassia.

I creep forward to see; I get ahead of Cassia. I hold on to the huge patina pots with medium lemon trees and take my neighbor in.

My sisters were right. His ass is fine, round, tight, and his thighs are thick and well defined.

I thought a man wearing gray sweatpants was a sexy thing, but grey male leggings? Well, shit, I can’t see his face or his whole torso, but I can see from his side, how much God has given him, and he’s blessed.

“Shit, he is dangerous,” Rosemary says, the punching bag sways in front of him as he swings his for a sidekick.

For the first time, I’m not upset that my house is built on a mini-incline. I want to see all of him.

Physically, it’s almost impossible to move stealthily in this red pencil skirt. However, this was my choice of wardrobe for this brunch. A pair of black stilettos, a red pencil skirt, and a white round neck tank top tucked in. Hair in a low ponytail makeup glowing. I’m cute.

Cuteness doesn’t help a woman check out her very hot neighbor. As he turns toward my house, I see his full package. Goddammit! I wanted more, and I got it.

My neighbor stoops and looks up at me. I see his face, and all I can say is, “Well, shit.”

“Busted.” Anise chuckles and touches my shoulder.

That’s where it all went wrong for me. I hold onto the flimsy tree truck of my lemon plant, and I lean to the side of the stairs of the deck. Just a little bit more, just a little bit.

My heart skips a beat when I hear the first crack, as if I sense my pending death and embarrassment, I start gasping for air, then I fall back, my sexy stilettos stuck in a crease between wood slats.

Everything happens in slow motion, Cassy reaches for me and misses, Ani’s eyes are wide open, her hand covers her mouth, and Rosemary says, “Oh shit, Sage!”

I close my eyes and brace for impact.

ZAC

Ihave been working out for 20 minutes. The minute I step to the punching bag, the energy around me changes.

My shoulder felt tight, and I wasn’t focusing. Something was disturbing my energy; I feel like someone is watching me. I turn to the direction of my snooty neighbor, and I know it’s her. The damn witch, I am sure it’s her.

I stoop down to see if something was wrong, then her eyes connect with mine, and it all goes to Shit Town. The crash sounds over in her backyard.

Pots of plants are tumbling, and so is my neighbor.

My body has a mind of its own. I open the screen door, jump over the tulips and run to help her.

---