The Boy She Illegally Brought To The Lavender Field (bwwm)

Page 61

Annie sat on her bed, writing in her journal, after Daniel dropped her off to do whatever he planned on doing.
He didn't tell Annie his plans. Just to give him a few months.

"Dad!" Daniel slammed through Stephen's office.
Stephen peered over his glasses at his boy. "Can I help you?"
Daniel shut the door and walked in further. "I need help."
"With what?"
"I need a house."
"What?"
"I'm working to buy a house. I need a house."
"Alright? How much do you have saved up already? Do you know?"
"Like...I don't know...9 or 10 grand. I'm not a big shopper if I'm bein' honest." Because he'll find a way to steal it before he lets it come out of his pockets. "And I've been lookin' for more jobs and everything. All afternoon I've been fillin' out applications."
"Well that's not too terrible. Can I ask why you're suddenly so adamant on buying a home?"
"Why do you people keep askin' me questions, man? I just wanna do stuff. Can't I just want to do it?"
"Well you've got a bad track record, Daniel. I never know what you plan to do with what you want done. So yes, I'm going to keep asking you questions. You also have not discussed wanting a house for some time now, but suddenly you're in a rush. Why?"

Daniel sighed and just stared around the room.

"I don't have all day, Daniel."

"Annie wants a house. A big house. With a garden. And we want to move. Because we know that livin' here...we won't live as freely as we could somewhere else so...we might move up north or to California or something."
"Do you know how much a house costs in other states? They're not all the same."
"Well...no..."
Stephen sighed.
"I don't know! I'll figure it out, who cares?!"
"You should care!"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just tell me how much it costs in other places and I'll get it."
Stephen took a deep breath then looked down at all of the paperwork in front of him.

Both from his job...and divorce papers he still needed to sort through.

"I'll tell you what." Stephen began and looked back at his son.
Daniel looked at him.
"You work until you double however much you have saved. And by that time, I'll be ready to move. And I'll leave this house in your name."
Daniel's eyes widened.
"You do whatever you want with it. But you won't get it unless you've doubled what you've saved. Do you understand me?"
"Yea! Yea, I got it!"
"Alright."
Daniel happily left the office and began cheering.

"WOOOOOO! FUCK YEA!" he shouted in the foyer of his home.
Stephen snickered to himself at the boy while he wrote his signature on his paperwork.

Daniel walked into the kitchen and saw Diana starting on dinner.

"Good evening, Mr. Ross."
"Hey, nanny." Daniel greeted and went into the fruit bowl on the counter. He grabbed one of the seven apples.
Diana looked at him, stunned.

Daniel took a bite and looked at Diana.
"How's your day goin'?" he asked then chewed.
She continued to stare at him. "It's fine. Thank you."
Daniel nodded.
"How's yours?" Diana returned and looked back at her dish on the stove.
"Great. It's goin' great."
"That's good to hear."
"What're you makin'?"
"Um...Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and some vegetables."
"Sounds good." Daniel stated and began to walk out of the kitchen.

"OH! Can you do a pie with those? I just realized it's been a while since we had one and I miss your pies. If not, no worries." Daniel smiled as he backed out of the room. "But I gotta go. I have more job applications to fill out. I'll see you later, nanny." He waved and left the kitchen.

Diana stood there.
She didn't know what to say or think.

Her eyes caught the bowl of apples on the counter as she heard the front door open and close behind Daniel.

She took the bowl and began rinsing the fruit.

•~~~•

"Aren't you the mayor's boy?" The butcher asked.
"Yes, sir."
"You got any experience in this kind of work?"
"Uh...No, but I'm a quick learner."
"Grossed out by blood?"
"Not at all."
"Criminal record?"
"No, sir."
The man just stared at Daniel.
Daniel stared back. He wondered why they were having a staring contest.

"Alright. We'll call you if you got it."
"That's it?" Daniel asked.
"Would you prefer it be long?"
"No, no, I was just...making sure."
"Good."
"Are you sure there's nothing else you want to ask?"
The man groaned and looked back at Daniel.
Daniel wondered why the man clearly had an attitude with him.

"You wanna know what I wanna ask?" The butcher began.
"Yea...?"
"Why was the mayor's son at a negro march a few Wednesdays ago?"
Daniel just stared at the butcher.
"You should know, right? Since it was you."
"What does that have to do with the job?" Daniel asked. He grew annoyed.
"Everything."
"Like what?"
"Like why should I hire a traitor?"
Daniel just glared.
"How 'bout you ask those niggas for a job instead?"

Daniel didn't argue, he just forced himself out of his chair enough for it to fall back. The butcher flinched.
Daniel glared down at him.
The butcher's jaw clenched as he looked up at Daniel's angry expression.

"Thank you for your time." Daniel said calmly, irritated.
The butcher watched him leave his office.

Daniel exited out of the building and continued walking, but he couldn't do any more applications in the condition he was in. He struggles to hide his expressions. They'd see him enter angry and he'd lose it.

He just got back into his truck to drive back home.