I lounged on the stool in front of the cash register, trying to hide my yawn.
It was late Saturday evening. My cousins sat at the other cashier posts, looking as bored as I did.
It didn’t matter if we wanted to be here our not. This was our family grocery store and it was expected that family members would work shifts.
My grandparents bought land in Belize when I was eight, but they didn’t send for my aunts and uncles in China until they’d completed construction.
As the younger generation, we got the short end of the stick. The weekend shifts.
I dreaded working here on Saturday. Shoppers flocked the building in droves to do their weekly grocery shopping and it was constant chaos.
My cousins and I had to stay focused, keep an eye out for thieves, give correct change and calm impatient of customers waiting in long lines.
The only reason I didn’t go crazy was because of Cece. Whenever I wasn’t busy with a customer or restocking the shelves, I’d text her.
My phone chirped loudly.
Glad for a free moment, I fished it out of my pocket and grinned wide.
Rider, my older cousin, smirked at me. “That your girlfriend again?”
“That’s none of your business.”
He slapped his rubber slippers against the rung of the stool. “You get that stupid grin on your face whenever she rings up your phone. It’s pathetic.”
I put the phone down and clutched my chest. “Man, thanks so much for pointing that out. I seriously—I had no idea.”
Rider laughed.
Sky, Rider’s younger sister, passed by with a discarded grocery basket. “Leave the boy alone. He’ll find out soon enough that we don’t marry outside of our community.”
“That’s too bad for our community then.” Rider snorted. “David and Cece are practically married already.”
Sky looked horrified. “What do you mean?”
“Have you heard them argue? They sound like a couple who’ve been living together for thirty years.”
“You two are jumping way ahead of yourselves.” I frowned at Rider. “I’m not marrying Cece. I’m not marrying anyone right now.”
“Ha!” Sky pushed her glasses firmly up her nose. “That’s what I said, but you can’t run from reality. It’s how things are done.”
“Grampa and Grandma don’t believe in arranged marriages anymore,” I insisted.
“Grampa and Grandma have become creolized. They have forgotten our traditions, but Mama has been working on them both. Soon, you will feel the effects of that.”
“Whatever.” I glanced at my phone.
“You can date her quietly but, no matter what, you cannot marry that black girl, David,” Sky warned.
“We’re not even like that,” I mumbled, annoyed.
No one understood my connection with Cece, but it was never a problem. That was largely because of my parents, who adored Cece. As long as she didn’t distract me from school or work, my parents saw nothing wrong with our friendship.
I noticed a customer walking toward me and put my phone away. She was a pretty Latina girl with a wide smile and long dark hair that curled to her waist.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and kept batting her eyelashes at me as I checked her items.
Cece would say she was flirting, but then… Cece tends to be biased and believes that every girl is secretly fawning over me.
“Hi,” she said.
I pushed a bag of rice in front of the scanner. “Hi.”
“I’ve always seen you in here, but I never had the chance to talk to you.”
I nodded awkwardly.
“A couple of my friends are meeting up at Platypus Park later, like around nine o’clock.” She glanced around the store that was starting to fill up now that the seven o’clock Saturday rush hour had begun.
I bagged her things to move the conversation along, but she held my wrist to stop me. “If you’re free later, you should drop by. It’s a couple of us from the sixth form.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Great.”
I smiled shyly at her and declared her total.
She handed me the money and then winked. “Keep the change.”
I looked back at Rider, hoping he had missed the exchange. Thankfully, my cousin was too busy to pay me any mind.
The hours flew by as they did when the store got busy. I was ducking my head and minding my own business a few minutes before closing when someone slapped a package of cookies before me.
My smile bloomed unconsciously. I’d brought Cece a pack of Oreo cookies the day we became best friends. Since then, Oreos have always been special to me.
“What can a girl do to get some service around here?” a familiar voice chirped.
My head jerked up in surprise.
Cece’s answering grin was wide and brought a sparkle to her brown eyes.
She was dressed in a fancy blouse and light blue skinny jeans. Her curly hair tumbled past her shoulders, glossy and dark.
“What are you doing here?” I croaked.
“I begged my parents to let me out of the house. I’ve been trapped in there all week.” Cece sighed. “Babysitting for family is a thankless job.”
I smirked. Just as I had a responsibility to my family—and so to the store—Cece was the unofficial babysitter for her younger sisters.
At least I got paid for my work. Cece was often informed that the roof over her head and the food on the table was her allowance.
“I can’t believe they let you go.”
“Once they heard I’d be with you, they were chill. They trust you so much. It’s insane.”
It was trust that I’d earned. I still remembered every word of the the ‘hurt my daughter and I’ll break you’ speech from Mr. Walker when I turned thirteen.
The day after my birthday, Cece’s father took me aside and reminded me that Cece was not an option for any ‘experiments in physical intimacy’.
I never overstepped my bounds and was careful to always keep the door open whenever Cece and I were alone in a bedroom.
I’d gained Mr. Walker’s respect and I didn’t play around with that. Still, I was surprised that they’d simply dropped her off here knowing that we had no plans.
“What did you say we’d be doing tonight?”
“Hanging out and watching movies.” She waved at Rider who was tallying the last customer’s items.
He winked at her.
“What are we really doing?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“Shawn invited me to Platypus Park tonight—”
“No way. I won’t be a part of this.”
She slapped her money on the counter. “Why not?”
“Because I can’t stand Shawn.” I put her change in the cash register.
“Come on. I just want to go, peek around, see what it’s like to party with the cool kids and then come back and hang at your place.”
I studied her intently. Cece was a convincing liar, but I had spent too many years with her and knew every one of her tricks by heart.
“I promise. That’s all I want to do.” Cece grabbed my hand. “Please,” she pushed out her bottom lip, “I really want to go.”
Puppy dog eyes, dang.
Cece knew I was powerless against that.
“Fine.” I caved just like she knew I would. “But only for fifteen minutes and then we’re leaving.”
“Deal!” She grinned. “This is going to be so much fun!”
Yeah, I doubt that.
CECE & DAVID is available here
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