Page 5 of Studious
It’s almost sunset. The sleek black stretch Cadillac idles at the curb. It’s a rare sight in my South LA neighborhood, and it’s drawn half the block outside to gossip. My mom waves at the Garcias next door and the Jacksons across the street.
The driver opens the door to reveal my boyfriend sitting in the back seat, looking very small in the large space. He emerges and greets my mother first, because he was raised that way. I know him down to his freckles.
“Brian,” she cries, throwing up her arms to give him a hug. “Come take pictures, guapo.”
When he finally extricates himself from her, I kiss him lightly. “Hey. Happy birthday!”
Brian’s smile seems off to me, but maybe he’s not comfortable in his tuxedo. The dark fabric contrasts with his ginger hair. He studies me up and down. “Thanks. You look great.”
“Thanks, babe.”
My mom wipes a tear from her eyes. “Come gather together, boys. Let me take your picture.”
I pin Brian’s flower to his lapel, and he gives me one in return. We stand by the car, arm in arm, while my mom fusses over us, taking photo after photo.
Finally, I look at my phone. “We gotta get going, or we’re going to be late for our dinner reservation.”
She wrings her hands. “Call if you need something. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Honestly, I can’t believe my mom didn’t object to our getting a hotel room, but maybe she’s being realistic and thinks we’ll be safer if we stay put.
Mom gives me another kiss, then wipes the lipstick off my cheekagain. Brian says goodbye, and we climb into the back seat of the limo.
“This is cool.” I touch every control, watching the different windows and the partition go up and down.
“Yeah.” He settles in, and the driver takes off.
Passing by the familiar houses of my neighborhood in such a fancy vehicle, I feel removed from my roots. But I also feel like I’m taking that first step toward becoming the person I want to be. I have ambitions, and I’m gonna go far. I’m not good enough at baseball, even though I love it, to go pro, so I’m using my brains. College, law school. Limos will be no big deal by the time I’m twenty-five, because I’ll be rolling in the cheddah.
“So,” Brian says, once we’re on our way to the restaurant we booked for dinner. “How are you?”
I blink at him. “How amI? How areyou?”
“I’m good.” Brian fiddles with his hands and studies his feet.
“Do you want to know what I got you? I mean, besides my body?”
Brian laughs, but it sounds strained. “Um, you didn’t have to get me anything.”
“What do you mean, ‘You didn’t have to get me anything’? Of course I did. You’re my boyfriend. We’re in love. I get you presents. That’s the way this works.”
He nods. “Okay, okay.”
I pull the wrapped box out of my pocket. “Here, birthday boy.”
Brian takes the package and studies it. “What did you do?”
“Just a little something.” The ring cost a full week’s pay, but it was worth it.
“Should I open it now?”
“You can open it whenever you want.”
Fingering the wrapping paper, he nods. “I think I’ll wait a bit.” He slides it into his pocket. “Thank you, though.”
We drive in silence, and I’m trying to come up with the nerve to ask him what the hell his problem is. Because it’s never been like this between us before. It’s always been easy.
When I imagine my future, he’s part of it. He’s the one there with me buying a house. Or having kids. Or traveling the world.
