Page 24 of Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming

SUCHI

S uchi stares at Kofi as he glides along the rink in his skates.

His long, wavy hair blows, his tattooed arms strong and muscular.

His lips look like they need to be kissed.

Suchi uses all of her strength to not go out on the rink and make out with that man.

He’s giving sensitive rebel vibes, like her celebrity crush, Lenny Kravitz.

She could tell that’s the type of time Kofi was on when they all were in the back of the party hall waiting to surprise Thad, Kofi’s cousin and the birthday boy.

Suchi overheard him talking to Thad’s sister, Latrice, about her new baby.

This strong, sexy man who looked like the personification of the phrase Fuck around and find out was positively cooing at pictures of his new baby cousin. It made Suchi’s heart melt.

Her eyes light up.

This is it ! This is the man Ukweli was talking about . It has to be . Between Lyric and Aimee finding their men, and now I’m in the presence of this Adonis . This has to be it!

Another thought occurs to Suchi.

That’s why I spent Christmas with the Richardsons .

A couple of days before last Christmas, Suchi scheduled a Zoom call with her new employer, Mr. Johnson.

She had been working with his five-year-old twins to help them deal with the sudden abandonment of their mother.

She dipped in April, and it was their first Christmas without her.

Admittedly, his daughter, Leticia, was doing much better than her brother, Jelani, but she was still dealing with a lot of anger.

“I’m really worried about Jelani, Suchi. He wants his mother to come back for Christmas, but I haven’t been able to get a hold of her. I don’t know what to do.”

“First, take a deep breath.” Mr. Johnson does as he’s told. “Good. Next, remember that you have a family to support you. Take Jelani and Lettie to your sister’s house and tell your family what’s going on. Let them help you get Jelani over this hump.”

“Thank you. I know this sounds selfish, but I really wish you could join us.”

There was something about the look of sadness on Mr. Johnson’s face that reminded Suchi of her own father.

He became a single dad when he was only nineteen.

It wasn’t easy, but he did have help in the form of her grandmother, aunt, and uncle.

Mr. Johnson has help too, but a little more couldn’t hurt.

“Well, as it so happens, my plans fell through last minute, so if that’s an invitation for a free meal, I’ll take it,” Suchi said.

That was complete bullshit. Suchi was planning on spending Christmas with Lyric and her family.

Aimee and Bridget were going out of state, and Suchi avoids air travel near the holidays.

The girls had to practically beg her to celebrate the new year in New Orleans.

While it may not have been as chaotic as Christmas, it was still a big headache.

There was no way she was going through that twice within two weeks—and Suchi’s own family came down with a nasty case of the flu.

Her dad made her promise to stay away. So, she was going with Lyric to her Uncle Doc’s orchard in Oak Glen, only a two-hour drive from LA.

This was, until she spoke with Mr. Johnson.

Her friends thought it was weird that she was choosing to spend time with her boss and his family, but Suchi’s gut and her conscience told her to do it.

Mr. Johnson was a man who needed as much help as possible.

And all things considered, it ended up being a lovely evening.

Suchi had thought she was just doing something nice for a single father and his sweet kids, but now she realizes going to the Richardsons for Christmas was an omen.

If she hadn’t gone, she wouldn’t have met Mr. Johnson’s sister, Drea, who wouldn’t have invited Suchi to her husband’s birthday party, and she wouldn’t be looking at his handsome, enchanting and mouthwatering cousin, Kofi.

The man Ukweli meant for her. Suchi can feel it with every fiber of her being.

And judging by the way Kofi is looking at her, she thinks he feels something too.

Kofi skates over to Drea and Thad after Thad calls him over. They talk for a bit before Kofi makes his way over to Suchi.

Oh, dear God! It’s happening . Does my breath smell good ? Is enough of my cleavage showing ? Aimee always says I need to wear more clothes that make my tits pop . Why didn’t I wear something that makes my tits pop?

Suchi’s wearing a pair of light blue jeans and a cream colored off-the-shoulder, fitted blouse and beige chunky heels.

He smiles at her. “Hello, I’m Kofi. I hear you’re Suchi.”

Suchi’s face flushes. “I am.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He gazes into her eyes.

“Can I ask you something?” Suchi asks.

“Sure.”

“What made you come over here?”

“Honestly, I could say it’s because you’re a beautiful woman, which you are, but it’s more than that. You give off a bright energy, and I wanted to be near it.”

“Like I might be the woman of your dreams?” Suchi bats her eyelashes, making Kofi chuckle.

“Maybe. Would that be crazy?” Kofi asks.

“Nope, not to me. Stranger things have happened.”

“That is true.”

“Say that shit to my face, motherfucker!” an older Black man whose name Suchi can’t remember yells.

Kofi hangs his head down in annoyance and mutters a curse.

“My ribs are better,” another older Black man says in the first older Black man’s face. They resemble each other so they must be related. Hell, everyone here is related in some way except for the white couple, the NBA dude and his wife, and Suchi.

The first older Black man shoves the second one, then the second man shoves him back. Kofi looks over at Thad before turning to Suchi.

“I’m sorry, Suchi. Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

But before Kofi can head over, Drea chastises the older gentlemen.

“You two stop this right now! You both promised that you would get along and stop this competitive nonsense. This is my husband—your nephew’s—birthday.

I will not have anybody ruin it. Now, apologize to Thad, and separate for the rest of the evening. ”

“It’s not my fault his ass started talking shit,” the first older Black man argues.

“Are you serious, Uncle Levi?”

Levi, that’s it!

“You’re a grandfather, for Christ’s sake, and you really just said, ‘He started it!’” Drea responds. “Apologize to my husband, please.”

Levi and the other man apologize to Thad, and Kofi turns back to Suchi. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet, I’ve just been watching everyone skate.”

“Do you know how to?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to teach you?”

Suchi shakes her head. “Not really. I don’t want to bust my ass in front of everybody.”

Kofi shakes his head and chuckles.

“Naw, that ain’t happening. I’ll hold on to you the whole time. I promise I won’t let you go.”

Holy shit, he’s dreamy!

“I’m good, but I wouldn’t mind going somewhere quiet to talk,” Suchi answers.

Kofi smiles. “That works.”

They sit in Kofi’s Toyota RAV4. He drives a hybrid. The more Suchi learns, the more she likes him. She’s always been the curious type and asks tons of questions. Her father always encouraged it. “We can’t know the answers, if we never ask” is his motto.

“What do you do, Kofi?”

“I like how you say my name.”

“Kofi,” Suchi says softly. She follows it up with a bright smile and another flutter of her eyelashes.

Kofi gives her a wolfish grin before he answers, “I own some tattoo parlors called Sinful Skin. As you can see, I’m a fan.” He gestures his arms.

Suchi runs her fingers along the artwork on his arms. When she looks up, his dark eyes are on her, boring into her soul.

“What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?” She returns her hand to her lap.

He snaps his seatbelt and thinks for a second before speaking. “I open my eyes and thank God I woke up that morning.”

“Every day?”

“Yep. I’m not a particularly religious person, but I do recognize that there are forces bigger than us in the world.”

“What’s your favorite food?”

“Anything my mom makes.”

“Aw. Any siblings?”

“Nope, but I never felt lonely. I had plenty of friends and my cousins. You?”

“None biologically, but I consider my girls to be my sisters. Dream vacation?”

“Are we just doing rapid-fire questions now?”

“Yes, now answer.”

“Alright, bossy.”

“Not bossy, just curious.”

“Hmmm.” Kofi takes a minute. “St. Lucia.”

“Ohhh! That’s on our list for the next girls’ trip.”

“Where did you go on the last girls’ trip?”

“New Orleans.”

“I got to be careful when I go there. I always put on some pounds eating my weight in gumbo, beignets, and shrimp and grits.”

“Yep, my weakness is the red beans and rice.”

“Damn, it’s been a minute since I had my mom’s. I make it too, but it never tastes as good as hers.”

“I’d like to try yours.”

“Consider it done.”

“Thank you. Do you like animals?”

This question has always been a litmus test for potential partners.

If they aren’t cool with being around Gingie, then they gots to go!

Kofi seems like the type of guy who loves animals.

He clearly likes kids based on his reaction to Latrice’s baby.

Liking animals is usually a given for men who like kids.

“I love animals and kids,” Kofi says. His eyes sparkle with delight as he answers.

Jackpot!

Suchi reminds herself that she just met this man, and to not get too far ahead of herself. But she is happy her instincts so far have been good.

“I have a dog. Do you want to see a picture of my baby, Ginger?”

“You look like you’d have a dog named Ginger,” he grins. “I’m sure she’s just as adorable as you.”

“I’m a grown-ass woman. I’m not adorable,” Suchi playfully protests.

“Oh, the on contrary. You’re very adorable, Ms. Suchi.”

“Doctor,” she corrects.

“Damn, for real?” he asks.

“Yep. Dr. Suchi Brown at your service.” She holds out her hand for him to shake.