Affinity

Chapter 19: The Papi Store

Ya'll gonna love this new character....

" Ab what you doing in here this late? Where Raheem? You need me to call somebody for you?"

" Papa, wassup with the game of 21 questions? Everybody wanna act like my damn father, ima just chill here for a minute, I'm waiting on my friend to come get me."

" And who is this friend?" Now I've known Papa since I moved around here two years ago, his concern was understandable but damn I was a grown woman after all. I rolled my eyes at him as he spoke. He was the Puerto Rican man who owned the corner store a couple blocks from my place, not my damn father.

" Ok either you let me chill in here till my friend comes or I walk back out into the HOOD, at NIGHT, and whatever happens to me will be on your conscience."

" Damn Ab, calm down with all that. You want a drink or something?" He ran his hand through his curly hair as he conceded to my demand and brought a folding chair from the back of the shop for me to sit on.

" Can I get a mango Snapple please Rick?" See I knew Papa's real name was Rico, but it was just so much easier to go along with everyone else in the neighborhood and call him what the man who worked behind the counter in a 'papi' store was supposed to be called. We were in Philly after all, all rican men who owned/worked in a corner store are to be called Papi/Papa, end of story.

" Ard, I'll be right back."

As he went to get me my drink I pulled out my phone to text Jaylen. Of course there were numerous calls and texts from Rah, but I was serious, I needed a minute away from him. I sent him a text saying that I loved him and would talk to him in the morning, then I blocked him and went on about my business. I texted Jaylen and asked how far he was, he responded that he would be here in ten minutes leading me to promptly lock my phone back.

" Here you go." Papa handed me the Snapple as he returned to the front of the store.

" Thanks."

" Put that away man, you know I ain't taking that from you." He waved his hand and turned his back as I tried to hand him a five dollar bill.

" You too nice, I be tryna tell you." I popped the cap on the drink and took a swig as Papa leaned up against the glass of the front counter and stared down at me. He was only about thirty two with thick wavy hair, caramel skin, and dark brown eyes; definitely not the usual leering convenience store owner. A handsome face with a friendly demeanor to match, he'd brightened my mood many a day when living alone proved it's own form of isolation.

" I do alright, ard? Now tell me wassup, why you out all late?" He arched an eyebrow and posed the question as I sucked my teeth and rolled my eyes. "And cut all that little kid shit out." Damn, guess he saw me do that shit.

" Rah and I had a fight, I just need a minute to breathe."

" And this friend who's coming to get you, who the fuck is he?"

" How you know it's a he?" I smiled in amusement; someone was always tryna figure out why I was making the moves I made.

" You just told me with that defensive ass answer smart ass, now again, who is he?"

" He's both of our friend, Rah and I's, really he's a old friend of my brother's. Anyway..it's not on no slimy shit he's like a second brother. Promise I wouldn't do anything to mess up what Rah and I got." This was the first time I'd said aloud the thought that'd been in my head since I first met Jaylen. He'd described himself as a stand in Hakim, and now my conscience mind was starting to recognize that statement as truth.

" So you think you bout to go spend the night with this fake ass 'brother' of yours and everything is gonna be all peaches and cream when you get home in the morning? Don't fall for that weak ass logic Ab, that's how you lose people you love, running away from them and into the arms of another." I chuckled to myself when he put air quotations around the word brother, this man here was something else.

" I'm not running, I'm stepping to the side. Look, the way these two talk, Rah prolly already knows he's coming to get me." I shook my head at the thought, but it was completely plausible that Rah already knew where I was headed.

" Yeah ard all I'm say-" Papa was interrupted as the door to the store opened and a man walked in asking for some backwoods.

" Sorry to interrupt." The man glanced at me as I sat sipping my juice and I nodded to him in response, yeah stranger danger was as I said before, still alive and well.

" It's cool we bout to lock up anyway. Can you put the chair up for me sis?" Papa's whole tone changed, he had a bad feeling about this man. Having me put the chair in the back was his way of getting me out of harm's way and I sure as shit was gonna follow his lead.

" Yea I gotchu." I stood up, folded the chair, and walked by the man towards the back of the store behind the counter.

" Thanks for the wraps pop, ya'll have a good night. Oh and Ab, tell ya other brother I said wassup." He winked and walked towards the door as I stood with Papa behind the counter.

" Ard, now you gotta get the fuck out!" Papa brandished a gun and the man threw up his hands in mock surrender as he backed out the door, " Like I said before, ya'll have a good night."

Now I was scared, who the fuck was that, how did he know who I was!

" Stay here." Papa came from behind the counter and locked the store door.

" Don't have to tell me twice." I pulled out my phone and called Jaelyn.

" Jay, where you at?"

" I'm pulling up now, why boul locking the store up?" I came from behind the counter and went to the door just as Papa was pulling the key out from locking it.

" Papa, that's my friend, let him in." I hung up the phone as he looked through the door at Jaelyn as he got out of his car and jogged up to the store.

"Yea Ab, he looks like the real 'brotherly type'." Papa was really rolling his eyes at me in sarcasm as he unlocked the door and let Jaelyn in, I didn't understand how to make him see that it really wasn't that kind of thing between us.

" Wassup man, I'm Jaelyn. Ab, everything good?" He dapped off Papa before coming over to me, looking me over for any injuries before bringing me into a hug.

" I'm fine, I'm fine. Somebody just came in here on some slick stuff telling me to tell my other brother, whoever the fuck that is, that they said wassup. Hence the gun in Papa's hand and the whole locking the store before midnight thing."

" Sure you don't want me to call Raheem?" Papa was really on the defense here and my amusement with his antics was turning into annoyance real quick.

" I already told him I was coming to get you. Look." He handed me his phone and on the screen were messages between the two in which Jaelyn stated he would let me stay at his place for the night, and Rah agreed and said he would pick me up in the morning. These buddy-buddy ass motherfuckers.

" See, I told you. The best of fucking friends." I turned the phone to Papa and he lifted his hands in semi surrender, "yeah ard."

" Look, you good? I'm bout to get up out of here." I turned to Papa and he still looked suspicious, but oh the fuck well, I was going and that was that.

" Yeah I'm good, be careful tho Ab. Stop by the store tomorrow so I know your alright ard?"

" Yea I got you." He opened his arms for a hug and I fell into his embrace, " I'm serious Ab, be the fuck careful." He whispered in my ear before letting me go, I nodded in response.

" I'm not gon let anything happen to her I promise." Jaelyn waved to Papa and this motherfucker did the slightest head nod of life, that shit had me fucking crying.

" Be nice yo, I'll be by tomorrow." And with that Jaelyn and I left the store and got into the car headed to his place. 

Thoughts...