Deep Waters

Chapter Forty-Five

Jay slowed the truck down as we arrived at a small house in the middle of a neighborhood. He pulled in the driveway, put the vehicle in park, and turned off the ignition. I released my seatbelt and was ready to follow his suit of climbing out of the truck, but he didn't. Pausing my movements, I looked over at Jay who was staring intently at the grey house in front of him.

I will say, whoever his sister was, she had great exterior design and cleanliness. There wasn't a single rock out of place within the stone sidewalk or even an off-centered flower in her flowerbed. The cement porch was decorated simplistically with a basic metal chair and welcome mat. The house itself was grey with almost black shutters and a matching roof.

"Everything okay?" I found myself asking the boy in the driver's seat.

He breathed and answered without even a nod. "Yeah. I just haven't been here in a while. It looks different than it used to."

"How long has it been?"

"A few years," he said, making me gasp. If my brother and I lived apart from each other, I'd make effort to see him every week.

"Why?" I asked, not really expecting him to answer it. It was his business after all. I had to right to be nosy in it.

"I made a decision that she didn't like and kind of pushed her away. "We check in every once and a while, but I haven't seen her in person."

I glanced at the house before looking back at him. If I had to make assumptions about her going by her house, I'd say she was a decent person. Guess I'd find out. "Come on. I'm sure she will be happy to see you." If she cared enough to check on him every now and then, I truly didn't think she'd be upset with a surprise visit from him.

After my words, he proceeded to nod and get out of the vehicle. A deep "beep" filled the air as he locked the doors behind us, and I followed him up to the front door. This time, he didn't hesitate before he lifted his fist and knocked a few times on the black wooden door. There was a long moment of awkward silence before anyone opened the door. When it was opened though, it was by a character I didn't expect.

A little boy stood before us, looking to be about two or three years old. His deep skin was flawless, and his short hair was black and curly like Jay's. Unlike Jay's though, this boy had dark-brown eyes. "Hi," he greeted us with a bright smile. I had never seen straighter or more perfect teeth on a child in my entire life.

My eyes glanced at my friend Jay and found him looking down at the boy with a confused stare and frown. "Who are you?" he asked, apparently not thinking about how rude it sounded.

Before I could apologize for Jay's choice of words, the child responded. "Ezra."

Jay's frown deepened. "Maybe she moved?" he guessed.

I didn't have time to questioned what kind of situation we were in because a woman appeared in view. "Ezra, what did I tell you about opening the door?" she asked, sounding stern but kind.

The woman now standing behind the boy was flat out beautiful. She had perfect curves, plump lips, and full cheekbones. Her dark hair was sleeked back into a tight bun. There was a dishrag in her hand and a tied apron hung around her neck that had large red roses on it. "Jayden," she spoke after catching sight of him. Shock concealed her eyes as she stared at him, not even taking a glance at me.

"Neveah," Jay replied, with almost as much awe in his tone as her.

She immediately welcomed us both inside and out of the chilly breeze. I followed in last and shut the door behind me. Her house was just as beautiful and neat as it was on the outside. There wasn't a speck of dust in sight or a frame out of place. "Who's this?" she asked, finally taking a long look at me, making me look back at her instead of her interior design.

Despite the curiosity in her eyes, she flashed me a kind smile. "This is my friend Lydia," Jay introduced me before I had the chance. "Lydia, this is my older sister Neveah."

Grinning softly, I reached out and shook her hand. "Just friend?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded and confirmed with "just friend."

To my surprise, she actually frowned at my response. "Dang it, Jayden. I thought you finally talked your way through to a pretty girl."

Her compliment warmed me, but Jay rolled his eyes at her. Honestly, for a minute it was silent and awkward. "Well...who's this?" Jay asked her, looking down at the boy who was still present.

"This is Ezra," she answered, though we had that figured out already. Neveah pulled him in gently by his shoulder and hugged him comfortingly into her side. She ruffled the top of his head, but his short curls remained intact.

The man standing beside me looked between them as if trying to piece together a puzzle. "He's yours?" he asked, something flashing in his eyes.

She nodded with a nervous smile. "You'd know if you'd stop by every once and a while."

A frown once again found Jay's lips. Swallowing, he knelt down to the boy's eye level with a vivid look of guilt in his eyes. "Hi, little man."

Ezra's eyes brightened and he looked up at his mother with pride. "Momma, he called me a man!"

We both chuckled at his excitement. "He also called you little," she said. "Why don't you go back into the kitchen and finish up your casserole?"

He pouted for a brief moment. "If I do, can I have a cookie?"

She sighed and nodded. "If you clean your plate." He grinned before taking off running into a different room.

Seriousness now crossed Neveah's eyes and an emotional frown settled on her lips. There was another awkward silence between them, making me wish I wasn't standing in their presence. "So, what made you decide to visit after all this time?" she asked. "Finally get tired of talkin' on the phone?"

A loud sigh escaped Jay's lips as he scratched the back of his head and finally stood back up straight. He anxiously glanced at me as if unsure of the decision to say something in front of me.

"Lydia, how about I show you to the living room?" Neveah asked me with a smile, picking up on the tension from him. "You can enjoy some TV or magazines while I talk to Jayden for a few minutes." I just nodded and followed her gesture to the living room. Relief flooded through me as the opportunity to not be in between their tension arose. As I was left alone in the tidy but lonely room, I wondered why there was so much tension between them in the first place...and why Jayden wanted to stop by here after so many years of keeping away.

***

I know this is short and that I didn't post yesterday after saying I would. I totally took an unexpected nap and then went to church so I didn't have time to write. :)

I will post again in the next couple of days:)