Chance stood on the balcony watching Bentley make his way toward the stairwell with a skeptical expression.
“What exactly does a Resident Assistant assist with?” Chance called out just as Bentley’s foot touched the first step.
Bentley turned to face him, letting out a light chuckle.
“Look, bro I’m really just here to ensure your transition runs smoothly and to make sure you follow the property’s rules.”
Bentley descended another step before glancing over his shoulder.
“If you need anything, just contact the front desk, they’ll get in touch with me. Seems like trust ain’t really your thing my guy, so let’s start there. Enjoy your evening.”
Chance stood in silence.
Bentley was right, he didn’t trust him. Hell, he didn’t trust much of anyone anymore. Everything he’d endured over the last few years made damn sure of that.
Chance stepped inside, slowly closing the door behind him. He rested his back against it, eyes scanning his surroundings, heart heavy.
“I’ve gotta adjust to being out.” He spoke softly. He didn’t want to be prisoner to his own four walls.
Sylvie continued the drive home listening to one of his favorite podcasts about true crime. These stories told him more about the human mind and how people tick than Sigmund Freud did.
He turned right on to the private road leading to his well secluded home. Once he turned the bend, he noticed two black SUV’s parked in front of his residence.
His heart lurched.
“My God.” He whispered.
He never entertained. No one ever visited. Nobody.
Except one person.
The only thing that puzzled him was why.
Jhaylen sat on the back patio with a glass of whiskey, music playing aloud, reflecting on everything that unfolded over the last few weeks.
Something had to shift.
It was long overdue.
He pulled out his phone, scrolling through contacts. A smirk fell on his face the minute he reached the name. He tapped the contact, selected send text, and began to send a message.
Jhaylen: My guy! It’s been a minute, but it’s time for a reunion. Get up with me.
He hit send, sat back, and let his mind wander.
The argument with Serenity, Serenity’s confrontation with Syncere, his conversation with Michal, all replayed in his mind. There was too much at stake and this was the only way he knew how to move.
He heard the notification from his phone and sat up to check the message.
Lennox: Say less Big Jhay. I get off late tonight, but first thing in the morning.
Jhaylen smiled, lifting his glass taking a long, slow, sip of his whiskey.
Tomorrow wouldn’t come fast enough.
The ladies entered Nailed By Slim, their favorite nail bar. Serentity and Paige both smiling, laughing, and lighter than they’d been in weeks.
“Well looka here, if it isn’t my favorite trouble making duo and their beautiful daughters.” Slim grinned as the group entered.
“Don’t start your stuff now Slim.” Syn cackled.
Patience laughed shaking her head.
“Mani and pedis for all of us. And can we have the VIP room? We could use a little privacy.” Patience asked.
“Anything for my loyals,” Slim smirked. “Follow me.”
The girls exchanged excited looks before giggling and falling in step behind their mothers.
The VIP room was spacious enough with seating for all four women, a stocked bar in one corner, and an entire wall lined with polish colors waiting to be picked.
“Yall need a drink?” Slim asked.
“Nope, we bought our own.” Syn glanced at Patience and laughed.
Slim joined in on the laughter. “I should have known. By the way, y’all’s trays under the bar,” she looked at Syn knowingly.
“This why you’re our favorite.” Syn went right to the smoking trays and began her ritual.
Serenity chuckled.
“Girlll…”
Paige glanced her way and burst into laughter.
Serenity couldn’t help but join in.
“These are our moms.”
They both laughed.
“I’ll draw ya’ll’s water and let ya’ll soak for a minute.” Slim explained.
“Works for us Slim,” Patience responded.
“It’s been a minute since we’ve done this, I missed you friend.”
Paige pouted and poked out her bottom lip.
Serenity looked at her bestie and immediately knew how she felt.
“I know, it’s like we’ve been stuck. This definitely isn’t how our summer break was supposed to go.” Serenity said.
“What’s been up with you though? Have you heard anything else from He Who Shall not be Named?” Serenity’s smile faded as she asked.
Paige’s smile disappears. Her eyes drop to the water swirling beneath her feet and fidgets with her fingers.
She lets out a sigh.
“Honestly, I just got my phone back from my parents yesterday. They’ve been going through it to report the messages.”
“Ouch. How does that make you feel about everything?”
“In a way I feel relieved, but I also hate that I have to go through this again.” Paige sits back in the pedicure chair and puts the back massager on.
“I get it, this summer has been a lot.”
Paige looks at Serenity with the sincere eyes. “What’s going on? I know that look.”
“Girl.. remember years ago when my dad spent that time in jail?”
“Yes I do, that was a hard time for you friend.”
“Well, believe me it’s about to spin your head around.”
Paige gasps, “spilll it!”
Syn notices the girls deep in conversation and nods her head toward them.
“Look P, our girls needed this time.”
Patience smiles at their girls, “yeah but so do we we Syn.” She says as she pulls on the blunt.
“You know Michal is home.”
Syn turns her head swiftly, “so is Jhaylen!”
“Awww shit,” Patience says softly.
“Yeah this won’t be nice.” Syn said throwing a shot of Patron back.
“How are you adjusting to Michal being back P?” Syn asks with a smirk.
“Girl! It’s taking everything in me to remain calm.” She chuckled. “However, I do like him around. Paige needs him.”
Syn looks shocked.
“Yeah, that’s fine your baby needs her dad, but how are you?” Syn asked.
“We started off rocky, I can’t lie, but the last few days have been smooth.” Patience glanced up at Paige and chuckled.
“Believe it or not, it was my baby that spoke up for me when things were getting hot and heavy.”
She hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Enough about me, how the hell are you and Jhay?” Patience asks.
Syn reached for the patron shot.
Then another.
Then another.
“Well damn.” Patience chuckled.
“Where do you want me to begin P? The tension in the house been hella thick.” Syn stated.
“Oh Geesh, pass the shots sis.” Patience chuckled.
Bentley stepped inside of his apartment and tossed his keys into his key dish by his front door. Instead of sitting down, he pulled his phone out and makes a call immediately.
“Thanks for calling Cypress Landing, how may I help you?”
“Hey, this is Bentley, I’m calling about the guy in 420…”
“Oh hey Bentley, what about him?” The female asked.
“What’s his deal? Bro real standoffish, I don’t need the drama.”
The female chuckled. “Im going on break in ten, meet me by the oak.”
Bentley smiled. “Bet.” The line disconnected.
He grabbed himself a Powerade out of the fridge, grabbed his keys from the dish, put his Beats on his head and headed toward “the oak.”
He headed toward the courtyard. It’s focal point was a beautiful 90-year-old a oak tree that was donated by one of the most historical plantation homes in Louisiana. Its branches extended over just under a dozen Cypress Picnic benches.
The courtyard featured solar string lights that illuminated just after sunset giving the residents a place of solace to commune.
He sat on the first bench he reached, awaiting the female from the front desk. As he enjoyed the music that caressed his ear drums, he looked up to see a beautiful young woman approaching him. Although she wore her Cypress landing uniform, a white polo shirt, white Cypress Landing and its logo in a chocolate brown on her left chest, and a pair of khaki pants that defined every curve she earned.
Her hair was long and straight, she had freckles across her nose, her nails were done, she wore several rope type charm bracelets on her arm, and she seemed to carry herself well. Her smile was wide, she wore pink braces, and her lips were glossy.
“Hey Bentley.” She said while approaching.
“Hi. I’m sorry you’re new, how do you know me?” He asked brows raised.
She giggled. “I’ve been here about two and half weeks, I’ve noticed you around. I’m ‘Nique.” She said as she sat beside him.
“Nice to meet you.” He stated.
“Same here,” she blushed.
“So what’s up with dude in 420?”
“Who? Chance Breaud” She began.
Bentley gives her a careful glance.
“I never mentioned his name.”
“I mean, that’s who’s in that unit though.”
Bentley nods his head while taking mental note.
“He moved in from a local mental facility after being there just short of a year.”
Bentley’s jaw dropped. He wasn’t expecting her to be so forthcoming with information .
“So why didn’t he go home if he’s being released?” Bentley asked.
“He can’t go home just yet, this is his stop before home. It’s a part of some deal to give him leeway after being in prison then going to the mental facility. Plus his dad is some big shot and pulled some strings to get him in here. Paid his lease out for 10 months.”
“Interesting.”
“Yeah, I’ve overheard some conversations about him in the front office. He’s a special character.”
Bentley nodded his head.
“He definitely has some walls up. I wonder why he went to prison?”
She smiled at Bentley slyly.
“Some sort of issue with stalking his ex, and apparently he has a short fuse.”
“Thanks for telling me this, but won’t you get in trouble?”
“You’re an employee too, so I highly doubt you’ll snitch on me.” Nique responded batting her lashes.
“While we are here, may I ask you a question?”
“Yeah shoot.” Bentley responded while opening his Powerade to take a drink.
“Are you single?”
Bentley chugged down about a third of the drink before removing it from his lips.
He chuckled.
“You just met me.”
She giggled.
“No you just met me,I’ve been noticing you.” She replied confidently.
Her response shocked him.
“WOW.” Was all he could say.
“I’m single at this moment.”
“At this moment? Let’s try to change that, want to hang out?”
Bentley paused. Mind racing to memories of him and Serenity just a few days before.
“I don’t mind making friends, I’ve got my eyes on someone at the moment.” He says politely.
“Yeah, and she’s sitting right here.” She replied.
Bentley’s eyes stretched.
“Well Nique, thanks for the insight, I’ve got to be going. Enjoy the rest of your shift.” He said while getting up and walking away. He hadn’t quite expected to land this type of reveal coming to the Oak, but the clerk had opened his eyes to more than just Chance’s distrust.
Michal sat in the living room in silence. Patience and Paige were both out of the house, yet the silence was screaming. His eyes swept the beautifully decorated room. It was homey yet luxe, modern, yet nostalgic.
He walked over to the mantle where photos of both unfamiliar memories and too familiar memories were on display. Paige as a baby, smiling looking up at the camera while laying on a blanket, Paige as a toddler on her favorite rocking horse, Paige at age 7 smiling proudly after winning 2nd place in a spelling bee.
Then he saw it. The one photo that triggered his anxiety and his angst. Her high school graduation photo. There she was, smiling, but not happy, posing with Patience. His regret began to settle in, the grief of the time he had lost.
Then there was another that softened the blow. He almost overlooked it. Had she been trying to hide it? The trio, Patience, Paige, and himself. It wasn’t a big photo, just a little one stuck in the corner of the frame of a photograph of Patience’s mother. He didn’t think she kept any of their family moments. Yet, here it was, in black and white.
He took a pull of his Cuban cigar, walked over and grabbed his phone off of the glass coffee table.
He dialed the number with sweaty hands. Nerves rattled, mind racing, mission set.
“Yo, What’s up Michal?” Jhaylen answered the phone, before taking a drink of whiskey.
“That’s what I’m calling to find out, what is up? You made any movement with this situation?”
Michal didn’t hesitate. He needed answers and action. Everything felt stagnant and he desired motion expeditiously.
“Well damn Bro, we getting straight to it?” Jhaylen sucked the whiskey through his clenched teeth.
Michal took another pull of the cigar before responding.
“I mean, we need to get something moving bro, my baby girl scared to go back to school, she moping around all the time, she deserves to live her life freely.”
“I hear you bro, you preaching to the choir. My Jhynae ain’t really too far off from what you’re describing. I get that it’s a sensitive yet imperative situation, but we also have to be strategic, logical, and rational.” Jhaylen tried to speak some sense of logic to him.
“I hear that, but my patience running thin.”
“Chill bro, I’ve already made the connect with Lennox. I’ll let you know how that goes, or you can come with when we meet up.” Jhaylen informed.
“Very much so coming with. I need to see this through.” Michal responded.
“Bet, I’ll hit you tomorrow.”
“Aight Jhay, thanks.”
The line disconnected.
Chance walked out of his door deciding to walk the property for some fresh air. He walked down the corridor to the stairs and began walking downstairs. Once he reached the bottom, he noticed the courtyard. He walks in that direction realizing the scenery was perfectly laid. In the distance he could also see a walking path around was seemed to be some sort of pond.
He took a seat at one of the Cypress picnic tables. Glancing around, he noticed workers walking around, seemingly going on about their assignments. He noticed one worker, a female, standing at the edge of a corridor with her back to him talking to someone in the shadows.
She wore the Cypress Landing uniform, had long straight hair, and her pants seemed a tad bad to tight in his opinion. Whoever she was talking to didn’t come into the light where he could see a face.
He dropped his head in his phone when he saw the female look over her shoulder in his direction. In that moment, his phone rang both startling him and comforting him at the same time.
“Hey dad, what’s up?” He spoke into the receiver.
“I’m just checking on you before I turn in. How are you adjusting?”
“I don’t quite know yet, but I am sitting out in the courtyard under the Oak tree. It’s nice out here.”
“Should bring you some solitude son. I’ll pass and check on you tomorrow after work, you need anything?”
“Nah dad, I’m fine. See you tomorrow.”
He disconnected just as the young lady was walking back towards the building across from where he sat.
She glanced at him, smiled and wave. Her pink braces visible. He raised his head to her and proceeded to get up.
“Curfew in ten.” The girl said loud enough for him to hear.
There it was again. A reminder of his limited freedom.
That was his cue. Back to is four walls he went.
Kae Jaye The Writer 