If That's All It takes

Prologue

Tommy was supposed to be in his room. He knew how his mom hated when he was outside by himself, but he saw the  U-Haul truck next door and got excited.

"Please let it be a boy , please let it be a boy so I can play with him," Tommy whispered as he peered through the hole in the fence about the same size as his head.

He waited in anticipation as  the driver's side door of the truck opened. A man came out. A big muscular man. At first Tommy was scared. The man didn't look like the kind of person that would live in his neighborhood. He was black and Tommy only saw black people at school or when he would go to the mall with his mother. 

The big muscular man turned and spotted Tommy watching him.

"Hey there little man!" he boomed. Tommy noticed he talked loud and funny, with an accent he had never heard off.

"What yo name?" He asked Tommy with that funny accent.

"Thomas, but everyone calls me Tommy," Tommy whispered, shrinking away from the fence. The big muscular man smiled and Tommy realized he wasn't so scary anymore , if anything he looked friendly.

"Ain't that right? My name Thomas too, Thomas King.  Anyway you look 'bout the same age as my little girl."

Tommy pouted in disappointment at the mention of a girl, he was hoping for a boy his age to play with since all the kids in the neighborhood were mostly teenagers. But, his disappointment turned to curiosity when he saw the girl step out from the passenger side of the truck. She was black too, a little darker than her father. What caught his attention was her hair. It looked like the type of hair Bob Marly had when he saw a picture of him in a book, but hers had strings of gold entwined with it. 

"Hi!" The girl waved, " my name's Ama," she said as she ran over to him. She grabbed the fence and leaned over so close he could see the gold specks in her brown eyes.

 "Do you want to play?" She asked.

Before he could reply, his mother grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the fence, "What have I told you about going outside by yourself Thomas?"

"Sorry Mom I was just talking to the new neighbors."

His mom looked over the fence and noticed the man and his daughter standing there for the first time.

"Oh hello Thomas, I did not know today was the day you were moving in, I would've came over to help if I knew."

"Ain't no worries Anne, Stella is on her way with the other truck, we just got here.

"Tommy watched as his mother talked to the man like they were old friends.

"No, no, Tommy and I have nothing to do today. We can come help you out, isn't that right baby?" 

Tommy nodded as his mother gently pushed his back towards the the front yard of their new neighbor.

"Mom, how do you know the new neighbors?" Tommy asked with curiosity. His mom smiled at him. 

 "I met him a couple weeks back when he and his wife came to look at the house. They are lovely people. And you will finally have someone your age to play with, she said as she ruffled his hair." 

Tommy pulled his head away from his mom's hand and smiled up at her. He looked at the girl, Ama, and smiled. He liked the idea of having a pretty girl as a friend.