A few weeks have past since the shooting.
It's a Sunday afternoon and I'm on the bus coming home from work.
Oddly enough the bus is packed to the rim. All the seats are taken and every available spot to stand has someone in it. So packed that the bus driver won't let anyone on the bus unless people get off. It's hard to see out windows so I can't see my stop.
Luckily today I was able to be a seat, only to have my face inches away from this man's ass and underwear (which was exposed due to his sagging pants).
The elderly woman sitting next to me humming a sweet hymn.
"Excuse me, I really hate to bother you-"
I look up to see a severely pregnant woman holding on to the side of her belly and a pained look in her face.
"Can I sit down for a moment, my feet and back are killing me."
I quickly agree and let her sit down. In effort to stand up I clumsily knocked around I'm the middle of the bus trying to find a pole I can hold on to. I had to hold on to the pole closest to the deranged looking homeless man. He smelled horrible. He was tall and white with three knee length dread locks. Dirt was caked all over him and when he smiled at my with a sexual glint, his teeth were all brown. I felt his breathing on my neck, sending chills down my spine. I look out the window to see how far I am away from my stop just when the bus was speeding by.
I force my way through the crowd after pulling the cord.
"Stop! Right here!" I screech, causing the homeless man to laugh creepily. "Please?" my voice wavers.
The bus stops in the middle of the block. Some people moan and groan saying that " I should've been paying attention" and "I'm holding them back".
But when I finally reached the front off the bus to get off I didn't care what they have to say about me.
" Hey lil girl, watch for your stop next time eh?" The elderly bus driver growls at me. When I turned around he closes the door and pulls off. I pick up some evil glares from passenger and the flirtatious wave from the greasy looking homeless man.
I cross North Polen, intending to go to the corner store until I saw a man man Bernard rush past me. Bernard was a heavy set dark skin man in his late forties. So to say the least it was very odd to see him running-- or jogging. Bernard was wearing a dark blue velvet sweat suit as he ran up to the older women who sat on the stoop gossiping and complaining. What ever Bernard just had to tell them must have been funny because I heard the old witches cackle. To top it off his home relaxed and blonde dyed hair blows in the wind as he curries across the street.
I roll my eyes and sigh.
I walk into the decrepit corner store. The linoleum is permanently stained, cracked, and dirty. My cheap sneaker squeak against the linoleum, chipping the flimsy plastic a bit at the corner causing the owner, Mr. Chang to glare at me.
"Watch what you doing, you silly gal!" He waves his newspaper at me angrily.
I blush and walk to the back of the store to the meat section. I order some pork chops, turkey necks, and smoke sausage. As the worker is putting together my order I debate in getting a gallon of milk or not because it would be a lot of stuff for me to carry. But if I don't get it now I won't get it later and that means no cereal in the morning.
"You know staring at it won't make the price go down, love." A masculine voice chuckles behind me.
I look up at the familiar face.
"I know that Cain, I kno-"
"Ey, what I told you about calling me dat, huh?" He raised his left brow and walked towards me offering a hug.
Cain, -or Trey as he prefers to be called is my neighbor. He leaves in the apartment across from me with his long time girlfriend and high school sweetheart and new baby Cain Hughes IV, or Quad.
Accepting his hug I giggle at his playfulness.
"Hey ma, if you need a little help I'm more than willing to buy you what ever you need to get by." He looked into my eyes seriously.
I swoon, Trey's a good looking man. Brown skin with light hazel eyes, tall and an athletic build. I have to catch myself sometimes from misinterpreting his actions.
"No, T. I was just contemplating rather I should get the milk now or wait until tomorrow when I get groceries and I have my basket."
"There you go using all them big words again. But your not the only one- I'm pretty smart myself." Trey was in fact very smart he going to school to be a bio-chemical engineer.
"Don't worry about it I'll help you with your stuff." He gives me a charming smile.
"Thank you." I accept his offer because arguing would get me no where.
I pick up the milk and walk to the back to get my meat.
At the cash register I pay for my things and Trey's with my food stamp card.
"How's the baby doing?" I ask picking up the milk, which is taken out of my hands.
"My big man doing good, thanks for buying the formula I owe you one."
We walk together out of Johnny's Corner Store. Chatting aimlessly about nothing much. When we walked past Bernard and the old witches obnoxious conversation pauses. They stare at the pair of us with a sense of knowing like they are holier than thou .
"Hey, girl- what's up name ... Uh Miracle? Mary! Hey Mary." Bernard screeches in his ultra feminine tone .
I turn around to correct them but I Trey grabbed my wrist. We continue our walk down the street to the next corner so we can reach our apartment building.
"If you turn around and pay heed tothose old bitches it's only going to make you mad. People like that hate themselves." He grumbles and pulls me by my wrist so we can walk a fast pace.
"Bougie hoe, she think she betta than some-damn-body. Look at her nah walking around with 'that girl' baby daddy like they didn't just have that baby." Ms. Clancey, the younger evil witch announces loudly so I can hear it.
Bernard and Mrs. Vert amen the obtuse statement.
I roll my eyes and Trey scuffs.
"Don't listen to them, Erin know I would never cross that line and she trust you." His southern twain comes through when he's upset. Something I never noticed before.
His statement stings a bit though. I sometimes catch myself wishing I was Erin, she was lucky enough to find a genuine good person. It hurts because I realise I've been living my life vicariously through theirs.
"Don't worry about, we both know the truth." I agree with him.
