Daykeeper, page 11
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not one to spread gossip about other people’s personal lives. And I’m guessing you aren’t the kind of person to spread gossip about other people’s personal lives, either.”
He is quiet for what feels like an eternity.
“Well, I guess neither one of us has any interest in gossiping about mere speculations, right?”
“Right.”
Again, we are silent.
I want to say something that will bury the hatchet between the two of us, but my gut is saying that our truce on the matter in no way connotes a desire for us to be friends. He will continue being him, and I will continue being me. The only difference is that he’ll have to keep his punches above the belt going forward.
Outside of that, I couldn’t care less about what is going on in his world.
The sun is beginning to set and an auburn hue punctuates the horizon. Few things are more beautiful than dusk in spring, the cicadas roaring buzz in the distance with crickets chirping in syncopation. Tanya arrives minutes before seven, dressed in denim shorts and a baby t-shirt with her sorority letters across the front.
“Need any help with that?” I ask, through my open front door.
“I got it,” she responds. “It’s just one bag.”
She brings the bag to the door and I insist that she lets me set up its contents.
“Well, if you insist,” she says with a smile.
The bag contains whole fried catfish, French fries, hushpuppies, and a sweet potato pie. I smile when I see the food, remembering the first time Tanya cooked for me. This meal is her way of thanking me for helping her get back her scholarship.
“OK,” she says, once our plates are set. “Now you have to tell me how you did it.”
“Don’t worry about it. I just made a few phone calls. It wasn’t that difficult.”
“That wasn’t our agreement,” she says, smiling. “You promised you would tell me everything once we made it to spring break. I thought that you said you would always be straight up with me. Are you going against your word?”
“Oh so you’re going to make this about my word?” I say, chuckling. “My word is that I love you, so there was nothing I wouldn’t have done to fix that situation.”
She stares at me for a moment. “So you still love me?”
“I never stopped.”
She allows this information to wash over her before continuing, “You’re changing the subject, Ed. Now tell me what happened or else I’m going to pack up all of this delicious fish and take it back and give to my greedy ass roommate.”
“OK,” I say, stifling my laughter.
I tell her as much of the story that is reasonable to share. She doesn’t need to have every last detail. Just the basics.
She nods and I am unable to read her thoughts. She returns to her meal and we continue eating dinner in silence. Once we finish, Tanya nudges me playfully, gradually coming to life.
“What?” I ask.
“So what do we do now?”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugs. “With us.”
“That depends on if you still love me.”
She takes a moment to consider this before responding, “I believe that I do.”
“You want to try again?”
“Maybe we should just take this thing really slow, OK? Let’s try just being friends for a while and leave the other stuff out. Could you deal with that?”
“I can deal with any situation that allows me to be a part of your life.”
We put our dishes in the sink and walk over to the den, taking a seat on the couch. I turn on the television, and Tanya lays her head on my shoulder.
“What’s on?” she asks.
“Don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter.”
“I guess not.”
The TV watches us.
No. 60
Can the heart ever heal from loss
And yield to the newness of love
Born of the need to feel alive?
I hold on to hope like helium
Locked against the walls of a balloon
Trying not to drift away, far from
This place that we once called home.
* * *
- fin -
Also by Ran Walker
B-Sides and Remixes
30 Love: A Novel
Mojo’s Guitar: A Novel/(Il était une fois Morris Jones)
Afro Nerd in Love: A Novella
The Keys of My Soul: A Novel
The Race of Races: A Novel
The Illest: A Novella
Bessie, Bop, or Bach: Collected Stories
Four Floors (with Sabin Prentis)
Black Hand Side: Stories
White Pages: A Novel
She Lives in My Lap
Reverb: The Adventures of Marz Banx
Work-In-Progress
About the Author
Ran Walker is the author of fifteen books. His work has appeared in a variety of anthologies and journals. He and his family live in Virginia, where he works as a creative writing professor.
For More Information
www.ranwalker.com
ranwalker@icloud.com
Ran Walker, Daykeeper
