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10 -part two-

halfway love
part two
stand by me

"chai if you just told me where we were going this would be a lot more easier." lana complained as we passed a store we just saw five minutes ago. i was trying to focus on what street the store moved to but i couldn't think.

"well, i can't tell you because it's a surprise, so just sit back and deal with my horrible directions." i turned to her and pinched her round nose. she glared at my finger as i moved it away from her face and her eyes rolled.

"what choice do i have?"

"i'm glad that you've acknowledged that you don't have a choice-" i spotted the store i've been looking for and cut off my sentence. "pull over right here." i yelled out, she rushed to pull over and looked at me exceptionally irritated.

"don't look at me like that, you're about to love this." i helped her out of her car and led her into the store. the bell dinged upon our entrance and the store owner and longtime friend woke up from his rest along the register counter.

"welcome to harvey's record shop. how may i-" the owner's eyes squinted and the balls of his fists cleared out his eye boogers. he then grabbed the glasses that were hanging around his neck by a chain and slid them onto his face. "malachai watson, is that you?" i smiled as the elderly man smiled and grabbed his cane to make his way around the counter. i let go of lana's hand and met what i called my father figure halfway. his feeble arms couldn't wrap around my body tight and he looked so fragile that i didn't want to hurt him by squeezing him too tight.

"hey mr. harvey, long time no see, huh?" i chuckled nervously, knowing that my absence would get scolded.

"it sure has been, i was starting to think you forgot about an old man." his eyes glared at me through the thick bifocals.

"i would never forget about you." i turned back around to lana who seemed to not want to intrude in our conversation by observing the store. i took the small steps back over to her and she looked up at me with a gleam in her eyes that almost made my heart pull. i folded my hand into hers and led her back to mr. harvey.

"mr. harvey, this is lana, lana this is mr. harvey." i introduced lana to the second most important person in my life. whenever i had a real good feeling about a girl, i would bring her to mr. harvey so he could tell me if they were bad news or not. it's just something that either your parents or grandparents can sense and since i saw mr. harvey as a grandfather to me i trusted his instincts. i also could never disrespect my mama by bringing random girls i'm temporarily interested in to meet her. no one has made it that far. so mr. harvey is my go-to guy, he never has failed to let me know what fruit isn't ripe enough for me.

"hello, mr. harvey." lana stuck her hand out to shake.

"bonjour votre beauté symbolise la pureté de une rose blanche, mademoiselle lana." mr. harvey spoke in his native tongue as he took lana's hand in his and kissed her knuckles. lana's cheeks burned bright red and she suppressed a smile behind her small hand. being around him for most of my life he taught me some french until i lost interest. i made out his hello, beauty, white rose and pure.

no he is not being smooth with her...

"now, that is how you're supposed to charm a woman." he released her hand and smirked up at me. i swear this man is a trip. you couldn't tell him he wasn't in his 20s until you had to help him pick something up, then he would go on and on about how he was in his 70s and how we should do everything for him.