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  “What time does third shift start for you?” Amirah asked as Mateo fastened his seatbelt.

  “I’m only going to be on third shift for a few more weeks, but I work from nine p.m. to six-thirty a.m., four nights a week. Then when I go to first shift, I’ll work eight a.m. to three-thirty p.m.,” Mateo confirmed.

  “Those sound like long hours,” Amirah suggested when they pulled off the church’s parking lot and got on the highway.

  “I make it. Third shift can take a minute to get used to, but right now I don’t have the best record to keep or maintain a job. Heaven’s Inn and Burgers & Fries are helping me achieve that. Maybe one day I’ll own my own Burgers & Fries franchise.”

  Amirah nodded her head. She admired his ambition and wished that more people their age had the same goals or at least aspirations to do something.

  “I like that about you,” Amirah told him. “You know what you want and you don’t mind going after it.”

  “I’m not in a position where I can afford to sit on my tail and do nothing. Let the State of North Carolina tell it, my story begins and ends with the fact that I’m a convicted felon. Let my God tell it, He can turn the same skills I used to scheme and steal from people to edify his Kingdom. You know how many thieves Jesus rolled with?”

  Amirah smiled. “I got that chain e-mail about all the sins different men in the Bible committed. Speaking of which, how is the Street Disciples Ministry going for you?”

  “It keeps me busy,” Mateo replied. “Between working with those guys, Heaven’s Inn, and Burgers & Fries, I stay tied up in ministry in some way.”

  “I feel that way about school and my television show,” Amirah confessed. “Not that that’s a bad thing, because living for the Lord is supposed to be a joyous occasion. Sometimes I’d complain because I used to think I was in church seven days a week. Then I think about the trouble I’m not in.”

  “When I’m at work, all I think about is the bills I got coming, the restitutions I’m almost done paying off, and moving toward the future—one that hopefully you’ll be in.” Mateo looked out the window and noticed they were pulling into his motel.

  “And what about the threat from Turner?” Amirah was concerned.

  “Turner will be here until God decides his time is up,” Mateo answered as he leaned forward for a hug. “I just have to make sure that my interactions with him don’t put me in a position where I won’t be able to see Him face-to-face.”

  “Good point.” Amirah watched as he closed the door. She saw the stragglers in the streets and she could hear one of the guys preaching the Word of God to anyone who would listen. Suddenly, any reservations she had about Turner disappeared, and she felt confident that everything between the two of them would be all right.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Teenage Love Affair

  A smile appeared on Mateo’s face when he saw a text from Amirah. He knew she was still at school and was most likely doing this on the sneak tip.

  The message read: So what are we going to do next?

  Mateo looked around. Julio was out of the room, and he was waiting on Sonic to pick him up so he could go to Burgers & Fries. The night would be short, as he was leaving at nine so he could rest for the double shift he’d work the following day.

  There was peace and quiet, something he hadn’t had in a while. Mateo loved his brother, but having him around every day put a cramp in his style.

  “You should meet my family,” Mateo spoke as his fingers moved to keep pace with his voice.

  I can’t wait, Amirah replied. Mateo could picture her smiling on her end. When do we make this happen?

  Mateo thought about his response. Soon, was all he could think of. After pressing SEND, Mateo heard a car horn honking. He looked outside and saw that Marvel had pulled up and was waving for him to come out.

  “Sonic does not follow directions,” Mateo mumbled to himself as he got his backpack and checked to make sure his work boots were tied. As he stepped outside, he noticed the wind blew gently and the flow of traffic was light and mellow. Mateo thought to go back inside and grab his jacket, but he knew how much he would be sweating after work and decided against it. Mateo wanted to find out what was going on with Sonic and why Sonic hadn’t called him to let him know he was changing plans.

  At that moment, his phone buzzed with a message from Sonic that was sent ten minutes earlier. “Did I miss the message, or is there a problem with my mobile data?” Mateo wondered out loud as he closed the door.

  Mateo started typing a message and by not paying attention, he bumped into Turner before he could make it anywhere near Marvel’s car.

  “So we meet again.” Turner brushed off the spot on his arm where they had made impact. He looked Mateo up and down and snickered. “You not strong enough to handle me. I’m not giving you a rematch, but that old man who owns this joint . . . I’d put up the money myself to go toe-to-toe with him.”

  “Yeah, the last time y’all went one-on-one, he gave you a good ol’-fashion country butt-whooping.” Mateo stopped in the middle of his message to Sonic. “I don’t think you ready for all that.”

  Mateo’s lips slowly twisted into a smile. Seeing the flashback of Hammer throwing down, which had been broadcast on WorldStar and on YouTube was enough to wipe the smile off Turner’s face. Mateo remembered cracking up with Sonic and Marvel at some of the comments, then having to repent when Hammer chastised them for inappropriate use of the computer lab.

  “I’m ready for that old buzzard.” Turner cocked his head up and nodded. “Name the time and place and I’ll be there. The question is, will he be there?”

  The thought crossed Mateo’s mind to set up the whole thing. What Mateo really wanted to do was knock him down a few notches himself. Turner had too much mouth. He also had too much brawn and had a good ten inches and almost a seventy-five pounds of muscle on Mateo, who wasn’t trying to jump up to land a good punch on him.

  “I see you decided to show your face?” Hammer asked as he turned the corner of the building. “I thank you for not being on the property for most of your stay.”

  Mateo couldn’t believe the shade. Normally, Hammer was cool, calm, and collected. Mateo wanted to ask where he’d come from and how come this was the first time Hammer had run into Turner.

  “I waited for you in the lobby,” Turner replied. “Where’ve you been?”

  “This is my motel, and out there is my fleet of cars.” Hammer pointed to fleet of black and cream-colored Cougars and Continentals that graced the side of the building. “I’ve been minding my own business. What are you doing?”

  “Well, you know, old man,” Turner replied, “I roam this place much like Satan roamed the earth, to and fro. Wherever I lay my hat is my home.”

  Hammer smirked and shook his head. “You do realize Satan loses the war, right?”

  Turner got in Hammer’s face. Neither man budged. Mateo saw how Hammer maintained his composure, and he was sure that Hammer was going to come out on top again. Mateo felt his heart beating faster and his adrenaline rushing, ready for a fight.

  Turner picked at one of Hammer’s loose locks from his shoulders, rubbed it between his fingers, lifted it up to his nose, and inhaled deeply. “I’ve always loved a good fight, in and out of the bedroom. And as I stand here before you now, I can’t lie. I feel like—” Turner paused and inched his face closer to Hammer, barely missing his lips. “I have to admit, old man—” Turner licked his lips, closed his eyes, and bit his bottom lip in lust and whispered, “You are beautiful.”

  Turner let Hammer’s lock go and turned his head toward Mateo. They glared at each other for a hot second; then Turner curled his lips up and faced Hammer again and flashed his pearly whites. “I wish we were not enemies. I could show you how I can be your best friend.”

  “Those lines must work on so many dudes.” Hammer smirked and stepped to the side. “I don’t want your friendship. And if I were into men, which I can assure you that I’m not, I wouldn
’t want you.”

  Mateo almost felt guilty for wishing for the setup in his mind. He could see that Turner kept his emotions in check. It was known that Turner didn’t take rejection well, and he didn’t want the hellion to flip. Mateo gave Turner a look-over, and from what he could tell, Turner wasn’t strapped, so if a rematch went down, at least it would be a fair fight.

  Turner got in Hammer’s face. “I paid for this room for a whole month. I got another two and a half weeks left.” Turner poked his lips out and imitated a kiss, hoping to tick off Hammer. “After I do what I’m going to do, I’m bouncing.”

  Hammer lifted up his arm and slowly guided Turner out of his personal space. “You do that again, and you are going to force me to explain to Jesus why I wasn’t meek or gentle with you.”

  Turner licked his lips. “Maybe I won’t be meek or gentle with you. I like guys that like it rough.”

  “I bet you would like ’em rough.” Hammer surprised Mateo when he smiled again. “I’ll be sure to tell my boys that when you get locked up. They’ll let me know how long you lasted before you became someone’s girl.”

  Mateo shook his head. Turner scowled, as he couldn’t come up with a comeback. He put up his finger and shook his head and a few seconds later, he returned to the end of the building and entered his room.

  Hammer shook his head. “I’m going to have to talk to my receptionist about not taking money from just anyone.”

  “Wait a minute. Didn’t we just have the talk about being more welcoming and less judgmental? Isn’t that why I got in trouble for letting that drunk couple spend the night?” Mateo asked as he looked toward Marvel’s car. He was still waiting on him.

  “You got in trouble for not making sure that the drunk couple’s credit card processed before handing them the keys to the room,” Hammer reminded him.

  Mateo thought about it, and Hammer was right. He also remembered the hard time he spent getting the couple out of the room, and how he had to pay Hammer back for their three-night stay.

  “Don’t worry about Turner, man.” Hammer continued on his way to the other end of the motel. “He’ll be out of here before you know it.”

  For both of their sakes, Mateo hoped he was right.

  “I stopped honking when I saw Turner get in Hammer’s face.” Marvel sounded like an excited elementary school kid who’d just seen his first fight. “Tell me it wasn’t about to go down.”

  Mateo shook his head and fastened his seatbelt. “Hammer was a good one, because if that had been me, Turner would be out on his tail.”

  “What makes you think he’s not working on that?” Marvel asked as he drove off.

  Mateo felt his phone vibrate at his side, and he picked it up. He’d missed four messages from Amirah asking about their next date, and one from Sonic asking him if he’d gotten his message about Marvel picking him up.

  I appreciate you wanting to meet my family, Mateo typed as he watched Marvel drive in rush-hour traffic on I-240. You already met Julio, but Luisa is a fast-tail and mi madre is very old school. How is your Spanish again?

  Isaac Caree was belting out the lyrics to “Clean This House,” and Marvel found himself singing along with the lyrics. Mateo looked over.

  Dude can blow, Mateo thought as he sneakily turned down the radio. Marvel continued singing and driving. “I wish I could write songs, man. I’d have a couple written for you.”

  Marvel looked and sounded nervous. “I don’t sing often, but I don’t mind letting the Lord use me whenever.”

  Asi-asi, the text from Amirah read. I’m still learning but maybe you can teach me.

  I will. Mateo replied.

  By time Mateo thought of something else to add, Marvel was pulling into the parking lot of Burgers & Fries. They could see teenagers sitting at all of the tables and a line building outside the door.

  “I got to go.” Mateo reached into his wallet to pull out a five.

  Marvel put his hand up and pushed Mateo’s hand back. “I don’t need the money.”

  “You sure?” Mateo intended on insisting that Marvel took the money. He knew what Hammer charged for a ride from Heaven’s Inn to where the restaurant was located on Smokey Park Highway. The ride was worth at least fifteen dollars, but five was all he had.

  “I’m good.” Marvel smiled. “I’m just glad you are trying to do something to better your life, and I’m happy that I play the role God wants me to in that.”

  “Thank you.” Mateo put his money back in his wallet and his wallet in his back pocket. He put the fitted cap with the Burger & Fries logo on as he got out of the car. He made sure his black apron was tied as he made his way to the front of the restaurant.

  “Thanks for coming in,” Doug said as he met Mateo at the door. “Clock in, and then I need you to help me unload this delivery we got an hour ago.”

  Mateo walked inside with a sense of urgency. He knew he’d spend at least an hour unloading the truck and then another hour helping to sort and stock everything so that the cooks could get to the items with ease.

  For the rest of the shift, Mateo would rotate between keeping the restaurant clean and working one of the inside registers. With the crowd that continued to grow, he knew any kind of break would be quick and fast, so there’d be little to no time to really call and hear Amirah’s sweet voice; but he knew that he wanted to do something really special for her as soon as possible. Mateo smiled as everything about her filled his thoughts as he started his shift.

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Meet the Crew

  “I’m a little surprised that Sonic didn’t come along, Mateo,” Amirah said as she turned to look at him with love in her eyes.

  “I can’t believe you talked me into taking them with us,” Mateo vented while he started Sonic’s Toyota. “Plus, with Sonic still resting, he gave me the okay to drive his car.”

  “What’s wrong with us?” Julio reached in the front of the seat and moved the mirror. He fixed his hair and his eyebrows.

  “Yeah,” Luisa jumped in. “Don’t act all brand new because we here with your girl.”

  Amirah reached across the console and grabbed Mateo’s hand. “I’ll be fine.”

  She smiled and instantly she melted Mateo’s heart. He fixed the rearview mirror and looked at his siblings. Mateo loved his brother and sister, but he would’ve rather spent time alone with his girl.

  “I’m glad that Sonic was staying on top of his health,” Amirah pointed out as Mateo made his way to the Interstate. “He needs his rest after having those tats removed and getting rid of those piercings.”

  “I still can’t believe he did that,” Julio butted in. “If that were me—”

  “Julio, chill.” Mateo’s agitation slipped through his voice. “I promised Sonic I’d make this trip to Dandy’s to get rid of the last of these clothes. The only reason y’all are even with us is because I promised Madre I’d keep the two of you out of trouble.”

  “And we promised Madre that Amirah wouldn’t turn up pregnant before you put a ring on her finger.” Luisa smiled as she stared back at Mateo. “Aw, don’t look at me, homes. Madre diga,and I follow.”

  “My gosh,” Mateo let out as he shook his head. “If the two of you were coming with us, when would Amirah and I have time to do what we need to do to make a baby?”

  “Well, unless God intends for Amirah to be the new Virgin Mary, you not getting any panties,” Luisa quipped as she pulled out the latest street fiction novel and flipped the pages. “And you aren’t either,” she addressed Julio as he laughed.

  “Look.” Mateo tried to set a firm tone. “We’re going to Dandy’s, and then we are coming back here. I don’t have the money to make any pit stops to any motels, and I wouldn’t ask Amirah for any either.” Amirah seemed slightly annoyed, but Mateo appreciated her allowing him to handle his mouthy sister.

  Mateo turned up the volume on the stereo and picked up the speed on their route to Greensboro. He was furious because he wanted to spend more time with
Amirah, enjoying some quality time with her. Between working at Heaven’s Inn and Burgers & Fries, he hardly had a day off; but Mateo didn’t complain, because if he was working, that meant he was staying out of trouble. Staying out of trouble meant staying off the streets.

  In record time, Mateo made the trip to Greensboro. Luisa and Amirah were reading books, and Julio listened to the music on his phone and wrote in a composition notebook throughout the trip. Very seldom did any of the four passengers speak to one another.

  Mateo pulled up to Dandy’s and smiled when he could see the woman from the window. She and an older man were talking as they waited at the door.

  “Okay, everyone grab a bag,” Mateo instructed as he pushed the buttons to unlock the doors and the trunk.

  Mateo reached into the glove compartment and pulled out the Green Dot card and a copy of Sonic’s information so that the payment could be processed.

  “I see you’ve brought friends.” Dandy opened the door as she and the older man helped relieve them of the bags.

  “The younger girl and the dude who look alike are my brother and sister.” Mateo introduced them.

  Julio and Luisa mumbled hello, dropped the bags on the counter, and headed back to the car. Mateo shook his head. Mateo put his arm around Amirah’s waist and brought her closer to him. “And this is my lady, Amirah.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Dandy extended a hand from across the counter.

  “Likewise,” Amirah responded, shaking her hand before turning her attention to some of the Afrocentric pieces closer to the front of the store. She picked up a purple-and-gold kente and brought it closer to her body. “My mother would’ve loved this.”

  Mateo’s ears perked up. He so rarely heard Amirah make a reference to her mom. He knew she had passed on a few years prior, but that was all he knew. The one time Amirah tried to talk about her, she broke down. The only thing she said about her father was that he’d been locked up for a double homicide since she was three.

  Mateo followed Amirah as she draped the kente over her arm and looked through a hat and scarf rack. It didn’t take long for Mateo to find a matching hat for the kente. He picked it up and offered it to her. “You think she would have liked this one?”