Read Online A Love Like This (Book 1) by Kimberly Lane - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kimberly Lane
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turn and walk into the bathroom to get dressed. Nickie sits down in a huff and starts texting Damian.
“ All right then Ms. Sarah looks like we ’ re following your lead, ” Pookie says.
We walk three blocks i n the cool morning breeze past street vendors and clothing stores to Sophie ’ s Caf é . Sophie ’ s is a soul food restaurant in the heart of downtown Berkeley. The inside of the restaurant is painted bright yellow, orange, and green with brown trimming. The walls are covered with paintings for sale by local artists. There is a hole carved in the middle of the restaurant ’ s tile floor where a six foot tall tree grows. A full figured waitress with a blond Mohawk and a bored expression seats us at a table near the window and takes our orders. Nickie and Sarah order pancakes with walnuts and bananas. Pookie orders pancakes, oxtail stew, cheese grits, fried okra, French toast and fried chicken for him and me to share.
“ Jermaine Peterson, I cannot eat all of that. What ’ re you trying to kill me? ”
“ Leila you need to eat, black girls are not supposed to be this skinny. ” He was right I was thinner than I ’ d ever been. I wasn ’ t trying to lose weight. I just never realized how much I relied on my mother and sisters for everything, even food. My mother always had a stocked fridge so I never ate out because I preferred her cooking to anything I ’ d find at a restaurant.
Sophie ’ s Caf é starts to fill with customers. Pookie and I talk about his job and his latest relationship. Nickie and Sarah talk about school and all the parties going on tonight. Pookie stops talking midsentence and looks at Nickie and then back to me.
“ The two of you can stop the silent treatment. We came here to have fun damn it. ”
We are working extremely hard at ignoring each other. He picks up a fork from the table and points it at Nickie and then me. “ I didn ’ t drive all the way out here for drama. Nickie we all hate Damian there it ’ s out now let ’ s move on with our lives. ”
“ He was right, I shouldn ’ t have come here. You are all against him and he only wants what ’ s best for me. ” I scoff and roll my eye towards the ceiling. She pushes back from the table and starts to leave.
“ Where are you going to go? You don ’ t know anyone here and you don ’ t know your way around. ” She stands for a few seconds then sits down and folds her arms over her chest. “ I don ’ t like the way he treats you. You ’ re a beautiful smart girl and you deserve better than some guy who tries to control your every move and who is clearly gay. ”
“ He is not gay, ” Nickie protests her face turning red.
“ I know more than one man who would beg to differ. I saw him at a club in Westwood. ” Pookie stops talking while the waitress places our food on the table.
Nickie leans over the table and whispers. “ He was probably there entertaining a client. ”
“ Yeah if by entertaining you mean screwing. His tongue was so far down that dudes throat---- “
“ Stop, ” Nickie says starting to tear up.
I glanced over at Sarah. Her head is bouncing back and forth from Nickie to Pookie as they argue. I can tell that she ’ s loving the drama.
“ Look I won ’ t say anything else about Damian and Leila will watch her facial expressions. But I suggest you do a little investigating when we get back home. Now can we please just try to enjoy ourselves? ” I don ’ t say anything even though I can feel all eyes on me. I didn ’ t realize how hungry I was. I ’ m shoveling food in my mouth without looking up or stopping to breathe. We all eat our food in silence for a few minutes trying to process the fact that Pookie just oust
“ All right then Ms. Sarah looks like we ’ re following your lead, ” Pookie says.
We walk three blocks i n the cool morning breeze past street vendors and clothing stores to Sophie ’ s Caf é . Sophie ’ s is a soul food restaurant in the heart of downtown Berkeley. The inside of the restaurant is painted bright yellow, orange, and green with brown trimming. The walls are covered with paintings for sale by local artists. There is a hole carved in the middle of the restaurant ’ s tile floor where a six foot tall tree grows. A full figured waitress with a blond Mohawk and a bored expression seats us at a table near the window and takes our orders. Nickie and Sarah order pancakes with walnuts and bananas. Pookie orders pancakes, oxtail stew, cheese grits, fried okra, French toast and fried chicken for him and me to share.
“ Jermaine Peterson, I cannot eat all of that. What ’ re you trying to kill me? ”
“ Leila you need to eat, black girls are not supposed to be this skinny. ” He was right I was thinner than I ’ d ever been. I wasn ’ t trying to lose weight. I just never realized how much I relied on my mother and sisters for everything, even food. My mother always had a stocked fridge so I never ate out because I preferred her cooking to anything I ’ d find at a restaurant.
Sophie ’ s Caf é starts to fill with customers. Pookie and I talk about his job and his latest relationship. Nickie and Sarah talk about school and all the parties going on tonight. Pookie stops talking midsentence and looks at Nickie and then back to me.
“ The two of you can stop the silent treatment. We came here to have fun damn it. ”
We are working extremely hard at ignoring each other. He picks up a fork from the table and points it at Nickie and then me. “ I didn ’ t drive all the way out here for drama. Nickie we all hate Damian there it ’ s out now let ’ s move on with our lives. ”
“ He was right, I shouldn ’ t have come here. You are all against him and he only wants what ’ s best for me. ” I scoff and roll my eye towards the ceiling. She pushes back from the table and starts to leave.
“ Where are you going to go? You don ’ t know anyone here and you don ’ t know your way around. ” She stands for a few seconds then sits down and folds her arms over her chest. “ I don ’ t like the way he treats you. You ’ re a beautiful smart girl and you deserve better than some guy who tries to control your every move and who is clearly gay. ”
“ He is not gay, ” Nickie protests her face turning red.
“ I know more than one man who would beg to differ. I saw him at a club in Westwood. ” Pookie stops talking while the waitress places our food on the table.
Nickie leans over the table and whispers. “ He was probably there entertaining a client. ”
“ Yeah if by entertaining you mean screwing. His tongue was so far down that dudes throat---- “
“ Stop, ” Nickie says starting to tear up.
I glanced over at Sarah. Her head is bouncing back and forth from Nickie to Pookie as they argue. I can tell that she ’ s loving the drama.
“ Look I won ’ t say anything else about Damian and Leila will watch her facial expressions. But I suggest you do a little investigating when we get back home. Now can we please just try to enjoy ourselves? ” I don ’ t say anything even though I can feel all eyes on me. I didn ’ t realize how hungry I was. I ’ m shoveling food in my mouth without looking up or stopping to breathe. We all eat our food in silence for a few minutes trying to process the fact that Pookie just oust
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