“Dude, that’s going to need some expert subterfuge. Normally, I’d do it for free, if I knew who the mystery girl was. But…”
That much was true. Diego would have to spin a story if his mom phoned in during the weekend.
“We can talk about it after June,” he said.
“Sure, but I still need insurance in case my mom flays me for lying to her.”
“I’ll take you out to Jimmy Joe’s.”
Diego threw his arm around him. “And you’ll give me a nice foot rub while we’re there.”
West rolled his eyes but he smiled anyway. “Yeah, sure.”
They reached the crossroads where they went their separate ways and said goodbye. West made his way to the one-stop grocery store in the area. Matilda, the manager, greeted him with a tight hug. He requested a pickup for the ingredients he’d need for the dinner.
“The best and freshest, please,” he said.
She raised her brow as she wrote everything down. “Hmm. It doesn’t look like this’ll be enough for the family.”
He smiled. “I’m staying at my friend’s place this weekend and I wanted to bring something nice.”
“That is absolutely wonderful. You are such a great friend, Weston,” she said, patting his shoulder as if it would burn her fingers.
“I do my best.”
He asked for the price on everything and she waved it off.
“Oh, don’t even worry about that. You just come and collect, okay?”
West was stunned. “Mrs Ellis, I can’t do that.”
She raised her finger at him. “Yes, you can and you will. Don’t argue with me.”
He deflated but he smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh, please tell your father I said thank you very much for that last shipment. He’s an angel,” she said.
“I will. Thank you, Mrs Ellis.”
With that, he made his way home. Part of the preparations was getting ahead with his work. There was a steady buildup of pressure close to the end of the academic year. An assignment was due on Wednesday, another was due on Thursday and he had a test on Friday.
Jess had plenty on her plate too. They didn’t chat over the phone and she seemed frantic in class. He gave her space to breathe.
On Thursday night, he sat down at the dinner table with his parents. It was the best time to broach the idea of spending the weekend away.
“The whole weekend?” his father asked.
“Yeah. It’s been a crazy week so we thought we could just chill for the weekend. I’d be back on Sunday,” he said.
Father didn’t answer. He ate as if they’d been sitting in silence the whole time. Mom put her hand over his wrist.
“Remember, we’re leaving on Sunday,” she said.
West winced. Father winced. He remembered her talking about making a trip to see her family last week. That was before anything ever happened with Jess. He had no issue with visiting family but the timing was terrible.
“Then it can’t be Sunday,” Father said to him. “You’ll be back on Saturday.”
“I think that’s fine.” Mom nodded. She turned to grab her phone. “Maybe I should check with–”
“Diego told me his mom gave us the green light,” he said dismissively.
“In that case,” she said, putting her phone away. “Do you want me to drop you off?”
He smiled. “I’ll walk. It’s Leg Day tomorrow.”
She chuckled. Father asked about his schoolwork and he told him he was up to date. He mentioned his last two assignments and said he was ready for tomorrow’s test.
“Good,” he said with a curt nod. “Keep it up.”
The next day, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. He strolled to school with a spring in his step. His periods were a breeze and he walked over his test. He noticed Miss Bennett was also having a good day. During her lesson, she skimmed through the work and spent the rest of the period talking to the class. West was happy to see her taking it easy. Someone asked her why she was in such a great mood.
“I’ve got a date tonight,” she said, feigning shyness.
Cheers erupted, especially from the girls. Miss Bennett raised her hands to keep the noise down. She glanced at West and her smile grew wider. West smiled too but he had to turn away so he didn’t tip anyone off. Miss Bennett fended off demands for specifics and asked if anyone was coming to see her after school. Naturally, there were no hands. West kept his hand down too.
Miss Bennett eyed him, as if she was expecting him to change his mind. He smirked and shrugged. She narrowed her eyes with a hint of a smile.
When the bell rang for the last time, he decided to head home right away. The next time he talked to Jess, he wanted to be alone and far from the school. Also, it was fun to play a little cat and mouse. He reminded Diego about the arrangements.
“Got it. Stay safe and remember to wear your jacket,” he said, making a show of flapping his shirt.
West gave him a devilish smile. “It’s too hot for that.”
Diego was stunned but he quickly nodded along instead. “I’ll be sure to tell your son that’s exactly what you said.”
That cracked both of them up. West gave him a fist bump and made his way home. The sky was clear in the morning but grey clouds loomed over him that afternoon. He hurried home to dump his uniform and pack an overnight bag. He put on a hoodie and sweatpants and wore his running shoes. He hoped to beat the rain if it came. Then he walked to the grocery store.
He picked up his plastic bag, offered to pay for everything again, got denied, said thanks again and made his way to Jess’ place. A slow drizzle hustled him to walk faster. He estimated it would take about thirty minutes of brisk walking to get to her. The rain unleashed after five. If he ran, he’d arrive covered in sweat and rain. He also preferred not to shake around the eggs.
Thunder rumbled above. He steeled himself by thinking of Jess. She said she was excited to see him. They were going to have dinner at her place. No, not even lightning would stop him.
He checked the street sign twice before making the last turn. The apartment building came into view. He approached the guardhouse at the front gate. The guy inside slid the window open and beckoned him closer. West ducked under a thin section of the roof and put his groceries down for a minute. He was surprised to see that the guard on duty was Frank, one of his father’s former drivers. Father wrote him off after he crashed a second time.
“Damn, son. Is that you?” he asked, craning his neck.
“Hey, Frank. I was wondering where you went,” West said, wiping his hands on his pants.
He shrugged. “Eh, you know me. I always land on my feet. You good, though? Can’t be if you’re walking in this weather.”
“Yeah, I’m just seeing a friend. Glad to see you’re okay.”
“My man.”
He pulled up a clipboard and thumbed through some pages. He asked for the resident’s name and unit number. West pulled out his phone and gave him the details. Frank picked up his telephone to call her.
“Miss Bennett, you’ve got a visitor out here, a Weston Monroe. Young brother, good-looking, carrying groceries and a duffel bag.” Frank cradled the phone to his ear and chuckled. “Will do, miss.”
West cracked a smile. Frank put the phone away and gave him a look that said, “I see what’s happening but I won’t tell.” He took down West’s details and pressed a remote on the other side of his little office. The front gate rolled open. Frank pointed him in the right direction and flicked his cap at him. West saluted him and walked through with his luggage.