Page 9 of The Perfect Verse
“I have to use the restroom.”
“You don’t have to announce it, Scoot. Just go,” she roughly whispered. She then covered her face with a magazine from embarrassment. “That way, to your right,” she relayed, code-switching. He noticed and smirked.
“Straight catfishing.” He stood up and thumped her forehead before he heard laughter. Out of nowhere, two boys came rushing in his direction before their little bodies crashed against his body. Crazily, they continued on with their banter, playfully swatting at each other as they giggled and panted.
“On God, Trav and Rell, I swear, if you two don’t—” Immediately, Kaleela was speechless when her eyes landed on Scooter, and he did not disappoint. He stood easily six-foot-three, dressed in dark gray jeans, a plain green T-shirt that showed off his defined, tatted arms and two chains, one larger than hers. A cross was on one, while a crown hung low on the other. On his feet were a pair of green and black Nike Air Force retros. She figured Retros easily occupied his closet. He was a sight to see as she felt her pussy thump.
“Aye.” He smiled, both hands lifted. “Y’all, calm down. This is a nice establishment.” She noticed he fought to suppress a chuckle, watching them play a game he was quite familiar with as they yelled, “You’re it.”
Soon, they stood on each side of him, sweaty, pushing out bouts of air as they fought to catch their breath. All the while, Kaleela sat there with mixed feelings from guilt to admiration, especially when he ruffled their hair and knelt in front of them. They’d come to get a haircut but hadn’t sat long enough for one.
“Be careful before you all get hurt, understand?”
“Yes, sir,” they sang in unison before Rell dashed and plopped in Kaleela’s lap. Travis had gotten beaten out again, but he settled for wrapping both arms around her neck, pushing his face into her neck.
“What’s up, Miss Kaleela?” He looked down and smirked. “That cell out of commission or something?”
“N-Naw,” she stammered, then gulped.
Travis stood and fumed, watching how Scooter looked at Kaleela. He knew that look, had seen it plenty of times when a man was interested in a woman. She was all they had, and he’d be damned if Scooter would mess it up. He stood with tiny, balled fists.
“So, these are your shorties?” he asked. Just when he thought he knew all there was to know, if social media and the streets rumbling counted, she popped out with two children.
“Well—”
“You trying to talk to Miss Kaleela?” Travis intervened. He pushed out his chest in front of her like a bodyguard. “Well, she ain’t trying to talk to you.”
“Travis!” She lifted one hand, then closed her eyes as she silently counted to ten. Gentle parenting wasn’t working as much as it did when they first moved in with her. Truthfully, she was putty in their hands, and they knew it.
“Yes, ma’am?” His large, brown eyes lifted, tugging at her heart.
“What did I tell you about how you speak to adults?”
He shrugged at first, then looked at Scooter.
“I apologize for talking to you like you’re not an adult, but I still feel the same way. She ain’t talking to you. We ain’t never seen you before, so I need you to back up.”
A few cackles were heard, causing Kaleela to cover her mouth with both hands and stretched orbs. His natural, protective nature quickly extended to her after the first week they came to live with her. She’d wake up, and there he’d be, sleeping on the floor next to her bed with Rell underneath him. By week two, they’d managed to stay in their bedroom but only if they fell asleep with the television on.
“Thank you, Travis, but that still wasn’t nice.”
“I’ll do better.” He mean-mugged Scooter, who lifted his hands in mock surrender.
“In fact, can you both go check on the towels in the dryer and get to folding? I heard if someone folds them, then they earn an extra allowance.”
“What about candy instead?” Rell quickly asked.
“Boy, if you don’t?—”
They both giggled and took off, pushing each other as they ran. All Kaleela could do was snicker as they rounded the corner. She still couldn’t believe how she’d gone from having no real company to two rambunctious boys who found joy in burping to making fart sounds with their armpits.
“Now that they’re gone, you want to tell me about your little personal security? Like, damn, when did all of this happen?”
“I could tell you, but you know…”
She paused and looked around, noticing it was eerily quiet in the shop, short of the sound of the clippers and hair dryers. Most times, people saw her coming and would lower their eyes, but not that day. No, with Scooter’s presence, she had an audience, particularly Shonasia, who eyed the henna complexion specimen that clearly was interested in her sister.That wasn’t surprising, not when guys often approached her. What was, was Kaleela actually entertaining him.
“I never took you as the kind that kept secrets.”
