Neighborhood Watches

As soon as Malik landed, he was startled when the burner phone in his pocket started vibrating. Knowing how Sticks was, he answered it quickly.

“Yo!”

“Ugh, Mr. Douglas I presume?”

The voice was sweet yet serious causing his mouth to twist and his brow to rise in confusion.

“Yeah, who this?”

Jasmine’s face was also twisted, but hers was with disgust. “This is your chauffeur slash caretaker slash hostess for the duration of your stay.”

“Okay?”

“Ok you comprehend me. That’s a start. You are going to exit the airport and look for a white SUV at pick-up. Don’t worry about your baggage it will be at the house before you get there. Understood?”

“Okay.”

“Good I’ll be expecting your arrival shortly.”

Malik wondered to himself if all of Sticks’ people sounded like bombastic professors when they spoke. It was irritating. That and for a variety of other reasons, he was not looking forward to this stay. All he wanted to do was contact Camilla and try to explain.

On the other end of the phone, Jasmine wondered if all of Sticks’ people sounded like uneducated Neanderthals. If she was going to be stuck babysitting this wayward youngin, she really hoped he could communicate in more than one syllable words and grunts. If not she was goin to hide out in her room and let him hang out in his. At this point, she no longer cared about the reward of a lavish vacation Sticks promised her. She just wanted to go home to her family.

Shadows of Autumn only creeped in the evening, so it was unusually warm when Jasmine pulled in front of the house. Just as she suspected, it was a quiet ride from the airport. Malik barely said hello, and she was damned if she started any conversation. It was apparent both of them wanted to be somewhere, anywhere, other than there.

Malik quickly exited the truck and walked around to open the door for Jasmine. This impressed her. She had to think hard to remember the last time Sticks opened a car door for her.

“Well thank you youngin,” and for the first time she smiled.

“You’re welcome. My mama raised me right.”

“Just bring in what’s important to you. We can leave the rest of the bags in the truck.” She said to him over her shoulder and he followed her to the trunk and grabbed two bags.

“You hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Cool, I’ll make us some lunch.”

She smiled again which seemed to put Malik at ease, and as he followed her into the house, he started to think maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“The guest room is upstairs last door on the right. I’ll meet you on the deck in a minute.”

He nodded and took his bags upstairs passing the French doors that led to a deck overlooking a large swimming pool. He smiled knowingly because this was the way he pictured it when Dell told him the story some time ago. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of one of the bags and headed out to the deck. He could hear Jasmine fussin about below. Then he heard her shout up to him.

“I ain’t waitin on you Malik. Bring yo ass down here and come eat.”

He chuckled and went down the steps joining her at a small table where she placed the sandwiches and a pitcher of iced tea with two glasses. As he sat down, Malik felt the need to begin an apology.

“Listen Jasmine, I just…”

After she swallowed the first bite of the crab salad, she interrupted him.

“…You really don’t have to apologize for any of this, Malik. It’s exceedingly clear that neither you nor I knew the full extent of ramifications would arise when dealing with Samuel.”

Jasmine punctuated her statement by pouring them both iced- tea.

Malik raised his glass as well as his eyebrow.

“To mutherfuckin Samuel.” He then took a hearty gulp.

Jasmine chuckled, shook her head, and continued eating.

“Samuel though?” He inquired interrupting Jasmine in mid swallow. This caused her to cough so she wouldn’t choke. When it ceased, she then took a hearty gulp of tea.

“You funny. You ain’t know his name?”

“If I did, I forgot I did.”

“He seems to use it only when it suits his surroundings. It can be rather annoying.”

“And apparently contagious,” Malik replied along with a playful eye roll.

“Oh, okay, I see. You got jokes.” Jasmine smiled as she began to gather things onto the tray.

“Nah, you good, I got it.” He took over the cleanup.

“Your mama did raise you right.”

“Told you.”

They went back into the house and set everything on the counter. Malik took out his cigarettes and asked,

“Should I go back out…”

“Nah we can go in the other room. Fuck I care if his house smells like smoke. He’ll probably just tell his realtor to pay somebody to air it out before it’s sold.”

He followed Jasmine into a large den area which was all packed up except for a large black sectional, a marble table with an ashtray and a remote or two, and on top of some boxes in the back there was a television. Jasmine flopped on one end and told Malik to make himself comfortable.

So, he did by reaching for a remote.

“This the one for the TV?” He asked as Jasmine reached for her cigarette case, and lit the first of many cigarettes that would be smoked over the course of the evening. Jasmine shrugged, and Malik pressed button which lit up the large screen. Jasmine got up and went back over to the kitchen and brought over two large bottles of water and handed one to Malik before she sat back down.

“Thank ya, and Jasmine, I mean fo real thank you for everything. The sandwich was bangin was that salmon?”

“Nah, it wasn’t. And call me Jazz or Jay, all y’all up north are so damn proper. Yo boy, Rondell, was fittin to call me Ms. Jasmine the whole time he was here like I’m somebody’s mama. I apologize for the accommodations. Had I more notice, I woulda got stuff for some po boys.

Malik’s stomach growled loudly causing the pair to look at each other in shock.

“My bad, you still hungry? Malik, right? Shit, I’m callin you Leek. Fuck around and be here long enough for gumbo season, I’ma end up callin you Lee. But if you want some more to eat, go into the kitchen and help yoself.

Malik chuckled and waved her off, “Nah Jazz, I’m good. Excuse me, I dunno why my stomach did all that.”

“I do. Number one, you been travelin all damn day, and knowing Sticks, you probably didn’t have time to wash yo ass let alone eat, so you was hungry when you got here All yo stuff just digestin and reaccumulating and what not.”

She then reached into her sweatpant’s pocket and tossed a bunch of peppermints on the table.

“Take a couple of them with yo water. It’ll settle yo stomach.”

Jasmine then got back up and walked over to the kitchen again, but this time when she got back she had a marble box with her. She flipped open the lid and began removing the contents. One of the things she removed was a meticulously rolled blunt.

Malik raised his eyebrow.

Jasmine smirked, “It’s the only thing that works for my anxiety and depression.” With that, she lit the blunt and pulled hard. Malik was still fidgeting with the remote, so he initially didn’t notice Jasmine attempting to pass the blunt to him. It became obvious only when Jasmine cleared her throat. Malik then shook his head.

“Nah, you good, my family has a history.”

Jasmine raised her brow and took another hit of the blunt before letting it teeter in the divot of the ashtray.

“Of what?” She then playfully snatched the remote from Malik, pressed a button or two and turned on HGTV.

Malik sucked his teeth which caused Jasmine to giggle.

“My bad about your people. But you do know weed ain’t addictive, right?”

Malik sighed, “I’ve done my research. I dunno I just don’t like the way I felt when I’ve tried it.”

“How did you feel?” She asked in between puffing and looking at the television.

“I was just angry for no reason.”

“Hmmph, well I dunno what strain you had and you probably dunno neither but the more research I do, the more I realize what works for me and what doesn’t.”

She tilted the box towards Malik so he could see about a half of a dozen small jars as Jasmine continued to advocate.

“Each jar is a different strain to help with a different situation.”

Malik sat back on the couch and feigned interest in Love It Or List It.

He then sucked his teeth and said, “Yeah I guess it depends if you wanna get fucked up or real fucked up, huh?”

Jasmine muted the TV, sucked her teeth, rolled her eyes and turned her body so she could face him.

“I’m gonna let that slide because it’s apparent all you know about drugs is limited to the poison those folks are addicted to.”

Malik sighed, “I’ma listen because you’re a nurse and all…”

“Listen here bamma, you ain’t gotta listen to shit I say. You know where yo room is. I’m just bein hospitable,” Jasmine interrupted while tilting her head in the general direction of the room Malik was assigned.

“Nah, I’m actually listenin. I just never understood getting hooked on that cracker ass shit.”

Jasmine raised a questioning brow, and Malik held up his hand defensively.

“My bad Jas…”

Jasmine cut him off and she giggled with pleasure.

“Boy, please, ain’t nothin bout me saltine-like. But you know how it goes. These spoiled cracker crumbs get into their grandmother’s medicine cabinet cuz the trash that hang out on the corner seem cool and are talkin bout zanies & percs. The next thing you know they’re shootin up in the bathroom at work.”

Malik sighed, “Yeah, I’m familiar.”

Jasmine put her hand on Malik’s knee.

“Now see that’s my bad. I ain’t mean no harm. How is Stacey doin?”

“Sticks ain’t tell you?”

Jasmine gasped with genuine concern, “Oh no, she not…”

“…No no no, she good. She real good actually. I have a baby sister. Named her before I got the call.”

“Awww,” Jasmine cooed but then switched up her demeanor like flicking a light switch. “I can’t stand that motherfuckin Samuel.”