Latter Rain by Vanessa Miller

ring. “I don’t know if I want to tell you now. You kept me waiting, so I think I might call you back tomorrow to let you know that I just got engaged.”
    Elizabeth screamed. “Oh, my God. How did he ask you?”
    â€œHe actually asked me a while ago. I just hadn’t said anything because I didn’t want to upset Donavan.”
    â€œWhy would Donavan be upset?” Elizabeth sounded confused. “He’s always wanted you and Isaac to get back together. I would think he would be ecstatic.”
    Nina shook her head as if Elizabeth could see her from across the telephone line. “Not you too. Elizabeth, I’ve been dating Charles for several months now. You know that.”
    â€œOh,” she said flatly. “I didn’t think it was serious.”
    Nina put her hand on her hip. “But you thought I had something serious going on with Isaac?”
    â€œNo, nothing like that. I just know that Isaac has been planning to marry you since the day he left prison. I just thought you finally gave in.”
    â€œThat will never happen,” Nina assured her friend.
    â€œAll right, excuse me for being wrong. But tell me, Nina, when did you suddenly fall in love with Charles Douglas?”
    Nina slouched in her seat and grinned goofy-like as she thought about Charles. “I don’t know. I think I’m attracted to how responsible he is. He’s loyal and he’s a nice man, Elizabeth. Truth be told, I think he will be good for Donavan also. You know, give him some stability.”
    They talked a little longer about wedding plans, Elizabeth’s family, and Nina’s love-hate relationship with Isaac Walker. When they finally hung up, Nina turned off her computer and went for a walk.
    Donavan watched as his mother walked down Oxford. He sat perched on an abandoned car. The school bus had left an hour ago. She didn’t even notice that he didn’t get on it. Why didn’t she just leave him alone? Just run off with her boyfriend? She didn’t care about him. Didn’t even want to know how his insides were eaten up with guilt over following behind JC and his crew.
    He still couldn’t believe that he risked his life for three hundred bucks. That was the amount JC gave him. How much his services had been worth. He might only be eleven—almost twelve, but he knew that three hundred bucks wasn’t going to get him far.
    â€œHey, kid. Get off of my car.” A fat man with a gun was standing on his porch hollering at Donavan.
    Donavan jumped down from the hood of the car and ran. He had no plans the rest of his day; had no idea what he would do until he could go back home. So, he just wandered the streets, trying to get as far away from the route his mother had taken as possible. A few blocks over, he ran into a couple of teenagers standing behind an abandoned house, smoking cigarettes and shooting dice. Donavan didn’t want to shoot dice. His father had told him too many times that his uncle had been murdered over a dice game. So, dice were out of the question for him.
    â€œWhat up?” Donavan asked with a wave of his hand as he sat down on the back porch and watched them. He figured if he could strike up a conversation, they might let him hang with them for the rest of the day. But the three guys were already talking about something. Donavan heard the name Mickey Jones and his mouth went dry.
    â€œMan, did you hear that Mickey got took for five thou’ the other night?” the tall, scraggly one asked.
    The guy with the cigarette took it out of his mouth, blew out smoke and said, “I wish it had been me. I could use five thou’ right about now. My mom’s house is about to be foreclosed on.”
    â€œNaw, man, you don’t want that money.” The third and final guy speaking was shorter than the other two, but he was muscular; built like a fighter. The fighter continued, “Heard Mickey is looking for those