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“You see I’m standing here don’t you?” I stepped forward, and this time, she remained unmovable, tucking her chin up so I could get a better look at her. Permission be damned I reached out and brought her to me. Her soft body fit perfectly against mine. She let out a slight hiss.
“You, you didn’t ask.” Her voice was feather light. My body responded to hers immediately.
“May I?”
A loud crashing sound broke our hold and she pushed away from me on cue. I looked at her face and she was completely spooked. A complete change in a matter of seconds.
“What the hell was that?” Her words were rushed and her movements were even quicker. She drew out a pink pistol and held it to her side.
“What you doing?” I asked, and I took the gun from her hands. It was a minor fight but I won it without causing her any harm.
“It sounded like a car backfiring. You good?” I pinned her with my eyes and hers plummeted to the floor.What the hell was that about?“Let me go check it out. Stay here.”
I scanned outside and didn’t see much out of place. We were in Farmington Hills. An area not known for much happening. I checked our cars and everything was good. When I stepped back into the house she was right by the door. That pissed me off because if some shit was really happening that would have placed her way too close. I looked at her before I spoke. It was so visible that she didn’t have many people in her life that she could trust. I wondered about the exact moment that took place when she made that determination. She felt she could only depend on herself. More than likely it was a cumulation of so many things.
“I think I should go home.” For the first time, she spoke timidly. She was embarrassed by her overreaction.
“Le, look I don’t have no games or no smoke and mirrors for you. I’m loving everything I see and I feel when I’m around you. I’m interested in you and everything that comes with that. Ultimately it’s your choice. But you can trust me when I say I see you for everything you are and that doesn’t scare me.”
“I’m at the point in my life where I have no trust for the words any man says.” She spoke her truth right before her eyes ran away from me.Now we are getting somewhere.
“I’m not blaming you for being cautious. You should be. I’m not asking you to trust words. Trust what you see because ain’t shit coming up short about my actions. I’m a man baby. I don’t have a problem proving that to you.”
The no was on the tip of her tongue, but as we stood in the doorway, I could see the thoughts bouncing around in her brain. “All I can do is try, Prince. I don’t even know why you would want me to, but I’ll try,” she said quietly slipping past me to her car.
“I’m going to follow you home to make sure you are straight.”
She didn’t fuss or fight. Whatever had her spooked also had her compliant. It didn’t sit well with me. but I would take that for now.
***
“This is going to be a foundational piece in transitioning this community from what it once was to what it can become. Savannah has always been a beautiful place to retire but now we want to make a beautiful place to live. A place where businesses can thrive and the rich can pour dollars into the community.It’s time for us to change that narrative. Wewillchange that narrative and this is how we start!” Applause erupted around me and that finally turned my attention to the stage. The speaker ripped the tarp off a once hidden canvas revealing a model of new housing developments on the South side of the city.
“See, I told you,” Remy spoke from beside me, not thinking too much about being conspicuous.
I clapped my hands to not be the only one left out of all of the clamoring prospects in the facility. By everyone else’s estimation, I was new in the construction world. Most didn’t know much about my degree or past work. Especially not here. I saw the side eyes myyouthelicited. But, I didn’t come here to play nice. Especially since I had caught a damn flight this morning at the crack of dawn to be here and still needed to be back by noon to make my most important plans happen. This was big, and I didn’t know if I could bolster everything needed for such a project currently, but here I was. Ready for what came next.
“For this project, we want more than just the casual mansions. We need something edgy. Something that will draw clients to the area just because of these homes. These new gated communities will be the focal point of bringing new revenue and business into a starving community. This is what we need from you if you want your team to be selected for this opportunity.”
There was a hush over the crowd while the speaker went over the normal requirements that I heard thousands of times. The lecture-type hall setting took me back to college where I would sit attentively waiting for my professor to drop nuggets of knowledge. I’d always been one that wanted to learn and was fascinated by new ideas. I guess it was surprising because I just didn’t look like the type. Even looking around the hall I gathered that I didn’t look like anyone else here. Mostly older white menwith protruding bellies surrounded me, and the few black men in attendance were so damn gray you thought they would fall over any minute. I had respect for anyone that put the work in but my body was always something I would take care of. It made me better for this kind of work. That’s why I clicked with Remy. He was in his late fifties, but unless you asked for ID, you couldn’t tell. The last thing we wanted was to be in a situation where we couldn’t help ourselves. That was just as much of an injury deterrent as working with the correct equipment.
I let all the words float over me until I heard the last requirement.
“Last, the company that takes on this venture will have to have a liquid net worth of five million dollars. As you know the permit processes and materials will need to be purchased upfront. The grants will be given in increments. I know that is a haughty ask but you must understand this is something that can change the trajectory of your business forever. We have bank officials here that will help with loans as well. Please have your portfolios submitted by the end of the month.” His last statement took the air out of the room for many of the attendees. My face stoned over, thinking of how I had it, and I fumbled. The shit I went through pretty much dissolved my company’s assets. Another misstep was highlighted.
“We will figure it out. I can liquidate some things. How are the house sales coming?” Remy asked as we walked to the parking lot.
“It hasn’t been lately.”
The other contractors damn near grew wings on their backs with how fast they flew to the corner of the awaiting bankers. They were willing to accept anything that could get them closer to an opportunity to be considered. The bad partwas if they didn’t get the nod, they would still be saddled with it. I could only take a guarantee. I was confident in what I could prove and the specs I could draw, but so much lately had been about connection. Even with the sale of the homes I was sitting on it would be hard to get funds with bank approvals in under a month. Money wasn’t the problem. Legal money was.
“I see that look on your face, kid.”
“I’m cool.”
“No you not,” Remy said wisely.
“I’m cool, Rem. I’ll figure this out for us. I owe you that much.” He came to me and gripped my shoulder. He was shorter in stature so he had to reach up.
