There's Levels To My Thug (13 page)

“Savannah you know you’re my girl and Dragon is my brother. I know him very well and I know he wouldn’t want you unhappy or by yourself. He’d want you to move on and get ya snatch back Boo.”
Desiree said to me.

“I know Boo, but I feel like if I was to date anyone I would be betraying him. I love him with every part of my body and I miss him so much. Desiree, this time, this year we were supposed to be saying I do to each other. Not me trying to get back out there getting my snatch back.”
I said.

“I’m not saying go out and be fucking head on. I’m saying start datingget out there and make friends.”
Desiree said laughing.

    We pulled up into the mall parking lot on the Macy’s side and parked. Before getting out, we both had to make sure our faces were beat and our clothes were on point. We busted into laughter when we locked eyes. Walking through the mall entrance near the carousel there was this nice looking guy walking in front of us. I mean everything about him was on point. From his hair cut to his clothes, this guy had on this Polo pink, white and a light blue stripe button up with some Polo jeans with a pair of Jordan Retro7’s. I got a closer look at him when he stopped to tie his sneaker when Desiree and I got closer we could smell the scent of his cologne. I thought to myself shit he even smells good not even noticing I said it out loud Desiree looked over at me and said “Trust” we both laughed and kept it moving.

    We walked over into Children’s Place to see what they had in there for the girls. Desiree started making jokes about the clothing in there. She even mentioned Dragon’s clothing line for children saying if her brother was here her nieces wouldn’t be caught dead in store bought items. We laughed as we walked out the store over into Kay Jewelers. As we walked over Desiree pointed out the same gentleman from the mall entrance was walking into Kay’s also. I figured he was in there to make a purchase for his woman and or mistress. The sales girl quickly flocked over to him flaunting her breast and was all in his face. Desiree and I shook our heads laughing at how females can look and be so thirsty at times. When she finished with him, he turned to me and smiled.

“Good afternoon beautiful. I was wondering if you could spare a moment of your time to chat with a young fellow like me.”
The gentleman said.

    Not really wanting to indulge in any conversation with the opposite sex at the moment. I figured I’d just ride this life out solo dolo. But Desiree quickly butted in and responded for me.

“Yes, she has time. We’re not in any rush or anything. Savannah, I’ll just be over here looking at these charms for the girls”
Desiree said winking her eye and smiling while she left me standing there.

“Oh wow I’m so embarrassed. Please excuse my sister in-law she’s a little crazy at times. By the way, my name is Savannah.”
I said while laughing at Desiree peaking over at me with her thumbs up.

“I’m glad to meet such a beautiful woman Savannah. I’m Javier. I heard you call the other woman your sister in-law. So that would make you married and off limits. Right?”
He asked.

    While trying not to go deep into it, I said.
“Actually no I’m not married. We didn’t make it that far.”

“Sorry to hear that. Well, not really because that makes you free to do whatever it is you want. That’s if you’re not seeing anyone at the moment. If you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you guys make it that far?”
He asked.

“He was murdered. If he hadn’t been, we’d be married living a wonderful life. But that was taken from us.”
I answered him.

    He seemed even more intrigued with me being single and vulnerable.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. No one should ever lose a loved one by an act of violence.”
Javier said.

    Javier stood like 5’8” dark brown skin with his haircut low with waves. The only thing that kind of turned me off a little was, he had gold fronts in his mouth. We ended up exchanging numbers before leaving out of Kay’s. I walked over to Desiree making jokes about his gold plated mouth. She insisted that I could get past it and to just give him a chance. Before leaving out of Kay’s, we ordered the girl’s their first charm bracelets. We grabbed a couple pair of shoes and the girls some outfits out the mall. I even bought them their first pair of Jordan’s. I brought up the Please Touch Museum downtown to Desiree since she’d took the girl’s once before I thought it would be fun to take them again. I texted Tameka letting her know to have the girls ready by the time we got there because we’re turning the day into family day down at the Museum. She responded quickly saying they were already dressed and waiting outside in the garden area.

As I pulled up to the house, Tameka was indeed walking over to the car with the girls following behind her. Watching the girl’s stumbling behind Tameka reminded me of a love I once shared. I loved every waking minute with Faith & Hope every minute with them was me being closer to Dragon. I could still smell his scent on the girls, sometimes I find myself sniffing them to try and smell him. I still had it in my mind that one day he was going to come walking through the front door saying “Honey I’m home”. Desiree and I both went running into the house to use the bathroom. Luckily for us, there were two on the first floor. After we were all loaded up in the car, I hopped on the Blvd heading towards I-76.

I pulled into the Please Touch Museum parking lot. Desiree was very surprised when she spotted Javier getting out of his car. Desiree started joking around saying his ass must have been following us. When he noticed us getting out of the truck, he started yelling across the parking lot.

“It must really be a small world. Twice in one day ladies, I see my guardian angel is working double time.”
Javier said.

    Tameka and Desiree looked at each other and smirked.

“I guess… Or you could be a stalker I don’t know.”
Desiree said to Javier laughing while I was grabbing Faith out of her car seat.

    Tameka walked over pushing the double stroller with Hope already strapped in. She looked a little confused because Desiree and I forgot to tell her about my little conversation in the mall with Javier.

“Who is that honey?”
Tameka asked me.

“Oh, that’s just Javier. We met him this morning inside of Kay Jewelers at the mall. But we spotted his ass in the parking lot first.”
I said with a smile.

“Oh, okay honey. I’m just going to say take your time with him and be careful. I know that look on your face chica. I don’t know what it is about him. I can’t put my finger on it but he looks very familiar.”
Tameka said while still looking over at Javier.

   I have admitted I was a little attracted to him, maybe because I haven’t had been with or had sex with a man since the night Dragon was killed. My lady parts were talking to me and I damn sure was trying to ignore them. We made our way into the Museum, when I turned to see where Javier went, I saw him going through the employee’s entrance door. I was actually relieved that he worked there especially after Desiree said something about him being a stalker and all. Assuming after he clocked in he was right back on the floor. After he was finished with his tour group, he came over to me and the girls to give us our very own personal tour. He even got down on his knees with Faith & Hope playing with them and some of the exhibits.

*****

    Before I knew it, we’d been talking almost three months and Javier and I were on the phone day & night even sometimes when I was at work. It felt nice being someone’s priority again but still in the back of my mind I wished it was Dragon instead. We’d been out to lunch almost every day since our jobs are in walking distance of each other.

I’d been planning the girl’s 1
st
birthday party and we had a lot of family members coming in from New York for their party. Javier extended his employee discount to me since the girls loved the Please Touch Museum so much. I planned it for February 20
th,
2016 three days after their Birthday. Desiree planned to make them a dinner and a personal birthday cake on their actual birthday. I even invited Javier and his niece. Javier and I never really talked about it, but he has custody of his four year old niece.

He’s been giving me some pointers here and there about parenting then always bringing up how he’s only been a father for a year in a half and an Uncle for four. The girl’s got along with Javier and Nola, his niece. He even got along with Desiree and that was a definite shocker being how close Desiree and Dragon were. The first night I had his ass over Desiree had a million and one questions for him, and she was the one who pushed me to talk with him in the store. She was just as protective over me as Dragon was. If I jumped, she ran and leaped snatching whoever I was after, before I had a chance to chop them. After his first night over he just kept coming back and or I was inviting him over. We ate out at different Restaurants more than anything, besides Javier working at the Please Touch Museum he was also one of those food critics. So when there was a new restaurant he had to check out he would call me to do some tasting of some sort with him.

In the beginning, of us talking I would make up excuses that I couldn’t or I was too tired. Because I knew it would come a time we’d be out and things may go too far. I started digging him and I like spending time with him. I felt myself ready to take it to the next level. I thought if I’d stay away the feelings would go away. Desiree met me downtown for lunch at Liberty Place. She asked me how things were going between Javier and me. After explaining my feelings to Desiree, she looked over at me and burst out laughing. Javier had been calling and texting me all day. Desiree said there was no way I could really duck him unless I didn’t come home.

By the time I got home from work, I had him on speakerphone. He was blabbing about how he wanted to see me. I was getting undressed trying to jump in the shower after work. I went as far as saying I didn’t have a baby sitter for the night but in the midst of me saying it, Desiree walked in the bedroom and asked what was she here for, if I wanted to go out I could, her and the girls were cool. I quickly hung up with him turning and thanking her. She turned laughing saying she knew by the tone in my voice she could tell I was trying to get out of it.

“Go out get to know him some more. He seems very interested in you and he’s good with the girls. You better stop playing girl good men are hard to come by. I see he doesn’t have his gold teeth in anymore.”
Desiree said laughing.

“No, he doesn’t actually. We had a long conversation about them. He’s even sexier without them.”
I said to her.

She walked into my closet going through my clothing rambling about how she was my stylist for the evening she told me to sit down and just relax. I went through a whole hair crisis after Dragon was killed and chopped all of my hair off, I kept it pin curled most of the time. It was growing back I had my hairstylist styling it in a bob with feather curls. Desiree walked out the closet with one of Dragons short Sweater Dresses he designed and a pair of black suede thigh high 6-inch boots. I put the dress on turning looking at myself in the full-length mirror we had on the wall in the bedroom, the dress fell off my shoulders showing Dragon’s name tatted on my right shoulder. I stood there for a second remembering when we got our matching his & her tattoos.

I set down on the ottoman so I could slide on my fishnet stockings and my boots. We went down into my Woman cave so we could do my make-up and hair. We feathered my hair and beat my face I was ready to meet Javier. I called him up to find out where we eating at and how to get there, that’s when this Nigga told me not to worry my driver would be out front in five minutes.

    Just as he said there was a car in front of the house five minutes later. As I walked outside who I thought was a regular driver, it was, in fact, Javier. I laughed as I got closer to the car seeing him stand at the passenger side door with long white roses. He drove over to a place called Spot Gourmet Burgers down on Girard Avenue.  I don’t know how he knew it but I’m damn sure a good burger type girl. I looked over at the Spot, laughed, and looked back at him.

“I mean who doesn’t love a good cheeseburger every now and then?”
I asked him.

“Absolutely right Savannah we shall see what they’re working with. This is the best part of my job, you know going out and having dinner on them.”
Javier said with a little snicker.

Javier knew all the hotspots in Philly that part I enjoyed most about him. Just as we were walking into the Burger joint, I received a text message from Tameka saying.

“DON’T TRUST HIM BOO…HIS GOVERNMENT NAME IS JAVIER, BUT HIS NICKNAME IS SMOKE! HE’S NO GOOD… I know him from campus but he’s a trap boy. I also know he’s DARRIN’S BABY BROTHER, SMOKE!!!!!”

    As I was reading her text message, my heart was dropping just as well as my phone. He picked up my phone and handed it to me. I looked over at him and smiled as I continued into the restaurant. Once we were in and seated, I excused myself right to the lady’s room. Once the close was clear and the bathroom door was shut behind me. I picked up my cell and instantly dialed Tameka. Her phone rang and rang with no answer. Just as I was about to exit the ladies room she rung my cell back.

“Boo what the fuck is going on? Who the hell is Smoke? And since when did Darrin have a little brother? He never spoke of him when I was around him and neither has Dragon.”
I said yelling into the phone.