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( CHAPTER THIRTY: THE B-BOY EXTRAORDINAIRE ) May, 1993
❝ hood devon is back baby! ❞
◯
"Remember, don't be nervous," Devon pensively stammered, his clammy palms rubbing together as Janet sent her boyfriend a calming smile. She walked beside him, her poised figure listening diligently to everything he said, even his aimless ramblings, which tended to stretch on longer than it needed to be. "My family can get a lil'... excited, but they mean well," Devon continued, but Janet was quick to soothe his peaking worries.
"Trust me Dev, I don't get scared easily, I have six brothers, remember?" Janet playfully teased, softly nudging his toned arm. Devon nodded, a sweeping smile decorating his mouth, the clefs in his stout cheeks shallowly denting his skin. He couldn't help but feel nervous, things like this didn't happen very often. The last time Devon brought a girlfriend home, he was a junior in high school, and the whole thing burnt up in flames.
She was a sensitive girl, and foolishly, Devon unknowingly threw her to the wolves, and by wolves, he meant his dogmatic mother. Up until now, he took strict precautions not to share any details of his love life to his family, fearing that his mother's meddling tendencies would sink into his relationships and suck it dry. But now that Janet already met her, Devon feared that there was no turning back.
"You're tense," Janet softly murmured, her hands snaking around his forearm and cradling it lovingly. Devon's head flicked in her direction, and his muscles eased at the sight of her glowing face. "I'm thinkin' about all the baby pictures they're about to show you," Devon grumbled, eyes lowering with annoyance.
Janet muffled her laughter, quickly plopping a chaste kiss on his shoulder before Devon reached over and slung an arm around her waist, pulling her in closer. "Now that is something I have to see," Janet laughed, and Devon threw her another amused glance, the young couple quickly reaching the white pickup fence that belonged to Devon's uncle house.
Devon could feel Janet's small body bustle with excitement in his embrace. The sight of the quaint, yet homely abode probably made her mind hum with warmth, he knew this because she spent the entire plane ride to New York expressing her love for Devon's uncle, and the few, favourable days she spent staying at his home in 1992. Right after she knocked a man out, Devon affectionately thought.
As the two walked up the steps that lead to front porch, Devon paused in front of the door. His knuckles raised, trying his best to push aside his worries. He knew he couldn't turn back now, despite every desire in his body wanting to drag Janet as far away as possible. He feared the worst, and when he finally gained the courage to knock on the door, his worries were more than valid.
Unfortunately, the first one to answer the door was none other than his mother, to his immediate surprise. Devon's insides soured as his piete, yet domineering mother launched forward with a startling amount of joy. "Devon, you're here!" She cheered, once again trapping him in stern hug. The dancer winced in her rigid arms, quick to peel himself out of her grip, a shiver trembling down his spine.
