Hidden Valley (D. SWING)

II. PB&J

Today, he wasn't on the stage like he had been all week. He'd got a haircut, I notice the small fro sitting on his skull is in better shape than it'd previously been, if possible. He looks like the boy I'll marry some day... it's not a coincidence. God makes zero mistakes. I've heard Reverend Don say that too many times to count.

Humming an unknown tune to myself, I sit waiting for Big Mama to take me home so that I can eat in between services. When it came time for me to clean the pews, I didn't see him. He's probably off eating and laughing with Javon and his brothers. "Did you like that?" A voice says. Suddenly, I feel a shifting in the energy and when I decide to look up, it's him. He's right here next to me. "Your humming my practice song..." He laughs passing me a brown bag. "Here," he says.

Hesitantly taking it, I ask him, "What is this?"

"A lunch."

He smiles back at me. I don't know what to do so I simply look down into the bag. "Why did you bring me a lunch, Don?" It looks like a good lunch too. Everything that you trade you best item for is in here. I wonder if Javon had told him that Zingers are my favorite.

"I... I don't know."

I dig into the bag, reaching for the Zinger as I mumble my gratitude. "Thank you." He nods humbly. Why are you over here? This is what I want to ask but never will I ever be bold enough to do so. What if I ask and then he leaves? I don't want him to leave but I do want to know why he's staying. Maybe he wants Javon to hate me on purpose, maybe.

"I thought you were gonna' come hang out with me and my brother," states Don.

"I don't want Javon to get mad at me."

Don looks over his left shoulder, he looks over his right. His focus behind me cause me to look over my own two shoulders. He then goes right back to talk as if he didn't just scan the entire room. "Cynthia," Don says causing me to look him in the face... but not the eyes, it sounds too scary for me. He stands up, bag in his right hand, and reaches out for my hand. "Cynthia, come on."

"Don, I can't," I say.

"Okay, then I'll just stay here." He turns to face the stage. Dalvin sits up there tinkering with all kinds of instruments that I doubt him or Don can play. He better be careful because he knows Brother Reese is always the one to tell our parents. "I'll be right back." He quickly runs up to the stage, I sit in my exact position and watch him talk to Dalvin. They're too far for me to hear what they are saying. All I know is that Dalvin gets to smiling really, really hard and he put his his drumsticks down faster than Stanley Floyd.

The two boys come back at sit directly beside me. "Hi," Dalvin smiles. They must really be a nice family.

"Hi, Dalvin."

Dalvin quickly takes a seat next to Don, he won't stop grinning. His feet carry a slight swing as they move back and forth. Something that really confused me is their faces. Don looks like Reverend Don, except he's lighter. Derek is colored like little Don except, he's not cute. Then, Dalvin only looks like Dalvin. He and Derek do not look like anybody but somehow, we still know for a fact that all three of them share a Mommy and Daddy like me and Javon.

I nibble on my Zinger with the hopes that the two brothers would stop looking at me. Well, Dalvin can look at me but Don's going to make me choke on my Zinger. That'd be way more embarrassing and than anything else I can imagine.

Don asks, "What grade are you going to be in?"

"The sixth," I say with my attention mostly focused on the Zinger that he had given me. He makes nervous and no matter how distracting this Zinger is, I gotta' avoid stuffing my face. Big Mama said to take my time with my food and I doubt Don thinks girls who talk with Zinger crumbs all over their face are pretty. So, I think its best that I look at Dalvin. "What about you?" I'm looking at Dalvin but my question is really for Don— not that I have anything against Dalvin! Dalvin looks nice! It's just that Don asked the question so I was trying to be polite and give a reply back but I can not exactly look him in the eye today.