Page 75 of Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming

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

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.”