Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
“Because you’re not my aunt, and to be someone’s aunt is an honor. I say ‘Ms.’ as respect to you. You ain’t kin to me, but I know that’s what Poet calls you.”
“No, no. Just say Aunt Huni. That’s it. I don’t like that.” She waved her hands about. “Makes me feel old.”
“Well, we all are gettin’ older. That’s an honor, too. Nothin’ wrong with aging.”
There’s plenty wrong with it, but I can’t stop it from happening.
“I mean this when I say it, Aunt Huni…She’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, and I ain’t just talkin’ about her face and body. Somethin’ about her has me curious.”
“Like what?”
“It’s a combination of things I reckon… her sense of humor, the way she carries herself, the way…. the way she smells…” He smiled down at his plate. “It sounds not politically correct, I ’spose, but I’ve enjoyed chasin’ her. I call ’er sometimes, and I’ll say something fresh. She’ll ignore me and change the subject, but I can tell she liked it. I’ve done lil’ things for her. Like, uh, I sent a pink toolbox to her job as a present. Paid her lunch tab, too, and whatnot.”
“Pink toolbox? She got that from you?” She chuckled.
“Yeah… I guess I’m not very romantic. I’m—”
“Practical.”
“Yeah… so, like I said, I enjoy chasin’ her… game of cat and mouse, but I want to catch her though, Ms. Aunt Huni… and when I do, she ain’t gonna want to run away. That way, I don’t have to ever worry about turnin’ her loose.”
A warm sensation crept through her. She grabbed her necklace and gave it a gentle tug. When he finished the last few crumbs of his food, he thanked her. She liked how he looked at her when she spoke, paying attention, or at least pretending to. She felt safe with him, despite how intimidating he looked. He was such a hulking man sitting there at that tiny table. Or at least it looked tiny compared to the sheer height of him. He didn’t have much fat on him at all, but wasn’t paper thin—more of a basketball player type of build. Broad shoulders and lean. She looked at his fingers once more. Veins ran all along the top of his hands, fleshy ropes underneath a veil of ink.
“Did you teach Poet Filipino?”
“Yes, she knows some. I grew up learning English, too. I picked up a Southern accent, I’ve been told, so it throws people off.”
They both laughed at that.
“Yeah, that’s cool. So, Filipino is like the official language of the Philippines?”
“Filipino is the standardized form of what we call Tagalog. Filipino and English are both official languages of my country. We use both. I lived in the Philippines until I was nineteen, then moved away and came here.”
“How do you say, ‘you are beautiful’ in Filipino?”
She smiled at his question. “You want to tell Poet that?”
“I sure do.”
“It’s, Ang ganda mo.”
He said it a few times with her, practicing until he had it perfect.
“Well, thank you kindly for the lunch, and the language lesson.” He stood from the table. “It was real tasty, and somethin’ I won’t soon forget. I best be gettin’ back to work.” Grabbing his phone from the table, he started to head back outside. She walked close behind him, a sense of isolation washing over her.
“You’re going to work so soon? You should let your food digest first, tall man!”
“I’ll be fine, Aunt Huni.”
“I’m a nurse! This is a bad idea to eat and run. Too much work in the hot sun after heavy meal.”
“I’m good. I promise!”
It had been a mighty long time since she’d spoken to a man whose company she enjoyed. Not in a romantic way, but just shared dialogue. He was easy to talk to—she liked his mannerisms, and especially his eyes. Slow blinks. The front door swung open, and then he paused to turn and face her. He looked briefly at his watch.
“What’s your favorite card game, Aunt Huni?”
“Gin Rummy and Cribbage! I’ll get the cards; you pour the cola!”
CHAPTER NINE
Cola and Conversation
“Ohhhh, I bet he did!” Aunt Huni cackled as Poet opened the front door and let herself in. Figuring the woman was on the phone, she kept it down and hung up her jacket in the hall closet. Then, she removed her shoes and slid into her soft slippers.
She hummed to the music that played softly—‘Show You the Way,’ by the Jacksons—then left back out the front door, fully expecting to see Kage working away. But all she found was overturned dirt, slabs of wood here and there, a shovel and a saw on the ground. No sign of the man.
Curious, she re-entered the house. Perhaps he was getting something to drink, or using the restroom. His truck sat outside, so he had to be on the premises. When she made her way into the kitchen, where all the laughter was coming from, she realized Aunt Huni wasn’t on the phone after all…