Obsessed

| Two

  Before heading off to school, I decided to swing by the office to see Mrs. Marie. I walked into the glass building and onto the elevator, taking it up to the third floor. Once the doors opened, I danced onto the marbled floor that housed the segregated glass offices. I spoke to a couple of people I knew before getting to Mrs. Marie’s office. I knocked lightly on the glass and she swiveled around in her chair, causing me to laugh. 

  “ I should’ve known it was my baby. You’re the only one that still knocks around here. “ she pulled her glasses from her face. “ Is everything alright? “ 

  “ Yes, I just wanted to thank you for everything, Mrs. Marie. I will never stop thanking you for seeing something in me and believing in that enough to send me off to school. “ 

  “ It’s not like it’s an Ivy League, sweetie. “ she chuckled. “ But you have Ivy League potential, even beyond that. I see you rising in this company quickly, even starting your own, but you have to learn the fundamentals. I want to provide you that foundation, the rest is up to you. “ 

  “ Yes ma’am. Thank you again. “ she nodded, smiling at me. She looked at the time and then gestured for me to take a seat. 

  “ Did you get everything settled with the house? “ 

  “ Yes, thank God. My mother knew a guy who hooked me up. You’ll have to drop by one day. “ 

  “ I would love to. “ 

  “ How’s everything going with you? “ we didn’t really talk much about her being sick, but she knew that I would always ask. 

  “ It’s better, honestly. My last appointment went well, whatever it is seems to be leaving. “ she told me and I nodded. “ I don’t think I have long, though. “ 

  I was shocked. “ What makes you say that? “ 

  “ The doctors may not know, but I know. My mother, her mother, and her mother all went through the same thing. They say it’s a curse that nobody knew how to break. “ she explained, pushing her long curly hair behind her ears. 

  “ What curse? “ 

  “ You can’t fix everything, David, that’s something I need you to learn. Some things are just meant to be. “ she cooed as she grabbed my hand. “ You’re going to be late, dear. “ 

  “ I’ll see you later, then. “ 

  We said our goodbyes and I returned to my car, heading downtown towards the school. The traffic was heavy, as always, but I made it just in time. I slid on my barber’s coat, sitting down in the chair, and waiting for the teacher to arrive. 

  “ Late on the first day? “ Jaylin teased from beside me. 

  “ Look who decided to come up for air. Moby d**k. “ I sassed back. 

  “ Aw, you tried, boo. “ she cooed at my weak comeback. “ You’ve been hangin’ around me for nine years, and you still can’t read a b***h. “ 

  “ All I know is, you better get out that mirror before it starts runnin’. “ I chuckled. She looked at me from the mirror. 

  “ Now that’s a read, and I ain’t never been ugly, okay? “ 

  “ If you say so, friend. “ 

  From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of this specific barber. He was light-skinned, shaved head but a full, healthy beard. Those tattoos that covered his body gave him an attractive edge, especially the ones on his neck. The white tank top that clung to his body paired well with his baggy jeans and his Reebox shoes. Imagine what the nineties dope boys looked like back in the day. He was all of that and then some. 

  “ Now that’s a man right there. “ Jaylin broke my dissection. I looked around at the other women who were admiring him as well. “ He plays for your team, though. “ 

  “ You see what I see, huh? “ 

  “ All of it. “ she smiled, catching his eye and waving at him. He nodded at her, then looked at me while sliding his similar barber coat on. He sat down in the chair, refusing to break the contact. 

  “ Sorry I’m late, I had to show my man who had the real power. “ the short lady twisted into the room. Her hips were wide, and her waistline thick but still toned. Her braids dangled underneath her full bottom as she walked to the middle of the floor, which was divided into two parts. “ I’m Mrs. Yolanda Adams and not the gospel singer. In her dreams. This week, we will focus on the fundamentals of trimming and cutting. We will learn the different textures of hair and how to maintain the health of the hair, okay? “ she yelled out to the room. “ It’s good to see that everyone is following the directions, so if you will please walk to the tables, find your names and take your seats. “ 

  We all emerged into a crowd, searching for our names amongst the black desks that sat in rows. I finally found my name, and thankfully my table was right next to Jaylin’s. As she was childishly gesturing something I couldn’t understand, the scent of the Tommy Hilfiger cologne filled my nose as the person responsible sat down. I gazed upon that familiar face, blushing as he displayed that sly smile. 

  “ Okay, ladies and gentlemen, please open your books to page one, pay attention to the Need to Know section as you read, and on that following page, answer questions one to fifteen. I am here if you have any concerns, alright? “ Mrs. Yolanda sat on the stool in front of the class. 

  Mild chatter filled the room as everyone began their work. I grabbed a notebook out of my bag, beginning to write everything in the Need to Know section down as he did the same thing. 

  “ I’m Vinny, by the way. “ he started. 

  “ David. “ 

  “ Where you from, I haven’t seen you ‘round here? “ 

  “ I’m from Alabama, but moved back a while ago. “ I replied as he chuckled, nodding his head. “ What’s funny? “ 

  “ Boy, you country. “ he smiled. 

  “ Ain’t nothing wrong with bein’ country. “ 

  “ Naw, I ain’t say all that. It’s cute, but it’s funny. “ he continued writing. 

  “ Mhm. Where are you from? “ I tried to sound proper. 

  “ I’m from Florida, but I moved here maybe three years ago. “ 

  “ Cool. “ I finished writing the Need to Know before I continued the conversation. “ So have you always been bald, or did your mama put a perm in your hair? “ 

  He shook his head to hide his laughter. “ I see you got jokes, jit. “ 

  “ Jit? Do I look like a jit to you? “ I faced him. 

  “ Well your beard is a ‘lil patchy, but it’s growin’, just like you. “ my smile faded as he laughed, smiling widely and revealing those pearly whites. 

  “ You ain’t even have to cut that deep. “ I rolled my eyes. 

  “ I like you, bruh. “ he sat back in the chair. “ Check this out: what products did ancient people use for color mattering and tattoos. “ I looked down at my notes. “ Nuh-uh, no lookin’ at your paper. “ 

  “ What? “ I argued but he gave me a challenging look. “ Aight, they used berries, leaves, tree bark, minerals, herbs, and..... “ I hesitated. 

  “ Two more, ‘lil daddy. “ he smirked. “ You should know this stuff. “ 

  “ Shut up. “ I widened my eyes. “ Okay, I know one is insects, but I can’t remember the seventh one. “ 

  “ Deez nuts. “ he joked. 

  “ Ha. Ha. “ I faked a laugh. “ Very funny. “ 

  “ What you got planned for lunch? “ he sat back in his chair, looking me up and down. He pulled lightly on his bear hairs while he crossed his arms over his buff chest. 

  “ s**t, you! “ is what I wanted to say. “ My friend and I might be doing somethin’, but I’m not sure. “ 

  “ Let me know. “ he said before returning his attention to the workbook. 

  After finishing the questions and a three-hour lecture and demonstration, we were dismissed for lunch. Jaylin and I stood at our work stations, gathering our things. 

  “ I saw you makin’ his bright ass smile over there. “ she nudged me lightly. 

  “ I like his vibe, I won’t lie. It’s different. “ I looked over at him laughing with some of the other barbers as he took off his coat. 

  “ Damn, David, can you stop falling in love so easily? “ I looked back at her sharply. 

  “ Who said it was love? “ 

  “ I see the way you look at him already. “ I looked back over to him. He was watching me. “ You don’t even know if the man got good d**k. “ she argued. 

  “ I don’t need to know that, okay? And that’s your problem. Maybe if you dove deeper into a man, you could actually find somebody who treats you right. “ 

  “ Just for that, you eating lunch by yourself. “ she flipped her hair. 

  “ You doing me a favor, sweetie. “ I teased. 

  On cue, Vinny walked over to us. I introduced him and Jaylin to each other and they shook hands. 

  “ It’s a spot down the way I think you’ll like. You down? “ 

  “ I’m down. “ 

  “ Bet. Ms. Jaylen, it was nice to meet you. “ 

  “ Mhm. “ she rolled her eyes as I stuck my tongue out. 

  We exited the school and walked down the street to the burger place. He held the door open for me as I walked inside. We sat down in a booth and waited for the waitress to take our order. I ended up ordering something light because we still had a decent amount of time left in class. 

   “ How old are you, youngin’? “ 

  Just as I fixed my mouth to answer his question, Jonothan walked inside the restaurant. There was a woman and a man with him, and I assumed they were clients. I slid further to the window, looking outside as they walked by the table. I heard Vinny greet him with a simple ‘wassup’ before I turned back around. 

  “ That your ex or somethin’? “ 

  “ No, just a family friend. Why you ask that? “ I tried acting normal. 

  “ The way you dodgin’ ‘em. You don’t have to get close to a window to see outside. “ he teased. 

  “ Yeah, my bad. My age, I’m....... “ 

  “ Vinny! “ the feminine voice erupted through the restaurant. 

  “ f**k. “ he lowered his head, scratching his nose. 

  I turned around to see the chocolate man standing before me. He had on jean overalls with a white crop top and some white high-top converse. His features were attractive, but his insecurities were blinding. I shook my head. 

  “ You knew I was coming to get you for lunch, and you run off with some ugly b***h? “ many of the guests gasp at the words coming out of his mouth. I found it amusing. 

  “ No Engles. “ I joked. 

  “ Oh, so you into foreign bitches now? This hoe don’t even speak English, Vinny. “ he scooted out of the booth and tried to calm the man down. “ No, no, don’t touch me! What are you doing with this wanna’ be? You know what, get your ass in the car! “ 

  I laughed as Vinny looked back at me, giving me a deadly glare as he pulled the boy from the restaurant. I watched him walk up to the window by our table, cursing and still pointing his hand. The waitress came with both of our food, asking what to do with Vinny’s meal. I just told her to box it up and I would take it. 

  “ What I told you about fuckin’ with these boys? “ Jonothan stood over me. 

  “ Today isn’t the day, Jonothan. “ I took a bite out of my burger. “ Please, leave me alone. “ 

  “ Not until I get what I want. I have a proposal for you. “ he sat down at the table and looked at me. “ Spend a night with me and my wife. “ 

  I inhaled sharply, coughing up the food that went down the wrong pipe. “ Is it try David day? “ 

  “ Just give me one night. “ 

  “ No, are you crazy? You are a grown-ass, married father trying to court my young ass. You don’t see an issue with that? “ 

  “ I wanna’ see if your actions match your words. “ he relaxed in his seat, smirking. He was taunting me. He was challenging me. 

  “ Jonothan, leave me alone. “ I wiped my hands on the white towel. This is what he wanted, though. He wanted the chase. He knew that I was confident and sure of myself. That’s what made it pleasing because so was he. I sipped from my water before sucking my teeth and matching his energy. “ One night? “ 

  “ That’s all I’m askin’. “ 

  “ You’re gonna’ regret it, but aight. “ I gave in. “ Now go back to your clients, it’s unprofessional. “ he smirked at the fact I caught his bluff. “ Check please? “ 

  I paid for my meal along with Vinny’s food and walked back to the school. Jaylin was sitting in her chair on the phone with her man, I’m sure. I placed the food down at my station before dropping my bag in the chair. 

  “ That’s what you get. “ she teased. 

  “ You don’t even know what happened. “ 

  “ Doesn’t matter. He left you alone, that’s all I wanted. “ she danced. 

  I heard someone clear their throat and we both got quiet. She furrowed her brows, so I turned around to Vinny who looked at me with focused eyes. 

  “ Ima’ kill you, ‘lil daddy. ” 

  “ I’m sorry, Vinny, I didn’t think it would get that serious. “ I reached for his plate of food and handed it to him. He seemed surprised as he grabbed it from my hands. 

  “ That was sweet of you. “ he cooed. “ I’m sorry you had to see that, D. “ 

  “ I’m good on it, honestly. “ I grew bold for a second. “ A man like you deserves better than that, though. “ 

  “ Yeah, it’s a long story. “ his eyes grew resentful for a moment. “ But thanks again. “ 

  “ Anytime. “ he backed away, then turned around and headed back to the group of men he was conversing with. I turned around and Jaylin was now standing and staring daggers into me. 

  “ What the hell happened, David? “