Smoke and Mirrors (DE)

10. The real you

" Good morning Ms. Grace," An older black woman said as she opened Joseph's front door for Grace.

" Good morning.." Grace said with a small smile in a puzzled tone. She raised a brow tucking a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear. " Joseph is eating his breakfast, come in," The woman said, opening the door wider for Grace to come in.

Grace followed the smell of eggs and gently charred turkey bacon into the kitchen where Joseph sat at the head of his black kitchen table alone, shirtless with a black durag secured around his head and a newspaper in one hand and a fork full of egg whites in the other. On & on- Erykah Badu played lightly from the overhead home speaker system. Grace smiled small watching as he bobbed his head subtly engrossed in the newspaper, shoving a forkful off food into his mouth oblivious to her presence. " Good morning Joseph," Grace said, grabbing his attention.

Joseph looked up from his newspaper, his eyes settling on Grace who stood only a few feet away clad in a sweater and leggings with her hair tied in a bun on top of her head— she looked and seemed more comfortable being in his presence today. She pulled a seat up next to him. " Good morning," He said, grabbing his coffee and holding it to his lips to take a sip in an effort to conceal his smile. Graces natural and raw captivating beauty was one he would never get over no matter how many times he saw her, it always felt like the first time he laid his eyes on her.

" What are you reading?" She asked, nodding towards the newspaper. He sat the paper down, turning it around so she could read it and slid it over to her. Joseph watched as her eyes graced the page.

'Serial killer released back into society: Did the judicial system drop the ball?'

Underneath the headlining title, the iconic photo of Joseph smiling devilishly at media journalists on his way to trial in handcuffs with a police escort. " I haven't been out of the house in weeks, they just want something to talk about,"

" I don't like the way they try to portray you, like you're a monster," Grace said, folding her arms and leaning against the table. Joseph shrugged sipping his orange juice. " That's their job, I don't take it personally,"

The woman that opened the door for Grace brought her over a plate of breakfast and a glass of orange juice. " Oh— thank you," Grace smiled sweetly.

" That's Verna, she works for me. She really takes care of me," He chuckled watching her walk out of the dining room. " Cooks for me, takes care of the house, manages the estate team for me. She's an angel,"

" Since when did you become the type to hire people to do stuff like that for you?" Grace inquired, taking a bite of her food. They used to live a nice life before, but it was still modest. He had stepped it up since he's been home. His new home was one Grace only saw in HGTV magazines. " She came with the estate. The house came with an estate team actually— landscapers, housekeepers, a chef. Comes in handy because you know I can't cook for myself,"

" Yea and I'd hate to see this beautiful home burn down," Grace jested making Joseph crack a grin as he admired her while she ate. The natural sunlight that bled in through the enormous floor to ceiling windows gave Grace a natural glow and brightened her brown eyes making them glow a shade of a rich golden honey brown color. Her freckled skin was still flawless not barring any signs of her true age— she still looked like the twenty-two year old girl he first met.

" So.." She said wiping her mouth on a cloth napkin. " Will you finish telling me why Unique was trying to kill you?" Grace had spent all night thinking about their conversation and had a million and one things to ask him. She was more importantly grateful that she'd gotten the closure she felt she'd been needing all these years. Grace still loved Joseph whole heartedly even after all of these years. Even if things would never be the same as they were back then, at least her heart didn't hold resentment for him anymore and she understood how he felt now. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her and it was easier to be in his presence again.