The Score by HJ Golakai

Author:HJ Golakai [Golakai, HJ]
Language: afr
Format: azw3
Publisher: Kwela
Published: 2015-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-one

Joshua massaged his eyelids and the muscles of his face, groaning. At the second chime of the doorbell, he considered lifting the throw cushions off the couch and burying himself under the entire lot. Or under the couch itself. Could he fit?

The chiming stopped. Silence reigned once more throughout the apartment. He released a breath and unpaused the college basketball quarterfinals on the Sony BRAVIA forty-inch.

Vee flounced in, hips a-sway like a vixen on a mission. Her knee-length orange African print dress clung to her legs. Joshua sat up. His internal beast, prepped to battle through muscle-melting fatigue so he could cheer his team on to the championships, retreated; another stirred, in his chest and lower down, with a different brand of interest. He took quick study of her face. Eyebrows knitted, mouth clenched, chin on her heart-shaped face stabbing the air. He released another slow breath, closed his eyes, fumbled blindly along the couch till his fingers found a cushion and placed it over his face.

“Was that door open?” he said, loud as he could from behind it.

“Yes. Closed but not latched.”

“Wow. I should tighten up security around here.” He peeped over the top.

“I glad you tink bein’ careless with your life dah sumtin funny.” He had to strain his ears through her speed and cadence. From the way her irises spat flares like the surface of a tempestuous dark-brown planet, how her tongue sliced into the consonants of ‘careless’, ‘funny’, ‘glad’, ‘your life’, all of it for that matter … She was coasting on a livid high, guns cocked to blast in his face. Ahead was no easy conversation.

“You went to work today? You’hn lookin’ like it. Wha’happin, you sick?” Concern softened her for a breath of a second, then her lashes fluttered as she made an immediate mental recalibration. She re-clenched her jaw.

Yup. Time to get torn a new one, he thought. “Yeah, I did.”

She scanned his jeans and T-shirt.

“I assure you I did attempt to make a living today. As you well know, as an associate I sometimes have less hectic days, therefore I can leave early. This was one of them. Correction, it was nuts but I still managed to wrap it up by four, take my bike out for an hour and get home to watch the game. Haven’t had any missed calls,” he grabbed his Samsung Galaxy smartphone, held the screen up to her, “correction, six missed calls, but none of ’em from my boss so these other jokers can piss off till tomorrow.”

Her lips pulled and mashed into a fuss-pout; she cut her eyes up and down the length of him to her satisfaction before blipping a shoulder in a ‘fine, whatever’ shrug. Black women, Joshua anguished. If my mama wasn’t black, I doubt I’d be inclined to put up with any of this.

Waves of lactic acid cranked through his system, souring the pain in his muscles to an ache. “V.J., let’s not do this. I’m so exhausted.” He ran an agitated hand over his head.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.