Pernicious

by Henderson, James

  “Listen and listen good. When I let you go, walk quietly downstairs, go into the kitchen, sit down in one of the brown chairs--not my good chairs, the brown chairs--and shut the fuck up! Do you hear me?”

  Derrick blinked again. Perry released him, and he fell to the floor, whimpering.

  Once downstairs, Derrick started toward Neal, who had resumed his nap on the couch. Perry, close on his heels, cleared her throat and pointed toward the kitchen.

  * * * * *

  Several hours later Neal woke up and found Derrick sitting in a plastic chair near the patio door. Seeing his father, Derrick ran to him and embraced his legs.

  “What’s the matter?” Neal said.

  Derrick tried to respond but all he could emit was a plaintive wail. Then he started crying.

  Perry came into the kitchen. “What’s the matter here?”

  At the sound of Perry’s voice, Derrick tried to stifle his sobs, sucking up air, sniffing miserably.

  “I bet he misses his mother,” Perry said.

  “She’ll be back,” Neal said, patting Derrick’s back. “Meanwhile, you, me and Perry are going to have a lot of fun. Stop crying, okay?”

  Derrick wailed louder.

  “Derrick,” Perry said, “would you like a treat?” She knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped. “Derrick, wouldn’t you just love a batch of Rice Crispy treats?” He continued crying. “Neal, why don’t you take him out to the pool while I fix him a treat.”

  “A good idea, isn’t it, Derrick? Let’s go out to the pool.”

  But for Derrick’s loud sobs, Neal would have heard Perry singing as he and Derrick stepped out the back door: “Ain’t no fun times when he’s home…Ain’t no fun times when he’s home…‘cause he always home too damn long!”

  * * * * *

  Tasha stared hard at the pint of Jack Daniels, wondering if she should bust the cap.

  Will the Lord ignore my prayers if I took a drink? He just might. Boy, do I need something to help me through this…just a little shot.

  She picked up the bottle… and put it back down.

  One shot will turn to two, then three, four, and the next thing I know, I’ll be intoxicated. Can’t do anything intoxicated but go to sleep. And I definitely can’t afford to go to sleep now.

  The phone rang, startling her. Please, Lord, don’t let it be bad news! Hand shaking, she picked up the phone. “Hello.”

  “Yes, is this Tasha Montgomery?”

  “Yes, this is she.”

  “How are you doing?”

  Tasha placed the voice. “What’s happened to my son, Perry?”

  “Nothing. He and Neal are out by the pool.” Thank you, Jesus! “What makes you think something would happen to him here?”

  “I’m just worried, that’s all.”

  “I understand. Really, I do.”

  “May I speak to Derrick?”

  “Do you really think it’s a good idea? I’ll go get him if you insist. He’s having fun now, him and his father.”

  “Why did you call?”

  “I intended to leave a message. I didn’t think you were home. What happened to your appointment with the shrink?”

  “I’m on my way out the door now. What message?”

  “We’re dropping the charges against you. And we’re no longer seeking custody. We were foolish thinking the boy would be better off with us. He needs his mother. ”

  “Why…I don’t quite know what to say.”

  “Thanks would be appropriate. I think it’s time we show a little respect toward each other. For the boy’s sake.”

  Tasha didn’t respond

  “You know, I was also thinking we oughta get together for a little chat, you know, a heart-to-heart. Neal told me you and I share the same birthday. I’m sure once we start opening up to each other we’ll find we have a lot in common. In a way you remind me of myself.”

  “A chat?”

  “Yes, for the boy’s sake.”

  “His name is Derrick. When?”

  “Tonight, maybe? If there’s no complications with your appointment.”

  “We can do this at your house when I pick up Derrick.”

  “I was thinking we’d meet in private. A restaurant, maybe.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “What time?”

  “Seven o’clock works for you?”

  Tasha hesitated a beat. “Okay.”

  “You’re familiar with Laskers, aren’t you? The catfish restaurant on Roosevelt, next to the freeway?”

  “Yes, I know where it is.”

  “We could meet there, unless you had another place in mind.”

  “Laskers will be fine.”

  “Great. I’ll see you soon. Don’t forget.”

  “How could I?”

  Tasha hung up the phone, returned to the table, opened the pint and took it into the kitchen and emptied it into the sink.

  * * * * *

  “You don’t wanna go swimming?” Neal said.

  Derrick stood at the edge of the pool, staring down at the aqua-blue water. A water bug crawled over his sneakers. Derrick shook his head.

  “What you wanna do?” Neal said, sticking the tip of his boot into the water.

  “I want us to go home, Daddy. Me and you!”

  “Derrick, I can’t do that.”

  “Please, Daddy! Let’s go! I’ll race you back. We don’t live far from here.”

  “What about Perry? Son, she’s my wife now.”

  “She ain’t right, Daddy.” Derrick looked him straight in the eye. “She ain’t right at all!”

  Neal laughed. “Derrick, you just got to get to know her better. Believe it or not, when I first met your mother I thought she was mean. Then I got to know her and I realized she’s a nice person. Sometimes she goes off, you know, you’ve seen her. That’s just a part of her personality, her way of dealing with frustration. Perry’s the same way. You gotta give her a chance.”

  “She ain’t halfway right, Daddy! Momma said…”

  “What? That Perry would do something to me? Son, when you get a little older I’ll explain women to you. They’re naturally jealous, for one thing. If a woman doesn’t drop salt on another woman, something’s wrong. You hang around Perry long enough and you’ll see. She won’t hurt a fly.”

  “Daddy, she grabbed me and--”

  “What are you guys talking about?” Perry said, approaching with a silver platter of Rice Crispy treats.

  She’d changed from the green pants suit into a charteuse-colored string bikini.

  Neal said, “Baby, you’re sure working that bikini.”

  Perry smiled, eyes on Derrick. “I bet you two were talking about me, weren’t you?”

  Neal kissed her. “Yes, we were.” Patted her bottom. “Derrick was just saying how nice and sweet you are.”

  “How nice of you, Derrick. Look what I’ve made just for you.” Neal reached for a treat and Perry moved the platter out of reach. “No! These are exclusively for Derrick, no one else.”

  Derrick stared at the treats. “No, thanks,” shaking his head. “Already ate.”

  “Come on, Derrick,” Neal said. “Don’t be like that. Go ‘head and try one.”

  “I already ate. Momma took me to Bonanza.”

  “Tell you what,” Perry said, “I’ll just put them over here.” She sashayed over to the patio table and, bending down further than necessary, sat the platter down. “I’ll just put em right here. Derrick, whenever you’re hungry, you can come get one. Neal, honey, would you bring out something to drink, please. Lemonade would be nice.”

  “Sure, baby.” Neal started toward the house and Derrick followed.

  “Derrick,” Perry said, “stay here and keep me company. Please!”

  Derrick pretended not to hear and kept going.

  Neal stopped. “Yeah, Derrick, stay here and talk to Perry.”

  When Neal stepped into the house, Perry said, “You got five seconds--
five seconds, you hear me!--to get your chubby, big-headed ass over here and eat one of these treats.”

  Derrick did as ordered. Tears, snot, and Rice Crispy crumbs coalesced at his chin and dribbled down his shirt.

  “Shut up and swallow that shit before your daddy comes back!”

  The back door opened…Perry grabbed Derrick’s hand, shouted “Ready, set, go!” and jumped into the pool, pulling Derrick with her.

  Derrick started swimming for the surface…Perry grabbed his ankles, held him under. Panicked, he fought to free himself, wind-milling his arms, his face just below the water, terrified.

  Perry released him and he shot up, swam to the ladder and scrambled out of the pool. He sprawled on the deck, gasping for air, coughing water. Neal patted his back.

  Perry swam the length of the pool. When she stepped out, Derrick bolted for the house.

  “What’s the matter with him?” she asked Neal.

  “You scared him. He said he didn’t want to go swimming. You could have at least waited till he took his shoes and clothes off.”

  “I just wanted him to have a little fun. He seems so depressed.”

  “I better go talk to him.”

  “Wait a minute, Neal. There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “Tasha called while you were out here. She committed herself to the hospital.”

  “Really?”

  “I wouldn’t lie to you. Maybe you should sit down.”

  “No, I’m okay. A lot of things happening not making sense. I keep thinking I’m overlooking something.”

  “I’ve got an ounce of marijuana. You want it?”

  “No. Derrick here I need to keep a level head. He’s already having a hard time.”

  “This is all new to him. In a few days you won’t be able to get him to leave the house. Oh! I almost forgot. Tasha told me to ask you do you have a key to her apartment.”

  “Yes, I do. Why?”

  “She wants us to go over there and get more of Derrick’s stuff. She doesn’t know how long she’ll be in the hospital, and she’s worried the manager might lock the apartment and Derrick won’t be able to get his clothes and stuff. I told her if you had a key we would do it tonight. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

  Neal shrugged. “No problem.”

  “Great. You know, I was thinking we should cut her some slack. She’s going through a lot right now. Taking her to court now would only worsen her mental condition.”

  “You really mean that? Really? Drop the charges?”

  “Yes. No need to kick a woman when she’s down, is there?”

  Neal kissed her. “Damn, baby, you’re full of surprises. Full of surprises.”

  Perry kissed him, on the cheek. “Baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” Neal attempted to kiss her again, and she dodged him. “Neal, I figured we’d go over there at nine, all right?”

  “Okay, fine with me. Give me a kiss.”

  Perry wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped into his arms. “I love you, Neal!” She kissed him, sucking hard on his tongue, moaning loudly.

  She opened his shirt and clamped her teeth on his nipple. “Hey!” Neal said. She reached behind and grabbed his sex. “Hey!”

  He had trouble holding her, and tried to push her up to get a better grip…Perry resisted, maintaining the suction on his nipple and the handlock on his…“Hey!” She leaned to her left, and he staggered that way…and they fell…Perry’s laugh the last thing he heard before hitting the water.

  Neal started swimming and Perry held his waist…He felt her unzip him…felt her mouth…Then he was pushed up.

  Treading water, Neal said, “Do it again. Finish what you started.”

  Perry laughed, shook her head.

  “Come on. You got me all worked up.”

  She kissed him. “Let’s go check on your son.”

  * * * * *

  Derrick lay on the kitchen floor, asleep.

  Neal shook him. “Wake up, Derrick. Let’s go get in the bed.” Derrick didn’t flinch.

  “Looks like he’s pretty tuckered out,” Perry said.

  “I’ve never seen him this tired before. He’s knocked out.” Neal picked him up. “I’ll put him to bed.”

  “You can put him in our bed. While you’re doing that I need to run to the mall. I shouldn’t be gone no more than an hour or so.”

  In a spare bedroom, Perry changed into a pair of black pants, a black silk shirt and black tennis shoes, and tucked her hair under an Oakland Raiders baseball cap.

  She crept downstairs and out the front door. Outside she peered inside Neal’s Hugo. It would be my luck he’s low on gas. The gauge rested near the halfway mark. Inside the Mercedes, she checked the time. Ten till five. Backing out of the driveway she remembered her cell phone. After retrieving it from the Cadillac she was finally on her way.

  Nearing Tasha’s apartment complex, she called Black and White Taxicab. “Yes, may I have a cab at the Woodbridge Apartments, please?”

  “Apartment number?” the dispatcher asked.

  “I’m outside by the pool.”

  “We need an apartment number.”

  Perry couldn’t remember Tasha’s apartment number, and even if she could, she couldn’t give it. “Sir, I’m late for work and I really need a ride. Would you please dispatch a cab!”

  “Okay, lady. Make sure you’re there. Where you headed?”

  “Target. The one off Chenal. Thanks.”

  She checked the time. Fifteen after five. When she drove by the unmanned guard shack into the apartment complex, she donned her sunglasses. She drove past Tasha’s Honda Accord.

  She hasn’t left yet. All alone. No man, no brat, just her and her dildo.

  She couldn’t quite decide where to park. Couldn’t park too far away because the longer it took to walk to her car, the more time it allowed the police to arrive. Couldn’t park too close to Tasha’s apartment because someone might see her drive away and make the plates.

  After circling the lot two times, she decided to park in front of the laundromat, located two buildings behind Tasha’s.

  Here, she figured, was the ideal spot. Not too far, not too close. I could easily slip between the two buildings, head toward the front, then double back here.

  She’d gotten out of the car and started walking when she noticed a county sheriff’s cruiser parked five cars down.

  Shit! How did I miss that? She got back in her car. If he lives here he’ll come running, playing the hero.

  Frustrated, she finally parked at a liquor store outside of the apartment complex, a block away. She checked her watch. 5:37. Shit! I bet that cab is waiting.

  Perry contemplated if she should tell the cashier that she was having car trouble and would be back in a few hours to pick it up, but decided not.

  Not wanting to run, she jogged back to the complex. Nearing the entrance, she saw a Black and White taxi pulling out. She flagged it down.

  “You call a cab?” the driver asked, pulling alongside.

  She hopped in. “I sure did.”

  “Where to?” the driver said, staring at her in the rearview mirror.

  Keep your eyes off me, asshole! “Target, on Chenal.”

  The driver tried to make small talk but she ignored him. Shut up and drive!

  Fifteen minutes later, she paid him, got out in front of Target and started walking the six blocks to her house. It was a quarter after six when she made it to her front yard. She went straight to the Cadillac. If she hurried, she could get to Laskers before Tasha arrived.

  Chapter 25

  Tasha drove down Asher Avenue, once a bustling strip of restaurants and small businesses; now the city’s red-light district. Block after block of vandalized buildings, businesses deserted and forgotten long ago, interspersed with an ubiquitous liquor store.

  Pimps, prostitutes, addicts, winos, and a motley of homeless persons traversed the sidewalks on either side of the street, all hours,
day and night. Everyone else drove, and drove fast. The speed limit on Asher was thirty-five miles per hour, though most of the steady traffic clipped along at fifty or more.

  Tasha was going almost seventy, zipping past cars and eighteen wheelers, running red lights. She wanted to get to Laskers restaurant a few minutes ahead of Perry. The digital clock on the dash said 6:45.

  Her left leg shook. Derrick’s life was practically in Perry’s hand. And she, his mother, had put him there. If this goes badly, she thought, and Derrick were to get hurt or…She tried to redirect her thoughts, but couldn’t switch the track.

  If something happens to Derrick I’m done. “Done!”

  She flew past the county jail…the state fairground…At the light just before a bridge on Interstate 30, Tasha made a hard right and drove toward Laskers, a dark-blue frame house that looked more like a juke joint than a restaurant.

  She whipped the Honda into the gravel parking lot and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Perry’s Cadillac parked on the right side of the restaurant.

  Tasha turned off the engine, took a deep breath and got out. A fey odor of raw fish hit her before she reached the steps. She heard Ruth Brown singing Why Me. At the door she took another deep breath, said a silent prayer and stepped in.

  The jukebox was to the right of the door, blaring a little too loudly to her liking. Dinette tables in the middle flanked by rows of booths on either side. At a counter in the rear several people stood in line placing take-out orders.

  On every wall were portraits of famous and not-so famous African Americans. Malcolm X, Nolan Richardson, Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, Elijah Muhammad, Sidney Montcrief and Keith Jackson.

  Tasha saw a hand go up.

  “Over here,” Perry said, waving, in a booth in the back.

  Tasha crossed to her. “Hello, Perry.”

  “Hello, Detective Montgomery,” Perry said, friendly. Too friendly, Tasha thought. “Have a seat.”

  Tasha noticed Perry wasn’t wearing any makeup. Sans the ruby-red lipstick, the flesh-tone rouge, the charcoal-black eye-shadow.

  Her hair, which usually looked poured on, was slightly frazzled, several strains here and there out of place. Sweat beaded her nose. Black shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbow, as if she were prepared for physical labor.