"Sup girlie? You know I'm not down with accidents… I hear you trying to hook a brother up." He said in his easy way of getting his point across. Just like Avery, Nita ignored his words.
Her friend was much more slender than her but she was still thick. She was shapely and had an easy pace that was provocative and sleek. She may have tipped the scale in around 160 or 170 pounds and she looked like she probably worked out. She was firm with nice hips and legs and ample tits. Okay she might be worth checking out he thought as they made their final approach.
"Avery told you 'bout my friend Mia…"
"I was bout to…" Avery playfully scolded as he took his son's mother into the folds of his arms and sat her on top of his lap. Nita all but purred from his attention as they sat lovingly together. Reluctantly Jayden acknowledged the inwardly cringing of his innards as he watched envious of what his friend had.
He loved the fact that Avery had found a woman that he could shower his love and affection on while raising his son. As much as he liked what his friend had, he had to admit to himself that he was chicken shit and too afraid to let himself go like that. He was too afraid of losing himself to a woman and ending up like his father; a whipped bitched-ass do-nothing man. He couldn't fathom falling in love with a woman and leaving himself vulnerable and open to the possibility of being disappointed and abandoned again. However more than his fear of being hurt by a woman was his fear of impregnating her and turning out to carry the swagger of his deadbeat-dad. No, he wasn't willing to take that risk. He wasn't willing to risk finding out that no matter how hard he fought not to be like the old man; genetics didn't lie- he was just like the man whom he loathed the most- his father Jacob Ellis.
"Hi I'm Mia Cleaves…" The young woman introduced herself and greeted him with a smile. In that one smile Jayden knew in an instant that he hated her. She was a relationship or rather an accident waiting to happen with a trap included free of charge. His first instinct was to run away- run far, far away from her.
* * * * * * * * * *
"I stand here before you as our city is reaching a crossroad." Jacob began his speech. Looking out over the audience he could see that the park was overflowing with people. The listening audience was more than he had expected; a multitude cross-section of their multi-cultural and diverse community. Unbuttoning his jacket he then rested his hands against the podium. Slightly turning his head to the side, he could see Markus and his wife Lisa and Dinah sitting sternly and proudly behind him like dutiful children. Louise would be proud; Markus was a practicing attorney and Dinah was in her last year residency with the hospital. He had the almost picture perfect family; if only Louise had still been alive. Their dream had come true. He pushed past that brief thought of sadness to continue on with his speech.