“No, I’m not homeless. I have a one-bedroom studio apartment that I’ve been living in for the past two years. I used to work construction, but the company I worked for moved to another city. I thought it would be easy for me to find another job, but I quickly learned that construction jobs don’t come easy, especially for a black man like me who was once incarcerated. I was lucky that the company hired me when I got out of jail. But I haven’t been so lucky since they left.”
“What were you in jail for?”
He paused before answering. “For selling drugs. Got a judge who was eager to make an example out of me. Told me I needed to learn a lesson, even though I didn’t have any prior convictions. He gave me fifteen years, and the rest is history.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. The system is so against blacks. Hopefully, our next president will do something about this unfair judicial system.”
“They’re all talk and no action. That includes the president. Nothing will change, and I will put every dime that you pay me on it.”
I felt like him, so I didn’t bother making that bet. We continued to talk about the unfair judicial system, and when we reached the apartment building he lived in, I was reluctant to go inside. It wasn’t as if it was in a bad neighborhood, but the building looked broken down. The white door that opened to four studio apartments was filthy. When I did enter, the first thing I saw was the wooden stairs that creaked and looked as if they were about to cave in. The carpeted hallway was covered with stains, and the strong smoky smell almost made me want to pass out.
“You have to excuse this place. It’s all I can afford right now. My girlfriend is here too, but she may be asleep.”
I was surprised to hear that he had a girlfriend, but she wouldn’t be no problem for me. He put the key in the door to turn the lock. When we entered his studio apartment, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There wasn’t much furniture at all—just a wicker chair with a fake plant next to it. The fireplace had a rug in front of it, and to my right was a tiny kitchen with two folding chairs facing each other. The smell of Pine-Sol was in the air, but the space wasn’t 100 percent clean. Dust was caked on the windowsills, and a box of Cornflakes was on the kitchen floor. A dirty rag hung over the sink where dishes were piled pretty high. And the bedroom was sectioned off by a white wrinkled curtain. I saw a mattress on the floor, and when a shadowy figure appeared, I figured it was his girlfriend.
“Velma, come here,” he said. “I want you to meet this nice lady who wants me to do some work for her.”
Velma came from around the curtain with her long, nappy hair sitting wildly on her head. The pink nightgown she wore had stains on it, and a pedicure and manicure were needed badly. Her brown skin was just as ashy as Clinton’s was. I couldn’t tell if she was on drugs or not, but her frail frame implied that she was. As she looked me over with her beady eyes, I couldn’t help but to think about how Clinton implied he didn’t want to cheat on her when I first saw him. If she could keep a man faithful, hell, why couldn’t I? I extended my hand to hers.
“Hi, Velma. I met Clinton a few weeks back. I’m here because I would like for him to do some work for me. And, by the way, you have a nice cozy place here.”
She didn’t bother to shake my hand. “There ain’t nothin’ cozy or nice about livin’ here, so stop lyin’.” She looked at Clinton. “I told you it’s not a good idea to bring people over here. But since you never listen to what I say, what kind of work does she want you to do?”
“I don’t know yet. That’s what we came here to holla about.”
There was no way for me to tell Clinton what I really wanted him to do for me, so I had to think of something fast.
“I would like for him to build me and my daughter some shelves in our walk-in closets. We have a lot of clothes and shoes that need to be organized.”
“Must be nice,” she said, slightly rolling her eyes. “Everybody ain’t able.”
I wanted to tell this heifer with an attitude to get a job and clean this rat-trap up instead of lying around sleeping all day. She obviously didn’t like me; jealousy traveled deep in her eyes.
“I would love to work on your closets,” Clinton said. “But let me put these groceries in the fridge and find out what Velma wants to eat tonight. After that, we can finish our discussion.”
As Clinton and Velma made their way to the kitchen, I walked over to a small bay window with a seat in front of it. That was where I waited until Clinton was finished. I envisioned him dressed in a suit, clean shaven, and sprayed with cologne. He would instantly become an eight on a scale from one to ten. His hair and eyes are what sold me. Brent would also be jealous of Clinton’s physique. I couldn’t wait to tell him what I really needed him for, but I refused to go into details in front of Velma. She kept sneaking peeks at me and wincing. All I did was smile and turn my head in another direction, as if I was looking at something outside.
“I’m not eating anything until she leaves,” Velma said in a whisper, loud enough for me to hear. “So hurry up with your conversation so she can go.”
“Calm down, all right? I’m trying to make us some money. You about to blow it with that attitude you got.”
I pretended as if I didn’t hear their conversation. And when Clinton came up to me, he asked if I would follow him to the hallway outside his door to talk.
“Sure. That’s fine with me.” I stood and waved to Velma on my way out. “Have a great day. Nice meeting you.”
To no surprise, she didn’t respond. And as soon as Clinton and I stepped in the hallway, he apologized for her behavior.
“No need to apologize. If I had a man as handsome as you are, I would probably behave the same way.”
He blushed—so sexy. “Thanks, but, uh, when do you want me to get started on those closets?”
“How about tomorrow? Tomorrow morning, if you can. I live about forty or so minutes away from here. Will you be able to find a ride or would you like for me to come here and pick you up?”
He lowered his head, looking embarrassed. “I don’t have a ride, but I can catch MetroLink to the closest stop near your place.”
“You don’t have to do that. Just be ready in the morning. Bring whatever you need to measure my closets, and then we’ll go to Home Depot to get the materials you’ll need. Until then, do you have any idea how much you’ll charge me.”
“I won’t know until I see your closets. It shouldn’t be that much, though. I’m just grateful for the work.”
“If you do a good job, I may have some other things for you to do. I don’t mind paying people who take good care of me.”
Just as those words left my mouth, the door swung open. Velma glanced at me before shifting her eyes to Clinton.
“Are you done yet? I’m ready to eat now.”
“We’re finished,” I said, answering for him. “I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.”
I walked off, and you had better believe that when I turned around, Velma was evil eyeing me. I sensed that she would be a problem, but as long as she didn’t know where I lived or what I intended to do with her man, I was good.
* * *
The next morning, I said good-bye to Kendal as she was on her way to school. We seemed to be doing okay lately. My only issue with her was her smart mouth.
“Don’t forget that I’m staying after school today,” she said. “I’ll catch the activity bus home. Will you be here when I get here?”
“I should be. Why? Because you want to invite your little boyfriend over here again?”
“Nope. He won’t be invited over here ever again, especially after how you treated him. I hope Brent won’t be here either, and it feels so good not to have to see his ugly face again.”
Kendal was looking for an argument, but I tried my best to ignore her. I locked the door after she left and glared at her through the window as she walked to the bus stop. Little did she know, her little attitude and comments abo
ut Brent were starting to work me. If she thought she was going to come between us, she was sadly mistaken. Some kids were out of line, especially the spoiled-ass ones who’d been given everything on a silver platter. I winced and stepped away from the window to go put on some clothes. Minutes later, I headed to Clinton’s place to pick him up.
On the drive there, I made a detour to see if there was anything interesting happening at Brent’s place. His car was gone, but his wife’s car was still there. I parked my car next to the curb, and before I got out, I removed a pocketknife from my glove compartment. The knife had a sharp blade on it and a pointed edge. I felt a need to get her back for telling Brent that I followed her to the Laundromat. In addition to that, I didn’t appreciate her threatening me. This was my answer to her threat.
I made my way up the driveway, bending down so no one would see me. I stabbed her back left tire, and in an instant, I could hear air seeping from it. I casually walked back to my car, but to my surprise, a nosy-ass white man driving by saw me. He lowered his window, calling out to me.
“Hey, hey!” he shouted as he slowly drove beside me. “Did you just poke that tire with a knife?”
I halted my steps and looked at him. “As a matter of fact, I just did. And I’m in the mood to poke something else, so you may want to drive off and mind your business.”
After lifting the knife so he could see it, he decided to keep it moving. I saw him looking at me through his rearview mirror. I hoped he didn’t write down my license plate number.
Within the hour, I was at Clinton’s apartment. He was already outside waiting for me. I couldn’t believe that his hair had been washed, and even though his shorts were dirty, they were cleaner than the ones he had on yesterday. His skin remained ashy. I would help him take care of that real soon.
“Good morning,” he said, opening the passenger’s side door to my car. “You are right on time.”
“So are you. I appreciate that, especially since we have a lot to do today. Is Velma okay with you leaving?”
“Not really, but what else am I supposed to do? She’s always fussing about me not having any money, and then when I find ways to make money, she’s still fussing.”
“No offense, but what does she bring to the table? Does she even have a job?”
“Nah, she’s been looking for work too. The struggle is real out here, and minimum wage just ain’t cutting it.”
“I know, but something is better than nothing. You would agree with that, wouldn’t you?”
All he did was shrug his shoulders. It was pretty obvious that he had a lazy trick at home who wanted him to bring in the cash while she sat on her butt doing nothing.
“I agree, but a lot of the jobs paying minimum wage want to work you like a slave. Velma needs some light work. We just found out that she’s six weeks pregnant. I don’t want her working too hard.”
I didn’t bother to comment. I worked up until I was eight-and-a-half months pregnant with Kendal. And then, two weeks after she was born, I was back at work again. I just didn’t buy his excuse for her not working. But, it didn’t matter to me anyway. As long as he was willing to work, I was fine. I was going to let him build shelves for my closets, and then ask him to be my new standby man.
“Congrats on the baby. Is it your first child?”
“Nah, I have a son who is sixteen years old. I haven’t seen him in years though. His mother and me don’t get along. She kept him from me when he was little, and the last time I saw him was when I got out of prison.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I have a fifteen-year-old daughter who will be sixteen next week. I couldn’t even imagine my life without her.”
This time, Clinton didn’t respond. I figured he was probably thinking about his son. I changed the subject.
“Are you hungry? If so, we can stop to get something quick to eat.”
“I’m not real hungry, but some coffee and a donut would be nice.”
I stopped at the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts to get Clinton what he asked for. I ordered a bagel sandwich for myself. We ate in the car, while continuing to make small talk with each other. I was surprised to learn that we were the same age, and it intrigued me that he seemed well educated. He said that he’d gotten a degree while in prison. He also admitted that being there had changed his whole perspective on things.
“You keep asking all of these questions about me,” he said. “But what’s up with you? Do you work, have a man . . . what?”
“I do work, but I’m on vacation right now. I was once married; unfortunately, things didn’t work out. Since then, I’ve been dating here and there. Nothing serious, though.”
“I’m surprised to hear that. I figured a woman as fine as you are would have multiple men. Since that ain’t the case, I assume your divorce was rough on you.”
“Yeah, it was. I don’t care to go into details, but I will say that I’m glad the marriage is over.”
Clinton didn’t say much else after that. The only time he spoke up was when we got to my house.
“Nice,” he said as I pulled in the driveway. “I like the landscaping. You don’t need me to take care of your yard at all.”
“I have a lawn care service that takes care of that faithfully for me. But I assure you that I can use your help for other things.”
We got out of the car, and when I unlocked the front door, we went inside. I gave Clinton a quick tour of the upper level, as well as the basement. It was empty, but through his eyes, he could work wonders.
“This basement is huge. You could have a bar area over there, and a movie theater right where we’re standing. You even have room for a wine cellar, if you would like something like that.”
“I would, but we’ll have to talk about redoing the basement another time.”
I walked up the stairs swaying my hips from side to side. I couldn’t help but to wonder what Clinton was thinking as he walked behind me.
“The truth is,” he said, “your place is already hooked up. I don’t know how much work you think is needed in here, because other than your basement, I don’t see many areas that need improvement.”
“There are a few things. Come on and let me show you what I’d like for you to do with the closets.”
I took Clinton to Kendal’s closet first. It was thick with clothes, shoes, and purses that I’d gotten from Macy’s. My discount was very beneficial. There was no question that when it came to clothes, we didn’t need more.
“Wow. There’s a lot of stuff in here,” Clinton said as he turned in circles. “I would need you to clear out this closet so I can measure it. I have an idea about how I can stack the shelves, and once I see your closet, I’ll sketch a drawing so you can see my suggestions.”
I showed Clinton my closet as well. He was in awe by all of the things I had. He referred to me as a shopaholic as we sat at the kitchen table, discussing his drawing and the cost. In a nutshell, he only wanted a hundred and fifty bucks. I was willing to pay him much more than that, but I didn’t tell him yet because I wanted to see his work first. He offered to help me clean out my closet, and after he completed the measurements, we took a five-minute break before heading to Home Depot.
Clinton suggested renting a truck to haul all of the materials at once. I thought that would be a good idea too. But as we were loading up the wood, my cell phone rang. I saw Brent’s number flash on the screen. I knew why he was calling, but I didn’t feel like answering my phone right now. I continued to help Clinton, and thirty minutes later, we returned to my house. I offered to help Clinton, but he told me to move out of the way. He totally took charge. I was impressed. I had never seen a man work so hard and be so focused on a job. He came across as a real professional. I sat on the bed, watching TV and observing him as he got down to business. And when lunchtime came, I offered to make him something to eat.
“I’m good,” he said, wiping across his sweaty forehead. “Just bring me something else to drink. I really want to finish as much of this as I ca
n for you today.”
“You don’t have to finish all of it today, do you?”
“The sooner, the better. And if you want to help, you can start cleaning out your daughter’s closet. That’ll save me a lot of time. I can measure her closet before I leave today.”
I went to the kitchen to get Clinton an ice-cold soda. After I gave it to him, I went into Kendal’s closet to clear it out. Brent had already interrupted me three times, and when he called again, I finally answered.
“I’m really busy, Brent. For a man who doesn’t want anything else to do with me, I don’t know why you keep calling me.”
“You know damn well why I’m calling you. Were you at my house today?”
I played clueless. “Why would I be at your house when you basically threw me out the last time I was there?”
“You left because you didn’t like what I had to say. Now, getting back to what you did to my wife’s car today, stop the foolishness, please. I’m getting cameras installed today. If either of us catch you on our property, we will not hesitate to shoot.”
“Listen, fool. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but please don’t call me making threats. If someone did something to her car, I suggest you go look for one of those thugs who live in your neighborhood. Because here’s the truth, Brent. If you continue to harass me, I will call the police and have you arrested. I’m not going to put up with this mess from you or from your wife. Stop calling me, and go get a life.”
This time, I hung up on him. I felt good about it too, and even though I lied, I thought my words were very convincing. I did, however, have to be careful. The last thing I needed was to be caught on camera, doing something that I had no business doing. Then again, I had every right. I smiled, wondering if he would still be upset with me when he saw me tonight. During our relationship, I introduced him to a live pool hall that had excellent food. Sometimes, Brent went without me to drink beer and hang out with his friends. I couldn’t wait to walk through the door with my new man by my side.
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