Letting Go

Six

I pulled up to the bowling alley and sighed. I haven't been here in so long.

I got out of my car and grabbed the Iced Tea I stopped by McDonald's to get along with my purse.

"I'm sorry Taya. Please don't be mad at me Please!" She begged.

"You know I don't hold grudges."

"You might after this." She said.

"What did you do?" I asked her.

"I didn't do anything Rick, Rick brung his brother this time and not his friend." She said biting her lip.

"And so?" I asked her.

"He just looks and seems, you know." She said rubbing her arm.

"What Karen dang?" I asked her.

"Rough."

"I'm here to be a supportive sister not get a man." I told her.

"I love you." She hugged me. "Just be nice. Please?"

"For someone who made me mad less than an hour ago you're asking for a lot." I said and I opened the door to the bowling alley.

It is most empty in here,I guess because the leagues usually play Sunday evenings, but I've never been to this particular alley so I am not sure.

"She's with us." Karen told the attendant I went up to. "Tay just tell her the size." She said.

"I brought my own." I smiled at her and we kept it moving.

Once we got to our lane, lane six I saw two tall men standing from the back, and from this view all I thought was how small we were compared to them.

I prayed that the slightly taller one was with Karen because no way, no way at all would I be able to be with someone that tall. Women usually liked it but my short frame and stature was no match for his big one.

"Hey Richard meet my sister Taya, taya meet my boyfriend Rick and his brother Reginald." Karen said and they both turned around smiling.

I smiled analyzing both of them, my smile trembled a small amount. I noticed a tattoo on one mans face, while the other remained on more of the clean side. The one with the tattoo on his face was more so Karen's type, while even though I wasn't all into the other guy, he was more in my comfort zone.

"Hey Taya, Karen told me a lot about you. I'm Richard but everybody calls me Rick." The shorter one said smiling.

"Hi, Karen has told me a lot about you." I said shaking his reached out hand.

"I hope all good things."

"Maybe, Maybe not." I shrugged laughing.

He was nice so far, but the way his brother stared made me uncomfortable.

"Oh I'm sorry, this is my brother Reginald." Rick said and I nodded.

"Hello." I said and he nodded looking at me.

"So how we gonna play this?" Karen asked grabbing her ball.

"Brothers against sisters." Reginald said and I nodded agreeing with him.

"Or you two against us." Rick proposed but knowing me, Karen shut it down.

"Actually baby, I think we should go up against each other." Karen said.

"Babe that's no fun. Let's whip them together." He said.

"Nope, plus I'm no good and my sister is great at this game." She laughed locking our names in under team one, they used the other lane to begin their game.

"Fine then, but we can bowl too." Rick added.

"We not sweating it." Karen said back slyly touching his midsection and going to get her ball.

She rolled, and got a nine. She can easily get a spare only having on pin to spare.

She centered herself with the ball perfectly and rolled.

"Good Job." I high fived her as she dusted off her shoulders cockily.

I was next to go up, but I waited until after Reginald rolled and got a strike easily following him up with his perfect strike.

"Nice." Rick said slapping me five and I nodded.

The game continues and it was left up to me and Rick because our time was running out.

I breathed deeply watching as Rick's ball flew down the lane landing eight. He snapped his fingers seeing the position of the pins; one on each side assuring me that he'd make a total of nine points if he makes his shot correctly.

After his failed attempt to get down one of the two pins I went up. I centered myself and focused before I let go of the ball allowing it to go down the lane and boom, I made my teams fifth strike of the evening.

"You can really play." Rick said laughing.

I nodded. "Yeah, I used to play a lot."

"So yall know you buying us dinner right?"
Karen asked.

"It would be the gentlemen like thing to do." He nodded and nudged his brother who was consumed on his phone.

I personally thought of how rude it was to constantly be on your phone while around people, and then about how I couldn't expect much else from someone tattooing heir face.

"So where yall trying to go?" He asked looking up from his phone and speaking a full sentence for the first time tonight.

"Taya?" Karen asked.

"Italian?" I asked and Karen nodded.

"Girl you were reading my mind. Let's hurry and get out of here because this kid is hungry." Karen said speaking of herself.

He laughed kissing the side of her face repeatedly and whispering things into her ear.

I shook my head putting my shoes back into my bag and replacing my bowling shoes with my heels.

"What?" I asked Reginald, Ricks brother. Instead of him leaving out behind them he stayed, looking at me.

He smirked. "You cute." He acknowledged before getting up out of his seat and walking towards the door leaving me utterly confused and oddly, my confidence and ego took a little boost.

~~~

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