𝕆𝕦𝕣 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞

𝟙

Chirping birds, flew in flocks over the heads of the busy streets. People strutted amongst and around each other in fast pace. People marched with purpose in their day to day routes, the air was a pleasant breeze on that September day.

ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤

A new day, on the same old route, I fell into my old routine. The unexpected cool breeze brushed against my free arms. As soon as I began crossing the street, the strident funky bass and smooth jazz of A Tribe Called Quest erupted my left eardrum.

My heart pierced through my chest as my eyes widened to the sight of a speeding black ford Taurus. My feet stopped in it's tracks before going any further into the street. The moving car never stopped as it rolled past me, only missing my toes.

I gasped feeling my heart beat intensely, I could feel its rapid rhyme, beating in my palm as I grabbed my chest. My startled body jerked feeling an unexpected chilling hand on my shoulder.

"It's me" the familiar voice spoke from my left. I looked to see his smiling face. Everyone called him Q, it's short for Quincy. He chuckled at my startled reaction, only smiling harder.

I brushed his hand off of my shoulder. "Who taught your goofy ass to cross the street, goofy" he spoke in his comic voice.

"Yeah, I swear the road was clear" I got defensive keeping my voice calm. "The motherfucker was speeding" my eyes widened. Q laughed at my seriousness, the two of us crossed the street together side by side.

"You going to Benny's" he asked me.

"Yeah" I briefly looked to my left to glance at him. He was wearing a green beanie on the top of his head. "That hat look stupid as hell on the top of ya head, you need Benny's more than I do" I spoke in a comic tone.

Q began to chuckle at my wit. "Matter fact, I'll let you take my seat before me" I spoke putting my hands in surrender.

"Boy nobody wants your seat anyway, that motherfucker be fucking you up" he playfully cracked jokes about my barber.

The two of us continued to make jokes about our hair, our laughs lingered on our way down Hamilton Ave. Shortly we arrived to our destination, the old barbershop was the same way I left it. It was covered in red and brown brick walls, inside the windows and glass doors was were the magic happened.

Q opened the door before me, waving his hand for me to enter before him. As if I was his woman on a date. On his face he wore a goofy smile. "Ladies first" he couldn't hold back his playfully absurd thoughts.

I cocked my head back before using my hands to push him inside. He shrugged his shoulders laughing his was in. The familiar sound of buzzing and humming ringed as I stepped foot into the barbershop. Chairs lined up down the aisle before Q and I.

In every other chair sat another black man, behind them barbers cut and clipped at their hair. The fourth chair to my right stood my barber, Mikey. He was cutting at another clients head. He lifted his head from his work with a welcoming grin on his face, he waved at Q and I.

"Heyy fellas, Chris give me five" he said.

"Ight, I'll sit down till your finished"

Out of the blue, Craig came from the barbershops bathroom, in the back room. He headed towards us while wiping his hands with a paper towel. Craig is Q's barber who happens to be Mikey's younger brother. He just started cutting hair a year ago.

"What's up Q" he spoke in his friendly tone before giving Q a swift handshake. "My man, how you doing" he asked me before taking my hand to do the same.

"Good man, this time he wants to go bald" I said referring to Q. I spoke in a serious tone but he only knew I was kidding, Craig began to laugh.

"Shut up, go sit in your corner" Q couldn't take a joke, he gave me a dry attitude before sitting in his chair ready for Craig to cut his hair.

While Q sat across from Mikey's chair, I sat in the chairs at the front of the shop. Sitting next to the window, I kept my head down reading one of the magazines they had stacked up to read. In the news, I read talks about Michael Jordan's retirement from basketball.

It was still fresh and new at that time. As a Chicago Bulls fan myself, I was honestly scared for my team after losing MJ. People walked past the window to my right, I payed them no mind as I flipped through pages.

Until, the sound of a breaking ruckus caught my attention. Outside of the window I looked up, my nosey eyes watched. Before the window were two black women faced my direction outsides of the window, one was holding a brown cardboard box. The other woman's face was a mystery as she bent to pick up the box she'd drop in front of herself.

"Come on Justice, this box is heavy as shit girl" the one standing whined urgent.

The woman I assumed was Justice picked up the box to then stand up. "Wow" I awed. At the top of her head was a hat, a black beret that sat on the top of her crown of braids. The brim of the hat cut right before her golden brown skin, and arched brows, my heart skipped a beat at the sight of her eyes.

They looked straight of out heaven, doe, brown and pierced my heart. Her pretty lips caught my attention, they moved in a motion as she chewed her gum with an attitude. From head to toe she dressed in black, beside the blue jeans that fit her body right.

Her beautiful mysteriousness had my full undivided attention...

"Chris, you're up" Mikey's roaring voice pulled me from my trance outside of the window. I looked to my left and snapped back to my reality.