Adora
“Yo?!” Fowler yelled as I gripped the handle of the car door to hang on. The roads were so rough and it only made it worse when it was in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. His headlights weren’t even working so we were driving through pitch black until another car came by on the other side. “Yeah, you can hear me?! I’m in a bad area but I’m on my way home now.”
“Where are you?”
My ears tuned in to the soft woman’s voice, hearing the familiarity in her tone. She wasn’t family, that much I could tell.
“I’m in the car driving, wassup? What’chu need?”
“I was just tryna see what you up to,” she said, clicking her tongue as I cringed with annoyance. Fowler reached to cut the lights on as if he just realized he’d been driving in the dark. “We out here smoking tonight, me and the boys.”
“Oh for real? What’chu got on the stove? Any plates?”
“Actually…”
I could hear her getting up and moving around as I began to switch one leg over the other and relax in the seat.
“I just sold my last plate to a neighbor. Just come by and I can fix you some more.”
“I got my girl with me in the car. Maybe another time,” he said with a cough, “just whip something up real quick. I’on feel like cooking no way and I got’chu.”
“Yeah you always got me,” she mocked. “She want a plate too?”
Fowler looked at me but I said nothing, just kept looking through my phone.
“Nah, she ain’t saying nothing. Throw something on the stove and I’ll swing by and pick it up.”
“Bet.”
As soon as he hung up, I mulled over my next choice of words before blurting out,
“Who is she?”
“That’s the homie Tookie. We go way back, I’m talking her mama and my mama used to raise hell together.”
“She sounds like she wants more than just basic childhood friends,” I suggested.
“Naaah,” he laughed. “Not Tooks. Besides you, Tooks is the only other female I can talk to like that.”
“I don’t like her,” I simply said as Fowler turned his head to look at me. I could see his white teeth in the dark just grinning at the thought of me being jealous when that wasn’t the case here. “You called her on purpose to get a reaction out of me.”
“First of all lil know mothafucking all, she called me,” he laughed. “I ain’t call her.”
“If I was talking to another man on the phone in front of you, you would be–––”
“Baby girl, relationship aint real in my eyes till you give me that pussy. Right now, we just talking shit with one another. I got other girls I look after too, you ain’t the only one. Tookie ain’t the only one. Far from the only one. You ain’t made it clear to me that you want me like I want you so I’m cooling. I’m chilling until you make yo move.”
“I’m not this!” waving my hands in the air, “touchy feely type of girl you want! I’m just not! You’re so emotional and you keep trying to pull me in–––”
“Baby girl, I need a woman that can feel. Not a fucking heartless ass––”
“What?” I cut in, staring him down with cold eyes, “not a heartless what? I’m still learning so much about myself, on top of having to figure out my feelings for you, on top of you pressuring me for something I’m not ready for.”
“Aight then, so until we on the same page? I talk to who the fuck I wanna talk to. You can’t have it both ways with me. Either you all in or nah. That’s why I fuck with older broads. Ain’t no guessing game with them. I be wanting to hold you sometimes, hold hands and shit...You’on like none of that. I like that shit.”
When I didn’t say anything, he reached for the radio to cut it on. Blocking any chance of me speaking as he rolled the windows down and draped his arm over the door the rest of the way.
We didn’t say anything until he pulled up to a small brick home where a few people were sitting outside in the driveway drinking and smoking. He got out, already greeting his friends while I tried to pinpoint the woman on the phone and when she stepped out of the house...I felt my jaw tighten. I may not be overly romantic and in tune with my heart like he is, but I knew when a girl wanted somebody. She walked down the brick steps with a plate, shorts that were hugging her hips like panties and a too small shirt that probably belonged to her little sister. She wore a bonnet as the two hugged and laughed. I just listened from the passenger side, keeping to myself.
“Yeah she in there. She got a lil attitude right now,” Fowler said as the girl waved. “That’s why she staying her fuck ass in the damn car!”
Everyone turned to look towards me, wondering what was going on until he walked into the house and closed the door behind him. The girl, Tookie kept walking down the driveway, laughing and smiling at the rest of the men that watched her before she walked up towards my car window. Without giving her a chance, I opened the door as she stepped inside, leaning her arm against the roof with her bruised body forced in my face.
“Girl, what you sitting in the car for? Fowler is a headache, but I wouldn’t let that nigga get to you like that,” she said with an obnoxious gap between her teeth. “You his girlfriend or something?”
“I am,” I stated, no hint of friendliness about me. The girl smiled.
“You sure you want him?” she questioned, her grin growing wider as she bounced her thigh. “Way I see it, yall could just be friends–––”
“We’re not and I would appreciate you not calling him.”
She started to laugh just as she looked back at her house to see Fowler coming back with two wrapped plates and a drink.
“Baby girl, that’s my nigga. I call him, he calls me. What the fuck you gon do about it?” she asked with a slap of her thigh.
“Call him again and you’ll find out.”
She started to laugh until she cleared her throat, seeing I was more than serious.
“He may consider you a friend but the way you came out here dressed says you’re looking for attention from any man willing to give it, including Fowler. So you can try calling him again, or inviting him over to your house late at night if you want to,” I said as Fowler walked up towards the car while taking a sip of his drink. I could see his eyes roaming the girl’s backside before I stared at her. “I’m friendly until I’m not.”
Tookie slowly back away from the car door as I politely closed it shut. She simply smiled at Fowler without another word and slowly walked back towards her house.
“You want a plate?” Fowler asked as I held my hand out with a twinged of my nose.
“I’m not eating anything from her house.”
“What the fuck you say to her?” he laughed. “Tooks ain’t never been mute like that. Here, hold this for me since you not tryna eat.”
I took the plates in my lap as he backed out of the driveway and sped off.
“I told her not to call you again,” I said, peeking at the fried fish.
“Tookie like girls, Adora,” he laughed. “She probably came out there to hit on you on some slick shit. You checked her ass and she ain’t even fucking with me like that?” he let out before laughing like it was the funniest joke ever told. “You read that all wrong. She came out to the car tryna get at you, and you checking her over a nigga. Ahhhhhhh hahahahaha…”
I rolled my eyes, refusing to feel embarrassed for my actions as I picked over the food. He laughed the entire way back to his place, even called the girl to confirm that she was in fact a lesbian and that I was crazy. Possibly crazier than him which he has said plenty of times.
“Ohh shit,” Fowler sighed with a sniff as he turned into his driveway, “shit...that was funny. I’ma be laughing about that for days…”
“It’s not even funny,” I muttered, licking my fingers as I picked over the meat of the fish, moving bones out the way. I scooped up a thing of rice as he put the car in park and looked at me. Eyes full of tears from laughing so hard.
“Fish better than mine?”
“Close,” I said, licking my fingers. He smiled before gripping the wheel as he leaned over to look at the plate. I took that moment to plant a small kiss on his cheek, leaving a greasy lip print before he turned in for a kiss on the mouth.
“I need this,” he muttered against my mouth with his hand abruptly moving past the plates to grip between my legs. I gasped as I closed my eyes, letting him massage his thumb in a slow circle. “I won’t hurt it...I won’t abuse it...I won’t betray it but I need it. Sex helps me think...it keeps me calm...it's my happy place..you are my happy place…This…”
“Uhh,” I gagged, inching up in the seat at his sudden grip again, feeling chills rush down my spine and arms. “All this energy down here, lemme tap into that. Lemme love on it. If I’m your man, your mate, your partner, then you gotta let me be that in every sense. You know I’m a passionate nigga…”
“Okay,” I said softly. His eyes widened as he pulled his hand back, not expecting me to agree so quickly.
Fowler smiled something devious. Suddenly, he leaned in to kiss me again, pulling back to grin only to place another pop of a kiss back on my lips.
“Done ate a nigga food up,” he said against my mouth as I burst out into small fits of laughter against his face. “I’m saying though, I even asked you if you wanted a place and you talm’ bout no...I’on want nothing from that bitch.”
“I don’t even talk like that Fowler…” I laughed. He smiled, eyes sparkling against the street light nearby and I couldn’t help but smile too.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I laughed.
“Cuz man….Niggas be thinking I’m crazy and all I keep thinking is, they ain’t met my girl Adora...If they think I’m crazy...wait till they meet yo ass.”
Later on that night, after all of that pleading for sex, he decided now it was my turn to wait. We took a shower and laid up watching TV until he fell asleep first. Laid on his back with nothing but socks on, I kept close against his shoulder and studied the screen. The volume was low enough not to disturb him but he was a hard sleeper once he got into a deep sleep. Pushing him off the bed would be the only way to wake him up at this point, especially when he started snoring so I took that moment to flip the covers back and sit up.
I was going to have to go back to Georgia soon. Pack a few more things and lock everything up. Money was going to be an issue at some point but….Fowler made it seem like I had nothing to worry about...but still...
I gripped my head, feeling a slight tinge of pain just above my ear. I stood up with one of his high school shirts that covered just enough of my hips to stretch. I needed to pee, and….
I paused, standing completely still when I heard a door creak open just outside of Fowler’s room. Without even thinking, I walked out of the bedroom, alert and unafraid at the possible intruder. I could even smell the alcohol on somebody’s breath and something else. Another scent I wasn’t familiar with but it was God awful. Someone just broke into his house.
“Who is it?” I let out, stupidly not even thinking, “I won’t hesitate to call the police.”
The house was dark and there was no movement as I stepped out of the hallway with my hand gliding against the wall for the lights. As soon as I found the switch, I felt a hard, rough sandy like hand grip my mouth and nose as I tried to scream. The man’s entire body constricted around mine like a snake as I began wriggling and kicking at the air, feeling him drag me towards the front door.
“Don’t scream, don’t scream please…” he begged. “I need to talk to you.”
I felt tears in my eyes begin with panic as the front door opened and I saw the car parked in the street with other men inside. One look at the reflection of the car door, and I saw the man’s skeleton like face, skin sinking to the bone as his friends got out and pulled me into the back seat of the car.
“Go, go go! Hurry up before this nigga wakes up,” the man threatened, “ain’t no telling if this shit really fucks with their nose or not.”
The door slammed shut as I was squeezed into the back seat with two other men with the driver, the one dragging me out of the house with what I thought was a skeleton face, he turned to look back at me with red eyes. I didn’t recognize him but he and everyone else seemed to know me.
“I’m not gonna hurt you… I just need to talk to you and I need your help with something,” he said.
**Always about the writing. Hope everyone is in a good mood, enjoy their weekend and stay healthy** I got the best email this morning about my stories and just want to share the love with a blog post. *previously posted in the cafe*