Frankincense & Lavender

If there was a human personification of the popular straight face emoji that’s used on mobile phones now a days, Cedric’s face encapsulated it at the moment his friend, Luke, tapped the green circle on the phone. It was almost as if he figured Sandy wasn’t awake yet. His rationalization teetered more on hope than of actual knowledge. But then, he let out a sigh of relief as he could just about make out the muffled automated voicemail greeting that comes standard on certain carriers through his own earpiece.

“Stop playin, and gimme that there” Cedric said to Luke as he held his hand out. Luke scooped up the phone and held it to his ear, “You sure you don’t want me to leave her a messenge nah?” Luke then held the phone out to his friend who playfully snatched it away from him.

“You play too daggone much, Lu.” Cedric chuckled and sat back down across from his friend while placing the phone in his sweatpants pocket.

Luke watched his friend carefully while waiting for further explanation on the lady behind the monicker on Cedric’s cell phone. “Ion think I’m the one who’s playin over here, C. Cuz I ain’t been a single man for a good long while so I gotta live vicariously through you. So unless you changed the dispensary’s name in yo phone to Lil Mama, I think you need to fill up another cone and explain yourself.”

He punctuated his statement with laughter that Cedric heartily mocked.

“ A-ha hardy har har there yoself Luke. There ain’t nothin to explain. Her lil dog musta got spooked by a deer or somethin cuz she took off a hellin in the woods by the garden and I was able to scoop her up and return her to her little mama. Which was hilarious, Luke cuz her owner ain’t that much bigger than Minnie the Min Pin puppy doggy.”

Cedric only stopped talking because he noticed that Luke’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

“What?” Cedric smirked and asked his friend whose eyes got wider as he leaned in to put his cup of coffee on the table.

“What the hell did you just call me ,bamma? What in the entire hell is a Minnie the Min Pin puppy? Is it one of them daggone floppy stuffed animals my sister’s kid had me searchin high and low fuh one Christmas?”

Cedric laughed, “Nah man, not a Pound Puppy. Lil mama has a miniature pinscher. She’s the cutest lil thing. Playful and she listens good to her mama too.”

Luke quizzically frowned, “Except when she’s runnin all willy nilly in the woods…”

“Like I said, she must’ve gotten spooked by a deer or somethin cuz for the most part Minnie is a good little thing.”

“Oh is she now?” Luke leaned in to get the rest of the story. Cedric nodded as he reached under the glass table, lifted a lid to a leather box which had his medicinal paraphernalia inside and took out a pre-filled cone. Cedric then lit it and handed it to his friend.

Luke chuckled before he took a pull off of the cone and through the exhale he said, “I know you don’t think medicating me is gonna make me back offa tryna find out who this little mama is and why she got you tallem bout and gushin over her dog and what not.” He handed the cone back to Cedric who pondered over it for a minute before putting it to his lips. He inhaled then shrugged, I dunno Luke, I think she’s adorable.”

“Who? The doggie or her little mama?”

***Triple Hazelnut Coffee and Clementine 🌱💨