Page 10 of Half Sight Whole Heart

ZYRO COLEMAN

The drive back to their home was quiet except for Ermias in the back seat, lightly snoring.

I was glad he had a good time. I spent a lot of money tonight and didn’t regret it at all.

Beside me, Eriss was holding her bear and glancing out of the window.

Ever since I said my lil’ one two ‘bout spraying my cologne on her bear so she wouldn’t be lonely, I could tell she kind of distanced herself from me for the rest of the night.

It was coo’. Mahlia had put me on game the night of the family reunion.

It was no pressure. Eriss was a cute, fun girl when she let her hair down, but that’s where it really drew the line.

Like I told my cousin, I wasn’t the one.

I was a good nigga, but just like Eriss—I wasn’t lookin’ for a relationship.

When I turned onto her road, the energy shifted. A car was crooked in her yard, and I can tell Eriss tensed up some. The lights were beaming, engine still running. The door of the Altima opened, and out stepped a nigga.

“You know him?” I asked Eriss.

“That’s Ermias’ dad,” she said lowly. “Fuck.”

“Fuck…what?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. Ermias! Wake up, babe.”

“I can carry him in,” I offered. I placed my truck in park.

“Um..”

“Um, nothing. That nigga out there don’t fuckin’ scare me, and you bet not be scared of his ass either.”

“I…I just don’t want any shit,” Eriss whispered. “Not in front of my son.”

“Mama…is that Daddy?” Ermias asked, sleep laced in his tone.

“Yeah, Ermias. It is.”

“He pops up like this all the time, or did you know he was stopping by?” I questioned, opening my door.

“Zyro…” Eriss’ voice trembled. “Please don’t. Let me handle this. I appreciate it, but it’s okay.”

I bit down on my lip. Her eyes begged me to back off, the cloudy one darting to mine.

I sighed through my nose and leaned back, but I kept my eyes locked on that nigga whose face was frowning the fuck up like he was trying to figure out who the fuck was in this big ass truck.

My windows were tinted dark; there was no way he could see inside.

It was also dark outside since we’d been at the fair for hours.

“Yo, Eriss!” the nigga barked out across the yard, walking toward us. “You in that truck? Whose truck is that?”

Ermias was fumbling with his belt, excited as fuck, not catching any of the tension surrounding him. I pushed my door open further. When Eriss started to touch her door, I growled out, “Don’t touch that damn door, girl.” She backed off and waited, gripping her bear tighter.

I stepped out, letting my height and my silence talk for me. Our eyes met, his squinting out of curiosity.

“I know damn well she ain’t got my son around…” his voice trailed off. His steps faltered. His jaw was tight.

I rounded the front of my truck, and when I reached Eriss, she had an annoyed expression on her beautiful face.

“I really can help myself out of your truck, Zyro,” she uttered under her breath.

“Not on my watch,” I replied just as low.

I opened the door and grabbed Ermias by the waist and pulled him out, placing him on his feet.

“Dad! We went to the fair! Zyro…Zyro took us!” He said, running to his dad, who wasn’t paying him any attention. He was too busy watching Eriss.

“Is that right?” he asked.

“You straight?” I questioned Eriss loud enough for that nigga to hear.

“I’m fine, Zyro.” She removed a piece of loose hair from her face. “Thanks for tonight. You made Ermias’ day.”

Eriss started to walk away.

“Did I make your day?”

She stopped in her tracks, and I told her to hold on. I reached into my truck, opened up the console in the middle, and pulled out a bottle of cologne. Removing the top, I grabbed the bear from her hands and sprayed it a couple of times all over. Eriss stood there in disbelief.

“There. So you won’t be lonely,” I told her, smirking. “Now, did I make your day?”

I handed the bear back to Eriss. Her eyes reached mine.

“You did because you made Ermias’ day. Again, thank you, Zyro. Have a safe ride home.”

I chuckled at her dismissing me.

“Bet.” I craned my neck. “Have a good night, big dawg!” I shouted to Ermias.

“Good night, big dawg!” he called back. I snickered and sauntered back over to the driver’s side with my eyes on that nigga because his was on me. I chucked my head at him, silently letting him know I was on whatever he was on.

I wanted to tell Eriss to call me if she needed me, but she’d already put her wall back up. Pulling out of her driveway, I had to talk shit to myself.

“What the fuck are you doing, Zyro? You ain’t tryin’ to be in shit, and she ain’t either. Let that shit go,” I mumbled as I drove down the dark street.

Picking up my phone from the console, I dialed a number.

“Hello?” Leesa answered groggily.

“I’ll be there in an hour and twenty minutes.”

“Okay.”

“Zyro!” Marco’s voice carried over the music coming from the built-in speaker in the shop. “Yo, you got company!”

I slid out from under the SUV, grease on my arms, and shirt sticking to my back.

Wiping my hands on a rag, I spotted Eriss.

She wasn’t alone. Beside her was a tall, older man with a salt-and-pepper beard, plaid button-down tucked sharp into khaki slacks.

His eye cut across my shop like he was measuring every single detail.

I stood and sauntered over to them. My eyes dragged over to Eriss. She had a damn patch over her eye. I wanted to ask what happened when I left last night, but it wasn’t my place. I did wonder if she slept with that bear, smelling me every time she inhaled.

“Mr. Coleman?”

“Zyro,” I answered, tossing the rag over my shoulder.

“Name’s Greg Jackson. My daughter’s car is here. We’re here to see if we can get it towed to a car lot to see about trading it in.”

Eriss shifted her feet, avoiding meeting my eyes.

“Yeah, I can have it towed to wherever you need it towed. My man Marco can handle that.”

“How much will that run me?” Mr. Jackson queried, removing his wallet from his back pocket.

Finally, her eye landed on me. I wanted to reach over to yank that patch off, but I remained in my spot.

“It’s on me,” I said, still looking at Eriss, who slightly tilted her head and squinted.

I gave her father my attention again. He was glancing from me to his daughter.

“Do you two know each other?” he questioned.

“He’s Mahlia’s cousin. I told you this in the car,” she said.

He nodded. “Right…Right.” I could tell he felt there was more to it.

It wasn’t.

Greg tucked his wallet back in slowly, still watching his daughter and I.

“You sure you don’t mind covering that tow?” he pressed.

I shrugged, leaning into my stance. “It’s on me. Consider it a courtesy.”

The patch over Eriss’ eye was driving me crazy.

Greg nodded, lips in a tight line. “Well, I appreciate that, son. Your shop…You run a clean shop here.”

“Always,” I replied.

Marco came ambling over with a clipboard, giving me a You want me to handle this now? look. I jerked my chin toward the Camry. He got the message and disappeared through the bay doors.

“Shouldn’t take him long. He’ll just follow the two of you to your destination,” I let them know.

“Thank you,” they said in unison, and I dipped my head in a nod.

“No problem,” I replied. “You two have a great day.”

“You too, son,” Mr. Jackson called out over his shoulder as they began walking away.

I removed my phone from my pocket and sent a text.

Take that damn patch off. You’re too beautiful for that shit.

I killed the lights one by one, bright LED lights over each bay snapping off.

The sounds of the machines faded and were replaced by the steady clink of tools as Marco was putting things back in place.

I tugged the big bay door chain, the metal screeching as it rolled down. The faint scent of oil was in the air.

The shop had gotten busy later on in the day. The next few days, we had to work to get all the vehicles we had to work on out of here and back to their rightful owners. I’d be back before sunrise; therefore, I made sure everything was set right before leaving.

Outside, the night hit me. A slight breeze was blowing, but it was the middle of June, so that lil’ breeze wasn’t shit.

I slid in my truck and turned the air on full blast, and let my engine rumble to life.

For some reason, my mind kept circling back to Eriss.

There was his heavy pull to her that I couldn’t explain.

It was so heavy that when I went home, I showered and headed back out to Heartville to check on her.

By the time I pulled onto her street, it was after eight. The neighborhood was quiet with dim porch lights on. Her place was at the end of the street, and there sat a black Jeep Cherokee in her driveway with a paper license plate.

I cut my headlights and killed the ignition. I sat there for a moment trying to figure out what the fuck I was doing.

“Fuck it,” I muttered, pushing the door open and stepping out.

I was dressed in white ball shorts, a white shirt with red lettering, white socks, and red slides. As I started toward the front door, it opened. Eriss stepped out with a bag of trash. When our eyes collided, a look of confusion was etched on her face.

“Zyro?” she asked, swiftly glancing behind her. “What are you doing here?”

“I just came by to make sure you and my boy were straight.”

I walked over to her and removed the bag of trash from her hand.

“You drove over an hour instead of calling or maybe sending a text?” she asked in a whisper.

Instead of answering Eriss right then, I turned and took the bag to the trash can and dropped it inside.

“Thanks,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.

I nodded toward her house. “Can I wash my hands?”

We held a long stare before she shook her head slightly and replied, “Yeah…Yeaah, I guess.”