Rachel just finished refreshing her mini twists, spraying Versace and body spray on herself, and refining her outfit. She marked her lips with a dark mocha lip liner, applied lip gloss, and smoothed her lips together. Rachel gave one final look in the mirror, grabbed her bag and keys, then progressed to outside, where Garfield was waiting.
Garfield got out of his car, with a pleasant smile on his face. The two greeted each other, and Garfield opened the passenger door for Rachel.
On his speakers Break from Toronto by PARTYNEXTDOOR was playing. He turned down the music a bit, asking, "Got anything specific you wanna listen to?"
"No, not really. Thanks for asking though." Rachel kept her eyes straight ahead.
"Are you sure? Are you saying "no" because you feel like I may judge your music taste? 'Cuz I won't."
Rachel was impressed at Garfield's perception. It was weird, she only had iotas of conversation with this man, yet he seemed to read her like a book.
"I guess… if you would put on anything by Pierce the Veil, that would be nice."
"Of course," He switches the station and Bulletproof Love begins to play. "Hardcore, Rache." and he says that last part with a subtle wink.
Garfield begins the route, rolling down the windows to allow the summer breeze coast through the vehicle.
"Tell me if you're too hot, okay? Or cold." Garfield said.
Raven replied, "Will do,"
It took about twenty minutes for them to get to their destination, Ma n' Pop, a soul food spot.
The duo got seated at a table outdoors and perused through the menu.
Garfield's whimsical voice cut through the thick silence, "Soooo, got any summer plans? Any vacations, bucket lists, things of that nature?"
"Vacations," Rachel scoffed. That was such an unrealistic matter for her right now. "I wish."
"What's stoppin ya?"
Rachel put it tersely. "Finances,"
Garfield pronounced with slight dismay, "Damn, yeah, that'll do it. I'm on a vacation myself, remember, I'm from Ohio."
"Not hard to miss."
"What do you mean by that?" Garfield's eyebrows furrowed.
Rachel replied, "Your accent, and just your overall aura. Not the typical New Yorker."
"I don't have an accent."
"I dunno, you sound pretty country to me."
"Well, I was born and raised in New York, so."
"So what?" Rachel lifted her eyes from the menu, to Garfield, with a teasing smile.
He smiled back, liking the vibe. "I'm jus' sayin' that I'm not jus' some tourist."
"Brooklyn?" Rachel questioned.
"You know it. I was raised in Crown Heights."
"Ohh, okay, okay. Lemme test you then," Rachel said.
"Go 'head," Garfield challenged.
Raven asked, "Good looks?"
He responded, no hesitation, "Thanks, good catch, thanks for looking out."
"She?"
"Wylin'."
"Aggy?"
"Someone pissed off."
"Can't have a meal without a?"
"Bev, stop playin'."
"Tell me who the ock is," Rachel's smile was wide.
"He the guy at the bodega behind the counta."
"Bacon, egg, n'?"
"Cheese."
"You mad dayroom,"
Garfield was sharp with his responses, "Yeah, you movin' funny n' sus,"
"The Burg,"
"Yeaaaah, Rache, we mean Williamsburg," Garfield chuckled.
"You jackin' ha?"
Garfield smiled handsomely, "Yeaaaa, she mine."
"Alright, you pass." Rachel blushed delicately, growing little by little on the energy.
Just then, the waitress came to the table and collected their orders and the menu.
"Anyway," Garfield began, "I'm on vacation, which I now have to extend because of the case."
"Right, yeah. Find anything?"
"No lead on who pulled off the murder yet. But, I do have a little information on Cooper."
"Do tell,"
"Well, he wasn't a business man going to a business conference like I told you a while back."
"What?"
"He works for the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is the public transportation system in New York), on the B train. I'm guessing he lied his way out with the whole business conference gig, since that was the last thing his wife talked to him about."
Rachel thought deeply, processing this new information.
Garfield attempted to get a whiff of smoke.
Rachel snagged the blunt from his hand, and made it dissipate in a glass of water.
"Was that necessary?" Garfield grunted in frustration.
Rachel asserted, "Get out your pen and paper."
He did as he was told, "Whatever you say, Ms. Drug Enforcement Administration."
Rachel's heart quickened and her palms became sweaty.
She half-hissed, "How do you know about that?"
"Don't worry about it."
"Like hell I'm gonna worry about it. I barely know you, but you've been snooping in on my life!"
Garfield's care-free demeanor kept steady, "You hidin' something from me?"
Maybe this wasn't the time to joke around, because Rachel was evidently getting upset.
"No!"
"Easy there, hot stuff, I mean no harm," Garfield reassured gently, "It is a part of my job, remember that. Don't think I don't trust you or anything, but I have to do extra digging to clear you of being a suspect. Not only that, I need hard facts to back me in case anyone tries to keep you as a suspect."
Rachel sighed, regaining control of her composure.
"Well, how was the digging? What else do you know?"
The pair's food and drink arrived promptly.
Rachel got mac and cheese with fried chicken and a side of cornbread, and with that, a glass of apple juice. Garfield got house cut fries, potato salad, and yams, with a glass of pineapple mango lemonade.
Garfield informed through a bite, "You had a Teeny Weeny Afro era."
"Jesus, not my driver's license," Rachel laughed.
"I like how you look either way," He continued quickly before Rachel could raise a protest, "Now, I don't know much else but the basics. Height, weight, marital status. And you're maxed out on your Mastercard, trust me, I know how that goes."
Rachel silently raised her eyebrows and nodded in astonishment.
"Don't be impressed," Garfield said comically in a prideful manner.
Rachel replied, "I'm not, the food tastes good."
Garfield sulked, seeming disappointed, "Oh."
"Sorry, I can be kind of blunt. I mean nothing by it," Rachel encouraged, "Do you know about Jermaine?"
"He's like a sore eye. But, we can talk about him later."
There was a series of bites and sips before the conversation continued.
"I have something, I don't know how much it may help," Rachel started.
Garfield said, positioning his pen on the paper, "Anything helps."
Rachel sighed.
"One night, Cooper suggested to me that he would help in a custody fight I'm in with Jermaine."
"Mhm…"
"He offered one week to have everything figured out. He said all he would do was get the mayor to talk to the judge and tip the case in my favor."
Garfield's ears perked up.
"Woah, woah, woah. What kind of authority does Cooper have to do all of that?"
"No clue. But, I got the name of the mayor-elect," she watched as Garfield scribbled BILL CYPRESS on his notepad.
"The Republican mayor," Garfield stated.
"Oh, yeah, I didn't really look him up. I don't really feed into politics that much." Rachel said, elegantly wiping some crumbs off the side of her mouth with a napkin.
"Apolitical. Fair enough."
"Yeah,"Rachel sat back in her chair, appearing defeated.
"I'm hoping that this offer Cooper put up for me didn't get him killed."
Garfield added, kind of in a sentimental way, "Love makes people do crazy things."
"I didn't stop him in the hopes that whatever he promised would work, and I could get my daughter back. I know this all sounds stupid."
"Not at all. I read the divorce."
Just when Rachel thought it couldn't get worse.
Rachel said, humiliated, "Goddamnit, Gar."
There was the judge's swearing on his nuts about Rachel's incapability to mother, and Jermaine's fictitious rigamarole of Rachel's insatiable libido and other filthy lies.
Her gaze was hard and glassy on Garfield's eyes.
"I wouldn't do anything to put my daughter in harm's way."
Garfield dispelled Rachel's discomfort with care, "Trust me, I know you wouldn't."
"The stuff he said in the files—"
"Rache, it's no problem."
"But the judge, he said—"
"Rache," Garfield's firm voice snapped Rachel out of her angst spiral.
Garfield asserted tenderly, "I said don't worry about it, okay? I got you. I trust you, and I need you to trust me. Even if it takes you some time, but I need you to do it."
They smiled at each other for a brief moment.
"Okay, I trust you on this one."
"Good."
"Cooper's wife wants him buried in New Jersey, 'cause that's where he's from. I'll let you know if anything else turns up concerning the case. I'll keep at it."
It made Rachel's heart warm that Cooper had a chance of justice.
"Thank you," Rachel smiled again.
Garfield returned the smile. "Absolutely,"
The waitress came by to check in, and took out the card machine when the pair said they were ready to pay.
Rachel took out her card, and Garfield pushed her hand back.
He said, "Put it back."
Rachel silently put the card back in her purse.
Garfield gave the waitress his card and the transaction was completed. The waitress cleared the table, and Garfield and Rachel got up to leave.
They left the soul food spot and traipsed for a couple of blocks. Cars were whirring by with Doppler Effects of rap songs, and kids were playing with toy balls and chalk on the side walks. On one street, there was Busy Signal blasting through a speaker and the smell of jerk chicken.
"Don't do that again, okay, Rache? When I take you out, it's on me." Garfield declared softly as he opened the car door for her.
"Okay."
Rachel wasn't used to having other people treat her so nicely. She wondered if this man was bribing her. Rachel was a stoic and guarded character, always on the defense of anything that seemed off putting.
She didn't know what to think of Garfield, honestly. And not in a bad way.
He was simply astounding.
Garfield got into the driver seat and started the car.
"I want to do this with you again. Are you comfortable with that?" Garfield asked, his hazel eyes taut to Rachel.
"Yes," Rachel didn't hesitate. Her lips curved upward. "I am."
happy 2024! hope u enjoyed the update, more coming soon!