Uhh...hi?
Sorry guys! Don't kill me! I could give all the excuses in the world, but I'm gonna chop it up to just...life. I don't plan on abandoning my stories, but they will be put on hold. Feel free to read my bio. I got all the info there about what I plan on doing and what's going on.
Been gone for a long ass time, but, ya girl is baackk!
I know some of my regulars in the past are probably long gone, but if there are any still out there, I just want to say how much I miss and appreciate you guys! I appreciate the newcomers too. I really do! Shoutout to a few OGs, taydo-the-potato, Schweetpea1870, LovinHueyFreeman, and Che Black Diamond. I've been lurkin' y'all lmao. I see y'all doing your thing up here. :) (If I forgot you, feel free to go off on me in the reviews lol)
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this story. :D
Summary: Two twenty-somethings, Jazmine Dubois and Huey Freeman, go through a wave of emotions dealing with life and love. They both want to start new jobs, move into a new neighborhood, and obtain substantial relationships. Are they willing to do what it takes get what they want?
Genres: Romance, Drama, Hurt-Comfort, Humor
Chapter 1: Strange Breakfast
Jazmine E. Dubois
4821 Van Hoover Ave.,
Silver Springs, MD 20907
(301) – 647 – 8920
jazzydee1220 gmail
August 14, 2019
To whom it may concern,
I am writing in response to your ad seeking a Front Desk Receptionist at Tranquility Massage Center. The requirements listed in the ad closely match my background and expertise. I have a positive, eager-to-work attitude, and I am willing to be of great assistance if given the chance.
In the past, I have always maintained a friendly, efficient work environment. I work well independently with little to no oversight, and I work equally as well as a team player. I am organized, detail-oriented, and quick to resolve any conflict that arises. Any task that is required of me is always tackled immediately and is always completed.
I excel at task management in high-stressed environments, multi-tasking, and assisting guests to the best of my ability. I have experience with Microsoft Office Programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher and Outlook), I can type 60 words per minute, I am technologically savvy, and I learn new programs and procedures rather quickly.
I hope that my varied experiences are considered for the Front Desk Receptionist position. I look forward to hearing from you and meeting you in person to further discuss my qualifications. My resume is attached, so please feel free to contact me at your convenience so that we may arrange an interview.
Sincerely,
Jazmine Dubois
"I guess that's good." A 23-year-old Jazmine Dubois muttered to herself, proofreading her cover letter. She closed her emerald-hued orbs briefly as she massaged her temples. When she opened her eyes, she saw the clock on the bottom-right corner of her laptop screen: 12:45 AM. As if on cue, she yawned. This was her last application for the night.
She'd been applying for jobs for hours. She desperately needed a new job. She currently works in her childhood neighborhood at a retail store in the Woodcrest Mall called Hard 2 Find. The place supplied unique, yet cute affordable clothing. As amazing as that sounds, she hates it. There was a time when she used to enjoy it, but ever since her favorite boss in the world relocated back to her hometown, the store went downhill. The new manager was unnecessarily strict, never followed through with his promises, left his employees to DIE on the sales floor, was always taking vacation days off (but rarely accepted the employees vacation days), and he was super arrogant. Jazmine would've walked away a long time ago if she had a job lined up already.
The process of getting a new job was a struggle though. There weren't many opportunities in her area that paid a decent wage, and with the crazy schedule her wack boss had her working, job searching was limited. She was determined though.
She would get a new job if it killed her.
It took her approximately fifteen minutes to complete and submit her application. After doing so, she shut her laptop closed on her desk, turn off her light switch, and headed straight for the bed. Her tawny curls were protected in her floral blue and white scarf, so that was one less thing she had to worry about. Before she was completely settled, she plugged her phone to the charger cord protruding from behind her headboard and placed it on the end table.
With her head hitting the smooth, white satin pillow, she was out like a light.
6:45 AM
The annoying blare of her alarm caused Jazmine to groan stubbornly. With her eyes still closed, she reached her hand over to blindly find her phone, accidentally knocking it on the floor.
No!
THIS made her sit straight up, but she instantly regretted it due to her grogginess.
"Ughhhh!" She groaned, louder than before. Now she actually had to get up.
She lazily swung her legs on the side of her bed, stretched a bit, then reached down to retrieve her fallen phone. She rolled her eyes at herself for her ridiculousness. She was really that alert about a damn phone. It wasn't like she didn't have a protective case.
She shrugged it off and decided to briefly scroll through her social media accounts to see what she missed.
Her best friend Cindy posted a new selfie on her Instagram page of her smirking at the camera while holding a drink in her hand. Her golden blonde hair was bone straight and she had a basic black dad hat on top of it. The picture was taken from the mid-section up, so the only article of clothing visible was her zipped up black jacket. Her friend looked cute! She double-tapped the screen before continuing her scroll.
There wasn't really much else going on that Jazmine hadn't seen the night before. Nothing of interest anyway. Rihanna posted yet another post about any and everything but her music (but that Fenty Beauty is LIFE though); a natural hair page she followed promoted ads that she'd never give a second look; Beyonce hasn't posted in like two weeks; and some of her followers just posted random things she didn't care for.
She checked her work schedule app and released another groan. She was supposed to be at work in two hours, but apparently her boss changed it. She didn't have to work until Sunday. Today was Wednesday!
As much as she hates her job, she still needs the hours! Bills don't pay themselves.
She hated the inconsistency and last-minute changes. Mrs. Jordan would never do that do her. She really missed her old boss. She considered putting in a request to transfer to Mrs. Jordan's store, but it was way too far away. She'd end up spending most of her paycheck on gas.
Jazmine sighed and flopped backwards on her bed in frustration. She was up now. She knew no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn't go back to sleep any time soon.
After a few minutes of aimlessly staring at the ceiling, Jazmine raised the phone (still in her hand) over her head and searched through her contact list for the one person she knew would be up at this hour.
She pressed her finger on the person's name and dialed the number.
After a few rings, the phone picked up.
"Hello?" a groggy, yet husky voice answered.
Oops. Maybe said person wasn't up.
"Hey. Sorry Huey, did I wake you?" Jazmine sheepishly asked. She heard the sleepiness in her own voice too.
"No. I woke up a few minutes ago." He said before clearing his throat. Jazmine rolled her eyes and smirked.
"Oh okay." Jazmine replied in disbelieving tone. "You working today?"
"No. I'm off Wednesdays and Thursdays." He informed her. She heard what sounded like the bed moving in the background, so she figured he was getting out of it.
"You are such a liar." Jazmine accused him before giggling.
"What? I am off on those days."
"Not about that. About me not waking you up." She clarified.
"You didn't." He reiterated. "I was sitting on the bed before you called."
Jazmine pursed her lips to the side of her face in disbelief. "Sure Huey."
"Whatever." He gave up, and Jazmine could swear she heard his eyes roll.
"Well anyway, I can't go back to sleep." Jazmine said, rising from her bed as well.
Huey sighed. "Me neither."
She walked over to her dresser and grabbed her nude colored undergarments.
"We should hang out. We haven't done it in a while." Jazmine pointed out as she grabbed her towel hanging from her closet door. "You wanna meet up for breakfast?"
"That's fine. Not IHop though."
"How about Waffle House?"
"How about hell no?"
Jazmine laughed at his reply. Of course, they weren't going to racist-ass Waffle House. She just loved to toy with him.
"First Watch?"
"Where's that?" Huey genuinely questioned.
"My side of town." Jazmine told him. "Unless you want me to meet you somewhere in Woodcrest."
"No, we can go to First Watch. I've had enough of Woodcrest anyway."
Jazmine lifted her brow in question. She had a feeling something was up.
"What happened?"
Huey sighed on his end.
"Besides the usual, and the fact that I've been here forever," he began, "I almost got fired yesterday."
Jazmine halted mid-pace.
Huey? Huey Freeman...almost got fired? That didn't sound right at all.
"Huh?" Jazmine's voice rose in confusion. "Huey, what the hell happened?"
"I'll tell you in person." He assured her.
Jazmine shook her head as she laid her outfit on her bed: a basic white, fitted t-shirt, light blue high-waisted skinny jeans and a distressed jean jacket.
"Fine. I'll meet you there in an hour."
"Cool."
After the call ended, Jazmine grabbed her shower cap and towel and made her way to the bathroom. It took her about twenty-five minutes to shower, do her facial wash routine, untwist her hair, and brush her teeth. She took another ten minutes styling her curly tresses by pulling it back in a low ponytail. She thought about doing her makeup, but she knew time wouldn't allow it. Besides, it was just Huey.
When she returned to her room, she quickly lotioned up, put on deodorant, and got dressed. She put on her gold hoop earrings, signature gold 'J' necklace, and a basic gold anklet. To complete the outfit, she slipped into her white low-top chucks. Looking in the mirror, she silently approved of her look and smiled before cracking up at herself. Was she seriously acting like Darryl from 'Coming to America'?
After she applied her Fenty Glow Gloss Bomb lip gloss, she grabbed her black shoulder bag, her phone, and her keys and left.
A little more than fifteen minutes had passed once she pulled into a parking spot. She tried to see if Huey was already there, but she didn't see his car in the small lot. Besides, he would've called if he was there first.
She turned her car off and sat there as she dialed Huey's phone.
"I'm on the way." He told her in a knowing tone. "I had to get some gas."
"It's cool. I was just letting you know I was here. I just pulled up." She informed him.
"Okay. I'll see you in a minute."
"Okay."
She ended the call and got out of the car. As she walked in the building, she was surprised to see that it was kind of busy. Most people were at work during this time. Looking around, she spotted a lot of old couples and mothers with small children. Okay, that made sense. More than likely, the old folks were retired, and the mothers were stay-at-home moms.
Anyway...
"Hi." Jazmine greeted the host at the counter with a pleasant smile. The host smiled back.
"Why hello beautiful, and welcome to First Watch!" Came the sweet reply from the beautiful, middle-aged woman. She was brown-skinned with medium-length jet black curls that were pulled back in a ponytail. She had traces of gray in her roots, but it was beautiful. "Is it just you, dear?" she asked as she pulled out a menu.
"No ma'am. Just one more. My friend is on the way." Jazmine told the lady. The lady nodded before grabbing another menu.
"Okay love. Right this way."
The host guided her to a table for two, four tables from the entrance. She set the menus down across from each other.
"Your server will be right with you, okay?" The host said in a sweet, motherly tone.
"Okay." Jazmine replied with a warm smile.
"Alright, enjoy." The woman said before walking away.
Not even a whole minute later, a server came to her table. She was a young white woman with dirty blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun. Her face was full of freckles, and she had on square-framed eyeglasses.
"Hello. My name is Trixie, and I'll be your server today." She introduced herself in a tone that was less enthusiastic than the nice host. "Can I start you off with something to drink?"
Jazmine hadn't even had a chance to look at the menu yet.
"Um, yeah. Can I get two waters, please?" She asked.
"Well, water is free ma'am. You can get free water refills too." Trixie replied in a tone that seemed to insult Jazmine's intelligence.
Jazmine blinked, taken aback by the reply.
"Yes. I know. I'm ordering for my friend." She told the woman evenly. The woman nodded and showed a glimmer of embarrassment for her implication.
"Okay," was all she could say about it. "Are you ready to order, or do you want some time."
Damn. Jazmine just sat down. Why did she feel like this woman was already trying to rush her out?
"Uh, I need more time." Jazmine replied awkwardly. "My friend isn't even here yet."
The server nodded again, holding an unreadable expression. "Sure. I'll be back to check on you soon."
"Okay." Jazmine said. Trixie practically sprinted away, looking eager to leave Jazmine's table, causing Jazmine to raise a perfectly sculpted brow.
She didn't know what was up with the woman, but she wasn't feeling her.
A few minutes later, she spotted Huey walking in. He was dressed in his Chicago Bulls sweatshirt, black straight leg jeans, and all black Nike Roches. Jazmine always thought it was cute that he was kind of stylish. He liked to play like he didn't care about appearances, but if that were the case, why was he always so fly?
Jazmine really couldn't get over how dope his shirt was.
She watched him as he scanned the room. Once his gaze met hers, she waved at him enthusiastically. He coolly lifted his hand as a subtle greeting and made his way over to her.
"Sorry I'm late." He calmly apologized as he took his seat across from her. Jazmine waved her hand dismissively.
"Don't apologize, Huey. It's okay." She told him with a smile. "I ordered a water for you."
"Thanks."
Jazmine nodded before smiling again.
"I love your shirt, Huey. I'd wear it in a heartbeat." Jazmine complimented him, earning a small smirk from him.
"Thanks." he repeated, taking a sip of water.
"No problem." she replied her smile changing into a sideways smirk, "You act like you don't care, but you can dress your ass off."
Huey shrugged as he matched his smirk with hers. "I don't care. I just want to look decent."
Jazmine rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'd believe that if you just walked in with a plain white tee, regular blue jeans and Skechers."
Huey snorted in amusement. "Man, please. The hell I look like in some damn Skechers?"
Jazmine laughed and covered her hand over her mouth to prevent the water from flying out of it.
"Damnit Huey. You caught me off guard." Jazmine said, chuckling. "And thank you for proving my point."
"Whatever." Huey gave up. Besides, she was right.
Jazmine shook her head at her weird friend. There was nothing wrong with wanting to look good.
Huey sighed. "Anyway, how've you been?"
Jazmine shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I've just been working. I'm trying to get a new job though. I've submitted so many applications."
"You still work at Hard 2 Find?"
"Unfortunately." She said with an eyeroll. "I was supposed to work today, but my stupid boss took me off the schedule for the rest of the week. I don't work until Sunday."
Huey's eyebrows scrunched together. "So how many hours have you worked?"
Jazmine scoffed with another eyeroll. "Twelve."
"He knows you have bills to pay right?" Huey inquired in a disgusted tone.
"Either he doesn't know, or he doesn't care." Jazmine told him in a low tone. "I hate this stupid job, but I still need money."
Huey shook his head before taking another sip. "Damn. Sorry to hear that, Jaz. You definitely need a new job."
"Yep." Jazmine agreed wholeheartedly. "But enough about me. Tell me how the hell you almost lost your job!"
Huey rolled his eyes this time.
Before he could get the words out, Trixie came back over. Upon seeing Huey, her body language straightened, and she seemed to perk up a little. Jazmine noticed, and raised her brow a second time.
"Hi, I'm Trixie and I'll be your server today!" She greeted Huey in an overly excitable tone. Jazmine was so perplexed by the sudden mood change. "Are you two ready to order?"
Huey looked at the server with disinterest but didn't want to be rude. "Could you give us a few minutes?" He asked before returning his gaze to his friend. He made it a point to stare directly at Jazmine's face, silently communicating his annoyance. The corners of Jazmine's mouth were threatening to turn upwards.
Trixie must've sensed his mood because her smile dropped for a few decibels, but she tried to recover it.
"Sure thing! Just holler if you need me." She exclaimed before walking off.
Huey's eyeroll made Jazmine laugh. Huey smirked as she did so.
"She wasn't nearly as excited when she saw me. Matter of fact, she didn't even smile." Jazmine told him, still giggling.
Huey shrugged. "I don't know what her deal is."
Jazmine snorted. "I think I know. She has a thing for yoouuu." She teased.
Huey sucked his teeth. "You know I'm not paying attention to no white girl."
Jazmine laughed through her nose as she took a sip of water.
"You just dislike every white girl, huh?" Jazmine joked after putting her drink down.
"I only dislike them if they on some bullshit. Otherwise, I don't give a damn about them." He said uncaringly. Jazmine laughed again and shook her head.
"If you said that when we were kids, I'd call you a racist." Jazmine replied. Huey rolled his eyes.
"Well I'm glad you know I literally can't be-." Huey started, but Jazmine cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"I know, I know. I'm hip now." Jazmine told him, still smiling.
"Well speaking of racism," Huey said, going back to his story, "I almost knocked some punk ass white boy's head off his shoulders for saying some slick shit to me."
Jazmine's brows furrowed, but she didn't interrupt.
"I guess he thought because I don't talk to him and his corny ass friends that I was just gon' let him disrespect me. Nigga had the wrong one." He said, getting himself riled up again.
Jazmine shook her head as she noticed his Chicagoan accent seeping through. She only heard it when he was angry, or when he had a little too much to drink.
"Calm down, Huey. It's over." She reminded him. "What actually happened?"
Huey nodded. "Okay, so I was pushing one of my carts to the stock room, but he was standing in front of the door so I couldn't get in. I said 'excuse me', and he acted like he ain't hear me."
Jazmine nodded.
"I said it again, a little louder, and the nigga still acted like he didn't fuckin' hear me. So I said 'Aye, you see me with this cart. Can you get out the way?' He gon' look at me like I was in the wrong."
Jazmine nodded again, letting him talk.
Huey shook his head as he recalled what happened. "He had this dumbass smirk on his face, but stepped out of the way. While I walked past him, he said 'you all are so aggressive'."
Jazmine rolled her eyes. How many times has she heard that absurdity?
"As if he wasn't the one being an ass." Jazmine commented before taking a sip of water.
"Exactly." Huey agreed before continuing. "So, I got in his face and asked him what he said."
Jazmine smiled in amusement. She knew that him "asking" was more of a demand.
"He tried to backpedal and say he was referring to other employees like me. I asked him what the hell that meant, and he couldn't give a real answer, so I almost swung on his punk ass, but another coworker who watched the whole damn thing, held me back and told him to get back to work."
Jazmine's right eyebrow arched as she took another sip.
Huey looked back at her evenly.
"Is that everything that happened?" Jazmine asked.
"For the most part, yeah." He replied coolly, drinking his water.
Jazmine shook her head.
"Well, I totally understand your frustration-"
"Anger."
Jazmine nodded. "Correction, anger. But, I don't think that's enough to lose your job over."
Huey shrugged. "I didn't lose my job."
"Yes, but you could've." She reminded him. "And in his ignorant eyes, you could've proved his point."
"His point is bullshit."
Jazmine laughed. "Of course it is. Did the manager see this go down?"
Huey sighed. "No. But if he did, I'm sure he wouldn't fire me. He'd probably just talk to me."
Jazmine nodded again. "Okay, but you've got to watch yourself, Huey." She advised him. "You're a black man in America. I don't have to tell you anything else about that. You know."
Huey's left eyebrow arched as he eyed his friend.
"Yeah, I do know."
She smirked at him before taking a sip.
"What?" he asked, mildly confused. He thought she was smirking at his facial expression, but then he felt a presence beside him, and he knew why.
"Ready to order?" Trixie's voice boomed, causing the two friends to jerk at the unexpected sound.
"Uh," Huey began, trying to get himself together after hearing her loud ass. "Can you give us a little more time."
She looked directly towards him with what Jazmine figured was a seductive look and smiled.
"Sure thing." She slowly uttered in a ridiculous tone that suggested she was trying to be flirty, but Huey thought it was creepy. He looked right at Jazmine with both eyebrows raised, which caused Jazmine's right hand to fly over her mouth. She tried to mask her laughter by fake-coughing.
The girl walked away, not at all noticing the awkwardness she'd caused. Once she was out of sight, Jazmine cracked up, her eyes squeezing together. Huey's eyes were still slightly widened as he tried to process what just happened.
"What. In. The. Fuck. Was. That?" Huey stressed each word in comical monotony, causing Jazmine to laugh harder. Her eyes were tearing up at this point.
"Was she tryna be sexy? She failed. Shit was creepy as hell."
"Shut up! Shut up!" Jazmine kept repeating in a hoarse whisper while Huey just kept talking on purpose, prompting even more laughter.
Huey finally managed to stop cracking her up after a few minutes.
"Man," Jazmine said with a small smile, wiping her eyes, "I can't wait to tell everyone about your new girlfriend."
Huey rolled his eyes.
"I mean, she barely paid me any mind." Jazmine continued, with a small snicker as she picked up her menu.
Huey sighed as he did the same. It didn't take him long to decide what he wanted.
"I'm ready." He announced. Jazmine looked up at him from behind the menu.
"Really? I still can't decide."
"Haven't you been here before?" he asked her with a raised brow.
She glanced up at him before looking back at the menu. "Once. I want to try something different."
Huey shrugged. "That's fair."
"What are you getting?" She asked him, not taking her eyes off the menu.
"The A.M. Superfoods Bowl."
Jazmine nodded, but didn't say anything. A few moments later, she figured out what she wanted.
"I gotta get the Farmhouse Hash!" She exclaimed. Huey shook his head at her silliness.
He looked at the menu and spotted her choice.
"Hmm. Looks like a lot of calories."
"Right? It's gonna be so good!" Jazmine played on his sarcasm with her own.
Huey rolled his eyes. "You-"
"Shut up, Huey! Nobody needs your pessimism on this wonderful Wednesday morning." She joked with him. He sighed in return.
"You'll learn."
She giggled before looking around for the phony ass server. It's been quite some time now. She expected the girl to practically prance over at any second.
"Okay, so now that we're ready, she's nowhere to be found." Jazmine muttered, still looking around. Huey snorted.
"Consider that luck." He murmured before taking a drink.
"Yeah, but I'm hungry. So, she needs to come on!" Jazmine stated before flagging down a server walking by. "Hi, Trixie is our server. Could you let her know that we're ready to order?"
"Oh, sure." The young woman said, before walking away.
Huey sighed. "Shit. I don't feel like dealing with her ass."
"Aww, you don't wanna see your girlfriend?" Jazmine teased.
"Jazmine, shut up." She giggled at his reply.
She was about to say something, when Trixie walked their way.
"Oh my gosh! I'm sooo sorry for leaving you guys for so long!" She exclaimed with such force. Huey sighed harshly and looked down at the table top, instantly disturbed. Even Jazmine was growing tired of the girl's antics. "What would you guys like?"
"The A.M. Superfoods Bowl, please." He robotically ordered.
"Of course!" She exclaimed, yet again, too forcefully.
"Listen, you gon' have to calm down." Huey directly told her, his brow arched and his Chicagoan accent thickening a bit. She was completely taken aback.
"Oh, I-I'm s-s-sorry." The woman stammered, "I'm just doing my job."
Jazmine chimed in. "We understand that. But why weren't you this chipper with me?"
Trixie, seeming to forget that she had another customer at the table, turned her ocean-blue orbs to Jazmine.
"I'm sorry?" She asked, pretending to be confused about what Jazmine was pertaining to.
Jazmine sighed, glanced at Huey, and turned her attention back to Trixie.
"Forget it. Can I place my order now?"
Trixie's whole demeaner switched from that fake perkiness, to almost bashfulness.
"Of course. What would you like?"
Jazmine told her that she wanted the Farmhouse Hash. The woman took her order and left the table.
Huey sighed again, this time in relief that she was gone. He knew it was short-lived, but it was a relief nonetheless.
"I'm glad you said something." Jazmine admitted. "It was funny at first, but now it's getting annoying."
"It was annoying the entire time." Huey pointed, arching his brow at his friend.
"Yeah, for you. For me, it was hilarious. Now, I'm wanting another server."
Huey shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. I think she knows not to try that weird shit again."
"That's true."
"I hope she doesn't do anything to our food though."
Jazmine froze. She damn sure could be tampering with their food! She hadn't thought of that.
"What?" Huey asked as he noticed her jaw go slack.
Jazmine reached her hand over and slapped his right bicep.
"What the hell, Jazmine!" He silently exclaimed, rubbing his arm. That shit actually hurt.
"Damnit Huey! Why didn't you wait until after we got the food!"
Huey looked at her in a dumbfounded expression with his eyes squinted.
"Huh? You just said you were glad I said something."
"Yeah, that was before you mentioned her messing with our food!"
Huey scoffed.
"Jazmine, calm down. She doesn't even make our food. Usually, other servers bring the food out, too."
"Yeah, well whatever. I'm closely inspecting my food." Jazmine firmly stated, with her lips in a stubborn purse.
Huey shook his head but said nothing else about it.
The two friends talked about random things, from family, to music, to future goals. It took about ten minutes for their orders to come. With close inspection, Jazmine confirmed that her food was all good. A few minutes after their food came, Trixie stopped by to check on them, thankfully dropping the weird, flirty act.
Since the waitress had calmed down a bit and was trying to make up for her previous behavior with her attentiveness, Jazmine decided to give the girl a decent tip. Huey wasn't about to give her anything, but with some of Jazmine's coaxing, he gave her a few dollars. He childishly rolled his eyes as he did so, but at least he did it.
"Have a good day, and thank you for coming in." Trixie nervously gave them her goodbye greeting.
"You too, Trixie. Thanks." Jazmine returned the greeting and rose from her seat simultaneously with Huey. Huey just nodded to the server.
"Y'all have a blessed day!" The kind greeter from earlier said with the sweetest smile. Jazmine smiled back and Huey nodded again.
"Thanks, you too!" Jazmine replied.
"Thank you." Huey said in unison with Jazmine.
Huey held the door open for Jazmine before walking through it himself. She smiled at the chivalrous gesture.
"Oh, holding the door open? That's sweet." She teased with a teasing smile gracing her full lips.
Huey rolled his eyes.
"I knew I should've let the door slam in your face."
Jazmine laughed at the faux threat. "Shut up."
As they walked side by side, they reached Huey's car first, since he was parked closer to the building.
Jazmine casually leant her back up against the passenger door as Huey stopped in front of her.
"So, what's your day looking like?" He asked her, inserting his hand in his pocket in search for the car keys.
Jazmine shrugged. "I don't know, but I won't be doing much. I'd like to do something, but I'm trying to save as much as money I can."
Huey pulled his keys out of his right pocket and nodded.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." He commented, then sighed. "I'm not working today, but I have a few errands to run."
"Like what?" Jazmine inquired.
Huey sighed again, already exhausted just thinking about all he had to do.
"Well, I need to pick up Granddad's medicine, go to the DMV to renew my car registration, and pay for my phone bill."
Granddad. Robert Jebediah Freeman. She hadn't seen the old man for a few weeks. She wondered how he was holding up.
"Sounds fun." She joked with a light smirk.
"Definitely." He sarcastically replied with a light smirk of his own, his dimples showing.
Jazmine laughed a little. There was a slight pause before she spoke again.
"So," She began in a softer, more serious tone, "How's Mr. Freeman doing?"
Huey's smirk dropped, but instead of a frown, he held a neutral look.
"He's doing as well as he can for a man his age." He responded before releasing a sigh. He turned his eyes away from Jazmine and towards the direction of the cars speeding down the main road to his left.
"Yeah?" Jazmine commented in a question form, though she wasn't really asking a question. "I haven't seen him in a while. I think I'll stop by today."
Huey nodded, slightly opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, and then closed it. Jazmine tried to read his expression. His straight face was so difficult to analyze, especially since he seemed to be avoiding her gaze.
She knew how hard this was for him. Admitting that Mr. Freeman's time on Earth would eventually come to an end was the hardest pill to swallow. Everyone, herself included, still held onto the belief that the old man would continue to live on for a long time, but the truth was that he already lived a long life. That was part of the reason why Jazmine hadn't visited him recently. She could barely face that reality. The other reason was that she feared she wouldn't be able to contain her emotions around him. To see him slowly deteriorating was devastating.
So, she knew it did a number on Huey and his younger brother, Riley.
Mr. Freeman was one of the only family members they had left. Jazmine knew she had to stop being selfish and face the man.
Jazmine blew out a breath, not allowing herself to dwell on the sad subject, and smiled.
"Well, after you're done with your errands, did you want to come over? I'm sure I'll be home by the time you're done. The DMV takes all day."
"Not if I go to the DMV Select." Huey informed her, switching his mahogany orbs back to her.
"That's true."
"But, I'll call you." He said.
"Okay, cool!" Jazmine replied. "Well, I won't hold you up." She added, giving him a one-armed, side hug. He returned it. "See you later."
"Alright, Jaz. Drive safe." He told her, his way of saying goodbye. She waved at him as she walked away. He gave her that cool ass wave again before getting into his car.
Okay, so the jazzydee1220 thing was supposed to be a gmail email, but it didn't show up. *eyeroll* whatever lol. Now y'all know what that's about.
I have some anxiety about posting, y'all. It's been too long, but I'm ready. Drop a review for ya girl!
And stay safe, please! Don't panic, but be wise. We will get through this global crisis. ️
Peace y'all.