Dark coffee

Chapter Thirty-two

The next morning, as soon as I woke up, I went to Malik's room which was at the end of the hallway near the bathroom. I couldn't stop thinking about yesterday's scene in the kitchen. I got up from my bed and left my room. When I finally reached his room, I knocked on his door and he opened it. He was shirtless in navy blue pyjama bottoms.

"What do you want?" He said coldly.

"Can we talk?" I saw Britany's bare feet in his bed.

"Britany's still sleeping but we can go talk in the living room. I don't think anyone is awake yet." I nodded in agreement. He went back to his room, rummaged through his closet and pulled out a gray short-sleeved shirt and put it on. We then went downstairs and then into the living room.

"Why did you come to my room? What do you want?" He said while sitting on the couch

"I wanted to talk to you," I said sitting as well.

"About what?" He asked.

"About something, but I want you to be honest with me."

" Go ahead, I'm listening"

I took a deep breath and I said, "Are you a street gang? A drug dealer, a pimp or something?"

He burst out laughing and said "Are you for real? Did you really say that?"

"Stop laughing! My question is very serious. I'm concerned."

He kept laughing for a few seconds and then stopped. Then approached me and said in a serious voice, "may I ask who put such an idea in your head? Is that really what you think of me Dahila?"

"I don't know Malik, I have no idea who you have become. The only thing I do know is that yesterday I saw the fear that these guys had when you arrived. Also, your behaviour over the past few years, your multiple friends who are in gangs and those who are in jail! You have to admit that it leaves interpretation."

"You bugging complete. I ain't no gang member and I don't run one. I'm also not a pimp, I don't sell drugs or guns or anything. If you want to know everything Dahila, those guys were afraid of me, like many in this neighbourhood, because I'm not afraid to fight until someone bleeds if they piss me off. I was never interested in that gang stuff, although I had almost joined one younger, but thanks to Quincy's dad I didn't." He said with energy.

"Then why almost all your friends are gang members?" I asked him.

"The reason I have friends in gangs is that they are guys I grew up with and I know they have a good heart, but they are lost because of the struggles of life. They may not be kids at heart, but they are my brothers. I'm still their friend because I hope to influence them for the better to get out of this shitty life."

"I feel more like they are influencing you," I said sadly.

"Don't worry, I promise no one is influencing me. You know when I met your boyfriend, I knew right away, without him even telling me anything, that this guy knew the street and the misery. So when I found out that he didn't get into that lifestyle, we became direct friends. Your nigga is my bro and he helps me with some of our guys to change the direction of their lives. Boxing is one of the things that saved me and allowed me to control my hot blood. That's one of the reasons why I want to become a professional boxer. So there you go. Any other questions?"

After what he had just told me, I was stunned. My vision of him changed completely. I now understood why he and Darell got along so well. They were not as different from each other as I had imagined.

I could see that Malik was still waiting for an answer from me, so I said, "no, I don't have any more questions. I'm sorry I thought that..."

He interrupted me, "Don't worry, we'll say we're even for what I said about you last year at McDonald's