June 18th

Leaning against my car watching Zaya walk down the steps of city hall digging her in bag, she fishes out her phone, “I see someone got out of work early.”

“Jiho? You stalkin’ me now?”

“If that’s what you wanna call it then yea.” She stops walking and turns to her right on the steps giving me a clear view of her and further down the slit in her skirt making it easier for me to see her thighs rub together as she shifts her weight onto one leg.

“Where are you?”

“Damn you look good,” I laugh as she starts looking every which way, “I’m on your left , the navigator babe.” She finally see’s me and stares me down as she hangs up and walks towards me.

“What you want?”

Pulling her to me,  I take her bottom lip between my lips and force her into a kiss, “you.”

“Too bad, you can’t have me,” she smirks.

“That’s what you think, but seriously I wanted to take you out for lunch.” Opening the passenger side door, I get another glimpse of her thighs as she climbs in. “You allowed to wear that to work?”

“..Yeaaah?” Closing the door I walk around to the driver side and wait for a car to drive past before opening the door and getting in.

“That skirt woman, you don’t need to be wearing that, givin’ folks all types of ideas.”

“Oh really now? And what type of ideas would they be,” grabbing the bottom of the skirt she pulls it up a bit as she crosses her legs. Oh she dirty as hell for that!

“You were speeding weren’t you?”

“Naw! I’m better than that,” giving me a wide-tooth smile I just shake my head at him.

“You better roll down that window,” nodding my head at the State trooper now standing beside the car.

“License and registration.”  

Jiho takes off his seatbelt to grab his wallet from his back pocket and hands over his license. He then reaches over me and opens up the glove compartment to retrieve the registration, giving me more than an eyeful of something I wished I hadn’t seen. Closing the compartment he looks me in the eye before giving his attention back to the trooper.

As soon as he went back to his cruiser, I slap Jiho on the arm, “why the hell do you have a nine millimeter in the glove compartment?”

“Why do you know what type of gun it is? Not so innocent now are we?”

“You’re going to tell me what I want to know after this sir!”

“It’s better that you nothing, trust me.”

“Then tell me what I can know, if I’m going to be dating you I deserve to know something.”

“Zay—“

“Mr. Woo what brings you to New York?”

“I’m visiting family sir.”

“She’s family?”

“Does she look like family, she’s my girl.”  He is not back talking to a State Trooper!

“I watch who you’re talking to young man.”

“I would if you weren’t being a smart ,” just why Jiho? Why?

“Step out—“ apparently there was another trooper in the cruiser because this one just walked away before telling Jiho to place his hand on the steering wheel.

“Are you crazy?  You can’t talk to a trooper like that!”

“Don’t even worry about it.” He just smirks, I’m honestly starting to think he’s insane, who the hell does that?

“Umhmm,” the trooper walks back to the window clearing his throat, “Sorry about that Mr. Woo, it seems we have made a mistake. Here’s your license and registration back, again  I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” The just happened?

“Told you not to worry about it,”  he puts his seatbelt back on, shifts into drive and pulls out…

“Zay, that’s a big burrito! You ain’t gonna be able to for days!”

Laughing at his outburst, “I’m mad there isn’t a Moe’s in Pensacola. May not be authentic but they make some of the best burritos.”

“Imma call you  if I get trapped in the bathroom because this.”

“You better not! Don’t act like you not used to this kind of food. You’re Korean and from the south, you are well prepared.”

“I ain’t playin’! Watch, imma call you and complain all in yo ear.” Finding a table that’s away from others, they sit down and begin to eat their meal.

“Alright spill it, tell me what I want to know.”

“Want?” Cocking his right eyebrow at her.

“Fine, can know. Especially with what happened earlier.”

Sitting back in his chair, the corner of his mouth, Zico looks around before answering her.  “The police don’t mean anything to us, and that goes back to our great-grandfathers. I know you heard about Papa Jo sitting on his porch—“

“With a shotgun daring the police to cross onto his land. I still don’t know why, I mean a black man in the 30’s threatening the police doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s one of the things you don’t need to know. All you need to know is that they can’t do anything to you as long as you’re a Crowley or apart of the Woo family.”

“Umhm, explain the gun.”

Taking a sip from the straw of his soda, “what’s to explain. It’s for protection.”

“From who?”

“You nosey as hell you know that?”

“I get told that from time to time, so yes.  Keep talkin’.”

“You know I run with your cousins, pushing drugs is one aspect of things. Sort of a hobby, and that’s all I’m telling you.”

“But you ain’t tell me a damn thing Jiho!”

Laughing at her, “the less you know the safer you are. The safer other people are because then I won’t have to kill them…”

Papers spread all cross the bed, legs folded Indian style with her laptop in her lap, getting a head start on proof reading some reports for her superiors, the phone rings.

“Hello?”

“I don’t like you Zaya!”

“Why not Jiho?”

“……….You know why!”  Taking that long pause as a hint she starts cracking up. “Ain’t nothin’ funny Zay you— …………Ughh!”

“Ewww nigga I don’t want to hear you gruntin’ trying to !”

“This is your fault, you made me eat all that mess! Now you—….. Ughh, damn!”

“Look I’m hanging up, I don’t want to hear you struggling on the toilet, that ain’t cute. Happy ting!” Pressing the end button, Zaya tosses her phone on the pillow and shakes her head.