by Carl Weber
I stifled a laugh at his obvious lie. “Tell it to somebody who doesn’t know, Lou. I’ve seen you and your brothers’ work firsthand, remember? But if you don’t want to do that, then why don’t you just use one of your whores?”
He gave me a dismissive look. “He’d spot a whore a mile away, and you can’t strongarm a guy like Eddie. People have tried. He’d rather die. The way to his mind is through his dick.” He leaned in close and let his eyes travel to my chest again. “He seems to like you a lot.”
“I’m not going to fuck him,” I said just as the waitress returned with our food and placed it on the table. Her tense body language told me she’d heard what I said. Before she could open her mouth to ask if we needed anything else, Lou dismissed her.
When we were alone again, he leaned over the table looking more vulnerable than I ever would have thought he could be. “Donna, I really need your help. This is my momma we’re talking about.”
I couldn’t believe it, but I felt myself sympathizing with this man who’d given me nothing but grief over the years. Besides, it wasn’t just his momma we were talking about. She was LC’s momma too.
“All right, I’ll see what I can do to get the information, but I’m still not fucking him.”
That wasn’t good enough for Lou. “You gotta fuck him or he won’t tell you shit.”
I chuckled. “I don’t have to fuck him to get what I want. Ask your brother. Not fucking him is going to get us what we want way faster than if I give him some—which I’m not. “
There was an eternity of silence during which Lou didn’t move.
“Your food is getting cold,” I finally said.
“I need that information, and I don’t think you realize who you’re dealing with,” he said as he picked up his fork.
“Yes, I do. I’m a woman. I know how to get what I want out of men,” I said. I wasn’t bragging; just stating facts. Until Chippy came along, I’d never failed at getting what I wanted. “But, Lou, if I do this, if I help you, you have to help me too.”
“Name your price,” he said, mistakenly thinking I meant money.
“I want to see him.”
Nee Nee
10
“So, what do you think?” Shirley asked me. She was walking around like a peacock.
I looked around the large open space, full of dust and dirt. The peeling paint on the walls, the cracked floors, and broken windows didn’t exactly give me a reason to be too excited. The building, located diagonally across from Big Shirley’s, had been sitting vacant for a few years. How she had gotten the key was just as much a mystery to me as the reason she had brought me there. But I had learned long ago that when it came to Duncan business, the fewer questions you asked, the better.
Technically, Shirley wasn’t a Duncan because they weren’t legally married. She had been Levi’s woman for years now, however, and truth is, if she’d wanted him to marry her, he’d do it in a minute. He wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was she.
“Umm, I guess it’s okay,” I told her, turning around and slowly taking it all in. To be perfectly honest, the place was a damn dump. I just didn’t want to bad mouth it because of how excited Shirley seemed to be. She probably had grand plans to do something with it, or at least attempt to.
“But can I ask one question?”
“Sure, ask away,” she answered.
“What exactly is it supposed to be?” I guess I couldn’t judge until I knew what she planned to do with the place.
“Girl, it’s your new restaurant!” Shirley announced with excitement.
“My new restaurant? What are you talking about?”
“I know it ain’t really that big, but think about it. We can put some tables and chairs in here and make a small dining area. We can knock out this wall over here and put a small counter with a couple of stools and a takeout window. And come back here.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me through a small doorway, into a kitchen that was surprisingly larger than I had expected. “This is your kitchen. And this back room can be a storage area.”
“Shirley, I never said I wanted to open a restaurant,” I said, totally confused by this whole situation.
“Sure you have.”
Well, technically I had, but that was mostly talk. The truth was, I had never seriously considered it. The fact that I could cook was no secret. I was by far the best cook in Waycross. People told me that all the time. Cooking was my passion, the only thing that I loved almost as much as Larry and my son Curtis. Providing sandwiches for LC’s customers at the station and cooking for First Fridays was something that made me happy, but that was as far as my dreams went.
“Nee Nee, you been cooking for Larry, LC, and the boys for long enough. It’s time to take your gift to the next level. I was gonna tell you after the service the other night, but after LC made his big announcement, I ain’t never got a chance.”
“I appreciate what you was thinking, but I don’t know. I’d have to talk to Larry about it. Restaurants cost money to open,” I said.
She waved off my concern. “Talk to Larry about what? Don’t worry about Larry. I got some money saved up. I’ll be your partner. Don’t you wanna be your own boss?” She swept her arm in the air, gesturing as if there was a big sign on the wall. “Nee Nee’s Soul Food Cafe.”
“That does sound good, Shirley, but I still gotta talk to Larry.”
Shirley kept pushing. “I thought you were your own woman. You can’t make a decision without Larry?”
“Yes, but I still have to go home and lay in that bed with him.” This was something Shirley wouldn’t necessarily understand because in her relationship, she made just about all the decisions for her and sweet, simple Levi. “Besides, what about Atlanta?”
Shirley rolled her eyes. “What about it?”
“I don’t know. With LC and Chippy moving to Atlanta, maybe we should too,” I suggested.
She had been standing there along with everyone else when LC and Lou almost had it out over their momma’s death. LC’s announcement about Atlanta had taken us all by surprise, but since then, Larry had been helping LC put things in motion.
“There’s a lot of opportunity up there. Larry thinks it could be good for all of us,” I explained. “He’s talking about splitting time between Waycross and Atlanta until LC gets things settled.”
“Unh-uh. I ain’t going nowhere, and neither is Levi.”
Shirley put her hands on her hips and shook her head. She was pretty for her age, once you looked past the scars on her face. I had a lot of respect for the woman who had started out being one of the original ladies of Big Sam’s and now ran the place.
“Going to Atlanta makes no sense to me. We’re doing fine right here in Waycross. We’re already set up, making plenty of money. Folks know who we are and what we’re capable of. The Duncan name is powerful here. Why the hell should we leave all this to go somewhere and start all over? For years, I worked and helped to make Big Sam’s place what it is. Now I’m running it. Ain’t nothing in Atlanta for me or Levi. And if you know like I know, you’d stay here and make something of what you’ve built here,” she said.
I considered her words. On one hand, what she was saying was downright inspiring. I knew that as crazy as it sounded, if I did put a little blood, sweat, and tears—along with a lot of TLC—into the raggedy place we were standing in, it could be a success. On the other hand, I knew that there was no way in hell that Larry would allow me to stay here if he decided to make a move. And the thought of my man being in Atlanta without me and my son didn’t appeal to me either. I trusted my man, but I didn’t know how much I trusted those big city women.
“I don’t know. I think they’re planning for all of us to go,” I told her.
“Listen to me. I’ve got my business, I got my man, and now I got my baby. My black ass ain’t going nowhere!” She placed a hand on her belly.
It took a few seconds for me to comprehend what she had just said. When it hit me, I let out a squeal.
“Your baby?”
“Yes, that’s right, girl. I’m pregnant!” Her face beamed with pride, and she rubbed her stomach, which didn’t seem any bigger than usual.
I couldn’t believe it. It was no secret that Shirley and Levi were having sex. After all, that was her man. But the fact that they were about to have a child together was downright . . . surprising, for lack of a better term.
“Well, um, congrats.” I finally found the words I was looking for. I reached over and gave her a hug. I really was happy for her.
“Thanks. So, you see, I’m not leaving everything I worked hard for here just to chase some grand delusion LC has up there in Atlanta, and neither should you.”
“But they’re our family, Shirley. You, Levi, and the baby; me, Larry, and Curtis; Chippy, LC, Junior, and their soon-to-be new baby. And let’s not forget Lou. We’re all family. We’re the Duncan clan. Nobody fucks with our family, and nothing should separate us.”
“Really? We’re all family, huh? The Duncan clan!” She let out a hearty laugh. “So, how come Larry hasn’t given you his last name like LC did for Chippy?” She was starting to make me angry, but she didn’t notice the expression on my face, so she just continued right on needling me. “You ain’t a Duncan, and neither am I, but at least mine’s by choice. So, let’s be honest. We call each other whatever we want”—she patted her belly gently—“but we’re not really family.”
LC
11
“Mr. Peterson, please,” I said into the phone as I stared out my office window at an empty lot. I had decided not to give my name this time in hopes that it would get the owner of the trucking company to answer the phone.
It took a moment, but my prayers were finally answered when I heard his gruff Southern accent. “Don Peterson.”
“Mr. Peterson, this is LC Duncan, from Duncan Motors.” There was silence on the line for a second, and I worried he might hang up. “Mr. Peterson?”
He sighed. “Yes, Mr. Duncan, how can I help you?”
“You can start by telling me when I’m going to receive my cars. The manufacturer says they’re still at their facility.” I got up from my seat and began to pace the obstacle course of half-open boxes that were scattered around my office.
“That is absolutely correct, Mr. Duncan, but we plan on getting those cars to you as quickly as humanly possible.”
“And how long would that take?”
“Give or take a day or two, probably about three weeks.”
“That’s unacceptable,” I growled into the phone. “I have a grand opening in two weeks.”
“Well, you might want to push that back.” I could almost hear this motherfucker snickering under his breath.
“I don’t understand. I’ve done my research. You’re the biggest car carrier company in the South. You have more trucks hauling cars outta Detroit into this region than anyone in the country. It only takes two days to drive from Michigan to Atlanta. Why is it going to take me three weeks to get my cars?”
“Well, Mr. Duncan, unfortunately, that’s how long it takes. I apologize for any inconvenience.” That was definitely not the answer I wanted to hear.
“This is some bull. I bet this wouldn’t be a problem if I was white,” I said angrily. If he was going to jerk me around like this, then why the hell should I bother to be polite?
“Mr. Duncan, I know you’re anxious, but you’re new to this, so I’m not going to take exception to your words. Of course, if you don’t like our service, we can issue you a refund, and you can try one of our competitors.” He sounded smug, like he knew damn well I wasn’t going to cancel the contract.
“Well, I just might do that!” I hung up the phone in frustration, feeling overwhelmed. As much as I didn’t want to have to do it, my next move would most likely be to call Mr. Mahogany for help. I seemed to be doing that on a regular basis, and I didn’t like it one bit. He was so damn calm under pressure and always seemed to have the answer, and it was sickening.
I’d left Chippy and Junior back in Waycross while I looked for a house and tried to get the dealership off the ground up here in Atlanta. Things were moving forward thanks to Mr. Mahogany, but I missed the days when Lou, Larry, and I would just sit around and talk things through until we came up with our own answers, right or wrong. Talking to Mr. Mahogany made me feel like he was calling all the shots, and this wasn’t even his business.
I hated to do it, but I needed those cars, so I reached for the phone to call him. That was when I heard a tap tap tap on the glass in my office door. I looked up and burst into a smile.
“Larry! What are you doing here, man?” Then I panicked for a moment. “Shit, everything all right at home?”
“Everything’s fine. You said I had an open invitation, so I figured I’d drive up and see what all the fuss is about in Atlanta.” He bopped into my office, and we embraced. “I know it’s only been two weeks, but I miss you, little brother.”
“I ain’t gonna lie, I miss you too. How are things back home?”
“Things are good. Title company’s doing well, and so is the service station,” he replied, taking a seat in front of my desk. “There’s a few people still bitching about you being gone. Say they only let you work on their cars. But they’ll get over it, or their shit will be sitting on the side of the road,” he said with a laugh.
I smiled. It was nice to know that some people really appreciated the work I did on their cars. “What about Lou, Levi, Shirley, and Nee? How they doing?”
“Levi is Levi. Nee and Shirley are fine, and well, Lou is still searching for Momma’s killers.”
“He find anything?”
“He keeps saying he’s close.” Larry shook his head. “I’ll say this much: I’ve never seen him this passionate about anything in his life.”
“Maybe he’s right,” I replied. Larry lifted his head and stared at me, frowning. “Not about Momma being dead,” I explained, “but about finding her killers. Maybe we should be out there looking for them.”
“LC, I’m never gonna stop looking for them, but I got a hardheaded little boy I got to raise. If I become obsessed with trying to find Momma’s killers, I’m gonna have to become the old Larry, and then I’m gonna lose him. I can’t lose him.” His face said everything I needed to know. As a father, I understood where his priorities had to lie.
“It’s always something, isn’t it?” I said, letting him know I didn’t fault him for his decision.
“Tell me about it.” He laughed, and we let that conversation drop.
Larry looked around my office for a minute, surveying the mess, and said, “I’ll be honest with you, little brother. When you first said you was coming to Atlanta to open a full-fledged dealership, I thought you was full of shit. But I can see you’re on your way to making it happen.”
“Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I couldn’t have done it without Mr. Mahogany. He vouched for me with the banks on the business and the real estate loan,” I replied, giving my new mentor his props. I really wanted to tell Larry about the Council, but I couldn’t risk losing everything that I was putting in place by pissing off Mr. Mahogany now. Besides, I hadn’t even been to my first meeting yet.
“Yeah, he’s sure taken a liking to you.” Larry kind of half-smirked. “I just hope he kisses you first.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I hope to God he kisses you before he fucks you, ’cause don’t no man hook another man up with a business like this without ulterior motives. He’s up to something, I can feel it in my bones.”
“Larry, you’re wrong about him.”
“Am I? Then give me a good reason why he’s doing all this for you? From what I hear, he don’t even treat his own sons this well.” Larry sat back in his chair, smug.
I hated feeling challenged by my brother like this. He might have been older, but I was the one who went to college, so I didn’t appreciate him trying to make me feel stupid.
“Have you ever he
ard of something called the Council?” I blurted out.
“The what?”
I wished like hell that I could take back the words, but it was too late. The best I could do was distract him by giving him another tidbit of information. “Listen, Larry, you’re right. He does get something out of it. He silently owns thirty percent.”
“I knew it!” Larry shouted confidently. “You should have only given him twenty percent.”
I didn’t even care that he was trying to lecture me about my choices, as long as he forgot I’d brought up the Council.
“But I guess thirty’s not bad, considering he’s a silent partner,” Larry finished. To my surprise, he seemed to be okay with me taking on Mr. Mahogany as a business partner. Then he took it one step further by giving me a great compliment. “You doing really good, LC. I’m proud of you. Seems like you got everything under control.”
I shook my head. “I wish you were right. I got everything but the fucking cars.”
Larry raised an eyebrow, looking around again. “I wasn’t even thinking about that. I just figured the cars were on their way. What’s going on, LC?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking out loud,” I said, trying to dial it back. I usually liked to talk things through with them, but I didn’t want my brothers thinking I had bitten off more than I could chew with this dealership situation, especially after leaving Waycross the way I had.
“Don’t fucking lie to me,” Larry said. “I’ve known you longer than you’ve known your damn self. I know when something is wrong. Now, tell me what it is.” He spoke to me like I was a boy and not a grown man. Had it been anyone other than him, I would have addressed his tone, but I knew that my brother didn’t mean anything by it. This was his way of showing concern.
“Why don’t you have any cars?” he asked when he got tired of waiting for my response. I had to tell him because he wasn’t going to stop asking questions until I did.
“Man, it’s minor, really. I’ve been waiting on a shipment from Detroit.”
“So, what’s going on? You running outta cash? You know you can’t go to Mahogany’cause he’s just gonna want a bigger percentage.”