“Now, the Feroce d’avocat is spicy. It’s made with hot peppers, so watch yourself.”
“What’s in this?”
“It’s mostly mashed avocado and salted cod fish mixed together with spices, flour, and hot peppers.”
I tasted the dish. “Okay.” I nodded my head. “It tastes like guacamole . . . with a very faint essence of fish. Spicy-ass guacamole with a very faint essence of fish.”
He laughed. “Try this.” He pointed at the accras de morue.
I popped one in my mouth. “Oh.” I pointed down at the plate. “Oh, this right here is the one.” I popped another one in my mouth. “This is so good. It’s like a hush puppy, but also like some kind of crisp. It’s so light and airy. I could eat a hundred of these things.”
We continued to eat in silence, enjoying the food and each other’s company.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin. I figured he was about to speak, so I gave him my attention. “It’s day five. Day five. I don’t really get why it feels like I’ve known you so much longer.”
“We connected quick,” I agreed.
“Quick as hell, . . . but I ain’t mad. I like spending time with your pretty ass. It’s been nothin’ but vibes and Sunshine.”
I smirked. “Am I the Sunshine?”
“You’re definitely the sunshine, Sunshine.” He paused. “Ay, can I ask you something?”
I nodded.
“You google me? You search me on the internet?”
My eyes widened. “Nah. Should I have?”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because you’ve been right here with me. If I wanted to know something, I could just ask you.”
“That’s the type of shit I mean when I say you put out vibes and sunshine. You could’ve found out stuff about me that I haven’t told you.”
I wiped my mouth with a napkin and set it on top of my plate. “Well, I feel like you’re about to tell me now, so come with it.”
He laughed lightly. “Don’t tense up, Sunshine. I’m not about to admit to being a serial killer or a domestic violence motherfucka.”
“Okay.” I still couldn’t relax, though.
“I’m a dad. I have a nine-year-old daughter from a . . .friends with benefitsrelationship that I had in college.”
I took a deep breath. That was an admission I could live with. “Okay. What’s your baby’s name?”
“Mikayla Dawn. She’s my heart, . . . my soul. That little girl is my everything. We had her young, and we weren’t even really in a relationship. We were just messing around, being young—and irresponsible. But I can honestly say that I’m proud of me and her mom, Harmony. We both stepped up. We had our own paths, but we both made the decision to grow up and be the best parents we could be for our daughter.”
I smiled softly. “Does she live in Chicago?”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “She lives in South Carolina. And every time I have the chance, I’m in South Carolina.”
I giggled. “It sounds like you’re a very involved dad.”
“Gotta be. That’s my legacy. All this football shit is cool. I love my job, but at the end of the day, it’s a job. She’s my legacy. She’s what I show to the world with pride. She’s why I work so hard, why I keep my reputation clean, and why you’ll never hear or read about my name in any avoidable bullshit. She’ll never have to go to school and defend me to her classmates, talking about a case I caught or some dumb shit I did.”
“She a daddy’s girl?”
“She’d better be because I’m a simp for that little girl.”
