Page 9 of Keyoni & Sage
“Oh, I do,” he replied with a level of certainty that had me wondering if there was truth behind his words.
I didn’t think too long though. Keyoni left with Kaiser and I saw other patients.
Animal patients.
Chapter 3
Sage
“A’ight now,bitch…you doing too much,” Lanique said, slow walking into the kitchen. “My man’s starting to get used to this.”
“Fuck what she’s talking about,” Cauvey countered. He beat Lanique to the stove, placing his hands behind his back as he observed. “Mmhmm,” he hummed. “How much longer?”
I chuckled, then replied, “Two…maybe three minutes.”
“Okay. Okay.” Nodding, his hands rubbed together. “Perfect. I’ll be back then.”
Lanique watched with an upturned nose as he exited the room, waiting until he was gone to go off on me.
Playfully, of course.
“Bitch…get out!”
“Why? What I do?”
Not that I was going anywhere, but more so to feed my curiosity. I paid my share of the rent for the month, so her demand went in one ear and out the other.
“You’re over here setting standards! Expectations! My nigga don’t get a home cooked meal every day. But since you got here, he gets breakfastanddinner.”
“So do you.”
“That ain’t the point.”
I laughed. “You want me to stop?”
She glanced over my shoulder, observing me stuffing the fillings of a breakfast burrito into a fajita tortilla. I browned both sides, waiting for an answer, which I didn’t get until I asked again.
“Maybe slow down a bit.”
I scoffed. How else was I going to eat? It was a requirement to sustain life. Lanique and Cauvey were surviving off fast food, and although tempting at times, I preferred the cheaper, homemade, fill me up option.
“Nobody’s forcing you to eat what I cook.” Turning off the stove, I faced her. “But if it’s that much of a problem, I’ll only cook for myself.”
“Bullshit!” Cauvey relayed, reentering the room. “Who said it’s a problem? Not me.” He looked at Lanique failing miserably at stifling her smile. “And I know it ain’t you. Afteryoutold me to ask Sage how much longer it would be.”
Her mouth fell open. “How you gonna call me out like that?”
“Easy! You trying to mess up a good thing.”
Cauvey was growing on me.Slowly. He was always around, balancing Lanique’s dominant personality. I listened to them bicker back and forth before they attempted to drag me in to pick a side. I declined, instead opening the fridge to grab the fruit I cut up earlier.
I managed to make three plates before catching sight of a moving creature in my periphery. I turned to see Sandy, one of Lanique’s ferrets, clumsily hit the wall as she miscalculated the sharp turn.
“Out of here!” I told her, after yelling her name. “Animals don’t belong in the kitchen.” The harshness of my voice almost scared her out of the room.
“Exactly!” Cauvey agreed, grabbing his plate. “I been telling her that.”
Lanique picked Sandy up before she could fully retreat. “Stop being mean to my baby.” She kissed the funny-looking animal. “She’s probably hungry too.”
