Neighborhood Watches

“You act like you don’t know who I am, what I do, and who I had to put my life on hold fuh? Jasmine said kind of chuckling to herself as she helped Malik with the food delivery.

She was chuckling for a myriad of reasons. Mostly because, the amount of food that came to the house looked more like a grocery delivery for a week than for one night’s dinner.

But neither one of them could make up their minds about what they wanted; and since they were going to be there for a while, why not get what they wanted?

They continued to mechanically open the food bags; and as Jasmine opened the cupboards for paper plates, cups and utensils she continued to answer Malik’s question.

“You remember the first time yo boy Rondell kinda disappeared fo a minute and no one knew where the fuck he was?”

Malik nodded as looked at the labels on the tops of the food containers separating them into piles.

“Yeah, to be honest I thought that was it.”

Changing the subject slightly, he asked,

“We eatin in there or on the patio?”

“You like this lil patio huh?” Jasmine asked as she opened the door to check the temperature, a gentle, cool, breeze wafted in.

“Yeah well back home our lil patch of dirt out back wasn’t barely big enough for our trash cans, and we wasn’t ‘bout to keep the trash company.”

“Especially when the seafood joint had a sale,” Jasmine added wrinkling her nose up as she opened her salad container to poke its contents with a plastic fork which she in turn pointed at Malik to punctuate her statement.

“Ewww, you right,” Malik added, “It’s like that where you from too huh?’

Jasmine shrugged, “Nah , not really. We have courtyards back home. Like everyone takes care of their own lil section. I know about the crab smell errytime ol boy would take me to a block party up north. Shit stinks to high hell.”

They laughed, ate and talked as they watched the sun smear sherbet streaks across the horizon.

“You thirsty? Want some wine?”

Malik shrugged, “What kind you got?”

Jasmine smirked as she got up from the table and walked over to a part of the kitchen to open a door Malik must not have noticed or just ignored.

“You wanna go get a bottle?” She gestured downward with her hand towards the wine cellar leaving the door open.

Malik’s eyes narrowed, “Nah, I’m good with that tea you made earlier.”

“Well I’m not. I kinda want something light to go with this salad. You want me to bring you up a bottle of merlot or somethin?” She asked as she flittered down the steps.

Malik winced inwardly because his Momma taught him better than that. He should have escorted her down there. But his instinct told him to never follow anyone unless you’re one hundred percent sure of them and your surroundings. And he’s been here less than a day. So as charming as Jasmine is, he don’t know her. That’s why Malik only sat up straight and called out to her.

“I mean you can. I’ll try anything once.”

Jasmine’s return was a lot less sprightly because she decided to bring up four bottles of wine with her.

It was at that point, Malik jumped up to help her and grabbed the box to put it on the counter.

“That’s a lot of wine there. I’m not a drinker like that.”

Jasmine giggled, “Me either, this shit like punch to me though. And ain’t nobody goin nowhere for a minute, so why not?” She asked shrugging.

“I dunno much about wine except once you open it, you need to drink it. What if I open the merlot and hate it?”

“I can always cook with it.”

“But you don’t like cooking?” Malik asked as he found where to put the wine and put two of the four bottles away then brought the other two out into the living room. Jasmine followed behind him with a couple of glasses and a corkscrew and placed them on the table.

“I ain’t fittin to drink wine out no damn Solo cup, my bad. And who told you, Ion like cookin. I actually enjoy cookin quite a bit when it’s appreciated. As soon as motherfuckers start expectin that shit, I don’t enjoy it as much. And the last thing you wanna do is eat any of the food I cooked because I had to not cuz I wanted to.”

Malik grabbed the corkscrew and the lighter of the wines, opened it and poured Jaz a glass.

“You be makin that gumbo?” He asked with wide eyes.

“Iono why everyone thinks Gumbo is some sorta key to the southern universe. It really ain’t that hard. Biggest pain in the ass is peelin the shrimp. Shit, sometimes Ion even peel em.”

“But I’ve had some watery green lookin …”

Jasmine cut him off, “Gumbo t’aint sposed to be purdy. If the rue ain’t kinda lookin swampy, I can guarantee you, it tastes like zuppa de pesce.”

“That’s good though!” Malik exclaimed as he unconsciously began opening the merlot to pour himself a glass.

“Oh ,zuppa de pesce is awesome, but it ain’t gumbo. So, your gumbo shouldn’t taste like it,dig?

“Dug.” Malik sipped the merlot and frowned his face up a little.

“Let it soak into your mouth a minute before you swallow. You’ll taste the hints of cocoa in it.”

Malik didn’t look too impressed when he swallowed and popped up to go back into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Out of respect he grabbed two and when he came back into the room to sit down, Jasmine made mention of it.

“For Sticks to be such a dick ninety-eight percent of the time, his people sure are polite and well mannered. I ain’t really have to ask fo shit since you been here.”

“I guess I should say thank you, but Iono how else to be.”

He opened his water and took a gulp before adding, “Moms, taught me to always help women, especially my elders.”

“Fuck you, Leek, I ain’t that much older than ….”

“No, no ,no my bad, I ain’t mean it like that.”

Jasmine let him off the hook, “I know.” Then she smiled because Malik picked up his glass of wine and took a bigger sip.

“No so bad, huh?” She asked.

“Its better the second sip, but I still need the water.”

“Eat, and it will get better.”

“You ain’t gotta tell me twice.” He remarked in between mouthfuls of food. Jasmine put down her fork and excused herself. When she returned, her demeanor was different as she tossed a cell phone onto the table and sucked her teeth. The phone slid into the wine bottles and the clanging caused Malik to look up.

“You good Ma?”

Jasmine flopped on her side of the sectional grabbed her glass gulped down what was left of her wine and then poured herself another glass, and gulped that until there was hardly anything left, then refilled the glass again. She then grabbed her salad and the other container which had salmon and rice, and put a piece of salmon on top of her salad. Malik silently watched her in between eating his own food.

“Bad call?”

“Your boy on his way.” She stated matter of fact.

“What boy? Who? Here?

Jasmine reached back into her box and pulled out another blunt and held it up for Malik.

“Will this bother you while you eat?”

Malik shook his head vigorously, “Nah what boy tho?”

Jasmine lit the blunt and sucked her teeth at the same time so the sound echoed.

“Sticks will be landing in the US within the next few hours, but he will be here tomorrow. "

Malik's whole expression wrinkled up into such a disapproving scowl one would have thougt he bit into a lemon.

"Great. Why so soon? Thanks for switchin my order up tp the beef curry. Shit's bangin."

Jasmine nodded while continuing to eat, "You're welcome."

Then she shrugged, "Iono. Somethin bout a family emergency."