A Story To Tell | Book 1

.7.

I'd been sneaking around, driving to Tray's house every morning around 4-5 on Saturday and Sunday mornings just to see him. Around that time, Cheri would be in a deep sleep, giving Tray and I time to spend with each other. But part of me was missing it whenever he was able to come over to my house. It's been three months of this sneaking around bullshit and I just wasn't used to this. I felt like an older woman sneaking around with a teenage boy, sneaking out of his parents' house to lay up with me, knowing that we're breaking every rule possible.

    On top of that, my body was always sore because we were always cramped up in the backseat of my Impala or struggling around in the front seat. It was starting to get old and I was starting to get frustrated with it all. Good thing about it was whenever Cheri's dumb ass was in bed sleeping, Tray would FaceTime me until I fell asleep on weeknights.

    Because Tray wanted to act like he was superman this morning, it felt like my right leg was popped out of its socket or something. My hip was hurting and I could barely walk on it. So at work, I had to stand as still as I possibly could. Good thing Brianna didn't mind me being at the register because had I been working with another girl, I'd be shit out of luck. Oh yea, I didn't bother asking Brianna about the whole Tray situation because I felt that I didn't want to know if it were true or not. Some things were just better left unsaid than said at all. I was going to let it go. Me and my man were okay and I wanted it to be that way until Cheri wanted to stop being the Mad Black Woman and let me have my man back the way that I had him before.

    I was checking a customer out when I realized the young boy walking through the door, smiling at me with his deep dimples, making me smile back at him. I expecting to see him walk through the door, but seeing him kind of made my day better, even though my body made me feel like an old woman.

    "What's up, pretty lady?" He said to me as I tended to another customer, trying to quickly ring up their items to get to the next customer.

    "Hi." I answered.

    "Haven't seen you in a while. Did you miss me?" He asked.

    "I don't even know your name to miss you." I laughed. The white lady that I was tending to had let out a tiny laugh at our conversation, but still minding her business at the same time.

    "Oh, the name's Bruce." He answered. "What's yours?"

    "I'm Tereny."

    "Nice to meet you, Tereny. I'll be back when I'm done browsing." He said to me. "But remember what I said last time? I'm not leaving out of here without your  number. I'm eighteen now." He laughed. I shook my head, laughing at him and putting all of my attention onto the white lady who was waiting patiently.

    "Sorry about that." I say to her.

    "Oh, now you're fine. He must really like you." She laughed.

    "I'm not sure. It's probably just a crush. I'm far too old for him."

    "There's no such thing as being far too old. Age is nothing but a stupid number, honey. No age defines a man. And he seems to know exactly what he wants." I give the white lady a confused but agreeing look. She had to have been a cougar or something. I laughed it off and gave her the total. She paid and left, leaving me to tend to another.

    I was in the middle of ringing up when the phone had started to ring. I was about to reach for it, but Brianna had walked over in time. I went back to what I was doing, but was interrupted when Brianna came to me and tapped me on my shoulder with a concerned look on her face that made my heart jump a little.

    "You have a call." She said to me. I looked at her confused and she shrugged her shoulders. She took over from where I'd left off with the items and I went to the phone and picked it up.