by Cydney Rax
Coco cut in. “I’ve been to Baller Cutz plenty of times. And it ain’t nobody in there but some crusty old men. Middle-aged guys trying to stay relevant.”
“What you doing hanging out at the barbershop, Ma?” Calhoun asked Coco.
“What? I-I have business to take care of sometimes.” She exchanged uneasy glances with Burgundy.
“Business like what?”
Burgundy explained. “Coco helps me out from time to time with certain tasks. I’ve given her the key to our PO box and a couple days a week she has agreed to go pick up our mail. Or she comes by to get two thousand flyers and brochures that need to be sent out via bulk mail. So she helps with that too, organizing them by zip code and putting the rubber bands around them. It gives my sister something to do while she’s sitting around waiting on you,” she said with a friendly wink.
“Oh, yeah? I didn’t know that,” Calhoun said.
“Just because you’re her man,” Alita said, “it don’t mean you’re supposed to know her every move. Coco, don’t tell that boy—”
“Boy?” Calhoun said.
“Excuse me. I meant to say never let a man know every single thing about you. You hear me, Coco? I already know Dru don’t roll like that.”
“I’m just saying,” Calhoun explained. “She usually be running her mouth when I get home letting me know everything that happened that day. I didn’t know she be out there at the barbershop and the post office like that.”
“Man, you act like she’s going to check in at the crack house,” Alita said sounding annoyed. “There’re a lot of things men won’t know.”
“That’s true, Alita,” Julianne cut in. “And not just men. Most people see what they want to see. Because you may be impressed with this lovely house that Nate Taylor bought for his wife, his family. You see expensive cars outside, a swimming pool in the backyard, this pricy furniture and top-of-the-line electronics, and all that damned food in the kitchen. Enough food to feed an entire army, plus the homeless population.”
Burgundy beamed at Julianne. “We enjoy the fruits of our labor,” she said. “I can’t deny that.”
“Because truth be told,” Julianne continued, “when we were growing up, we didn’t eat steak and lobster every day.”
Burgundy leaned in, her ears itching. Nate saw all the women staring at Julianne’s mouth. He picked up the remote and powered off the TV.
Julianne was saying, “Sometimes we ate bologna for dinner.”
“What?” Coco said. “We’ve had bologna sandwiches for dinner too. Maybe there’s hope for me and all my children.”
Everyone laughed.
“I’m just saying,” Julianne said. “At one point in our life, money was tight. I could look clear through to the back of the refrigerator. Or we would eat beans from a can with weenies. No bread. Sometimes dinner would be cereal with water. On a good night we’d have grilled cheese sandwiches with a glass of Kool Aid. No dessert. Kool Aid was our dessert, right, Nate?”
“Wow,” Dru said. “Sometimes in my work, I come across children with malnutrition. So bony and sickly that it feels odd when they try to give me a hug. And I never would have guessed that Nate went through that as a kid. You just never know about people sometimes.”
“Ha,” Julianne said, “I could tell you some stories. Nobody knows people like family.”
All at once, Coco, Alita, and Burgundy tried to chime in. Their voices fell on top of each other.
They were noisy and boisterous. The women agitated Nate. He stepped into the center of their gathering and blew a whistle till the voices died down.
“Hey, I have a little something I want to share with everyone,” he said.
“What it is?” Burgundy asked.
“Actually, it’s a brief video. Um, I loaded it in the DVD player, and if you don’t mind, I want you all to look at it.”
He started the disc, and soon the big screen displayed a video recording featuring all of the Morning Glory and Baller Cutz employees. The Morning Glory crew wore their grey uniform polos and pants. The Baller Cutz crew wore their black and red aprons. Men and women. Young and old. They all were smiling and waving. There was a big “Thank You, Nate Taylor” banner suspended from a ceiling. It looked like they had all gathered at a clubhouse.
One by one, several employees looked directly into the camera and spoke.
“I want to thank Mr. Taylor for that huge unexpected Christmas bonus,” said one man who looked to be in his late forties. “Now I can buy my four kids some toys and get an entire turkey and all the side dishes. And I can pay my outstanding car note.”
“Wow, Nate, that’s pretty nice of you,” Alita said. “Where’s my bonus?” She stuck out her hand.
Several employees expressed their gratitude about having such a generous and thoughtful boss. He’d announced to them that they would each receive two-thousand-dollar checks, and they weren’t shy about blabbing the amount he’d presented to them. In the history of both businesses, this type of windfall courtesy of its owner had never happened.
Burgundy exchanged an uneasy glance with Nate. “Aren’t you full of surprises?”
He himself hates when the unexpected happens, but I’m glad for the staff. But then again that money is supplemental wages and it’s taxable income for those clueless employees. Nate must be up to something.
She focused in on the recording and wondered who had filmed it.
“Mr. Nate is the best,” declared one female, a waitress and single mom.
“Hmm, that’s debatable,” Alita said. She peered at the video. “I don’t see Elyse thanking you. Did you give her any extra money? She needs it. Bad.”
At hearing her name, Elyse froze up. Everyone turned around and smiled at her.
“Hell, she’s an employee too,” Alita continued. “She busts suds, sweating like a criminal in that hot-ass kitchen. Nate, you gon’ have to do her right and give her two G’s just like you did everybody else.” Nate turned off the video and refused to face Alita, who by now had gotten off of the couch and was trying to force eye contact.
“Why am I talking to your back, Nate? Be a man. Look at me.”
But he gave his attention to the disc player, fiddling with the knobs and tuning her out.
“That’s a shame,” Alita complained. “I just hope you do the right thing and give my sister the money within the next few weeks.”
He finally turned around. “What would Elyse do with that kind of money?”
“Plenty. Like move in with me and help me pay rent. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.”
“The hell she is,” he snapped back. “Ain’t no way.”
“And why not? Who died and put you in charge of my family?”
“Your mother.”
Everyone gasped. Although Nate laughed and said he was joking, Alita wanted to punch him. But Burgundy came and stood protectively next to her husband.
“Everyone calm down, please,” she said. “You have to excuse Nate. He doesn’t like surprises at all. And this is our first time hearing about you wanting Elyse to live with you. It sounds strange. I thought you were busy raising Leno and hanging out with your new lover.”
“And what’s that got to do with the price of tea in China?”
“Never mind. We can talk about this later.” Burgundy’s voice trembled. So did her hands.
She never liked being embarrassed in front of a lot of people, and God knows she would not allow it to happen on her own turf.
“Let’s go back to having a good time. Nate, turn off the video, and thanks for sharing that rare surprise with us. Ty, can you please find some music to play on the stereo? Wait. Never mind. I got this. Alexa,” she said in a loud voice, “play Bobby Brown from the eighties.”
Alexa said, “Shuffling songs by Bobby Brown.”
Soon they heard the thumping bassline of “Don’t Be Cruel.”
Alita asked, “Don’t be cruel? You trying to be funny?”
“I was five whe
n this song came out. Mama would play that album all day every Saturday. Remember?” Burgundy snapped her fingers and rocked her head back and forth.
In short time, everyone forgot about money and Elyse, food, and arguments. Coco grabbed Calhoun, bounced around with her pregnant self, and belted out the lyrics. “Don’t be cruel. ’Cause I would never be that cruel to you.”
Even Dru and Ty started dancing. The rumbling of the music could be felt underneath their feet, the throbbing bass line pulsated through the wooden floor. The room sounded like melodies from a rhythmic tribe. Burgundy couldn’t take it anymore. The music got to her so much that she felt she had to keep moving, dancing, and freeing herself from all the stress. She sang and twisted. Whooped and dipped. Burgundy grabbed Alita and hit her hip with her own, forcing her to do the bump.
Coco joyfully sang the lyrics and was happy to let her hair loose.
Alita immediately joined in. Yelling, twisting her ass, and moving her arms around. “Eighties music was the good shit. Sing that song, Bobby! With your crazy old ass.”
Everyone sung the chorus, smiling and bonding.
Julianne tried to get Nate to dance; he flatly turned her down and bolted from the room.
The kids ran around screaming and yelling, collapsing to the floor and laughing hysterically.
Two hours later, it was difficult for Burgundy’s guests to leave the holiday gathering. By then she was sweaty and exhausted, but peaceful and giddy. She held a drink in one hand, sipped on it, and tried to keep from falling over and bumping into walls.
“Y’all go ahead and make a plate. Make two or three. There’s plenty. Me and Nate can’t eat all this food.” She burped and giggled.
“That’s a damn shame. Spending that money and wasting it like you the federal government.” That was Alita.
“Hush, Alita. I-I-I enjoyed you. All of you. Y’all come back now, you hear?” Burgundy said with a big smile as she saw everyone out the door. She waved goodbye and leaned her woozy head against the door and sighed in relief.
“Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we’s free at last.”
CHAPTER 16
Cupid Strikes Again
In early December, Shade met Alita at her son’s high school to watch him play on the varsity squad. They were three weeks into the season. The game was about to begin.
The cheerleaders wore their red-and-white uniforms, and the crowd made whistling sounds and yelled the moment the players entered the gymnasium.
Shade was seated next to Alita three rows up on the metal seats. The room was packed with students, staff, parents, and siblings. Alita felt excited with nervousness.
Leno’s varsity squad was up; so far they had a perfect record, 13–0.
“There he goes.” She beamed as Leno was introduced in the starting lineup.
“He takes after you,” Shade told her. “Nice looking young fellow.”
“Oh, hush.”
“I mean it.”
“I know you do.” Shade quietly grabbed her hand. His fingers felt warm and strong. She couldn’t stand fingers that felt cold, rusty, and dry.
Once tip-off occurred, Alita kept her eyes at the action on the gym floor. Shade mostly stared at Alita.
“Can I get you anything? You straight?” He doted on her throughout the first ten minutes.
Alita told him, “Nah, I’m not thirsty right now. I’m good.” Shade rose up and left anyway. A few minutes later when he returned, she didn’t argue when he handed her a cold bottled water.
“Here, drink this.”
“Why? I told you I’m not thirsty.”
“Yeah, but you’ve been screaming so much that you sound hoarse.”
“That’s because those refs are full of shit. I like things to be right. And I get pissed when they’re not.”
“I can see that.”
He twisted off the cap for her, and she took a long swallow. She said thanks and shivered. Shade immediately removed his jacket and placed it over Alita’s shoulders. She stared at him suspiciously.
He laughed, “It’s freezing in this place. Here it is December and they acting like it’s July. I noticed that you were trembling like you were cold.”
She laughed and blushed again, feeling embarrassed for judging his kindness. Alita arranged the jacket so that it fully covered her shoulders. She inhaled. The jacket smelled like expensive cologne. It smelled just like him.
“What am I doing with a man like you?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You seem decent. You not broke. You don’t live with your mama or your grandmama. You’re educated, cultured.”
“And?”
“Why would you want to kick it with me at a damned high school basketball game? You should be at a Rockets game checking out James Harden, or somewhere in New York watching the Knicks and sitting next to Spike Lee or something.”
“Are you serious? C’mon, Alita. What’s wrong with me being here with you, young lady?”
“That’s the point. I’m not young. I-I—”
“Are you a centenarian?”
“A what?”
He laughed. “I meant to ask if you’re a hundred years old.”
“Hell, no.”
“Then your young self needs to stop stressing, start relaxing, and simply enjoy the moment, with me. Do it! Because now you’re starting to piss me off.”
She gave in and laughed. “Hey now, Shade! I like that.”
“I’m serious. Let’s enjoy the moment. Just do it. Together.”
As simple as his words sounded, they seemed as sweet as a slice of fresh watermelon. She nodded and told him all right. She was angry, so angry at herself for not being able to see the bigger picture, to realize that life was meant to be enjoyed with whomever you were blessed to have in your life.
Feeling sheepish, Alita grabbed his hand again and intertwined her fingers in his. He smiled at her, then winked. She wanted to explode with happiness.
“There you go again,” Alita told him as she leaned against Shade and enjoyed the strength and the warmth of his masculinity. “You do all the right things, every little thing that make me feel so good.”
“And it seems you want to destroy it all?”
“No, Shade, never that. I-I want every good thing that you give me. And that’s what I’m scared of. Me admitting that this is what I want. The decent guy. A stable life. My son to do well—Woo, watch it now.” She took her eyes of Shade and monitored Leno, who had just hit the floor in a hard fall.
“Get up, baby.” She quickly rose to her feet. She bit her nails and mumbled a brief prayer. She only calmed down when Leno’s teammates pulled him back up to his feet. She felt relieved when she saw her son walking around without assistance.
Alita sat down and groaned. “See, Shade, that’s what I’m talking about. This game makes me crazy. I have to be here at every time he plays. I lose money when I come here because I turn down work, but you know what? I am having a good-ass time. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Shade nodded. “Was that so hard to say? Feel? Think?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Now I want to ask you a question,” he said. “How would you like for us to spend Christmas together? That’s only in a few weeks. I don’t know if you’ve made other plans.”
“No, we usually hang out with the sisters. So, yes.” Her heart pounded. She would have to introduce him to her sisters. Was she ready? Were they a couple?
“Yes, what?” he asked.
“I wanna see you around the holidays. May as well. But now I need to ask you something too, Shade.”
“Ask away.”
“What are we?” she said.
“What are we? You tell me.”
Right then a timer went off indicating the end of the first half. Leno’s team was trailing by four points. Alita stood up and said, “Can we go outside to the food truck? I’m hungry for some tacos, and I need to use the ladies room. Come on.”
/>
Shade followed right behind Alita as she walked down a few metal steps. Once she reached the floor of the gym, he grabbed her by the hand and led her to the main hallway. They broke away from each other outside the restrooms so she could go into a stall and relieve herself.
Once they reconnected again by the water cooler, Alita saw Shade talking to a female. Immediately, she wanted to react with rage. But Alita forced herself to remain calm, then she marched right up to them.
Alita heard the woman saying, “I just moved to this district. My daughter goes here. She’s a freshman and a cheerleader.”
“Oh, all right,” Shade said. He turned around and noticed Alita standing idly by.
“Alita, meet Monica, one of my former co-workers. We used to be in the same department at Shell. Till she got laid off a few years ago.” Monica smiled and extended her hand.
“And Monica,” Shade said. “This here is my lady. You may call her Lita.”
“Okay, I can call her Lita. And what do you call her, Shade?”
“You’d have to be there.”
“Uh, that’s enough.” Monica frowned and smiled at the same time. “That’s too much information.”
“Don’t ask and I won’t tell,” he said, laughing.
“Your man is so crazy, Lita. Good to meet you. He always had people in our department laughing. They would always frown or either crack up because his jokes were so corny and straitlaced.”
“That’s my man all right,” Alita said.
Monica spoke to them a couple of more minutes, then said goodbye.
Once they were alone, Alita spoke up. “I really respect what you did, Shade.”
“Do you?”
She leaned over and kissed him. Openly, unapologetically.
“Now you believe me?” she asked.
“Hell, yeah,” Shade told her.
They rushed outside to a food truck, and he bought them some tacos and drinks. They made their way back to the stands.
“Cupid,” Alita said aloud. “He struck again.”
Shade beamed at her.
“Don’t get me wrong. I like this, being here with you, feeling connected like this. It’s been a minute.” Alita wanted to cry tears of joy. To have such a decent man claim her felt like a dream. Shade seemed incapable of harming her, but it was still too early to know.