“Bullshit. I know men compliment you daily, even in the most vulgar way like I just did. I apologize for that; I’m not normally so mannish. You’re more than your body, and if I see it, so do they. From your gentle, nurturing spirit to your hypnotic sweet scent that smells like a garden. You’re beautiful, Olive.” This time I did grab her hand, hoping to fix my fuck up. I didn’t want her to think all I saw was her body. She was more than that.
Olive smiled but didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to though. Her eyes told me everything I needed to know.
Fool, quit staring like a creeper, say something.
“Oh yeah, I heard our meeting might’ve been fated. It seems we have another connection. My brother Tunk is your bodyguard.”
Olive’s eyes grew wide as she did her best to keep up with the kids while pulling Neela. I could tell by her shocked expression that my revelation caught her by surprise.
“Oh my gosh, are you serious? I love your brother. He’s good peoples. Oh wait… Tunk mentioned you and the girls. Well, not by name and now I feel foolish for not asking. Wow, you two are so different though. I don’t see it. Damn, that’s crazy. Our paths were meant to cross.”
“Intertwine.” In one quick motion, I grabbed her hand in mind, interlocking our fingers.
My one-word correction had Olive blushing and me grinning at the red on her cheeks. It was such an innocent exchange and I loved it.
Of course, the kids would never let us be too great for too long. One of mine interrupted us.
“Daddy, look, cotton candy!” Ceona yelled, making her way back to me, grabbing my hand, breaking my hold on Olive’s as she attempted to drag me through the sea of people.
“Cece, we just got here. How about we get fries or a sausage first? Then we can start on the sugar attack.” I tried to reason with her, but of course Ceona wasn’t having it.
“No, Daddy, please. I really want it. And I can share with Jo-Jo and Neela,” she whined as she pulled on my arm. I groaned, thinking of a good way to end this before she got started. But before I could think of a better idea to steer Ceona away from the first stand, Olive stepped in and had Ceona changing her mind.
“Cece, did you know that cotton candy tastes better on the ride home from the fair? I hear the bags are always bigger and sometimes you end up with two because they have to get rid of the leftovers at the end of the night. Ain’t that right, Jo-Jo?”
I grinned at Olive pulling in Jo-Jo as a trusted source. I swore this woman was a genius when it came to handling kids. Jo-Jo was nodding and telling Ceona how he would have one for the next day by getting it at the end.
“Ooh Ms. Liv, so I can get a blue and a pink one?”
“Sure can, pretty girl. But I heard the trick is to eat your dinner first. That’s how it works, right, Jo-Jo? I can’t remember, but he’ll tell you all about it.” Again Jo-Jo was on Olive’s side and I was moving in closer to Olive to whisper in her ear.
“Thank you.” My lips landing on her cheek happened so automatically that it even scared me. Olive gasped as she stilled briefly but caught herself as we continued walking.
After feeding the kids we made our way to the games with Jo-Jo picking out a basketball game for the first one. Ceona opted to sit this one out since she was now glued to Olive’s side who was munching on kettle corn the girls were enjoying with her. So I took Jo-Jo to play.
“Do you know how to shoot?” He shook his head, then looked at Olive who now wore a somber expression, so I knew this was a touchy subject for both.
“No, my dad forgot to show me the last time he was here.” He dropped his head slightly and I hated it. I placed my hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. I then bent down, getting eye level with him.
“Hey, it’s all good. I got you, man. Me and my brother Tunk play all the time. If you want, you can come play with us so you can get better. But first, I gotta teach you the basics right here. Is that cool with you?” I asked, gauging his face to make sure he didn’t mind me stepping in where he clearly wanted his father to be.
Jo-Jo looked at me for a minute longer before he nodded his answer and I was granted a verbal response.
“Mr. Lando, can you get me really good so I can play with my dad when he comes home?” My smile was wide as I poked my chest out, ready to accept the challenge.
“For sure, man. By the time I’m done giving you all my tricks and skills, folks are going to swear you’re Jabari Hicks on the court. That’s how good you’re going to be.” Jo-Jo’s smirk told me he didn’t believe me, which was fair.
“Okay, maybe not on that level, but I promise you’ll have a mean jump shot. Does that sound like a good deal?” He nodded with a genuine smile this time and I held my hand out, waiting for him to shake it. I got up and gave the man handling the booth the tickets and waited for the balls in return.
I lifted Jo-Jo up on the ledge of the booth for a better chance of shooting the ball himself.
“Okay, hold your elbows in like this, make sure your hands have a good grip on the ball. You need to be in control of it to make it do what you want it to do. Now, close one eye, this will help you to only see your target, the hoop.” I waited a few seconds before I guided his arms up higher.
“Like this?” he asked and I looked over his stance and smiled. We had a good fifty-fifty chance of making it.
“Yup, now toss that shit.” The slip of my tongue had Jo-Jo snickering as he threw the ball. We hit the rim which surprised us both.
“Ooh, Mr. Lando, I was close. Can I go again?”
