Destined

5.

We had put Amber in the backseat; I buckled her seatbelt. She rested her hand on the side of my face and smiled. I knew she was tired, so her leaving her car in this neighborhood hadn't even crossed her mind. It's okay though. She'd thank me later for getting her home safely. I caressed her hand before she shut her eyes again, letting me close the car door for her.

Jayon waits for me to get in and starts his car once my seatbelt is on. "So how long y'all been friends?" He asks.

"For a while," my response was dry. I honestly just wasn't in the mood for small talk.

"I'm just tryna' get you to relax a bit Dj. Why you so tense?"

"Maybe because I'm irritated," I tell him.

"Why?" He makes a sharp turn out of the neighborhood. "And where do you guys live?" He asks. The street lights seemed so bright tonight.

"Not far from here, probably about 5-10 minutes up the street. When you get to Lamb and Charleston I can tell you where to go."

"Lamb and Charleston huh?" He cracks a smile. "My Grandma lives over there."

"How old is she?" I ask him.

"65," he tells me. I could tell bringing up his Grandmother gave him joy. I liked that. It showed that he had a sensitive side.

"Maybe you should visit her soon," I say, rolling down my window a bit.

"Who said I didn't visit her?" He laughs.

"Well that's good. You're lucky. My grandma died 3 years ago," I start to play with the ends of my braids.

"How old was she?" He looks at me for a few seconds before accelerating after a stop light.

"67," I answer. It felt like I was starting to get emotional. Why wouldn't I though? I loved my Grandmother like I loved my Mom, and maybe even a little more. She always made me feel special no matter what I did, good or bad.

"You okay baby?" he asks, rolling up my window completely. "I got some tissue in the glove department if you need it."

"I'm not crying,"

"Just in case though. She's watching over you you know," he says.

"Yeah," I clear my throat. I really did miss her.

"Every time I visit my Grandma she has something to give to me. It doesn't matter what it is she makes sure I get it the moment I walk in her house. My room and garage are piled with shit that goes way back. Even from the moment I was born. I'll never let any of it go," Jayon reveals to me.

"That's crazy. Wow, you're blessed Jayon. She really loves you," I tell him. I was actually interested in knowing these types of things. It was rare for a boy to express how he felt about his Grandmother, if he had one.

"The last time I seen her was about a week ago."

"When will you see her again?" I ask him.

"I don't know. Maybe tomorrow."

"That's good," I say, looking out the window. "She'd be happy to see you for sure."

I knew we were about to make a turn into our neighborhood so I reached back towards Amber to unbuckle her seatbelt. "Right here," I tell him. He makes the slight turn and begins to slow down the car.