beyoncé giselle knowles.
july first.
houston, tx.
"Boy if you don't get your ass back on this sidewalk, you're gonna put that bike right back up."
Braxton zoomed by us on his bike to meet up with Bryson.
"Those two are going to make me have a heart attack," Brooke took our dog's leash away from me.
I couldn't help but laugh at her. Today was the first day that we allowed them to take the bikes out of my garage. Summer had already started but we agreed that we wouldn't start treating it like it was summer until school was out. Today was the day and they were ecstatic.
The Robinsons' waved at us from across the street and I waved back without looking. "You would think they'd catch the hint," I whispered.
"They've been to our house maybe twice. They don't know a single thing about us."
"We don't know anything about them either."
"We don't want to."
We trailed behind our sons until they were stopped by two big, white trucks that sat in a driveway and on the side of the street. Practically all of our neighbors flocked to the previously vacant home, ready to get their hands dirty.
"Who's moving in?" I peeked around the truck.
The moment I saw the woman that was moving in, I understood exactly why everybody was over here. She wore yoga pants that showed off her curves from the waist down and a cami so thin that I could see her nipples from here. She was real fine and I couldn't even see her face fully.
I wanted to be just like my neighbors, going over there to carry shit and impress her. I was itching but today was my twins' bike day so we just made our way around the trucks and our neighbors. Still, I was looking at her. When she felt me looking, she took a break from watching intently and waved. I waved back and took a mental screenshot of her face.
"I heard she's already slept with a few parents from the school."
"What?" Brooke had my attention again. I took another quick glance at her and if what Brooke was saying was true, I could understand exactly why those parents couldn't say no to that. I wanted to say yes and she hadn't said two words to me. "That's horrible," I mumbled.
"Don't you try nothing either. I see you looking."
"Damn that's off limits? If nobody knows then it doesn't matter."
"Everybody already knows all of her business and it hasn't even been a week yet. You won't be different."
I nodded without saying another word, but my mind was already made up. Brooke and I had been together for so long that she already knew that. She knew my taste, knew exactly what was attractive to me. That's why she'd said something to me in the first place.
My wife and I were a team, but there was no relationship within this marriage and it had been that way for a long while. We'd moved here to save face and we had an agreement set in stone. I'd made an eighteen year commitment to my children, for their happiness and overall wellbeing. I knew the role I played in my family dynamic. I believed when you love someone that was an extension of yourself, there were sacrifices to be made. This just so happened to be mine.
I lived this complacent life, letting the days pass by. I wasn't unhappy nor was I holding some kind of resentment toward my wife. It was a fine partnership. We were living the American Dream.
When the boys exhausted themselves, we followed them back to the house.
I couldn't help myself from taking another glance. She was dressed the way women in our neighborhood criticized because they were no longer in their prime. She was fine as hell. She had everybody drooling over her, trying to flex and get a smile out of her. And when they did, I was staring at her dimples and her teeth. She really was pretty all over.
