Thy Neighbor II: Lovin' The Crew

Chapter Three

What changed from one-ish in the morning when he wrapped a blanket around her mentally exhausted body to now, who knows. All Ciara knows –and feels – is that she finds herself building a new level of exhaustion at the hands – and other appendages – of Trevante. There will be no 5 AM workout at the gym this morning. Trevante gets it right here as Ciara receives multiples of what was denied to her last night, what Mahalia clowned Trevante for not being able to produce. As Trevante gives Ciara's body a workout before sunrise breaks, Y'lan is also breaking a sweat of his own making in the early AM as well.

"We just ordered 60 cartons of milk? That's it?" Y'lan flips over the delivery sheet, looking for an answer he knows he won't be able to find.

"I just deliver the orders, chief," the delivery driver says as he hops into the driver seat of his truck. Sixty cartons of milk would have been fine for the breakfast program during the summer but with school back in session, he's seen close to eighty kids every morning. A lot to handle on his own.

He's been on his own a lot lately since midterms time hit all the local colleges. His normal set of volunteers keep dropping like flies, burning the midnight oil only to text Y'lan at the last minute that they won't be able to make it. He's been hanging on by a string, the lovely older ladies at his church helping out when they can. They all had a crush on Y'lan – and a daughter they so desperately wanted for him to meet.

Y'lan keeps thinking about his lack of a meeting with Ciara the other night. He texted her phone to ask what time he should come over for dinner but received no response. Though he was proud that his peace offering worked at Archie's, he hated that Ciara did what she'd been doing since they ran into each other at that Proverbs event: ignore him.

Ciara and Y'lan would often cross paths at local church events across the city. Ciara kept it "church cute", acknowledging his presence if they ended up in group conversations but avoiding any one-on-ones. Y'lan friend requested her on Facebook and she ignored it. Ciara was still in disbelief that Y'lan and Trevante were friends but then she wasn't: birds of a male ho feather flock together. But she always wondered what woman at these events was Y'lan's wife. Her pride wanted to meet the woman who killed her dream.

"These kids waste a lot of food, man." Winston says as he tosses another full tray of breakfast food into the trash.

"I know." Y'lan says. "And then they complain about being hungry once they get to school. I think they're so happy to see their friends, man. That's all." Y'lan appreciates Winston's friendship more than a little bit. After lamenting to Winston that he needed help at Proverbs in the mornings, Winston quickly volunteered to help – even as he worked through his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania.

Winston and Y'lan met at their church's young adult men's retreat before the summer. Winston just moved to Philadelphia from Harlem, settling in the Germantown section of the city. When he opened up at the retreat about his divorce and his perceived failure as a husband, Y'lan instantly admired his transparency. They talked for hours that night, striking up a bond both men needed. They could hold each other accountable, something Y'lan needed more than ever now that he is single.

Winston is single too – although he tried to change that. When he crossed paths with Ciara that one day in front of her apartment, he vowed to never forget her, thinking she possessed the cutest nose he'd ever seen. So when his university mentor told him to find a student to tour him around campus, it felt divine. He found Ciara on Facebook and sent her a message. She responded within minutes.

As Ciara walked him around Penn's campus and later took him to have lunch with other masters, MDiv and PhD students, he felt butterflies which eluded him since his divorce. Though it had been over three years since his marriage ended, Winston was absolutely terrified to date. He didn't want to fail another woman, he thought. He was scared to disappoint. His lack of dating life kept him celibate as well. He knows Ciara's plight better than anyone.

Once he heard Ciara speak in a group discussion in class, he thought to take a leap of faith. So as their group dispersed, Winston found himself alone with Ciara. With a deep breath and a quick prayer, he asked Ciara if she wanted to meet up sometime for coffee. Ciara regretted that she had to tell him 'no'. Trevante wasn't exclusive but Ciara sure was. Since that day, Winston kept his distance. Ciara sometimes caught him looking at her from afar.

"I appreciate you helping me, Winston. You've been a lifesaver."

"Anytime, man. Glad to help. I'll see you Thursday at bible study." Y'lan and Winston dap each other as Hampton Scott, Y'lan's boss, walks into the cafeteria. "You got a minute, Y'lan," he says as he points to the hallway.

"I'm checking in on you, Y'lan. You look exhausted."

"I am, Mr. Scott. These volunteers keep dropping on me. I'm afraid to see what finals time will be like."

"Have you reached out to Protestant Placements at all? I'm sure they can help us in the meantime." Pride absolutely kept Y'lan from making that call to Ciara's organization. Y'lan breaks his pride because he's out of all of his energy – and because he wants answers as to what happened the other night.

Meanwhile, Ciara is also out of energy— in all the right ways.

"Call out of work for me..."