"Jesus! It's too hot in this building to be tryna shop." Je'Rae pauses in the middle of the muggy and dimly lit convention center, takes his Ray Bans glasses off, and scans the area.
"You the one that wanted to come and see if we can find something valuable to steal," Milo mumbles under his breath.
"Twin just go keep the car running." Je'Rae rolls his eyes, "I'll be out in a min or two."
Je'Rae pulls cash out of a chocolate Louis Vuitton wallet, stuffs the crisp twenty-dollar bill deeply in his denim pockets, and tosses it smoothly to Milo. He catches it as he leaves the convention center. The blaring sounds of sports cars flood the air as they pass. He takes a deep breath of the warm southern air and, gets into the car to wait. Meanwhile, Je'Rae walks around the tables looking at the various tourist roaming in the center. Most tourists visit the city for the Coca-Cola Museum but only a handful know about this underground pop-up shop. He continues to watch and study the tourist as they come and go. I shoulda had Milo take me to the mall like the original plan. Je'Rae says internally, these folks look like they are struggling just like me.
He spots an altercation between a middle-aged vendor and a young woman. The man accuses her of stealing.
"Do you know who my father is?! Why would I steal a t-shirt-"
"If you're so rich why do you want to get away without paying for a t-shirt!" Interrupts the vendor.
"I said I left my wallet in the Uber or something! Ion need to steal that cheap shirt!" Yells E'Nique.
Je'Rae swiftly walks up to de-escalate the situation. "Hey, hey, what's going on?"
"She's trying to steal my t-shirt man!" The vendor screams.
"Okay, how about this? I pay for the shirt, and you leave her alone." Je'Rae pulls out his last couple of dollars and hands it to the vendor to pay for the shirt.
He yells, "Thank you, and don't come around here again," as he snatches the dollars out of Je'Rae's hand and tosses the shirt in Je'Rae's face.
"Hey love come on. Let's go outside." Je'Rae glances at E'Nique and starts to walk away from the vendor, "The city folks be tripping out here not gone lie."
She walks alongside him towards the exit and glances up. He recognizes her Valentino Donna perfume instantly as the flowery, yet sweet fragrance filled his nose as he opens the door for her.
"Is that Valentino Donna?"
"Um, yes it's my favorite perfume as of right now."
They walk to the car parked on the side of the convention center. The vulgar rap music begins to get louder as they walk closer to the gold Honda Accord.
"It smells very good, but what's your name? I never caught it."
"E'Nique. Like unique but with an E."
"E'Nique. I like that it's different. I'm Je'Rae by the way." Slowly reaches a hand out and looks into her hazel eyes.
"Nice to meet you Je'Rae." She softly shakes his hand and gazes back into his almond eyes.
They continue to stare at each other as everything around them seemingly slows down and gets quiet. E'Nique eventually feels comforted by his presence. He's tall, dark, and handsome. He seems kind, I wonder where this goes. She thinks to herself. At this moment Je'Rae regrets stealing her wallet. I thought I was just pickpocketing a random stranger. I must plan a way to return her wallet without her knowing, He says internally.
"So, did you need a ride, or you got an Uber?" asked Je'Rae.
"No, my dad sent his driver to come get me. He'll be here any second." She looks back and points, "Speaking of the devil. There he is." A blacked-out Cadillac Escalade pulls into the parking lot and parks beside the gold Honda Accord.
"Before you go, can I get your number or something?"
E'Nique steps closer to him standing on her tippy toes, and kisses Je'Rae's cheek.
YOU ARE READING
A Thousand and One Nights in Atlanta
Historia CortaThis is a story about a thief stealing from his potential crush. Does it affect his chances of getting with her? Read and find out. • • • • • • • • A short story written by Micheal Chambers.
