The Last Boyfriend (Forever Love #1)(37)
Author: J.S. Cooper

“But you got a good job?” I interjected. “How did that happen?”

“They say everyone has a Guardian Angel, don’t they?” He smiled suddenly. “One day I was walking down the street, getting up to no good, and I saw Betty running after a bag.”

“I was helping my momma and she had sent me to go pick up some shoes.” Betty interjected, rubbing Sidney’s back.

“And she looked so pretty and sweet, and she completely snubbed me.” He laughed. “She was too good for the likes of me, and she knew it.”

“I was from a good family. He was just a street boy.” Betty smiled. “It wouldn’t do for me to associate with a street boy.”

“I fell in love with her at first site. I knew I had to do whatever I could to win her heart. I went to a school one of my neighbors had set up. He was self-educated and I was able to get a job as a delivery boy for a local store.”

“He made it to college.” Betty beamed proudly. “He only started getting a real education at 14, and he made it to college.”

“Only because I knew you wouldn’t marry an uneducated man.” Sidney laughed.

“You mean date?” She shook her head, but her eyes were beaming.

“I mean marry, my love. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to marry you.”

“So you changed your life around for love?” I felt tears well up in my eyes again. We had completely veered from the residential segregation conversation, but I was caught up in their obvious love for each other. “What a wonderful love story, this is.”

“Now you’ll be telling me you want to focus the documentary on love, and not the move.” Sidney laughed and I saw him squeeze his wife’s hand.

“I love a good love story.” I smiled, and avoided Zane’s stare. “Especially when it has a happy ending.”

“Well, we have four kids and seven grandbabies, so I think it worked out pretty nicely.” Sidney chuckled and stood up. “Excuse me, I have to stand up and stretch before my old bones get locked in one position.”

“No worries.” I stood up as well. “Do you want us to reconvene next week? We can pick up where we left off.”

“You don’t have to leave.” Sidney stretched his arms, and I motioned to Zane.

“I think we have all we need right now.” I paused. “Do you have a list of names and numbers for the other people you told us about from your neighborhood?”

“Yes, Betty wrote it down for you.” Sidney nodded. “Some of them may be dead now, we’re getting on in age.”

“We understand. And thank you, Mr. Johnson.” Zane stood up and took Mr. Johnson’s hand.

“No problem, son. You be nice to this young lady here. She’s a good catch.” He winked at me. “And take it from someone that knows. don’t let her get away.”

I blushed furiously at his words, and I could sense that Zane was staring at me. “Thanks for everything, Mr. Johnson.” Zane’s voice was light, but I knew he must be feeling annoyed.

“And Ms. Lucky, I look forward to seeing you again. Let me get a hug.” Sidney gave me a huge hug, and whispered in my ear. “Your young man will come around. Don’t give up on him.”

“I what?” I looked at him in shock, and he winked.

“Just let me know when you want to come by again. Betty and I will be here.”

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson.” I smiled at them as we exited the house. I got into Zane’s car in a much happier mood than when I had gotten out.

“They were nice.” Zane looked at me before he started the ignition. “And you were great.”

“Thanks. They were amazing.” I sighed. “What a perfect couple they are. And man, that story. How sad. But yet, so sweet.”

“It’ll make a good documentary.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Go on.” His voice was tense.

“Why are you making a documentary on the Civil Rights Movement when you obviously don’t know anything about it?” I looked down at my lap.

“I guess I owe you an answer, don’t I?” He sighed. I looked up at him, and he was staring at me with emotional eyes.

“If you don’t mind.”

“My brother studied history as well.” He half-smiled. “I still don’t know much about it though.”

“Noah?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “When we were younger, we watched a movie called Imitation of Life. I thought it was terribly depressing, but he loved it. He always wanted to make a movie about that time period. Like a look at race relations during the Civil Rights Era—he was almost obsessed with it.”

“Oh?”

“I think we were so young when our mom left. And we had so many unresolved issues. Well, I think he wanted to displace his hurt. He wanted to understand the human psyche. Why people treated others the way that they did.”

“I’ve always wondered that as well.”

“Yes. I could see that.” He sighed. “Noah would really like you.”

“Will I get to meet him?” I asked softly.

Zane looked up at me with a pained glance. “No.”

“Oh okay.” Why? I wanted to ask him, but I wanted him to talk about his brother when he was willing to talk to me about him.

“We should really pull out of their driveway.” He laughed awkwardly.

“Yeah.” I was disappointed. Just when we were beginning to get somewhere, he clams up again.

“Noah died last year.” Zane’s voice was low as he started the car, and I stilled at his words. “I found all these notes for this documentary in his stuff. I wanted to make it to honor him.”

“I’m sorry.” I wanted to reach out to him, but I didn’t know how he would respond.

“He was my little brother.” He clenched the wheel. “He was all that I had. And now he’s gone. I’m making this for him.”

“That’s a nice way to honor your brother.” My voice was soft and I reached over and squeezed his hand.

“He loved soccer. He was obsessed with it. When he was 18, I flew him to London and we watched a Chelsea and Tottenham match.”

“Who?”

“They are two British football teams. He loved it.” His voice cracked. “He said it was the best present I could have ever given him. Better than taking him to Amsterdam and getting him some weed and prostitutes.” He laughed.