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KANDY

I remember the very first day I met Mr Cane

I was only nine years old, but I remember exactly what I saw and how I felt when I first laid eyes on him

A shiny black car pulled into the driveway of our two-story ho less than a yard away fro tree on the front laearing dingy-white chucks with rainbow laces, jean overalls, and knee-high pink socks I was covered in grass stains after playing hide-and-seek with Frankie earlier that day

I squintedopen and the sole of a shiny, black dress-shoe planted itself on the pavement My eyes shifted over to the navy blue suit pants he wore, then up to the white button-down shirt that was rolled at the sleeves, revealing strong, inked forearms And then I found his face He stood tall, shoulders broad, a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes His skin was a rich bronze, like it’d been kissed by the sun his entire life He rolled his neck, and I swear I could hear the crack of it from where I sat

I don't think he sawat the house, probably impressed by it I really liked that house, too

The man shut the door behind him, and when he took a step to the side, I noticed a tattoo on the curve of his neck RISE I could see the word in bold script from the short distance away

His jawline was sharp, the barest trace of stubble on his face There was ink on his hands and all over his arms, some of it dark, some colorful His dark brown hair was tapered on the sides and in the back, the lengthier part at the crown gelled back If I were to guess, I would have assumed he was no older than thirty Maybe twenty-six or twenty-seven?

He inhaled and then exhaled, taking off his sunglasses, and when he finally turned his head to the left, his eyes landed right on mine

His face didn't change

He almost seemed unbothered by my presence, or like he already kneho I was

I didn't know him at all

He walked toward the hood of his Chrysler still eyeingat the corners of his lips Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, plucked one out, and then stuck it between his lips A lighter was in his other hand, and he lit the cigarette in a flash, taking a hard pull from it

I frowned at hi back, lifting"It's bad for you"

He continued puffing, sitting on the hood of his car "You should mind your own business"