Page 25 of Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming
He takes it and kisses it. “A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Dr. Brown. Now, let me see this pooch of yours.”
Suchi takes out her phone and shows Kofi a picture of her holding Ginger.
“Yep, just like I thought, two adorable little cuties.”
“Sir.”
“Ma’am.” Kofi takes her face in his palm and holds it. “Don’t go getting salty, baby. You’re cute because of your charm and effervescence. You have a natural curiosity and a sweet demeanor that makes me want to get to know you better. I like it. I like it a lot.”
“Thank you.”
He takes another look at her phone. “Ginger looks like she gets spoiled.”
Suchi laughs. “Yep, between me and my girls, she’s always swimming in hugs, pets and treats.”
“That’s how it should be. Animals give us so much—and dogs are so intuitive to our needs. They deserve to be spoiled.”
“That’s how I feel. Ginger is the best. I love her so much. I hate to think about when the day comes, and I have to?—”
Suchi’s eyes water.
Get it together, girl . Don’t cry in front of this fine-ass man .
But Kofi is unfazed, he simply wipes away her tear with his thumb and says, “I get it. I grew up with dogs as a kid. The day they transition is not easy.”
“Thank you.”
“Anytime. Now, I have another question for you.”
“Okay.”
“What kind of doctor are you?”
“Psychology. I’m a child psychologist.”
“Oh, so you treat Jelani and Lettie?”
“Yep. I recommended someone for Quincy, too. Since he’s older, I figured he might be more comfortable with a male doctor.”
“That’s what’s up. How are the babies doing? I know you can’t get specific and all, but are they doing better since Acacia left?”
“Yes, much better.”
“Cool. I’m glad to hear that, and I’m glad Mark is being a better father. When he and Trice broke up … promise me you’ll keep this a secret.”
“Scouts honor.” She holds up her right hand and gives the scout salute.
“Nay Nay asked me to beat his ass. She figured getting a relative from out of town wouldn’t arouse suspicion.”
Suchi laughs. “So, she decided it would be better to get you in trouble instead of Thad?”
“Thad wanted to snap the nigga’s neck, so yeah. She figured I could come to LA, beat his ass and skedaddle. Thad would have killed his ass.”
“Damn, I don’t think Drea would have married him if he had killed her brother.”
“I’m not sure about that. Those two are gone. You can tell their love runs deep.”
“That’s beautiful.”
It’s crazy. Mr. Johnson is so nice, Suchi can’t imagine anyone wanting to harm him, but he was transparent with her when he explained why the twins needed to see a psychologist. This all started because he cheated, and considering how close the Richardsons seem to be, she’s not surprised that folks wanted to roll up on him.
She thinks about Bridget mentioning jumping Sheila and laughs harder.
“Okay, I won’t tell your thing if you don’t tell mine,” she says.
“Deal,” Kofi agrees.
“My best friend Aimee is engaged to her childhood sweetheart.”
“That’s dope.”
“It is, but his daughter’s mom was acting out of pocket.
She’s simmered down since he and Aimee got engaged, but me, Lyric and Bridget—those are my other best friends—have a plan in place for if she starts acting up at their wedding.
It’s not for a while, but basically, the plan is to tackle her if she objects to their union. ”
Kofi burst out laughing.
“I’m starting to get hungry.”
“We can go back inside.”
“Nah, let’s go to Bear Burger.”
“Cool.”
Kofi starts the car, and they head out of the parking lot and toward the popular fast-food chain.
He hits the drive through and tells Suchi to order first. She gets a number eight, a double bear burger with curly fries and a Sprite, and he gets a number five, a bear burger patty melt with seasoned fries and a root beer.
He pays, then collects their orders. He parks in an empty spot and divvies up their food.
“Thank you.” She takes her food.
He unwraps his burger. “No problem.”
“What are your thoughts on fortune tellers and psychics and stuff like that?” Suchi takes a bite of her burger.
Kofi pops a fry into his mouth. “Oh, I definitely believe that stuff is possible. There are folks out there that have unexplainable gifts.” He chuckles. “There was a woman who lived down the street from us back in Kentucky?—”
“Which part of Kentucky?”
“Lexington.”
“Okay, sorry, continue.”
He smiles at her. “No worries. Her name is Ms. Minerva. She knew things, spoke to the ancestors. Called herself a spiritualist. A local pastor called her a fraud and tried to get the neighborhood against her. Said she was practicing satanic shit and would influence the kids in the neighborhood. That motherfucker didn’t know what the hell he was talking about because all the kids knew not to fuck with Ms. Minerva. ”
Suchi smiles and nods, encouraging him to continue.
“So, one day, he literally stands on a soapbox with a bullhorn in front of Ms. Minerva’s house, just as a storm was brewing.
He was talking about the will of God and how those that go against him will feel his wrath.
Just then, lightning struck a big ass branch on a tree in front of her house and flattened his ass.
You can look it up online. Google the name Pastor Philip Duncan. ”
Suchi does, and sure enough, there it is in black and white, Local Pastor Dies in Freak Accident.
“Wow.” Suchi sips her drink.
“Yep, his family moved not long after, and no one bothered Ms. Minerva again.” Kofi takes a bite of his burger.
“What happened to her?”
He swallows and wipes his mouth. “Nothing. She’s still alive and lives in her same house.”
“I feel like the lesson here is mind your own damn business.” Suchi nods.
“It definitely pays to not rock the boat. Especially when the person you’re attacking is known to keep to themselves. Ms. Minerva didn’t bother anyone who didn’t bother her.”
“What would you say if I told you that I visited a psychic and she told me that I would meet the man of my dreams this year?”
Kofi smiles. “Is this man supposed to be me?”
“It’s possible. I guess it depends on how tonight goes.”
“Then I better make it count.”
He puts the name of a nearby park in the GPS.
He starts his car and exits the parking lot. They drive in silence for a bit, but Suchi’s quest for knowledge pops up again. “Why tattoos?” she asks.
Kofi keeps his eyes on the road.
He shrugs. “Why not? I’ve always enjoyed sketching and drawing, and the idea of the human body as a canvas was always intriguing.”
“Who was your first client?”
Kofi seems startled by the question but quickly recovers. “Oh, um, she was a cancer patient. Had a double mastectomy and got a victory tattoo for being cancer free.”
Okay, not sure what that was about, but whatever .
“Aww, I love that.” Suchi beams, ignoring his initial reaction … for now.
He parks the car, and they both exit, with Suchi heading to the swings. Kofi stands behind her and pushes her.
“Yeah, it’s one of those jobs where you have your repeat customers and newbies, so no day is ever the same. I love that about what I do. The people I meet and the stories I hear.”
“What happens when someone walks in and asks for a problematic tattoo?”
“I make sure that the environment of my shops is a safe one, even if it means I miss out on money. Just recently had a dude walk in and ask for a swastika on his neck.”
“Did he not realize he was asking a Black man for that?”
“The fucked-up part is, he didn’t care. The even more fucked part is that there are some niggas who would have done it.”
“I’m sorry, Kofi.”
He stops pushing her and looks at Suchi. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“That’s sweet, Suchi.” He lets out a chuckle. “Sweet Suchi, that’s not a bad nickname.”
“You want to give me a nickname already?”
“I am the man of your dreams, right? Why wouldn’t I give you one?” Kofi grins.
“Fair enough.” She stands and takes Kofi’s face in her hands and kisses him. His lips are soft and pillowy. They feel like a dream she never wants to wake up from. She backs away and gazes at him. “Kissable Kofi.”
“I’m not mad at it, or that kiss,” he jokes.
“In that case…” She kisses him again.
He wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her back. They stand there, kissing, wrapped up in their own little world in an empty park.