you do is ask me for something. You’re everything Tay said you were.”
“I need to see him, and he ain’t seeing me.”
“He doesn’t want to see you!” she snapped. “Why do you need to see him anyway? Isn’t it enough that he’s in prison because of you?”
Teanna swallowed the criticism. “I need your help. That’s why I’m here. You the last shot I got.”
Kelly smiled with contempt. “It’s burning you up that he’ll see me anytime I want.”
“I got it. . .you’re angry. Sorry, I was wrong about you and Tay. Ain’t fix nothing, but it’s the truth. Believe me, I done run up a lot of mistakes in my time and paid the bill for every last one of ‘em myself. . .all but this one. I want to try, can’t do nothing else but that. And you right – I don’t know you, but I can’t get to know you unless you let me.”
Kelly moved Teanna’s hand and opened the driver’s side door. “What difference do you think it’ll make, if you’re with me? Then, he won’t want to see either of us.”
“I don’t know you, but I know my son. All he wanted me to do was accept you. And I ain’t do it because I didn’t think you was right for him.”
“Because I’m white? Jewish? Who cares? We’re good for each other.” Kelly blustered. “You’d know that, if you’d try to see it. Say he does see you. What good will it do?”
“Won’t bring his sister back,” she admitted. “I lost her, too. I ain’t always do the right thing, but try to see it through my eyes. What would you do?”
Kelly thought about telling her to back off, but she knew better. If Teiji told Kelly to stay away, she would continue trying until the day of his release. She slumped into the driver’s seat and shut the door. Teanna’s shoulders dropped with defeat until she heard the transport’s automatic door click open. Kelly was going to take her after all.
With the prison 20 miles outside of town and the rush hour traffic approaching, it would take up to 60 minutes to reach him. Teanna braced herself for a long, silent ride, but Kelly would have none of that. She often switched satellite radio stations to skip commercial interruptions and incessantly talked on her holophone device. About 15 minutes from the prison, she veered off an exit and pulled into the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, Miss Kirkwood. I leave straight from school to come here, but he eats at five o’ clock. The traffic usually pushes me close to then and there’s no visitation when they’re eating. So, I usually stop here and get a quick bite.”
“Sure,” she absentmindedly replied. “Whatever you need.”
Kelly unlatched her security harness and parked. “It’s a little too chilly to sit out here. Why don’t you come inside? At least have something hot to drink.”
Teanna snapped back from her thoughts. “Yes! Okay, sure. Let’s go.”
At the counter, Kelly ordered more food than Teanna thought an 18-year-old girl weighing no more than 100 pounds could consume. She paid for a cup of coffee and a pastry.
The pair sat down and ate. Before Teanna had enough time to get a third of the way down her cup, Kelly had already consumed most of her double cheeseburger and a half container of shoestring French fries.
“Can I ask you somethin’, Kelly? It’s kinda personal.”
A dot of ketchup stubbornly lingered at the corner of her mouth. “I guess.”
“You always eat like that? You makin’ me nervous.”
Kelly giggled with a full mouth. “Tay says the same thing.”
She never noticed Teiji had been dating anyone until months into the relationship.
“Our first date, we went to the movies to see an old romantic drama, The Experiment. Tay picked me up with a single violet rose, which is my favorite. He thought the female lead, I forgot her name. . .she’s gorgeous. And the guy who played her love interest – he’s yummy.
“So afterward, we came here and sat in this same booth. Tay thought
“I need to see him, and he ain’t seeing me.”
“He doesn’t want to see you!” she snapped. “Why do you need to see him anyway? Isn’t it enough that he’s in prison because of you?”
Teanna swallowed the criticism. “I need your help. That’s why I’m here. You the last shot I got.”
Kelly smiled with contempt. “It’s burning you up that he’ll see me anytime I want.”
“I got it. . .you’re angry. Sorry, I was wrong about you and Tay. Ain’t fix nothing, but it’s the truth. Believe me, I done run up a lot of mistakes in my time and paid the bill for every last one of ‘em myself. . .all but this one. I want to try, can’t do nothing else but that. And you right – I don’t know you, but I can’t get to know you unless you let me.”
Kelly moved Teanna’s hand and opened the driver’s side door. “What difference do you think it’ll make, if you’re with me? Then, he won’t want to see either of us.”
“I don’t know you, but I know my son. All he wanted me to do was accept you. And I ain’t do it because I didn’t think you was right for him.”
“Because I’m white? Jewish? Who cares? We’re good for each other.” Kelly blustered. “You’d know that, if you’d try to see it. Say he does see you. What good will it do?”
“Won’t bring his sister back,” she admitted. “I lost her, too. I ain’t always do the right thing, but try to see it through my eyes. What would you do?”
Kelly thought about telling her to back off, but she knew better. If Teiji told Kelly to stay away, she would continue trying until the day of his release. She slumped into the driver’s seat and shut the door. Teanna’s shoulders dropped with defeat until she heard the transport’s automatic door click open. Kelly was going to take her after all.
With the prison 20 miles outside of town and the rush hour traffic approaching, it would take up to 60 minutes to reach him. Teanna braced herself for a long, silent ride, but Kelly would have none of that. She often switched satellite radio stations to skip commercial interruptions and incessantly talked on her holophone device. About 15 minutes from the prison, she veered off an exit and pulled into the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, Miss Kirkwood. I leave straight from school to come here, but he eats at five o’ clock. The traffic usually pushes me close to then and there’s no visitation when they’re eating. So, I usually stop here and get a quick bite.”
“Sure,” she absentmindedly replied. “Whatever you need.”
Kelly unlatched her security harness and parked. “It’s a little too chilly to sit out here. Why don’t you come inside? At least have something hot to drink.”
Teanna snapped back from her thoughts. “Yes! Okay, sure. Let’s go.”
At the counter, Kelly ordered more food than Teanna thought an 18-year-old girl weighing no more than 100 pounds could consume. She paid for a cup of coffee and a pastry.
The pair sat down and ate. Before Teanna had enough time to get a third of the way down her cup, Kelly had already consumed most of her double cheeseburger and a half container of shoestring French fries.
“Can I ask you somethin’, Kelly? It’s kinda personal.”
A dot of ketchup stubbornly lingered at the corner of her mouth. “I guess.”
“You always eat like that? You makin’ me nervous.”
Kelly giggled with a full mouth. “Tay says the same thing.”
She never noticed Teiji had been dating anyone until months into the relationship.
“Our first date, we went to the movies to see an old romantic drama, The Experiment. Tay picked me up with a single violet rose, which is my favorite. He thought the female lead, I forgot her name. . .she’s gorgeous. And the guy who played her love interest – he’s yummy.
“So afterward, we came here and sat in this same booth. Tay thought
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