I was at the corner store getting a pack of blacks when I heard fire engines. I walked out of the store and back down the block. People were everywhere, and I could see the lights flashing. As I got closer I heard people calling my name, but I was transfixed on the scene ahead of me. I stood still, and watched my house completely engulfed by flames.
“Sir you have to back up!!”
I stood my ground as the fire fighters tried to warn me to get back. I felt hands grabbing me, and I let a police officer grab me and pull me a safe distance away. I was still watching the flames in disbelief when I saw Navette running down the street.
“My house!!!!! Oh my God where is my husband??!!
I couldn’t even speak to her because as of right now I didn’t know if this was intentional or not. Some of the neighbors pointed her over to where I was standing with the officer.
“Leroi are you okay? What happened?”
“I don’t know. I came back and our shit was in flames.”
The police officer asked us to walk down the street a ways where he could hear us.
“Okay so are you two both the homeowners?”
“Yeah, I’m Leroi Love Jr and this is my wife Navette.”
He wrote down our names.
“So can you tell me how this may have happened?”
“She was the last one in the house, I walked down the block to the store to get some blacks.”
She looked at me funny, “Sir I was in the house and the last thing I did was grab my purse off the table and I left.”
“Where did you go,” I asked cutting my eyes at her.
“Leroi, don’t start.”
“Mrs. Love did you by chance leave the oven or stove on?”
“Nah I never touched the stove.”
“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!!!! “ Leroi smacked his face with his hand, “Did you blow out the candles befor you left?”
“ I- I-I must have forgot to but—“
“Okay sir please calm down, ma’am is there anyway the candles could have caught anything on fire?”
“I don’t think so.”
I tried to play back in my mind the last things I did before leaving the house. I grabbed my purse and I remember I knocked over my wine glass which was half empty. I forgot about the candles though.
The police asked a few more questions then walked back over to the crowd as our house was smoldering in the distance. Leroi was on his phone with one finger in his ear, and I was scared to walk up to him so I sat in my car. I laid my head against the steering wheel and cried allt he tears I could cry. Somebody knocked on my window, and I looked up to see Leroi. I unlocked the passenger door, and he walked around and got inside.
Without saying a word he grabbed me and hugged me. We cried together.
*************************************************************************************I sighed as I walked up the driveway. I saw Juan’s truck parked so I was unsure whether or not I should even come in so I knocked. He answered the door in a pair of jean shorts, and he had the phone in his hand. He waved me in and I sat down on the couch. I could smell what had to be taco salad, and it was smelling good. I sat there for a few minutes as he walked past me leering at me. This was gonna be a long day. When he got off the phone he came back in with a towel draped over his shoulders, and some Jordan flip flops. He sat next to me and I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“How you been Juan?”
“I been better, how about you?”
“I am okay now that I am here looking at you again.”
He shot his dimpled smile at me, “Well you know I had to really reevaluate my position, and I was wring as a muthafucka for how I carried everything.”
“No, I need to be apologizing too, hell I’m not exactly innocent in all of this.
“Yeah true, but fuck all that we got the rest of our life to deal with this. “
“You sure do got it smelling good up in here.”
“Oh thanks, but I ain’t cookin. Sam come out here real fast!!”
A tall, light-skinned girl with dimples walked into the living room smiling. She looked awfully damn young, but after what I had done to him what could I say?
“This is my friend , Sam.”
“Hey Sam I said extending my hand.
“Sam this is Landon…..my pops.”
