Gumbo.

8IGHT.

.

When I heard her brother at the door I quickly got up from the sofa and went into the bathroom to shower for work.

"Aye! D, what happened to my Gumbo in here?!"

"I don't know..."

"I left it in here the other day."

"I must've ate it!!!" Dawn joked as I held in my 'oop!' She did say help myself to anything in the fridge so I did.

"You probably did because it ain't in here." He said.

"Yeah, well, buy some more." She answered probably in her bedroom putting on makeup.

"From where? Ain't nobody around selling i—"

"I'll bring you back some from work." She told him most likely knowing I ate it now since she wanted to replace it suddenly and he probably did too.

"That's cool I'll just make some more when I get home cos y'all don't even make it right."

My mouth parted at those words.

You mean to tell me he was the mastermind behind the dish. No way was I going to believe that a man could throw down like somebody's auntie. He was also right that the gumbo at Madame Nubia's wasn't up to par we had everything else on lock except that.

I stepped in the shower with the taste of the gumbo still on my tongue.

Another bowl would do the body right.

When we arrived at the restaurant Selina was the only one there watching tiktoks.

"What you watching?" Dawn questioned as soon as we got close.

"Keith Lee..."

"Keith who?"

That made her laugh. "Y'all don't know who Keith Lee is?"

"Apparently not!" Dawn said.

"I've heard of him." I said. "And I'm not impressed he only visits restaurants in safe areas he'll never come here so stop dreaming."

"What? I never said he would." Selina said as Dawn just stared between us two like she was trying to figure out who was Keith Lee and what he do. "If I was him I wouldn't show up either, you might get robbed rolling through here."

"He's a food critic, Dawn!" I said as she nodded finally catching on.

"That's not a bad idea if he did come here... we could use the extra exposure." Dawn said as I left it alone and went to the kitchen to do dishes.

"Why would he of all people come down to Madame Nubia's Soul House." I thought out loud while scrubbing the counter tops.

Misha came running into the kitchen with her money held out as she hugged me and slipped the one hundred in my apron pocket. "Ines, told me what happened and I can't believe it."

What the hell, Ines? I thought.

Mentally, I cursed her out she was every name in the book except a child of God.

Everybody here knew Misha couldn't keep a secret so to tell her my secret was like telling CNN.

I tried to pull apart but she wouldn't let go.

"It's okay, honestly." I told her. "At least I chose to be homeless and wasn't forced to be."

"Oh my God!!!" She squealed which scared me a bit. "You're homeless?"

Shoot! I thought Ines already told her.

I shimmied out of her hold as she followed me around the kitchen. "I'm fine."