by Teneka Woods
“I’m so sorry,” the woman said. “She does this every time she sees animals. Cats especially. I try to warn her that not all animals are friendly and she needs to be careful.”
“It’s not a problem. I was the same way when I was a little girl,” Tora said. It was a good thing Mink was her most personable cat because had it been Silk the kid ran up to she may have been lying on the ground crying from a scratch to her face for frightening him.
“Mom, see the kitty? He likes me,” Harley said, and took possession of the leash.
Tora and the woman sat down at the nearby table while Harley walked with Mink around the courtyard.
“My brother has a cat Harley just loves and—” she paused, “I’m Lauren by the way—”
Tora nodded and smiled. “I’m Tora.”
“Oh, that’s a lovely name.”
“Thanks.”
“Whenever we visit him, my brother, she’s all over the cat. The poor thing doesn’t stand a chance.” Lauren licked the sides of Harley’s cone to keep it from running all over her hand. “She wants to take him home with us every time.”
Tora chuckled.
“I thought about getting one for her, but her father disapproves. He doesn’t like indoor pets.”
“Oh,” Tora nodded.
“Honey, your ice cream is melting. If you don’t want it I’m gonna toss it, okay?” Lauren called out to her daughter.
Harley was too busy laughing at Mink waltzing across one of the tabletops.
“See what I mean?” Lauren shook her head. “She begged for this ice cream and now she’s not even thinking about it.” She got up and threw both of their cones in the trash can when Harley didn’t respond to her second call. “But I may do it anyway. He’s rarely home, so it’s not like he’ll have to deal with it.”
“Her dad?”
“Yeah. He travels a lot for work, so he’s gone for weeks at a time. It’ll be a nice surprise for her.” She smiled.
“How sweet,” Tora said.
Lauren reached over and patted Silk’s head. “Who’s this little guy? He’s sitting here like he’s the king.”
“He’s the spoiled one. He doesn’t like to be outside too much.”
“He’s beautiful. I can tell he’s well-taken care of.”
“He is. Both of them are.”
For the next hour they sat and chatted and kept an eye on Harley. Lauren complained to Tora about her upstairs neighbors whose child sprinted from one end of the apartment to the next all day long, and about her next door neighbor who woke up every morning coughing up phlegm. She said she’d tried to become a member of the social committee board but was told she had to have been a resident of the complex for at least six months. She and her husband just moved to the area from Tomball four months ago.
Tora told her that she’d chosen the third floor apartment because she was afraid of being flooded out during Houston’s infamous rain storms, and because she didn’t like anyone living above her. She told her about the animal shelter where she loved to volunteer and how it would be a great place to look if Lauren decided to get a cat for Harley. She told her about the guy who called her a confused bitch right before she came over to the courtyard.
Harley threw a fit as soon as Lauren said it was time for them to leave.
“In a minute! I just want to play with him,” she cried.
“We have to go now, Harley. It’s lunch time and I need to start the laundry.”
Harley didn’t want to hear any of it and plopped down in the grass, still holding on to Mink’s leash.
“It’s okay. You’ll see us around again soon,” Tora tried to calm her.
Eventually they both had to leave their seat at the table and go to Harley when she wouldn’t come over as her mother demanded.
Tora grabbed Mink’s leash. It broke her heart to see the girl’s feelings crushed. “Thank you for playing with her today, Harley. She really likes you, too.”
Lauren had to pull her daughter off the ground. Fat tears rolled down the girl’s face as Lauren waved goodbye to Tora and carried Harley away kicking and screaming.
THIRTY-NINE
When Sunny didn’t respond to his text messages or return the phone call after he’d left a voicemail, he decided to dial her office. He had a special rapport with the receptionist and knew he wouldn’t have any trouble getting through to Sunny right away.
“Good afternoon. Thank you for calling Thomas, Baker, and Walker. How may I direct your call?”
Nate smiled. It was several years ago when he first heard that voice—a soft and breathy tone that was more fitting for nighttime radio than a stiff law office. He was so taken aback by the beauty of it he’d asked Sunny to tell him all about the lady with the sultry voice and if he could schedule an appointment to come in and see what she looked like.
Then he learned she was married.
But Veronica had no problem letting him know that if she ever decided to betray her husband he would be the one she’d risk it all for if he indeed was the handsome brother in the photo on Sunny’s credenza. Nate knew she was being facetious, but every once in a while he would call the office just to have his ego stroked.
“Mrs. Tramell, how you doin’? It’s Nate Walker.”
“Well hello my lover-in-waiting… it’s been a long time.”
Her voice really could make a man give up everything. It was just that sexy.
“How has life been treating you?” she asked.
“Life’s great. I can’t complain about anything.”
“Still wasting time with that bougie chick?”
Nate chuckled. She was referring to his ex-girlfriend—the one who dumped him, the one he was still mourning when the incident with Kaneesa occurred. “Naw. She’s been out of the picture for a while now. I’ve moved on to someone better.”
“Ohhh… I see. So now you’re cheating on me?”
“Mrs. Tramell, you left me no choice. Did you expect me to wait forever?”
“Is she good to you?”
“Oh yeah. She’s perfect.”
“Well… when she acts up, I’m here if you ever need to get your mind off things.”
Nate chuckled again. “We really need to stop talking like this before someone thinks we’re serious.”
“You’re right,” she laughed. “What can I do for you?”
“Is Sunny available?”
“Hold on, let me try—”
“No, don’t tell her it’s me.”
“Why not?”
“She might not answer.”
“She’s definitely not going to answer if I don’t announce who you are. She has me screening her calls today.”
“Alright. Tell her it’s me, and it’s an emergency.”
“Is everything all right, Nate?”
“Oh yeah. I don’t mean like a tragic emergency… just… I need to talk to my sister. That’s all.”
“Hold on.”
Nearly seven minutes passed before Sunny picked up the line.
“Sunny?”
“Yes, brother?” she answered, her voice edged with annoyance.
“What’s going on with you, baby sis? Why you not answering?”
“Is that why you’re calling my office?”
“Yeah. I’ve been worried about you.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, Nate.”
“That’s not what I heard.”
She sucked her teeth.
“And I’m kinda disappointed I had to hear it from Geo.”
“So is that what y’all are doing? The whole family knows? This was supposed to be between me, Mama, and Daddy.”
“Well… they said the wedding was canceled, which surprised me because me and you just had lunch not too long ago, and you didn’t mention that anything was wrong.”
“Nate, don’t try to act like you care about the wedding now.”
She had a point there, but it still bothered him that Levi was causing her grief. “Sis, I’m just try
ing to make sure you’re okay. Once I heard about the threatening phone calls and how Levi got you involved, my main concern is you, Anaya, and Deuce—”
Sunny remained quiet.
“So what’s going on with Levi? What kinda mess is he in?”
She sighed heavily. “He has a little gambling addiction, Nate.”
“Little? Sunny, I heard he owes somebody ten grand, and now they’re calling for him to pay up. Sis, there’s nothing ‘little’ about that.”
“Everybody has an addiction to something, Nate, whether we acknowledge it or not. For some it’s cigarettes, or food, or shopping, or playing video games. Levi likes to bet on things and he went way overboard this time.”
Nate shook his head. “Sunny, are you covering for him? Ten thousand dollars is a lot to owe somebody over a few bets.”
“So now you think I’m lying? I really don’t have to explain anything to you or anybody else for that matter, Nate. I’m going to figure it out.”
He didn’t want to upset her any futher, so he decided to quit with the questioning while he was ahead. “Do you need my help with anything? I mean… do you need me to take the kids off your hands for a few days?”
“Yeah, right,” she said. “You wouldn’t last two hours with them. And how would you pull that off with your work schedule? Are you on vacation or something?”
“No. Just trying to help you out if I can.”
“I’m sure Levi would like a break from them for a few days, but… that’s his job. He’s the stay-at-home dad.”
Nate held back his thoughts on that one. “Talk to you later, sis. Call me if you need anything.”
“Alright, brother. Bye.”
FORTY
The bristles of his beard tickled her skin.
“Wake up, sleepy head. Aren’t you gonna be late?”
Nate was kissing all over her face. The crisp cool scent of his bath soap filled her nose. His face was damp like he hadn’t completely dried off his body. Tora groaned. “What time is it? I just need fifteen more minutes.”
“Seven-thirty. Don’t you leave at eight when you work the early shift?”
She raised her head to check the time for herself then plopped back against the pillow. “I really don’t feel like going,” she groaned again.
Nate chuckled. “Why not?”
“Because a certain somebody wouldn’t let me get any sleep last night.”
He smiled and kissed her forehead. “That’s strange because we both got the same amount of sleep, but I woke up energized this morning.”
“I’m sure you did,” she smirked as he left the bed. Last night Nate was insatiable. Her body was still tender from the number of times he’d taken her.
She watched as he stood pulling clothing out of the dresser drawers, and she thought how natural it felt to wake up next to him and see him go through his morning routine.
“I’m about to make breakfast,” he said. “Should I pack yours to go?”
“I think I’m gonna call off.”
“Really, babe? Are you being lazy today?” He slipped on a pair of those jogger pants she loved on him—the ones that showcased his firm ass.
She pulled the bed sheet up to her chin. “You should, too.”
Nate looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t wanna go to work today. And I want you to stay here with me.”
He came over and sat on the edge of the bed. “Let me get this straight…. You want me to call off work just so we can do nothing?”
“Yes. I just wanna relax.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever called off work,” he said.
“Today would be the perfect day to do it. Let’s just chill.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re really a bad influence, you know that?”
“Will you bring my phone from the living room so I can call my boss? It’s in my purse on the floor by the coffee table.”
* * *
“It’ll be just our luck somebody sees us.”
“Will you stop saying that? Nobody’s gonna see us,” Tora said.
Nate accepted the tickets and property map from the cashier and they entered the gates to The Houston Zoo.
“It’s called Murphy’s Law. Something is bound to go wrong.”
Tora rolled her eyes. “I never would’ve guessed you of all people would be a scaredy-cat.”
“I’m just saying…” he chuckled. “How will I explain to my supervisor if someone mentions they saw me out today?”
She’d convinced him to call off work after all. Following breakfast in bed they took a two-hour nap, and when they woke up Tora decided she no longer wanted to spend the day indoors and suggested the two of them go out for a day of fun.
“It’s not gonna happen, Nate. Relax.” She took the map from him. “What do you wanna see first?” she asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t grow up to become a zoo keeper or a veterinarian,” he told her after they had been walking for a while.
“It seems the most logical career for me considering my love for animals, right? But I loved fashion and photography just as much, and I believed I could do more professionally in those fields.”
Several of the animals she had been excited to see weren’t even outside of their caves, but she and Nate got a kick out of watching the baboons and chimps’ mischievous behavior.
“I know you can’t be around cats, but do you ever think about having like a dog or something?”
“Eh,” he shrugged. “I mean… I never thought about it. I guess having one could be cool, but I don’t know if I’m ready for that type of responsibility. You gotta walk them and bathe them and take ‘em to the vet. It’s almost like having a kid, y’know?”
“Exactly, and that’s why I’ve always favored cats. They’re pretty self-sufficient. Just leave some food and water out and they’re good alone for a few days. I used to have a rabbit, too, when I was a little girl, but she got out of her cage some kinda way and I never saw her again. My daddy swore up and down our neighbors found it and was holding the rabbit hostage in their house,” she laughed. “We had a parrot. He was so pretty! We named him Mr. Bentley. My mom didn’t care for him though. She said he made too much noise and the cat we had at the time was always messing with him, which made him squawk even more.”
“So you had your own zoo when you were a kid?”
“Pretty much,” she said.
They chose to stop and have lunch at the deli. Nate found an empty, moderately clean table for them to eat outdoors. As soon as Tora set their tray of sandwiches down a crow fluttered onto the table, and Nate nearly knocked over their drinks fanning it away. The bird landed on the next table, two more swooped down beside it, and all three stood watching, waiting for Tora or Nate to drop some food.
Nate said, “Maybe we should eat inside.”
“No. Let’s stay out here. They’re not gonna bother us. The weather’s too perfect to not have lunch on the patio.”
“If you say so,” he laughed. “I’m just trying to save us from a bird attack.”
She took a chunk of bread from her sandwich and tossed it to the crows. The swiftest of the bunch snatched it and flew away.
“Babe, why would you do that?!”
Tora giggled.
“I see now you’re a big kid sometimes,” he shook his head smiling.
She blew him a kiss and started on her turkey sandwich.
“I admit this turned out to be a very relaxing day,” Nate said.
“It is. I wish we could stay out here forever,” Tora sighed.
They were coasting around the lake in a pedal boat at Hermann Park. Tora had suggested they go to the park when they left the zoo because she had never been there. They spent the first hour touring the park on rental bikes when they came upon the lake.
“I may end up falling asleep out here,” Nate said. “
It’s comfortable.” He yawned.
“You and me both,” she said, and yawned too. “I told you we didn’t get enough sleep last night.”
“You’re probably right,” he said, giving her a sexy grin.
His phone rang in his pocket.
“What could my dad be calling me about this time of day?” he said, looking at the screen.
Tora glanced around the lake. “Maybe he sees you,” she laughed.
“Oh, you got jokes, huh?” Nate reached over and squeezed her thigh as he answered the call.
Tora was busy looking at the turtles in the water when her attention returned to Nate when she heard him exclaim.
“I thought the baby wasn’t due for another month? So she went into labor early?!”
“What’s wrong?” Tora asked when his call ended.
“My sister just had the baby. Like an hour ago, my dad said.”
“Well… that’s good news, right?”
“She wasn’t due until the end of next month.”
“Oh,” Tora said.
“My dad said she was in a lot of pain yesterday, so she told Levi to take her to the hospital late last night.”
“But she and the baby are okay?”
“I guess so. Dad didn’t say. He said he and my mom are going up there to see her when they get off work.”
“Well… congratulations on your new niece or neph—”
“I know it’s all Levi’s fault. He has her stressed out over his bullshit.”
Tora looked at him. “You really think that’s why she had the baby early?”
“I know so. But Sunny will never admit to it.”
“I noticed you don’t seem to like him all that much. Why is that?”
Nate shook his head. “He’s just the worst dude for my sister. He don’t do shit for her, barely do anything for the kids, don’t contribute nothing to the household, ain’t trying to be nothing. He’s just there. Living off her and spending her money.”
“She obviously loves him, so—”
“I just feel like I’m watching her slowly waste her life away with this dude.”
“Yeah, but, Nate I’m sure you know there is nothing you can do about that.”
“Sunny is too smart to settle for a low-life.”