Free The Mike Black Saga; MOB by Roy Glenn Page A

watch the amount of sodium in the foods we buy and the amount of salt we pour on it.”
    “But you know black people can’t live without mac-n-cheese,” Travis said playfully.
    “True that, true that.” She nodded in agreement and smiled. “’Cause I love it too. But we shouldn’t eat it all the time.”
    “Well, if that’s the case, half of what we call soul food ain’t all that healthy for us either.”
    “I know that’s right, ’cause when I go to my aunt’s house for Sunday dinner or on Thanksgiving and Christmas, there I am eating everything in sight, gettin’ fat on my way back in the kitchen for a second plate. But I sure pay for it the next week.”
    “I don’t know. You look pretty healthy to me.”
    “I try to eat right, you know, get a little exercise. You look like you’re in pretty good shape,” she said, peering in his cart. “Most of what you have is pretty healthy. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.”
    “Thank you,” Travis said, glad that he only picked up items in the aisles she went down. “By the way, my name is Travis. Travis Burns,” he said and extended his hand.
    “Me’shelle Lawrence,” she said, accepting his hand.
    “Well, Ms. Lawrence, it is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
    “The pleasure is mutual, Mr. Burns,” Me’shelle said graciously.
    “And thank you for the nutrition lesson.”
    “Not a problem. Everybody needs to be educated on some things sometimes. It’s what I do.”
    “So, when you brutally attacked my ankle, what were you looking at?”
    “The dietary fiber contents,” Me’shelle said. “Always choose my cereal based on the amount of dietary fiber it has.”
    “Is that important?”
    “Very,” Me’shelle replied, thinking the reason why it was important was a little too much information for her to be giving for the purposes of that conversation.
    “I’ll have to watch that,” Travis said. “And thank you again. Listen, would you like to go out with me some time?”
    Me’shelle leaned back and looked Travis over. “I don’t know if that would be a good idea.”
    “Why? Are you married?”
    “No.”
    “Well then, I think it’s the least you could do after you attacked my ankle,” Travis said jokingly, but he was dead serious.
    “Travis—that’s your name, right? I usually don’t go out with guys that try to pick me up in the grocery store. So, I guess that you’ll just have to settle for a sincere apology.”
    “Well, if that’s all I can have, then I will just have to be happy with that.” Travis once again extended his hand. “It was truly a pleasure meeting and talking with you today, Ms. Lawrence. Hopefully we’ll meet again some time. In fact, I’m sure of it,” Travis said confidently.
    Me’shelle accepted his hand and looked at him curiously. “Nice meeting you too.” She was really starting to like Travis. I wasn’t expecting him to give up so easily, she thought as she watched Travis walk down the aisle heading toward the checkout lanes.
    For Travis, it was a totally successful first encounter. He came away knowing her name. Me’shelle Lawrence . The words seemed to float from her lips to his ears. He knew what kind of car she drove. He knew that she was health conscious, and he now knew that she was quite intelligent.
    Travis paid for his items and headed for his car, knowing that he would see her again. He made a note of her license plate number and drove off.
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    On Sunday morning, Me’shelle got in her car and headed to her aunt Miranda’s house in Queens for Sunday dinner. As she drove across the Whitestone Bridge, she glanced out her window at the water. She loved the water; it was so peaceful and allowed her to clear her mind and think. Of course, driving across a bridge may not be the best time to look at and enjoy the water, but it is what it is. Her dilemma that morning was her older brother, Bruce. How should she handle him, and what, if anything,