Jalen awakened to the smell of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. He had spent the night at Lisa’s apartment, and they slept in one another’s arms with their undergarments on. He went to her bathroom to empty his bladder, and she had left him a toothbrush and face towel on the sink. He then proceeded to wash his face and brush his teeth before he put his clothes back on. Once he got to the kitchen, Lisa had already prepared his plate.
“Thank you, Lisa, I wasn’t expecting breakfast,” he said. “You’re beginning to make a brother feel special up in here.”
“You are special, Jalen,” she said, “and I want to make sure that my man gets fed.”
“Am I your man?”
“Yes, baby, you’re my man,” she kissed him.
They sat down at her dining room table and began to eat. She cooked enough for three or four people.
“Eat as much as you want,” she said.
“Thank you, Lisa. I’m starving.”
“You’re welcome.”
He paused and asked, “What do you have going on this morning?”
“I have no plans. What about you?”
“I’m supposed to meet my brother and some of my friends at the gym around noon. We usually hoop every Saturday.”
“Which brother is this?”
“John is my oldest brother, and he’s thirty-three. He’s a licensed mechanic, and he owns his own auto shop. My other brother’s name is Jerome, and he’s an artist and musician but not much of a ball player.”
“Does he have a band?”
“As a matter of fact, he does. His band books gigs all over the Midwest, and they’re really good. They have a sort of neo soul, R&B flavor to their music.”
“I’d like to see them perform one day.”
“Sure, we can definitely put that on our to-do list.”
She sighed and asked, “What are your sisters’ names?”
“My oldest sister’s name is Jerrica, and she’s a doctor at Northwestern Hospital. My other sister’s name is Jillian, and she’s an attorney at a downtown law firm not far from your bank.”
“It’s great to see that all of you are successful, and it’s interesting that all of your names begin with the letter J.”
“Thanks, but being a failure wasn’t an option in the Townsend household…my dad was relentless in the way that he pushed all of us to be great at whatever we did. As for our names, that was my mom’s idea because her name is Joyce.”
He then took a breath and said, “Enough about me. What was it like for you growing up?”
“Growing up for me was good…even though it was just my mom and me, she made sure that I had the best of everything. She’s been an RN for the last twenty-five years, and she’s says that she wants to retire in the next five years.”
“That’s great.”
“I, on the other hand, am having a tougher time trying to figure out what I really want to do next.”
“I thought that you wanted to finish school.”
“I do, but finish school and do what exactly?”
“What are you going to major in?”
“I’m leaning toward getting a business degree because I do know that I want to work for myself and own a business.”
“Well, that’s a great start, sweetheart. What kind of business would you open up?”
“I was thinking about opening up a restaurant because I love to cook, but I need to learn the operational side of it as well so that my business is profitable.”
“And I’d be happy to help you with that.”
“Thank you, Jalen, you are so sweet.”
He paused for a moment and asked, “Were you popular in school?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Why not? You’re a beautiful young woman, and I figured that you were a trendsetter in high school.”
“Nah, I was the complete opposite…I was a social outcast because I didn’t look like the other girls or fit in. I wasn’t black enough, I wasn’t cool enough, and I didn’t feel pretty enough. I kept to myself for the most part, but I did have one friend, though, and her name is Nicole Stevenson.”
“Do you still keep in touch with her?”
“Yes, she’s my best and only friend.”
“I can relate because I was somewhat awkward in high school as well. If it weren’t for playing basketball, I would’ve been invisible.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, believe it. As for your situation, I think that those girls were just hating on you because you’re pretty. Girls can be very cruel when they want to be.”
“Indeed, they can be.”
They finished eating, and she started washing the dishes.
“Do you need some help?” he asked.
“No, I got it, baby.”
“Well, I’m going to take off.”
“Will I see you later?”
“Absolutely. It’s a beautiful day, so do you want to have dinner and take a walk on Navy Pier tonight?”
“Nah, I’m more in the mood for dinner and Netflix. I’m a homebody, you know.”
“Whatever you want, sweetheart. What time do you want me to come by?”
“I’ll have dinner ready by seven.”
“Seven it is,” he embraced her and kissed her passionately for a minute.
“I can’t wait to see you again,” she said.
“I’ll be thinking of you the whole time,” he said. “Bye, Lisa.”
“Bye, Jalen.”