Page 5 of Say He's Ready
“It’s Teaghan,” I said, reminding him that I was not just some lady, “Sir, Malone is a gifted student. I won’t let that happen, but I do have to ask if something is going on at home?” The look he gave had me stoned right where I sat. His jaw flinched, but I readjusted and didn’t back down. Again I offered him a seat and he obliged. Houston wasn’t willing to make eye contact. His head was in his hands and his leg shook. Something was wrong. The nurturer in me caused me to place a gentle hand on his back and finally, his eyes met mine. Panty soaking eyes made my pussy start to drip. My mind said look away, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t dare break the glare and look away. Nothing about what he had going on or his icy tone scared me. He would have to come harder than that to intimidate me.
“Home is fine. It’s just me and him, been that way for about three years now. Of course, he misses his mother but he’s not a bad kid. I’m doing my best to raise him right. He’s young but so smart you know?” he continued to ramble, and I just listened. Another child caught in a real-life situation that school just didn’t care about. With a father apparently keeping a lot in. This was the hard part.Society allowed personal leave for adults but didn’t extend the same to children.
Children were expected to suppress and operate during school hours as if they weren’t dealing with shit at home. Adults hadn’t mastered cutting the shit on and off so how did we expect kids to do so? How could we expect them to deal with a fucked- up home life and come to school business as usual? Some could and some couldn’t. The playing field wasn’t fair.
“Mr. McGraw, I would like for you to bring, Malone, to my office. I own a small doctor’s office across town in Rambleton. I think we can help him, but you have to be on board and persistent. It’s very possible that Malone is struggling and that’s not your fault. I’m not here to point fingers or offer some overnight cure. But if he is struggling with loss it’s definitely something I would like you to consider. I also think Malone isn’t challenged. His grades are well above average. We need to consider sports or something that keeps his attention,” I winked, handing him my business card. Patience was difficult for men. I knew that from my own father. Malone needed patience, guidance, a challenge, and normalcy.
“I’m not putting him on medication and even your beautiful smile won’t change that,” he responded. Blushing at his second compliment I tucked in my bottom lip and cleared my throat. The lust was building in my throat under his powerful glare. His compliments weren’t grand but for a woman that hadn’t been able to keep a man in years, it was refreshing. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to hear another one and from him only. The way it rolled off his tongue and dripped with seduction was inappropriate for a school setting. But I crossed my legs serving up my thick smooth thigh on a silver platter. Straight hoe shit but o’well the thirst was real right now.
“No medicine, got it. No pressure, no rush but I think we need to have a serious conversation about how we can assist your son. Please, I urge you to give me a call,” I finished standing to leave. My next plan was to have a conversation with Ms. Norwood. She had some explaining to do. Not mentioning Malone was without his mother was a problem. His father was raising him by himself and needed some fucking slack. None of that had been discussed and now I felt the agitation he wasfeeling moments ago. With hope that he would call so we could get to the bottom of things, I led him out to Malone. Seeing his sadness made my easy spirit want to intervene more even when I knew I shouldn’t. My struggle was being overbearing and too quick to assist. After my conversation with Roderick, I knew exactly what my friends meant about me doing too much for those undeserving.
There was Mark with the little dick but largest ego I had ever encountered, he scattered after I offered to pay for dinner. Samuel with the money but no sense of respect for commitment, he left when I brought up the word title. And Josh, he was the
man with the master plan, but those plans didn’t include a family. He left after my first pregnancy scare. It didn’t matter that I gave them all I had to give. It didn’t matter how well I cooked or how smart I was. They simply weren’t ready. Each one them took me to my highest and brought me to my lowest. There was no way I should ever put my heart back into a situation, but for Mr. Hazel eyes and big goofy ears I could consider it and pretend I was also ready.
After watching him leave so quickly I doubted he would reach out, but I would keep my hopes up. It was a shame that he wouldn’t, but it was probably for the best. My heart couldn’t take another man using my kindness and then fleeing as if I wasn’t the best damn thing that happened to them. Houston seemed like a nice guy and yes he was good looking, extremely fine like a good drink. It went down smooth with a little bitterness that brought so much joy once it settled in. Yea he was like a good cup of warm bourbon. I would never know because as I said he wouldn’t call. Right now he didn’t see the need. Prayerfully, he would make a liar out of me.
Houston
“Dad, I’m really sorry. I know I keep getting in trouble, but I just get upset.” Malone’s head was still hanging low, and I wasn’t feeling it. I wasn’t upset with him, only with his actions. I was also upset that I didn’t have the answers or know how to help him. Lord knows I wished I could walk in his shoes. As a father, I wanted to understand what was going on in that curly head of his. I would take that shit on the chin and trade places with him for as long as he needed.
“Mal man, don’t sweat it. I know school is hard.” I prided myself on being the type of father that tried to lighten any mood. He had already dealt with a lot. A lot that most couldn’t comprehend. I grew up with both of my parents around, so I couldn’t understand what he was going through.
Parenting was more than a notion. It was more than gifts on birthdays and holiday visits. It took love, care, and action. I never imagined I would have to step up and be the provider, voice of reason, and best friend. But when the moment presented itself, I didn’t falter or hesitate to be more than a sperm donor.
Leslie’s parents begged me to give him up and let them do the raising, but I refused. Without Leslie, I knew it would be the hardest thingI’ve ever done. However, seeing his face every morning was what gave me the strength to carry on. I would never turn my back on a piece of Leslie.
“It’s not hard, it’s easy. I get uninterested and I just start going wild,” he answered still holding his head down and fiddling with his thumbs.
“Hey, what I tell you about speaking to me without making eye contact. We men and men make eye contact,” Malone smiled and raised his head to meet my eyes. I smiled back and closed his door. I kept telling myself we would get through this together, but I wasn’t so sure. “It’s always going to be me and you against the world. Never hold your head down in shame, son. You messed up so stand behind that.”
On the ride to the office, I couldn’t focus on the rambling and questions Malone asked. My mind was constantly going back to Teaghan. Her inviting and yet fostering smile was the thing that would satiate my need for that womanly touch. The way she comforted me without knowing what I was struggling with almost caused me to buckle. She was sophisticated with her fancy outfit and personalized pen, but still seemed down-to-earth. That was the problem with Ms. Norwood, her fucking nose was always in the air. She spent too much time looking down and judging everyone else that sat on the opposite side of her desk. We didn’t connect instantly like Teaghan and me. She never asked if things were ok or if she could help. It was always a bunch of toxic energy floating whenever I spoke with her. Now that I had Teaghan’s card, I would prefer to deal with her if it came to that.
“Are you listening to me?” Malone asked from the backseat. Jarred out of my thoughts, I tried to answer the best I could. Driving and thinking about the lady that stole the show was a task I hadn’t mastered. Visions of her smooth thighs, the softness of her hands, and the way she spoke with care swarmed my mind viciously and for a second had me considering getting back in the game.
When Leslie passed, I swore off dating or getting too comfortable with women. It was silly because I wasn’t a man scorned. No one had hurt me or turned me off from the most precious creatures on the planet. With Malone around, I was now just selective about who I hadaround him. I didn’t want his hopes getting high. It was hard because I had needs, but parenting came first. Malone was the only thing I had left and pushing him to the side when he needed me the most for a set of thighs wasn’t how I got down.
“I’m always listening to you, son,” I replied, merging into traffic. Although I hadn’t heard a damn thing Malone said, I did pretty well with pretending by nodding my head in agreement.
“I think you were daydreaming while operating a motor vehicle,” Malone replied matter-of-factly.
“And how do you know that?”
“She’s pretty, so I understand.” A smile graced my face because my boy had taste; she was more than pretty. Teaghan was a ravishing sight. Her slanted eyes gave her so much appeal. Her full set of lips housed a set of perfect white teeth, and her skin was a gorgeous color of deep brown. Teaghan had it all, beauty and brains.
When Malone would sleep, I lay awake in an empty bed, wishing I still had someone to talk to on a deeper level. I never took the initiative to find it. Now I focused on shit I could handle. I didn’t think I was ready to embark on a journey that would potentially make me forget about what I shared with my wife. And I wasn’t ready to put Malone off. We were tight like a perfectly crafted rope, he was my main man for life. We were doing just fine with no interruptions or diversions. It seemed lame, but he was all I had. His company always did the trick after a long day.
“What are we eating for dinner?” I asked not giving into his idea of him daydreaming about Teaghan. I was headed to my office so thoughts of her had to take a backseat until I was alone. I still had work to do and Malone would just have to tag along for the ride. You couldn’t convince me Malone wasn’t cutting up just to cut out of school early, “I gotta work first but after that, it’s me and you for the rest of the night.”
He was a good personal assistant when he wasn’t annoying the customers. Not many could deny how cute he was, so it wasn’t often that I got bad feedback. It was times like this I wished I wasn’t doing it alone. I never believed in gender roles until I had to pick him up from school one day, figure out how to work and prepare dinner once Igot home. This would have been something Leslie would have loved to do. She was always so good with children. That led me to thoughts about Teaghan again. I appreciated someone confirming that it wasn’t me being an asshole with Ms. Norwood.
Inwardly, I smiled when she professionally called her out today. Someone saying what I was thinking was long overdue. Malone was one of the eight black students who attended Coupeville Prep, and it was clear she wasn’t pleased with that. Teaghan recognizing that brought me silent joy.
For a minute, I thought I was crazy and just being one of those protective parents who felt their kid could do no wrong. I was protective, but I knew something was off. Ms. Norwood had a stick up her ass and a hard on for fucking with kids’ futures that didn’t look like her.
“I want pasta. Did you know that in North Africa, couscous is kinda like pasta?”
“Nah son, I didn’t know that. But there’s a lot I don’t know that you do,” I laughed. Humor always found a way to my heart at the randomness and the amount of knowledge Malone possessed. His intelligence was a gift and a damn curse. Leslie created a monster when she started instilling school into him. “And son, that’s why I need you to chill out on that cutting up. You can’t learn if you can’t go to school.”
