Grand Opening 2

by Carl Weber

  He untied the bandana, and the guy began moving his jaw up and down, but he wasn’t talking.

  “Is my momma alive?” Larry asked again, this time reaching for a pair of vise grips.

  “I heard you tell Eddie that your boss had you do it!” I yelled.

  Larry clamped the vise grips down on the guy’s nuts. The man screamed. He went to kneel to the floor, but Larry’s hands caught him by the hair again and pulled him up.

  “Where the fuck is my momma?” Larry clamped down again, but the man still refused to answer. He shook his head and groaned in excruciating pain.

  “He’s a tough fuck, Larry,” I said.

  “He ain’t that fucking tough.” Larry’s fingers moved from his head to his neck, and he began to squeeze. The guy’s eyes widened, and I could see pure terror in his face.

  “Where is she? Tell me where she is!” Larry demanded over and over again.

  “Fuck you,” the man finally said. “I’m not telling you shit. You just gonna have to kill me.” The man spit in Larry’s face, and my brother went berserk, dropping the vise grips and using both hands to squeeze his neck. The guy began shaking his head back and forth, and Larry tightened his grip. I could see Larry’s arms shaking, and beads of sweat began pouring down his face. The more the guy’s head shook, the tighter Larry squeezed, until finally, his head stopped.

  “Shit,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

  Larry dropped the man to the floor. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “What the fuck did I do?”

  “You just killed the only guy who coulda told us where Momma is.”

  Bettie

  38

  The sun was just about down when I walked over to Lisa’s cot and gently shook her. “Come on, baby, it’s time to go.” She blinked open her eyes, smiling as she started to stretch.

  “If I haven’t said it, Bettie, thank you for saving my life.”

  Bam!

  Unfortunately, Lisa had thanked me just a moment too soon. The door of the little shack was hanging by a hinge and the monster stood in the doorway, holding a shotgun. He had a huge bandage on his head, and he looked madder than a motherfucker.

  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I stood there in disbelief. Lisa was paralyzed, as if she’d seen Satan himself. And for her, I suppose she had. Just then, another man dressed in military camouflage entered behind the first one. The rusty knife was within my reach, but the opportunity to use it was slim to none from my current standpoint. Both men were armed with military-style guns.

  A third person approached to stand between them and said mockingly, “Oh, it looks like you ladies were about to leave. Did we come at a bad time?”

  “Okay, so you found us.” My voice was filled with hate.

  “Of course I found you. You didn’t really think I was going to let you run off without having another chat with an old friend, did you?”

  I put up my middle finger. “You’re no friend of mine.”

  “You never did have a sense of humor, Bettie. Let’s see if you think this is funny.” She turned to the monster then pointed at Lisa. “Get this little bitch outta here and teach her a lesson for running.”

  The monster’s angry stare turned into a grin. Before he was upon her, Lisa was already screaming. He grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder. Lisa kicked and flailed to the point that he almost dropped her. At that point, I decided to take a chance. I reached for the rusty knife.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” The military guy had his gun pointed at my head in a flash.

  “Do you have any idea what he’s going to do to her?” I asked Belinda, watching helplessly as the monster carried Lisa out the door. “You’re a woman, for Christ’s sake.”

  “I don’t give a shit about that little bitch. My concern isn’t her. It’s you.” She folded her arms and stared at me as the military guy held me in place.

  “I thought your daddy was bad, but you’re one cold-hearted bitch. You make him look like—”

  “Thanks for the compliment,” Belinda said. “Now, let’s have a little chat here, woman to woman. You have something that belongs to me, and I want it.”

  “Same ol’ Belinda. Still trying to run shit.”

  “Trying?” She laughed wickedly. “Looks like I’m doing a damn good job of it. I managed to track your ass down, didn’t I?” She shook her head. “Bettie, Bettie, Bettie. Did you really think you were gonna escape from me?”

  “Whatever, Belinda. You know you can’t keep me prisoner forever.”

  “I’m not trying to keep you forever. Just until I get that information and whatever it is that was so valuable that my father said you had.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned. You don’t have a clue, do you? You don’t know what we’ve been hiding all these years?”

  Her light face was becoming red. “I know I want it. I know my father killed that piece of shit husband of yours to get it.”

  “That’s right, and I killed his half-white ass for killing my husband,” I shot back.

  “Yes, and every time I think about it, you’re going to get one of these.” She smacked me hard across the face. “You know what, Bettie? I’ve been way too nice. Maybe I have to start shooting your precious boys to make you understand the severity of the situation.”

  I didn’t know if that was just an empty threat, but I had no choice but to take it seriously. “You touch one hair on one of my boys’ heads and your world and every member of the Council’s world will come crumbling down. I’ve made arrangements.”

  She shot me a skeptical look.

  “You can doubt me if you want,” I said, “but one thing is for sure: you know I’m not a liar, and I keep my word.”

  “Maybe,” she said coldly. Neither one of us was going to back down from our threats. “By the way, we tracked down Dwayne McCarty. What do you think he’s going to tell me when we have a chat?”

  My stomach felt sicker than it had after we ate the old-ass soup we’d found in the shack. And I was certain the bitter expression on my face matched the way I felt.

  Big Shirley

  39

  “Mmm,” I moaned as Eric sucked on my tongue while his hands roamed all over my body. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was about to come. Fully dressed and with just a kiss and a passionate touch, I was as moist as I don’t know what. I’d never experienced this much passion with Levi—with any man, for that matter. Most of the men I’d been intimate with over the years didn’t want foreplay or any type of caressing. They wanted one thing and one thing only: some pussy. And, yes, that went for Levi too. No one ever wanted intimacy, or romance even.

  Until now. Until Eric.

  Perhaps making out in the front seat of his convertible wasn’t the most ideal situation, but for me, it was pure romance at its best, which was something Levi knew nothing about. Besides, it kind of made me feel like one of those school girls in love with the most popular boy at school, and out of all the other girls he could have chosen, he chose me.

  A sudden jolt in my belly reminded me that I’d also been chosen by the less popular boy at school, and I was carrying his baby.

  “I can’t,” I said, pulling away from Eric in a quick movement. “I gotta stop this,” I more or less commanded myself. I was in a trance with Eric. He was a dream come true. The bad part about it all, though, was that he wasn’t my reality. Levi and this baby were. Fuck! A cheat I may have been—hell I’d been a whore my entire adult life—but this loyalty thing was a gift and a curse. Levi needed me, and it was time I woke up from this fantasy and accepted my life for what it was . . . nothing. And apparently that’s all it ever would be.

  “Why? What’s wrong? Why are you stopping?” Eric seemed to be in as much of a sensual trance as I was. He looked dazed and confused, as if he’d just awoken from a dream.

  “Levi,” I said.

  Eric’s look went from dreamy to looking as if he had found himself in the middle of a nightmare. His eyes darted around nervously. “Where
? Levi’s where?”

  “Levi is the reason why I gotta stop.” I got myself situated in the seat as I pulled down my blouse that Eric had raised during all his fondling and whatnot.

  “Forget about Levi.” He turned my head to face him. “This is about us. This is about me and you. The last thing you should be thinking about is Levi.” He sat back against his seat with a stiffened back and began to straighten his own clothing. “Know what it’s like to be all hugged up with a woman and she’s thinking about another man?”

  It was clear his ego was bruised, but that hadn’t been my intention. “I wasn’t thinking about him. It was the kick from the ba—” I halted my words. In my attempt to explain myself to Eric, I’d almost told on myself. It was bad enough that Eric knew I was Levi’s woman, but for him to know that I was carrying Levi’s baby sure would have sent him riding off. As if I wasn’t fixing to send him on his way anyhow. Oh, hell. It was time to come clean.

  “Eric, I’m pregnant with Levi’s baby.”

  “I had a feeling about that,” he said without a trace of emotion in his voice. “Let me ask you one question. If it wasn’t for the baby, would you be with me?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “Without hesitation.”

  “Well, fuck it,” he replied, now sounding stronger, more determined. “That cat can’t take care of no baby.” His ego had seemingly been healed as he turned to me, taking my hands into his. “Just pack your things up and come with me. As a matter of fact, don’t pack. Leave it all. Let’s start a new life together with all new everything, including a nice wardrobe for you. We’ll go down to my peoples’ place on Saint Simons Island.”

  My belly began flipping. I was not sure if it was the baby kicking, nervousness, excitement, or what. All I knew was that the good life was being offered up to me on a silver platter for the taking, yet I was torn. No sooner than I pictured the wonderful life Eric was offering me, an image of Levi would pop into my head and spoil the whole thing.

  I shook my head. “I can’t. He needs me. Levi needs me. Me running around town with you is bad enough. I swear every time I look at that man I feel like I’m going to fall apart. I’m doing so wrong, and he’s done nothing but right by me.” I hated to be dumping all of this on Eric, but it wasn’t like I had Chippy or Nee Nee to talk with anymore. “To just up and leave him . . .”

  “I don’t understand what the dilemma is,” Eric said. “Like you just said, he needs you, but you don’t need him. Do you want some simpleton who you do more for than he does for you raising your baby?” Eric poked his chest out. “Or do you want a real man like me?”

  I looked up from the dark parking lot we were sitting in to the sign that read Big Shirley’s. “But he doesn’t have anybody but me and this baby.”

  “What about his brothers?”

  I let out a harrumph. “You mean the brothers who done ran off, chasing big dreams in the city, and left him behind?” I rolled my eyes, getting all heated about how so-called family had just up and left us behind like we weren’t worthy. Sure, I had made my feelings known about how moving to Atlanta wasn’t really something I desired, but still, Levi would have floated any which way the wind blew. All his brothers had to do was say jump and he wouldn’t even ask how high. He would simply jump as high as he could. Anything to appease them.

  “Levi’s brothers left him here for me to take care of.” My heart began to hurt more so for Levi than for myself as the words I’d just spoken sank in.

  It wasn’t even a question of whether Levi’s brothers loved him. The Duncans had an unbreakable bond. Everyone who knew them knew that. But I didn’t see them bending over backward or forward to try to convince him to move to Atlanta. And trust me, like I said, it wouldn’t have even taken that much convincing. Then again, maybe it would have. Maybe they had tried, but Levi, knowing I wanted to stay put, refused to make the move. It was possible that maybe Levi did want more than pussy from me. Maybe he did want love. Maybe he wanted . . . to love me.

  “I’m sorry, Eric. You are a good man, but—”

  He placed his index finger over my lips, prohibiting me from finishing what I was about to say.

  “I love you enough to let you go.” His words surprised me. “I can see what this is doing to you. You are a good woman, and I don’t want to be the one responsible for making you anything other than that.”

  I appreciated Eric making this easy on me. “My feelings really were into this.”

  “Mine too,” he replied, “but I can’t sit here and play this game.”

  I completely understood. I’d played the role of Cinderella long enough. My coach was about to turn back into a pumpkin. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, I’m the one who’s sorry,” he said.

  I had to hurry out of that car before that look in Eric’s eyes made me climb back on top of the fence I’d been straddling ever since I started cheating on Levi.

  I made my way inside and headed straight for the bar. The look on my face must have revealed the fact that I needed to drown my sorrows in alcohol. Before my ass even hit the bar stool, Moe slid me a shot of bourbon that he must have poured the moment he saw me walk in the door.

  “Thank you,” I said, picking up the drink.

  “Don’t mention it. It’s on the house.” Moe winked, but I couldn’t even fix my face to laugh at his humor.

  With drink in hand, I turned to scan the place. From the looks of the cars I’d seen in the parking lot, business was pretty decent. I spotted Li’l Momma as I placed the glass to my lips. She cut her eyes at me like I’d stolen her money . . . or her man. I threw my shot back and then turned around, placing my empty glass on the bar. “What the hell is wrong with her?”

  Moe shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably starting to realize this is her last night.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you what I do know, and that’s that I’m getting good and sick of these bitches around here. They complain all the time and are so damn needy.” I held up my glass. “One more.”

  “Is Levi upstairs? Probably about time I gave him some pussy,” I said as Moe took my glass.

  “I can tell you that Levi is definitely not upstairs.” He let out a snort under his breath.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Hell, Levi left with Chippy about three–four hours ago. Thought you knew.”

  “What? With Chippy? What the hell would Levi be doing with her?”

  “Dunno, but he ain’t the only one who went with Chippy. He took his dogs with him.”

  My heart just about jumped from my chest to the ground. When a man takes his dogs with him, that only means one of two things. Either he took them for a walk and he’ll be home soon, or he took them and he ain’t never coming home. Something told me in this case, it would be the latter.

  “You might want to talk to Li’l Momma. I’m sure she knows. Hell, her and Chippy spent about an hour talking before Levi tore out of here.

  That drink was the last thing on my mind as I hopped up off that barstool, landing practically right in front of Li’l Momma.

  “What did you say to her?” I snatched Li’l Momma up by the arm. “What did you say to Chippy? And don’t you dare lie to me, you little bitch.”

  Li’l Momma stood there looking me in the face, torn between the truth and a lie. She must have had a shot or two herself, because a little bit of liquid courage rose up, and she spoke to me like a defiant child finally standing up to her mother.

  “The truth,” she said. “That you been running around with some clown in a suit while Levi’s been sitting here miserable.”

  Slap!

  If that bitch hadn’t had any liquor, I bet she wished she had, to numb the pain of me knocking her dead in her big-ass mouth! “Get the fuck outta my club!” I hollered, watching her try to peel herself up off the ground. It was difficult, due to the fact that she was somewhat dazed from the blow.

  I stormed off to my room to avoid the urge to stomp her. I didn’t know what was in the water t
hese bitches were drinking that made them forget that they were no better than me—that they were and always would be whores.

  Slamming the bedroom door behind me, I began pacing, then suddenly stopped in my tracks when something caught my eye.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” I said, staring into the half-empty closet. I walked over to get a closer look. Not a single thing of Levi’s remained. I turned my attention to the partially opened drawers, which were also emptied of anything that belonged to Levi.

  My heart began to palpitate so fast I felt like I was going to collapse. You know what they say about how you never know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? Well, this moment was a perfect example of that. The first person who had ever truly made me feel needed and wanted was gone, and I was devastated. Who would need me now? The johns sure didn’t. That ship had long sailed.

  I raced over to the window. I don’t know why I thought there was a chance in hell I’d see Levi, and I don’t know what I would have done had I seen him. But I didn’t have to cross that bridge, because he wasn’t out there. But someone else was.

  Eric was still sitting outside. I couldn’t believe he was still there. Maybe a life with him truly was my destiny. Without another thought, I started grabbing my things and packing them as quickly as I could. Then I remembered what Eric had said about starting over again with all new things, and I said to hell with it. I left behind whatever I hadn’t already packed and raced out to the parking lot.

  The moment I hit the door, I could see the tail lights of Eric’s car, heading for the exit.

  “Eric, wait! Eric!” I called out, toting my belongings and this baby as best I could. “God, don’t let this one get away,” I prayed out loud.

  The next thing I knew, Eric slammed on his brakes, which gave me a sudden burst of energy. I picked up my pace again as the car slowly rolled back toward me.