Battle: BWWM Dystopian Interracial Sci-Fi Romance (Betwixt Chocolate Book 2) (2 page)

“Who can come up and write down something about Governor Tony on the blackboard?” she asked.

A dozen hands, including a couple from adults, were raised into the air. She carefully waved her hand a moment, stopping to point at a boy no older than eleven. His black, curly hair extended well past his skull. I watched as he proudly walked to the front of the class. After taking a small piece of chalk from Ree, he stepped up to the blackboard and wrote out, “Governor Tony good!”

I smiled.

“You forgot the verb, but good job.” She turned back to the class. “Can anyone tell me what word is missing?”

“Is,” someone in back shouted out.

“Good,” she said.

The remaining half-hour of class went by quickly. As the students shuffled out of the room, I stayed behind.

“You’re doing great with them,” I said.

“Thanks. I’m trying.” She smiled. “It feels good to help people learn.”

“Education is going to help all of us in the long run,” I said.

“You ain’t gonna get no disagreement from me, Gov Tony,” she said in a heavily accented voice.

“Are you making fun of your students?” I teased.

“No.” She frowned. “Okay, maybe. It’s so stressful.”

“I know what you mean.” I paused, then added, “How do you feel about having dinner together?”

“I’m really busy.”

“We all have to eat,” I insisted.

She stared into my eyes. “Okay. You’ve broken down my resistance,” she said with a slight laugh.

Joy raged through my body. “Great. Does tonight work for you?”

“I didn’t have any plans. Your place or mine?”

“I’ll come to your quarters,” I said, not wanting to put any extra pressure on her.

“Sounds good. Give me about an hour or two to finish up here, okay?”

“I have some stuff to do too, but I look forward to getting together.”

Can you sound any more idiotic? I asked myself in my mind.

Her smile put me at ease.

“I’ll see you later, Tony.”

I turned and almost danced my way out of the classroom. The harshness of the world could still jump up and bite me at any time, but for the moment my thoughts were centered on Ree. She caused my heart to skip a beat whenever she was near me. Time wouldn’t pass quick enough that afternoon.

***

Her quarters were as sparse as anyone else in our still unnamed factory-city, but at the same time I sensed her style as I glanced around the room. The smell of green beans and chicken permeated the room. Rations were tight, but with all the work we did to help everyone, certain perks were granted to us by the people. I walked over to the table where she was intently fixing our food for dinner over a hot-plate.

“Smells so good,” I said.

“Gonna taste good too.”

“Did you cook much for yourself back at House Ballmore?” I asked, trying to make conversation.

“Sometimes. I’m trying to look forward rather than hanging onto the past, you know?”

“I do.”

I moved away and sat down at a small, wooden table nearby. A few flowers in a glass vase added a little class and made me wonder if our dinner was the beginning of something more. I missed the taste and sensation of her lips on mine. As she finished dinner, I stole glimpses of her body. Her beautiful curves were in all the right places.

“Dinner’s done,” she said, walking over to the table with a metal pot in one hand and a spatula in the other.

She tilted it a bit and poured some of the stew in front of me. Chickens were one of our last renewable sources of food. No one was certain we could keep the population going through the winter months that were on their way. I drank a glass of wine, trying to relax and just enjoy myself without thinking about the future of humanity. Our bowls were barely full, and we finished in just a few minutes.

“That was incredible,” I said, pushing my bowl toward the center of the table.

She rolled her eyes. “Thanks, I think.”

“No, I’m serious. You’re an amazing cook, and an incredible woman.”

We made eye contact again, this time neither of us looking away.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said.

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh. I wanted to share something with you. A new record of sorts.”

Confused, I waited for her to continue.

“It’s been four days since…” Her voice trailed off.

“Four days since what?” I asked, familiar with her game of adding day counters to everything in her life.

She peered into my eyes, searching for my soul.

“Four days since I started falling in love with you.”

Joy burst through my body, but I concealed my emotions in case she was just joking.

“That’s it? Nothing? No reaction? Nothing you want to say to me?”

Her questions pelted me like drops during a strong, summer thunderstorm.

What does she want from me? No one in this world can be trusted.

“You took me off guard,” I said finally. “And I have a lot on my mind.” I looked away a moment then back into her eyes. “And what do you mean started to fall? You haven’t decided about me yet?” I asked with feigned anger.

She laughed. “I’m just saying. You know I like to keep track.”

“It’s one of the things I love about you,” I said in a serious tone.

Silence fell over the room for a few blissful moments of calm. It wasn’t awkward in any way, shape or form.

“Thanks for dinner,” I said finally.

“You’re welcome. It was nice to eat with someone.”

I scooted my chair back and stood up. “Can I help clean up?”

She waved her arm. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“I hope so,” she said.

Before I left, I bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. They were so full and soft. I couldn’t get them off my mind the rest of the night.

***

Three days later, Cricket, Mercy and Melvin stood just inside the main gate, all three dressed for the road. Ree nudged me with her elbow.

“Say something,” she whispered.

I cleared my throat. “We’re here today to wish good travels to Cricket, Mercy, and Melvin who will travel to House DeeCee to get the latest news.”

A half dozen people who were gathered for the event cheered.

“They’re brave individuals, the type of people we need if we’re going to rebuild this world.”

Another cheer filled the air. I smiled, pleased with myself. Ree put her hand in mine and squeezed, filling me with even more joy. Our community had a long way to go, but its existence proved that all men and women could work together in harmony toward a common goal. It’s going to take generations, but we’re on our way, I thought to myself as the gate opened slowly.

“We go. Back later,” Cricket pronounced.

Mercy and Melvin waved. While they were a bit old for traveling outside the walls, neither could be stopped from attempting to return to House Ballmore where they were born so many years earlier. Once they were beyond the gate, it closed and locked. I sighed, thinking of all the improvements we needed to make for better security.

“What’s wrong?” Ree asked.

“Oh, just stressed,” I said.

“About what?”

“A little of everything,” I said then chuckled.

“Things are going so well. I think we have a chance.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded her head. I leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Instead of resisting, she parted her lips. My heart beat faster as her tongue slid into my mouth, dancing against mine. I wrapped my hands around her waist, pulling her closer. We both became wrapped up in the passion of the moment until someone cleared their throat. I pulled back and turned to my left.

“Sorry, Gov. We have new news.”

“It’s okay, Terry,” I said, smiling. “Give me a minute, okay?”

He nodded and headed toward the left factory. I turned my attention back to Ree.

“I have to go.”

“I know. It’s okay. I’m busy too.”

“Maybe we can have dinner again later.”

“That’s a possibility.”

“Teaching math today, are you?” I asked.

She smiled. “Yeah. See you later, okay?”

I watched as she walked away. The way her full hips swung back and forth was mesmerizing. When she turned a corner, I took a deep breath and headed toward the left factory, which was having power and production problems. The problem would likely be easy to fix, but a lot of little things were adding up. Most of my time was putting out fires rather than planning for the community’s future, which was a shame. Dinner with Ree later that night did put a bounce in my step.

Three

Tony

A week after Cricket, Mercy and Melvin left, I received word of someone approaching the main gate. They weren’t supposed to be back so soon, which worried me. I rushed out of the factory and climbed one of the towers we had constructed recently. When I reached the top, I looked out at the clearing and the man approaching. From his size, I could tell it wasn’t Cricket or one of the other two.

“Who approaches?” I called out.

The figure removed the hood of the weathered cloak he wore. His hair was pure white. A full beard fell halfway down his chest. He looked up at me, shielding his eyes from the sun with his left hand.

“Greetings. I am Curtis, a traveler who asks for sanctuary for a night or three,” he shouted.

“Are you armed?”

“You’re kidding right? It’s dangerous out here.”

“Fair enough. We’re opening the gate. Don’t try anything funny.”

I descended the ladder of the tower as the gate slowly swung open. The old man walked over. When he reached me, he held out his hand. I shook it. His firm was grip, which was surprising for his age.

“Where are you coming from exactly? Do you have any news?”

“Might I rest my feet and get some nourishment first?”

“Of course,” I said. “Follow me.”

We made our way to the cafeteria, which served food for everyone throughout the day because it was one of the basic necessities of life - like chocolate. Once he had a plate piled high, we found a seat at a table. Ree walked in and sat down next to him.

“Welcome,” she said.

The man smiled, nodded, then took a bite of a biscuit.

“This is Curtis. He has information for us,” I said.

“I have information for everyone. I’m not tied to any single factory-city. And let me tell you, there’s some crazy stuff out there in the world right now.”

“Like what?” Ree asked.

“Let the man eat,” I joked.

“I’m fine. And there’s a lot to tell with little time before I have to move on. I have a lot of other places to go and people to see.”

“What’s the biggest news?” Ree asked.

“War is on the horizon. A lot of governors and presidents and kings are thinking about expanding their empires. If they all do it at once, it could get bloody.”

“How many people are alive out there?” I asked.

“Millions, I would say.” He took a bite of chicken. “At least that many,” he continued as he chewed his food.

“I have to get going,” Ree said, turning to me. “You can catch me up later, okay?”

I nodded. She stood up and walked away as I turned my attention back to the traveler.

“Things are crazy out there now,” he said, not slowing down at all on the food intake. “There’s this place called Texas where they’re all lunatics. I barely escaped.”

“Go on…”

“I have everything written down. I’ll leave you a copy before I go. Make as many copies as you can,” he said. “We need to spread knowledge.”

“I agree,” I said, the gravity of the situation weighing on me.

“You’re in charge here, right?” he asked, glancing around the nearly empty cafeteria.

“Yeah. Why?”

He reached into his bag and pulled out a small pouch. I accepted it.

“Don’t look inside right now, but it’s a map and a diamond ring.”

“Why are you giving them to me?”

“Well, I want some supplies and maybe a few people to travel with me. I hoped we might come to an understanding?”

“Everyone here is addicted to chocolate. They can’t leave.”

“Chocolate can be found everywhere in the world now.”

“Do you know anything about the cure?”

“Doc Chang from House Newyo.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard him mentioned,” I said.

“If you can find him, he may be able to help. I’ve tried, but I don’t like to spend too much time in any one single area. Tends to wear out my welcome, you know?”

“You’re welcome here as long as you would like to stay. We are working toward breaking the addiction to chocolate and building a new world for everyone.”