Black Love Short Stories

Beauty for Ashes

        The pitter patter of the rain is what awoke Amari from her sleep. It was soft, the rain. And it's lulling sound made Amari smile to herself as she opened her eyes and check the time on her phone. It read 8:38 AM. She sighed knowing that she had to get up.
        Amari attempted the rise from her laid position but her husband squeezed her closer to him, groaning lightly. She smiled at his actions and knew that if she didn't leave his arms, she'd never get up and get going.
        She managed to remove herself from his arms and the early mid-December coldness engulfed her. At that moment, she wanted to slide right back into bed with her man holding her tight.
        Grabbing her robe, she went into the bathroom and cut on the shower. She stripped from her nightgown and stepped into the shower. The liquid beads of water eased her, soothed her, and relaxed her all at once.
        Amari closed her eyes and began to pray, asking God to guide and order her steps for the day. She did this each morning and it always made her less anxious as she went and experienced her day to day life.
        Soon she finished her shower and stepped out, wrapping the towel around her waist. She stood in the mirror and touched her bonnet to make sure it was still intact on her head. Seeing that it was, Amari proceeded to do her face regimen. When she was done, she brushed her teeth and entered the bathroom, only to see her husband sitting up in their bed.
        Kadeem and his wife locked eyes and he saw her face crinkle into a smile. It made him smile- a lazy onesie to him still in a sleepy haze- but it was a smile no less.
        Kadeem thought his wife was beautiful. It didn't matter that they had been married for five years- her beauty always seemed to take his breath away.
        He eyed her frame as he watched her cocoa brown skin walk into their shared closet. He licked his lips as he saw her short frame disappear behind the door.
        Focusing back on The Word, Kadeem turned to the scripture he was reading for the day, which was Isaiah 43. It was one of his favorite scriptures and always gave him a fresh perspective.
        As soon as he was done, he got up from the bed and made it up. As he was walking to the bathroom, Amari emerged from the closet. She was dressed in her baby blue waitress uniform. The uniform fit her figure well and he watched as she pinned her name tag to the front of her shirt with ease.
        He watched as she began to fix her hair in the mirror. Amari took off her bonnet and was pleased to see that her kinky curly hair was still smoothed down in the low bun she wore. She always wore a bun when she worked and knew she had to keep it healthy.
Kadeem walked behind her and pressed his body against hers. He put her head into the crook of her neck, making her smile. Tingles shot up her spine. She looked at him through the mirror and saw his hazel eyes gazing at her intensely and his light skin was smooth. No matter how many times he'd wrap his arms around her waist, she always felt as though it was the first time.
        "Have a good day at work baby." He lightly kissed her neck.
         Amari turned around and looked into his hazel eyes. She relaxed under his gaze, knowing that it was full of love.
        "I will try." She said. She stood on her tippy toes and kissed his nose. She grabbed her keys and proceed to leave, but stopped when she felt Kareem tug on her arm.
        "All I get is a kiss on the nose?" Kadeem grinned.
        "Yes- until you brush your teeth." She laughed and Kadeem rolled his eyes playfully. He smiled at her laughter as he watched her leave the room and he went into the bathroom to start his day.

                                       **
        Amari hummed to herself as she stepped off of the bus. The rain was falling softly and the chill of the early morning seemed to go right through the worn coat and into her skin. But despite that, she didn't stop humming as she walked into the diner.
         She breezed into the employee area with familiarity and hung up her coat. She smiling and waved to her other coworkers who were opening up the diner with her.
        Amari tied her apron on her waist and walked into the dining area to inspect each table, making sure that each bar everything they needed before she flipped the sign on the door.
        No sooner had she, one of the usuals came strolling in. Amari smiled as she watched the older man smile at her with his rugged skin and toothless grin.
        "Well good morning, Mister Earl." Amari smiled. "How are you today?"
        Mister Earl shuffled to his usual spot and smiled and the young woman he'd grown to know well.
        "I'm doing." He nodded. "Just doing."
        Amari nodded in understanding and turned up the heat in the diner. She began to cook for him his usual meal: an omelet with a side of toast and jelly topped off with orange juice and coffee.
         As she served him his food, she pulled out her Christmas gift to him. Although Christmas was a few days away, she wanted to give Mister Earl his gift now, because she knew he needed it.
         "Here ya go, Mister Earl." She handed him the gloves. "I know you need this. And I know it gets cold at night in the shelter."
        Mister Earl rubbed the soft fabric of the gloves and admired their softness. Tears came to his eyes as he looked up at her.
        "Miss Amari, I thank you for this." He nodded. "I really do."
        Amari nodded and patted his hand. "You're very welcome."
        The doorbell dinged, signaling that customers were coming in. Amari waved to the familiar faces and knew that her day was about to get busy.
         And so Amari went with the flow of her day. She got busy busting tables and making sure that the store was running smoothly.
         Around midday, she got ready to take her break. As soon as she got ready to punch out, the bell dinged.
        Amari mentally sighed, because she hadn't eaten all day. However, because she was the assistant manager and she had already sent one of the cooks on break, she knew she had to take this order.
        Grabbing a few menus she walked over to the front where she saw the customer standing.
        "Hi." She smiled politely at the lady who stood before her. They looked to be around the same age and Amari found herself lost in her long curly hair.
        She escorted her to a vacant table and sat her menu down in front of her.  
        "My name is Amari, and I'll be your server today. Here is your menu. Look it over and I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order."
        "Thank you." The young woman smiled at Amari. Amari smiled back as she walked away to check on the other tables. She came back to the woman's table and took her order. Once she had it, she walked back and placed it on the chef's board.
        Joey, the resident chef at the diner, smiled upon seeing Amari.
        "Hey, Amari. What's the word for today?"
        Amari smiled hearing the older man ask her the same question he asked every week. He asked her each day and it never ceased to amaze her.
        "Well, today Kadeem was reading from Isaiah 43. And on the way to work, he texted me verse two which says that when you pass through waters- God will be with you. So no matter what happens in life, God will provide." Amari finished.
        Joey scrunched up his face and pretended to shout as if he were in church and waved his hand in the air. "Now that was a word." He nodded. "A true word. And your food is served." He rang the bell.
        Amari skillfully took the hot plates to the lady. She sat her lunch platter down.
        "Alright, Miss." Amari started. "Here is your brunch burger with extra fries. And do you need a refill on your drink? You had OJ right?"
        The young woman nodded and smiled. Amari refilled her drink and when she turned to leave, she felt the lady's hand grab her wrist lightly.
        "I um...I know you're working. And as I've sat here I've watched you wipe down table after table. That female who came in after me was rude- yet you still had kindness towards her. And I can tell you're tired. You've yawned so much. But, you have this glow about you. How do you keep going." The lady asked.
        Amari paused a few seconds before responding to the lady. "Well...I would say it's faith." Amari shrugged before continuing.
        "I know God will provide for me throughout my day. Knowing that He's always there refreshes me. And so I choose to rest and carry that with me throughout the day."
        The young woman seemed to be eating Amari's words up and she held her hands close to her chest.
     "Something told me that's was it- the fact you trust God is inspiring. Thank you." She nodded at Amari and began to eat her food after she said her prayers. Amari walked away, but found herself glancing back at the woman.
I wonder why she asked me that, Amari thought as she focused on the next table.