by Mary Monroe
Bertha shook her head. “Uh-uh. Tomorrow morning won’t do. Sister Hightower is picking me up at eight, so we can catch the bus to that new casino in Rohnert Park.” The pout on Bertha’s face was so severe, I was tempted to give in, but I was not going to this time.
“Well, I guess we’ll have to get up early enough for me to do it. I usually get up before seven on weekends. That would give me enough time.” I was getting impatient, and from the look on Bertha’s face, I could tell she was getting mad.
“What in the world has gotten into you, Lola Mae? Have you been drinking?”
“No, I haven’t been drinking.”
“Then what else is wrong with you, girl?” Bertha moved closer to me and started sniffing around my mouth. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “Hold still and let me smell your breath.” I shook my head and groaned. It was hard to believe that Bertha still treated me like a teenager.
“Look, Bertha,” I snarled, moving a few feet backward as she continued to sniff. “I already rearrange my life too much for your benefit. Now I have plans for this evening and I am not going to change them to stay home just so I can do your hair. Why don’t you just wear a scarf or one of your wig-hats tomorrow? Or maybe you can get somebody else to give you a perm.” I glanced over my shoulder toward the living room. Libby remained silent but glared at me.
“I wish you wouldn’t sass me, girl,” Bertha whined. She started blinking hard and wringing her hands.
“I’m not sassing you—-”
“Girl, I advise you to watch your step. You are way out of line this time,” Libby snarled as she stomped into the kitchen. “You don’t talk to my mama like that!”
Jeffrey and Kevin heard the commotion and galloped down from upstairs and into the kitchen.
“Is everything all right down here?” Jeffrey asked, looking from me to Bertha, then Libby.
“This idiot is down here disrespecting my mama, and I am not going to stand for it!” Libby screamed, looking at me like she wanted to wring my neck. “And after all Mama has done for her motherless, cheesy black ass, she ought to be ashamed of herself!”
Bertha rubbed her chest with both hands and sat down hard into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. Her head was rolling from side to side and the rest of her body was jerking. Words could not describe the terrified look on her face. “I . . . I . . . don’t feel so good. It’s my chest . . . my chest . . . ooooh . . . I don’t feel so good,” she swooned as her eyes bucked out.
Kevin went up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Take it easy, Grandma. We’ll take real good care of you,” he said gently. Then he turned to me and snapped, “You need to stop upsetting my grandmother, because it ain’t cool!”
I was so exasperated, I didn’t know what to say next. I didn’t even want to remain in the room, trying to defend myself in a battle I had lost a long time ago. I shook my head, turned around, and headed toward the staircase. I ran up the steps two at a time, and I didn’t stop running until I was in my bedroom.
Instead of taking a shower or one of my hour-long bubble baths, I took a quick bird bath in the bathroom sink and put on fresh makeup. To save even more time, I decided to wear the same plain blue blouse and black pants I had worn to work. I was not going to be in my clothes for long after I got to the hotel anyway, so it didn’t really matter what I wore.
Everybody was in the living room when I crept quietly back downstairs with my car keys in my hand. Bertha was stretched out on the couch. Libby stood over her, fanning her face with a magazine. Kevin hovered nearby. I could hear Jeffrey in the kitchen talking to one of his friends on the telephone. He was apologizing about having to cancel a poker game because he had to stay home and help his wife look after his mother-in-law. Jeffrey ended his call when he saw me standing in the doorway with a worried look on my face. “Lola, you go on and meet your friend and don’t worry about Bertha. Everything’s under control. You know how dramatic she can be sometimes. She’s just having a bad day,” he assured me.
“I didn’t mean to upset her. . . .” I stopped talking because Jeffrey held up his hand and waved me toward the door.
“Go on and meet up with your friend,” he insisted. And then he literally marched me to the door and pushed me out. “I hope you have a good time.”
I did have a good time. Lester’s lovemaking skills were only average to me. I didn’t care, because I liked his looks and great personality. However, I couldn’t stop thinking about Bertha. But after a prime rib dinner and two glasses of wine, I was so relaxed I didn’t give her tantrum another thought. For the first time, I was glad Libby and Jeffrey were staying with us. She was their problem tonight.
I enjoyed Lester’s company so much, when he asked if he could see me again in the near future, I told him yes. “But only if I’m not married by then.”
“Oh? Are you engaged?” He sounded and looked disappointed.
“Something like that.” I didn’t know how much longer I could stand to live with Bertha. If I didn’t reel Calvin in soon, I was going to lose my mind.
“I’ll keep in touch anyway,” Lester said with a sigh. “If I’m lucky, I’ll get at least one more date with you.”
After one more glass of wine he walked me to the door, pulled me into his arms, and gave me a very passionate kiss. His lips stayed on mine so long, I had to push him away. He grinned. “Whoever dude is, he’s very lucky.”
“So am I,” I said. I was not sure when, or if, I’d even hear from Calvin again, but I still thought there was a chance that he would marry me.
Maybe I’d already lost my mind....
Chapter 29
Calvin
WHEN SYLVIA LEFT AN HOUR AGO, I MOVED FROM MY BED TO THE living room couch. I lay on my side, staring at the wall, wondering why I felt so restless and sad all of a sudden when there was really no reason to be. Now, on top of everything else on my mind, I was concerned about my mental state.
I hoped that if I was going insane, it wouldn’t happen until after I’d completed my mission. I was more eager than ever to wrap my hands around Lola’s throat. I wanted to see her as soon as possible. Not to kill her—I still had a little more planning to do before that happened. With my mind being so frazzled, my hormones were all over the place. The only reason I suddenly wanted to see her was to sleep with her. The strange thing was, having sex with Lola hadn’t even crossed my mind today until now. Even after sexing Sylvia earlier tonight, and a date with a hot little Mexican cutie coming up on Tuesday, Lola’s body was the one I wanted tonight.
I dialed her cell phone number and my call went straight to voice mail, so I sent her a text:
Can we meet at Sal’s Pizza Den in South Bay City on Montgomery Street in an hour? Sorry for another last-minute request. Would like to see you before my run on Tuesday, and this is the only night I can do it.
I couldn’t believe that I had begun to sound almost as immature and giddy as Lola, but I’d do whatever it took to keep her thinking I was the man she thought I was.
I sent the message and expected to hear back from her right away. Ten minutes passed and she still had not responded. Twenty passed, then half an hour. What was wrong with the dizzy bitch? Had she passed out, been abducted, or lost her phone? With her, there was just no telling. I suddenly remembered that shit she’d posted on the club’s blog about a date she had arranged for this evening! That nasty buzzard was probably holed up in a hotel room fucking her brains out. BITCH! SLUT! WHORE!
Instead of calling her or sending another text, I turned off my phone. But I was so horny, I couldn’t sit still. I didn’t feel like picking up another woman off the street, because she may have ended up dead. Besides, all I wanted tonight was a piece of ass. None of the local Discreet Encounters members were available, so I had to go to plan B: a random escort service I’d used several times over the years. With all the free sex I was getting from club members these days, I didn’t mind paying for a piece every now and then. I would have preferred a
n encounter with a black woman, an Asian, or a Latina, but none of the ones I wanted were available. I was okay with the slender blonde who knocked on my door an hour later.
Her name was Heidi. In her ad, she claimed to be in her midtwenties, but this bitch was thirty-five if she was a day. She had a pretty face, stringy blond hair, bad breath, and one hell of a potbelly for such a skinny woman. I was willing to overlook her flaws because I was interested only in what was between her legs.
“You have a real nice place,” she said, looking around. “You live alone?”
“I have a couple of roommates. They’ll be home soon so let’s not waste any time.” There was no way I was going to tell a hooker that I lived alone. I took her hand and led her to my bedroom.
“That’s fine with me. I’m anxious to get home so I can rest and give my pussy and my mouth a break. I’ve been fucking and sucking all day. Can I have a drink before we get down to business?” Heidi plopped down on my bed. “Booze helps me get in the mood quicker.”
“If you do this all the time, shouldn’t you always be in the mood?” I quipped.
“Well, this is just a job to me, so the only man I’m always in the mood to fuck is my fiancé.” She gave me an impatient look and started removing her clothes.
I kept a straight face, but I shook my head. This woman was engaged to be married and here she was selling her body to a stranger. She was no better than Glinda!
“I hope you have something real strong. Anything except tequila. That shit is even too strong for me.” She was completely naked by now.
“Sorry, baby. All I have is beer.”
“Then I guess that’ll have to do.”
I backed out of the room, trotted into my kitchen, and took one can of Budweiser out of my refrigerator. I had already drunk four in the last hour, so I needed to take a piss before I got busy with Heidi.
I couldn’t have been away from her for more than three or four minutes, but when I got back to my bedroom, that crazy bitch was leaning over my nightstand rifling through my wallet! “Aw shit!” she hollered when she whirled around and saw me.
“Oh hell no!” I yelled, sprinting across the floor. I dropped the beer onto the bed and snatched my wallet out of her hand. “Bitch, what the fuck are you looking for?”
“When we made our date, you said you could only afford to pay me a hundred bucks. I was checking to see if you were lying. You’ve got almost half a grand!”
“What difference does it make? You agreed to a hundred!”
“I don’t like liars,” she hollered. She walked casually over to my dresser, where she’d left her clothes and shoes, and immediately started putting them back on. I was right behind her, boiling with rage.
“Well, I don’t like thieves, so I advise you to get your flat ass up out of my house while you still can, BITCH!”
Heidi gasped and gave me a stunned look. “Look, I’m a Catholic. I don’t like to hear cuss words or use them, but you are one lying asshole. I hope—”
I didn’t give her a chance to finish her sentence. Before I could stop myself, I lunged at her and wrapped my hands about her throat. “Aaarrrggghh,” she screamed as she clawed at my hands. I didn’t have a tight grip on her, so she was able to pry my fingers away. “Please don’t kill me. I’m pregnant,” she whimpered. “If you don’t believe me, I can show you the prescription I got from my doctor the other day for my prenatal pills.”
Having a baby in her belly explained Heidi’s potbelly, and it was one of the reasons I chose not to kill her. I didn’t really want to kill anybody tonight anyway. Besides, I didn’t know if she had told somebody where she was going. And I had called her, so my cell phone number was in her phone’s log history. As pissed off as I was, I managed to control myself. I backed away and wagged my finger in Heidi’s face. “Get out of my house!”
Without another word, she ran as if she had just had an encounter with Satan. And, in a roundabout way, she had.
This unexpected turn of events had suddenly cancelled my urge to have sex. My erection fizzled out so fast, my dick felt like a deflated balloon. I didn’t think I’d be able to perform at all again tonight, but I still wanted to be in the presence of a woman for a couple of hours, just to keep me company. The problem was, there was no way I was going to solicit another woman from an escort service right then, especially just to have her come over and watch TV and have a drink with me. And I had no desire to see Sylvia again tonight. I had a couple of ex-girlfriends who would still jump through hoops for me. Unfortunately, they both knew Sylvia, so I couldn’t invite one of them over. Besides, there was only one woman I really wanted to be with tonight: Lola.
I took a few deep breaths and strolled over to my dresser and checked my cell phone. Lola had responded. My eyes burned as I read her message:
Calvin my phone battery had died so I just saw your message a little while ago after I charged my phone. If it’s not too late and you still want me to meet you at that pizza place, just let me know.
I didn’t send a text. I dialed her number but the damn call went straight to voice mail. I started talking right after I heard that annoying beep. I couldn’t believe my own words. Here I was telling the whore who was at the top of my shit list that I wanted to see her tonight just to talk. On top of all the other issues I had to deal with, now I was worried that I was losing some of my manliness.
Chapter 30
Lola
I DIDN’T SEE THE TEXT MESSAGE FROM CALVIN UNTIL I GOT BACK TO my car in the hotel parking lot after I’d left Lester’s hotel suite. He had sent it more than an hour ago—around the same time I had been wallowing in bed with Lester! I couldn’t believe that this was the second time he had requested a spur-of-the-moment date when I was already with another man! Since my date with Lester had ended, and the night was still young, there was no reason for me not to see Calvin too.
Before I could reply, my battery fizzled out! As long as I’d been using cell phones, I was still lax about making sure my battery was always fully charged. I had a charger in my car, so I started charging my battery immediately. It was almost half an hour before there was enough juice to use my phone again. When I read Calvin’s message again, it brought tears to my eyes and it made my heart flutter. That sweet man! He just wanted somebody to talk to tonight.
When I called him I got his voice mail, so I sent him a text. I wanted to wait in the hotel parking lot until I heard back from him, but when a security guard started giving me the fish eye, I left.
It made me feel good to know that Calvin was so anxious to see me tonight. His pending rendezvous with that Mexican woman next week didn’t bother me as much now, and I put it on the back burner. A lot of other women had previously posted reviews about him. I wasn’t too concerned about them because they were older, fatter, and not nearly as attractive as I was. I was much more concerned about that frisky, gorgeous, young chica who was also one of his regulars. I told myself not to feel too threatened, because she lived in Mexico and I lived just one city away from Calvin. Since he only wanted somebody to talk to tonight, that convinced me that I was more to him than just another piece of ass.
After I stopped to get gas, I drove around for a while before I parked in a Burger King parking lot and dialed Calvin’s number again. He answered on the second ring. “Calvin, I’m sorry. I didn’t reply right away to the text you sent a while ago because my battery had died. I charged it, and that’s why I’m just now getting back to you,” I explained.
“Oh?”
“Um . . . I’ve been out all evening and I was not near a landline,” I said in a small voice. “Do you still want to see me tonight?”
“I’d really like to.”
“I can meet you at that pizza place you mentioned in your text.”
“Are you sure? I know you don’t like to be out driving by yourself after dark.”
Bertha suddenly crossed my mind. I hadn’t given much thought to her panic attack—or whatever it was—especially since she had s
everal people in the house with her. I didn’t know what I’d have to deal with when I got home, and I wanted to get as much enjoyment out of tonight as possible. “Don’t worry about that. I’m feeling kind of brave tonight.” I giggled. Even though he’d said he only wanted to talk, I held my breath and waited for him to tell me what hotel he wanted to take me to after the pizza.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear that, Lola. I promise I won’t keep you out too long. I’m sure we can finish off a pizza and a couple of beers in an hour or two.”
“I’m sure we can.” My ego took a hit, but I was glad he didn’t want to sleep with me tonight after all. As much as I wanted to feel his body close to mine again, I didn’t like sleeping with two men in the same day. “Calvin, you can keep me out as long as you want,” I cooed, sounding like a vixen on the prowl.
“I’m going to leave now. If traffic is not too heavy, I’ll see you in about twenty-five minutes.”
* * *
When I arrived at Sal’s Pizza Den, it was so crowded, it took five minutes to locate Calvin in a back booth near the kitchen. When he spotted me, he stood up and started walking in my direction. As soon as he got close enough, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me so passionately, I was surprised I didn’t melt into the floor.
“I’m so glad you could join me,” he said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. “I know it’s been only a few weeks since we were together, but it seems like a few years.” He was more sensitive than I thought! It was another point in his favor on my imaginary scoreboard. “Some mail for my late uncle was forwarded to me today. I really miss him, and every time something happens that reminds me of him, I feel kind of gloomy. I didn’t want to be by myself tonight, and I enjoy talking to you as much as I enjoy everything else about you.”
This was more confirmation that sex was not the only thing he wanted from me! Of all the people he knew, I was the one he wanted to be with when he was sad. I couldn’t think of anything else this man could do or say that would make me love him more.