The Realest Ever - By Keith Thomas Walker Page 0,56

this woman named Kyra who started working at J.T. Elder. He said you’re not just beautiful, but you’re professional, too. He would love to take you out, treat you like a lady.”

Kyra was surprised and impressed with his self-promotion. Her smile was ear to ear. “I don’t care how much money you have.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” Roland said. “I was just saying, you know, I do got some.”

“You make an impressive argument for yourself.”

“Roland’s the best man I know,” he said. “Nobody does it better.”

“Cocky?”

“No. But I’m confident.”

“Why don’t you like your mom?”

“She’s on drugs.”

“Mine, too.”

“See, we already got something in common.”

Hmmm. Honestly Kyra expected Roland to give her a reason not to go out with him, so she could tell Donovan, and he’d stop looking for someone to take his place. But Roland was witty and hard-working, and apparently he had money (which Kyra really didn’t care about). But more importantly, Kyra knew that she couldn’t be with the one she was saving herself for, so why was she saving herself?

“So, can I take you out?” Roland asked.

“Okay,” she said.

“What are you doing now?”

She laughed. “It’s a little late, don’t you think?”

“Is tomorrow good?”

“I can do tomorrow afternoon.”

“Okay. Do you go to church?”

“No,” Kyra said. But she felt that was something she should do. Maybe with Donovan. He did invite her, after all.

“Me neither,” Roland said. “I’ll call you around eleven, and you can let me know where to pick you up at.”

“Alright.”

“Thanks for calling,” Roland said. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Roland called the next day at 11 am sharp. Kyra gave him her aunt’s address, and he said he’d be there at 12:30. Kyra had butterflies in her stomach as she got dressed. She still wasn’t sure if she should go out with someone she worked with – even if they only worked together for two minutes a day.

When Roland knocked on the door, Kyra ushered the kids into her room and told them to stay there until she left. She answered the door wearing a black skirt with a sleeveless blouse. She didn’t think she looked all that special, but Roland’s eyes widened as he admired her from head to toe. Kyra smiled. Donovan used to look at her like that, when she first got back to town. Not anymore, though.

“Kyra, you look amazing.”

Roland reached for her hand. Kyra was confused, but she offered it. Roland brought it to his mouth and kissed it softly. Kyra blushed. She didn’t think anyone had ever done that to her.

“What a gentleman,” she exclaimed.

Roland had a nice build, not particularly muscular, but he wasn’t fat at all. He wore a collar shirt with black Dockers. His shirt was rather tight. He had it tucked in with the top three buttons open. Kyra had a good view of his chest, which was strong and smooth, but she thought his style was a little flashy.

Roland’s skin was dark and beautiful. His baby ’fro was perfect, as usual. He wore a moustache with another tuft of hair on his chin, but not a full goatee. He sported aviator style sunglasses. He sleeves were rolled up, revealing an expensive watch on one wrist and an equally expensive bracelet on the other.

Kyra couldn’t help but tell him, “You look a lot different than you do at school.”

Roland smiled. “Different good, or different bad?”

“I… don’t know yet,” Kyra said. She was a simple girl. Most of the men from her past who dressed like this were pimps or drug dealers. But Roland’s income was legit. He worked his ass off, five to six days every week. Kyra wondered if she was on a fault finding mission. “Different good,” she decided.

Roland was still holding her hand. He led her down the two porch steps.

“You look just as good as you do in school,” he said. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

Kyra smiled and looked away coyly. “A couple of times.”

“Well you are,” Roland said. He walked her to a new Chrysler 300 and opened the passenger door.

Kyra’s jaw dropped. Now this was too much. “I’m sorry, but what do you do for a living?”

Roland laughed. “You know what I do for a living. I met you while I was working, as a matter of fact.”

“But this car, your jewelry. Do you have a side job? Something illegal?”

“Nope.” Roland shook his head. He looked surprised that she would ask. “I work hard, and I don’t have a wife or any kids. I grew up with nothing, so