Chapter 5: Watched From Afar
After that day, Joe and Annie continued to call each other, and met up for a couple outings from time to time. They had to admit, they enjoyed each other's company. Eventually, Annie decided to tell her parents about Joe.
When she went to visit them, she told them everything.
"So, Mama and Daddy I have something to tell you." she told them.
Tia and Harold looked at their daughter.
"For the last couple weeks...I've been seeing someone."
"Oh?" asked Tia.
"Yes, his name is Joe."
"Joe? You're dating again?" Harold questioned.
"We're not dating, Daddy."
"Harold calm down." Tia urged.
Annie explained where she met Joe, what he did, and where he lived.
"He sounds like a nice guy." Tia replied.
"Well...we'll need to meet him." Harold told her.
"Harold." said Tia.
"Daddy." said Annie.
The two looked at him sternly.
"What? If some man's gonna come into my daughter's life I want to make sure he's good enough."
The two women looked at each other.
Meanwhile, Joe was in the Zone with the rest of the Mystics Without Borders, looking for lost souls to rescue.
"See any lost souls yet?" asked Windstar.
The others kept their eyes peeled, and Joe managed to spot one.
"There!" he yelled.
He pointed off into the distance, and saw a large black lost soul trudging through the sand.
"Good eye, Joe." Moonwind told.
And he steered the ship in the direction of the lost soul. It was pretty big, and looked very terrifying. "All right, Dancerstar, take aim." ordered Moonwind. Dreamerwind aimed the bola shot, and shot it at the lost soul.
But the soul dodged it, and rushed off into the distance.
"Oh drat, it got away again." complained Moonwind.
"You know that lost soul?"
"In a way." replied Dreamerwind.
"We've been hunting that lost soul for years. We don't know what disconnected it from life, but for some reason it keeps getting bigger." Moonwind explained.
That confused Joe. What could make a person disconnect from life for so long?
Back on Earth, Joe and Annie called each other. After the usual chit chat Joe decided to ask Annie out for a real date.
"So Annie I was wondering...would you be interesting in going to dinner and a movie next week?" Joe asked.
"Oh, you mean like a real date?" Annie wanted to know.
"Well you know, only if you want to." Annie smiled, and gave her answer.
"Sure, Joe. I'd like that very much."
"Really?" Joe asked in an enthusiastic voice.
Annie giggled. Joe quickly cleared his throat, and started to speak again.
"Great, then I'll come and pick you up around 5:00, and take you back to the city."
"Sounds good to me. I'll be looking forward to it."
The two then said their goodbyes, and hung up. As Annie got ready for bed, she looked out at the city from her window. Little did she know, someone was watching her from outside her building.
The next day, Annie and Brittany went shopping.
"This is so exciting." squealed Brittany.
"Brittany, I've been on dates before." Annie told her friend.
"I know, but it's been a long time."
"Yeah, especially after...him."
Brittany froze when she said that.
"Yeah well...that was a long time ago."
"Right."
They continued shopping, but the same person who was watching Annie from her house, was watching Annie and Brittany. After the two bought their clothes they left the store, the person watched them leave.
In New York City, Joe went to get his haircut with Dez.
"I want to look really good, Dez." Joe told him, as he sat in the chair.
"Got it Joe. Special occasion?" Dez wondered, as he put the tarp over him.
"Well actually...I have a date."
That the attention of several people in the barber shop.
"Oh really? Who's the lucky lady?"
Joe then began to tell Dez about Annie, and what a nice woman she was.
"Sounds like you found a nice one, Joe."
"Yeah, I really like her."
"Well she's certainly going to like this do."
He gave Joe a mirror, and he looked at himself.
"This looks great, Dez. Thanks."
"No problem, Joe."
He then paid Dez, and went to his mom's store. He had sent his suit over to her to get it fixed up. Upon arriving, he was attacked my Melba and LuLu.
"Joey, you're finally going on a real date." squealed Melba.
"This Annie is a real lucky girl." LuLu added.
"You are going to let us meet her right?"
"Girls, girls." said Libba.
The two calmed down, and she came up to her son.
"Your suit's ready. But will we be meeting Annie anytime soon?" Libba wanted to know.
"Actually, I planned on bringing her by so she could meet you all." Joe told them.
"That's good, I'd like to meet this Annie."
Back in Brooklyn, Annie had said goodbye to Brittany, and walked a couple blocks to her house. As she was walking, she was stopped by a man, a man she knew and didn't like. He was African American, had brown eyes, with black stubble on his head, and a black mustache.
And he was wearing a blue t-shirt, blue jeans, and white shoes.
"Annie." he told her.
Annie scowled at him, and tried to walk away. But the man, grabbed her arm.
"Wait, I just want to talk to you." he told her.
"Leroy, I told you never to come near me again." Annie snapped.
"But Annie, listen everything's different now."
"The only thing that's different if we're not in college anymore. Now get lost."
Leroy was about to protest, but then a police car stopped beside them. An officer rolled down the window.
"Is everything okay, here?" he asked.
"Everything's fine, officer. This guy was just leaving."
Leroy knew he couldn't cause a fuss now so he walked off.
"Are you all right, ma'am?" asked a woman officer.
"Yes, I'm fine." Annie assured.
And then the car drove off, and Annie hurried back to her apartment, locking the door behind her.
That's chapter 5