Page 7 of Sweet Love From Saturn

“Now you askin’ too many questions,” I laughed.

“Momma, yo’ son about to call some lil girl that he not telling us about.”

“Aight, I’ll talk to y’all later. Love y’all,” I said before ending the call.

If I didn’t end the conversation there, my mom and Stacey would’ve tried to keep me on the phone all night, digging in my business. The whole time my mom spoke about Carmen, I hadn’t mentioned I’d taken interest in someone else. Mainly because I had no idea if Saturn would even be something more than a memory. Looking at my phone for the time, I saw it was seven forty and searched for Saturn’s contact. As the line rang, I hit the speaker button and relaxed into the couch.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hey, it’s Mccoy. Did you make it in safely?”

“Hey, and yes, I did. How about you?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m good. Can I pick you up from your house tomorrow or would you feel more comfortable if I picked you up from somewhere else?” I questioned.

“Is it okay if I meet you at the coffee shop? I had a last-minute interview come up and I need to be at the shop earlier than expected.”

“That’s cool. I’m glad you’re getting help. You need it.”

“I know. I had help up until the day I came to your house. It’s been a struggle ever since but it’ll work out.”

“It will. Bad days don’t last forever. But get you some rest. I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were home. Do you live alone?”

There was a long pause after my question and I felt Saturn’s unease through the phone.

“I’m only asking for safety reasons. You don’t have to answer, but if you are alone, make sure you double check your locks and alarm system before you go to bed.”

“I don’t have an alarm system, but I’ll check my locks again.”

“Why don’t you have an alarm? Do you have a gun?” I asked in frustration.

“I’ve never touched a gun a day in my life. Pleasant Springs’ crime rate is practically non-existent if you didn’t know,” she countered.

“That’s not gonna work for me, Saturn. The city’s crime rate may not be high, but the city doesn’t have a secret passage in and out. Meaning, there’s absolutely nothing keeping a criminal out. You always need protection. Especially in your home and at the shop.”

She laughed. “You sound like my older brother. Every time he calls, he asks those same questions.”

“I don’t blame him. I have a sister myself and I’m always making sure she’s protected. It’s cool though. I’ll have a resolution tomorrow that we can discuss.”

“Which coffee shop are we meeting at?”

“I only saw one. The Coffee King down the street from your shop.”

“There’s two. Steve’s Brew is also down the street from my shop, but in the opposite direction,” she explained.

“I never knew that. Honestly, I don’t know much about the city. I’ve only been here a little over a month. I’m still learning my way around.”

“Where are you from?”

“Gwendal, born and raised.”

“Gwendal and Pleasant Springs are like night and day. What made you move here from the big city of Gwendal?”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow over coffee. If we talk about everything tonight, we won’t have much to talk about in the morning,” I said with a smile.

The truth was, I could stay on the phone all night with Saturn and still have plenty to talk about on our date. I wanted to know everything about her. I hadn’t been excited to be in a woman’s presence in a while. It felt like a breath of fresh air and my guard wasn’t up like I assumed it’d be.

“Okay. I’ll see you in the morning. Have a good night, Mccoy.”

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