Grand Opening 2

by Carl Weber

  “This has to be the absolute best barbecue I’ve ever tasted, and the greens. You just have to give me the number of your caterer,” she gushed.

  “Why give you her number when I can introduce you?” I turned to Nee Nee and pointed. “Belinda, have you met my sister-in-law, Nee Nee? She made everything on your plate.”

  “You’re kidding, right? You did all of this?” Belinda sat down next to Nee Nee. “Now, you are a woman I need to know. You have a rare talent.”

  “Thank you.” Nee Nee beamed with pride. At the same time, I could see Shirley roll her eyes.

  “If you think that’s something, you’ve gotta try her peach cobbler and her banana pudding before you leave,” I added, choosing to ignore Shirley.

  “Lord, don’t let my husband find that out. He absolutely loves banana pudding,” she joked.

  “She’s the best cook in the world, that’s for sure. Fool around with Nee Nee and you’ll end up my size,” Shirley announced. I guess she figured out that her bad attitude wasn’t going over too well.

  “All I know is that I’m not leaving here without your card.”

  Belinda stuck out her free hand, palm up.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t have a card. I just do this for fun.” Nee Nee just kind of smiled at Belinda innocently.

  “Have you ever thought about opening your own catering hall?” Belinda asked, finishing off the food on her plate. “With all the people me and my husband know, you could make an absolute fortune.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Shirley said under her breath.

  “Um, well, thank you,” Nee Nee said.

  “No thanks necessary. Meeting you and tasting this food is thanks enough. You don’t mind if I get your number from Chippy, do you? I could really use your help at the Ladies of Atlanta picnic next week. How’s one thousand dollars sound?”

  Nee Nee looked like she was about to fall out of her chair. Belinda was offering her more money than she could make in two months selling sandwiches at the gas station. She tried to play it off, but she couldn’t hide her excitement when she broke out into a huge smile.

  “That’s just wonderful, Ms. Belinda. I’d be happy to help you. Get my number from Chippy and call me Monday.”

  “I will do that,” Belinda answered. “Now, ladies, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get some of that banana pudding for my husband.” She stood and headed for the dessert table.

  “Wow, she seems nice,” Nee Nee said when Belinda was out of hearing range. “A little intense, but nice.”

  “Girl, please. She’s what you call scary nice,” I replied, watching as Belinda worked the crowd around the dessert table. “Not the type of woman you cross.”

  “Yeah, I’d hate to meet her in a dark alley,” Shirley mumbled.

  “The crazy thing is that lady has got it going on like nobody I’ve ever seen before. I wanna be like her when I grow up,” I said, again brushing off Shirley’s negative vibe.

  “Does that mean you’re going to pay me a thousand dollars to cater you next party?” Nee Nee asked with a laugh.

  “Hell no!” I shoved her shoulder playfully then stood up from the table, looking into the nearby bassinet where Vegas was sleeping. “Nee, can you—”

  “Yeah, yeah, go ’head. I got him,” she answered before I could even ask.

  “Thanks. I’ll be back. I’m gonna go get into my bathing suit.”

  I made my way through the crowded backyard. Like LC had predicted, everyone was enjoying themselves as they ate, drank, played cards and dominoes, and danced. No one, however, was enjoying the beautiful swimming pool. I shook my head and wondered if it had been a waste of money.

  I saw LC deep in conversation with Mr. Mahogany, Larry, and two other gentlemen. He nodded toward me, and I winked at him.

  In the house, I found Levi sitting on the sofa by himself, watching cartoons and laughing. “Hey, Levi. Those good cartoons?”

  “They fu–fu–funny,” he said.

  I was about to head up the stairs when I spotted the unthinkable in my driveway. Bursting out my front door like a bat out of hell, I barked, “What the fuck is she doing here?”

  I don’t know if it was the humidity or the heat of my anger, but I could feel beads of sweat forming on the back of my neck as I stood in front of my house, staring at Lou with bewilderment.

  “Oh my God, Chippy,” he said, lowering his head in shame.

  When I saw them from inside the house, I had thought he was arguing with her to leave. But now that I was up close and personal and saw the guilty look on his face, it didn’t seem like he was too surprised to see her there.

  Fuck. This is not happening, I told myself as I marched angrily toward them.

  I repeated my question, this time screaming at the top of my lungs. “What the fuck is she doing at my house? I know you didn’t bring her to my house, Lou.”

  He looked back at her and frowned. “She followed me here.”

  “Followed you from where?” I was still screaming. There was now a crowd of folks gathering in the front yard to witness this.

  “Lou, what the hell is going on?” LC yelled as he made his way through the crowd.

  “I’ll tell you what’s going on!” I shouted loud enough for everyone within five miles to hear as I jumped in my husband’s face. “Your brother brought your bitch to my house!” I pointed at Donna, and LC’s jaw almost hit the ground.

  “LC, I can explain.” Lou stepped toward LC humbly, but the way Donna looked at him made me want to pluck her eyeballs out.

  “Explain what? There’s no explanation for this.” My chest was heaving with every angry breath I took. I turned to my husband, taking his arm. “LC, I want this bitch off my property.”

  “Who you calling a bitch?” Donna finally spoke, stepping toward me. That was the wrong fucking move, because I snapped.

  “You,” I replied, reaching out and grabbing a handful of her hair. I tried my best to twist and rip it out, but LC pulled me off her, and Lou grabbed Donna. “Lou, you need to get her away from here,” LC said.

  At this point, my feet weren’t even on the ground as I struggled to break loose and get to her.

  “I ain’t come here to start no trouble, LC,” Donna huffed from behind Lou. Lucky for her, she had enough sense to take a step back. “Lou and I—”

  “I don’t give a damn about anything you and Lou got going on.” LC was yelling now too. “Both of y’all need to leave my property.”

  Larry stepped up and stood on one side of LC, and Mr. Mahogany stood on the other. It reminded me of the old days, when the three brothers were together, only this time, one of them was on the other side. Not that I cared, but I could see Lou was hurt.

  “Really? Y’all gonna do me like this?” Lou looked over at Larry.

  “Naw, Lou. You did this to yourself. You dead-ass wrong for this one, bro.” Larry shook his head.

  “Y’all don’t understand. I’m doing this for Momma.” Lou’s eyes traveled from one brother to the other. He was on the verge of tears. “Donna can help us find Momma.”

  “Lou, get the hell outta here. Don’t you think you caused enough trouble for one day?” Larry moved forward, and he and Lou stood eye to eye.

  “Come on, Lou.” Donna pulled at his shirt. Lou didn’t budge.

  “She can help us, Larry,” he pleaded.

  “Let it go, Lou,” Larry replied.

  “I’m not going to tell you to leave again,” LC said.

  “Yes, I think it’s best that you all go.” Mr. Mahogany gave a slight nod. Within seconds, out of nowhere, the two big men who had been at the table with him were standing beside LC, flexing their muscles like they were itching for a fight.

  I could see the anger and hurt in Lou’s face. For a split second, I felt sorry for him. Then my eyes went to Donna, and any type of sympathy I had vanished.

  “This is some bullshit,” Lou said, glaring at Mr. Mahogany just before he turned and walked toward his car.

  We al
l watched silently as Donna followed him. She got in the car, and they sped away.

  “All right, folks. Show’s over. Let’s get back to partying,” Mr. Mahogany announced like he was the host as he started to herd people back into the house.

  LC reached for me, but I snatched my arm away. “Dammit, LC, am I ever going to get away from this bitch? Did you know he was bringing her here?”

  “No, I swear I was just as surprised to see her as you were.”

  “I want one of those burglar alarms put on the house like you’ve got at the dealership.” I folded my arms, staring down the street where Lou’s car had traveled.

  “No problem. I’ll have them install it first thing in the morning.” He leaned in, and I let him kiss me. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what Lou’s thinking these days.”

  “She’ll be okay, LC. You run along with the rest of the men and let us girls talk.” Belinda’s words came out of nowhere. I had completely forgotten that she was there with us. I turned around and watched her walking toward me, looking calm and serene, standing with her perfectly coifed hair and baby blue lounging suit, belted at the waist. It was the strangest thing: my life felt like it was falling apart, and there she was looking flawless, giving me some level of comfort. She stared right in my eyes, and when we were face to face, she gave me the most confident smile I’d ever seen.

  She spoke softly but with an air of authority. “I don’t know who the hell that woman is, but you don’t have to worry about her again. She means nothing, has nothing, and can do nothing to harm you or your family.”

  “But she—you—I . . .” The words wouldn’t form correctly.

  “She’s nobody. You are the wife of LC Duncan. Your position and title are protected, right?”

  I stared at Belinda. She was so regal and poised that I was almost enchanted. Then I realized what she was saying. I was the wife of LC Duncan, who held a seat on the Black Council. We were one of the most powerful couples in Atlanta, which meant that we were protected. The fact that LC and I would have eyes on us and wouldn’t even know it was one of the things Belinda had taught me when she first told me about the Council. I thought about the two men who had immediately appeared when Lou refused to leave.

  “Right,” I said, feeling better already.

  “No worries. Now, let’s go and check on those precious boys of yours. You have a backyard full of guests, and I’m sure they’re worried about their hostess.” She brushed the hair from my face and affectionately pressed her forehead against mine. I gave her a smile, and we linked arms and headed back to the party.

  Lou

  25

  “What the fuck did I tell you?” I yelled, pulling off so fast that the tires of my car burned rubber on the street and then screeched as I turned the corner.

  Donna had a death grip on the handle of the car door, but I didn’t care. She could have opened that bitch and jumped out and it wouldn’t have mattered to me, because I was just that fucking mad at her ass.

  “I give you one fucking instruction and you can’t even do that.”

  “I’m sorry!” she yelled, her voice cracking.

  “Sorry ain’t good enough. You got my whole family against me when I need them the most. Now I’m never going to get them to believe my momma’s alive. Fuck!” I slammed my hand against the steering wheel.

  “I know I should have listened to you,” she cried, “but I just wanted to see him so bad.”

  I shook my head angrily. “We had an agreement when I dropped you off downtown. I told you I’d bring him to the park.”

  “Lou, please, I thought you were lying about bringing him to the park.” She reached out and touched my shoulder, but I shrugged her off. “I really didn’t think things were going to go that far.”

  “How the fuck did you even know where to find me? What did you do, follow me?”

  “I was taking a cab to the park like you told me,” she answered. “We just happened to pass by the house. I saw you parking, so I told the driver to stop,”

  “You didn’t think showing up at that house would piss people off? What the fuck did you think Chippy was gonna do, invite you in and make you a plate?”

  Donna sucked her teeth. “I didn’t care what that bitch did. This wasn’t about her.”

  “That’s your fucking problem! You don’t care about anybody but yourself. I should’ve known trusting you was gonna turn around and bite me in the ass. But that’s okay. I’m done. I’m taking your ass to the bus station.” I reached over and grabbed her shoulder so hard that she gasped. I wasn’t going to hit her, but I needed her to understand how serious I was. I only released my grip when I noticed that she was on the verge of tears.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly, wiping away a tear as she leaned against the window to put as much distance between us as possible.

  “Look,” I said, “I didn’t mean to hurt you. But I care about my family, and now they’re all pissed at me because of you. I need them to help me find my momma, and now they probably won’t even talk to me.”

  We both sat in silence as I drove. My mind was filled with thoughts of LC and Larry. I couldn’t believe my brothers had refused to listen to me and then allowed that bastard Mahogany to talk to me that way. I didn’t know who this man thought he was, and I didn’t care. He would definitely be handled—once I found my mother and got back to my old self.

  “Lou.” Donna called my name softly.

  “Yeah.”

  “Please don’t take me to the bus station. I can still help you find Miss Bettie.” At the sound of my mother’s name, an ache came across my chest. I missed her. Hell, she had only been home a couple of weeks, and then she was gone. People always talked about how she and LC had a close relationship, and they did, but I was close to her too, and I missed her so much.

  “I know I’m not your family.” She surprised me when she eased closer to me, taking my hand and placing it on top of hers. “But we can get her back if we work together.”

  I looked over at her, and she stared right into my eyes, I guess trying to let me know how much she cared. Shit, I knew she had another motive, but maybe she did care just a little. Besides, at the moment, she was all I had.

  I patted her hand. “All right. I won’t send you home yet, but just so you know, you still gotta figure out how to get some more information outta Eddie—and if that means fucking him, then that’s what you’re gonna do.”

  She sighed, but she didn’t say she wouldn’t do it. “Just remember your part of the deal too, Lou.”

  Shirley

  26

  “Sh–Sh–Shirley!”

  Hearing Levi call my name, I slipped out the back door and didn’t look back as I got into my car. I couldn’t take it anymore. We’d only been back from Atlanta a few hours, and I had already given him some pussy thinking it would shut him up and give me some peace for the rest of the night, yet here he was asking me for more. Why the fuck couldn’t he just leave me alone once in a while? Sometimes I felt like nothing more than a sperm receptacle for Levi.

  You’re just thinking this way because you’re pregnant. It’s just hormones, I tried telling myself. Hormones or not, I was sick of it. I reached under the seat of my car, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one. As I took a long drag and blew out a stream of smoke, I closed my eyes and allowed the nicotine to calm my nerves. By the time I got back from my drive, I had smoked another one and was thinking about smoking a third when I reached the bar.

  “How was your trip to the big city?” Moe, the bartender, asked when I sat down in front of him. The Friday night crowd was in full swing, and I calculated the night’s intake as I scanned the room. My girls were in high demand, and from the looks of things, I might need to hire a few more, especially with Li’l Momma away on her vacation.

  “Better than an episode of General Hospital,” I said with a laugh. “Luke and Laura ain’t got shit on these damn Duncans. I ain’t seen that much drama since I caught Big Sam getting head from
that dude that did his bookkeeping.”

  “Get the fuck outta here!” He looked shocked. “It must’ve been something big to top that.”

  I lit a cigarette. “Honey, Lou brought LC’s ex to the house, and Chippy tried to rip every last one of her hairs out her head. Kinda put a damper on that picture-perfect life LC and Chippy are living,” I said bitterly. “Oh, and LC and Lou almost got into it too.”

  “You lying.” Moe took a step back. “They don’t ever fight. At least not in public.”

  “If I’m lying, I’m dying.” I raised my hand. “Ask Lou next time you see him, but don’t tell him I told you.”

  “No, no, I believe you.”

  “Where’s Levi?” I asked, exhaling a smoke ring.

  “He left about ten minutes ago. He was looking for you for a minute, and then he said he was going to walk over to the service station.”

  “Good. He won’t be back for a while. Pour me a bourbon.”

  Moe gave me a strange look. I knew it was because news of my pregnancy had begun to circulate. I hadn’t confirmed or denied the rumors. Still, what I did was none of his damn business whether I was pregnant or not. I gave him a daring look, reminding him that I was his damn boss and he’d better do what I said. As quickly as he fixed my drink, I swallowed it and immediately asked for another. This time, he didn’t hesitate.

  “Looks like you could use some company, Slingshot Shirley.”

  It had been years since I’d heard someone call me that name. I turned around to see if I was imagining things.

  “Eric?” I said, now facing the tall, attractive, dark-skinned man standing in front of me.

  “How are you, Shirley?” His smile brought back memories of my youth.