by Nico Jackson
“Thank you,” he said. “I’ve missed this.”
She looked up at him. “I enjoyed it. Thank you for asking.”
He held out his hand, and she took it. “Do you want a drink?”
“I’d like that.”
He walked her back to the table, pulled out her chair, and make sure she was comfortable. He went to the bar, and waited for the bartender’s attention. “Two Woodfords,” he said. “Neat.”
He reached into his pocket to get money for a tip, and when he looked up Isaac was standing next to him.
“Was that for my benefit?” Isaac said.
“Why would I care about what you think? You’re not making sense.”
“I saw you with Kendra.”
“We danced. Can you dance, Isaac?”
“I don’t understand why you’re here.”
“She invited me. You know she bought a whole table, right?”
“What’s going on with you two?”
Jay accepted the glasses from the bartender, dropped money into the tip jar, and looked Isaac in the eye. “If you want to know something, you need to talk to her. I’m not telling you her business.”
“Who are you to tell me when I can talk to my wife?”
Jay laughed. “Your wife? You didn’t bring her, man. I did.”
“We can have this out here and now.”
“You’ve had one too many. I’m walking away,” Jay said. “I’m here to have a good time and support a good cause. I don’t want any trouble.”
Isaac grabbed his arm. The whiskey nearly sloshed out of the glass. “Don’t think you going to get away with this.”
Jay gave him a level stare, then smiled. “Get away with what? I brought my girlfriend here because she wanted to come. Now I’m gonna take her this drink.”
An older man approached them. “Isaac!”
Isaac stumbled as he turned. “Dad.”
“Come. Now.”
“Do you know who this is? He’s with Kendra.”
Isaac Hammond, Junior had played football when he was in college, and he was still solidly built. He grabbed his son’s arm. “And what she does is none of your concern. She got what she wanted.” He shoved Isaac toward the dance floor. “Your date is waiting.” Junior looked down his nose at Jay. “Good evening.”
Jay raised a glass and nodded. He went back to the table and set a drink in front of Kendra. He sat next to her. Sam and Emma were dancing.
“What happened?”
“I ran into Isaac.”
“You didn’t run into him. He made it his business to talk to you. He practically ran to the bar.”
He shrugged. “I guess he’s not over you. I know the feeling.”
Kendra felt her cheeks get hot.
“He wants to know why I’m here with you. I told him to talk to you.”
“There’s more, isn’t there?”
“He damn near knocked the drinks out of my hand. He was about ready to show his ass, but his father sent him back to their table.”
“Dear old dad. He never thought I was good enough. I didn’t come from ‘the right kind of family’. I don’t need this.”
Jay spotted Sam. He was laughing with several of the other guests. Jay leaned over and whispered into Kendra’s ear. “It looks like Operation Big Sam is going well.”
“It is. He’s a charming man.”
“Yup. Let me know when you want to go.”
She looked at him and smirked. “You can’t hang? I want to dance.”
“It’s your night. I’ll dance you into the ground.”
“Come on.”
* * *
Kendra fumbled with the key. She couldn’t put it in the lock.
Jay took the key from her and opened it. “I told you, you had too much to drink.”
“Nooooo,” Kendra said. “I’m fine.”
“You’re slurring your words. You’re drunk as hell.” He caught her as she stumbled inside. “Careful. Why don’t you take your shoes off?”
Kendra kicked her shoes into the living room and headed upstairs. “Come on.”
He closed the door and followed her up the stairs, trying not to laugh. It was the first time he had seen her drunk. At least she was a happy drunk. Some women got mean and paranoid. They went into her bedroom, and she pulled off her dress as she walked.
She threw the dress in the corner, then flopped on the bed. She giggled. “Bring your fine ass over here.”
Jay pulled off his tie and put his tuxedo jacket on the chair. He pulled the comforter back so she could get underneath. She grabbed his shirt, pulled him to her, and kissed him.
She got into bed. “I’m gonna fuck you until you scream my name.”
“Yeah? You won’t last that long, baby. You’ll be asleep in the next five minutes.”
“No, I’m gonna fuck you until you can’t take anymore.”
“Okay.”
Jay sat on the bed and pulled off his shoes and socks. He took off his shirt and pants and put them with his jacket, then went into the bathroom. He came back with a glass of water. Her eyes were closed, and he grabbed her shoulder. “Drink up, girl. You don’t want a hangover in the morning.”
She opened her eyes, took the glass and drained it. He got into bed. She snuggled against him. He made sure she was on her side, and pulled her until her back touched his chest.
“Nicky says I should give you another chance,” she mumbled.
He chuckled. “I like Nicky. She’s good people.”
“She says the same thing about you.” She sighed. “I miss this.”
“So do I.” He reached across her and turned off the lamp. “You’re tired.” He kissed her neck. “Go to sleep. I got you. I’m not going anywhere.”
She giggled. “Okay. Don’t leave me. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Good night.” He tightened his hold on her. In less than a minute, she was snoring.
5
Robert tapped his foot. “Come on, we’re gonna be late. You were supposed to be ready thirty minutes ago.”
Bobby came downstairs. “Sorry. Patrina’s giving me a hard time.”
“You need to get her in line. Show her who’s boss.”
Bobby faced his father. “Didn’t Mom put you out when you tried that?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I left because I was sick of her shit.”
“Not how I remember it.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Robert repeated. “Don’t let a bitch tell you what to do.”
“If she puts me out, I got no place to go.”
“You can always come stay with me. It’s a room, but we can get one of those blow up mattresses. You can drive?”
Bobby waved the car key. “We need to be back in a few hours.”
“What is she gonna do besides get mad?”
Bobby opened the door to the tractor and jumped in. Robert climbed into the truck slowly. By the time he got into the driver’s seat, he was sweating and breathing hard. “Jesus.”
Bobby laughed. “You okay?”
“Fine. Give me a minute to catch my breath.”
“We’re gonna be in trouble if we have to run. It’ll be every man for himself, you understand?”
“Shut up.” Robert looked at the buttons on the dash. He flicked a few switches. “This is different from what I’m used to.”
“What’s taking so long?” Bobby asked.
“It’s been a while. Shut up, I got this.” Robert fiddled with the gearshift, turned the key and the engine roared to life. He carefully put the truck into gear. It shuddered and started to move.
Bobby laughed. “I guess you do know what you’re doing, huh?”
“You’re going to get enough of doubting me. How do we get to this yard?”
Bobby pulled out his phone. “I got the address right here.”
Robert’s eyes widened. “Boy, are you crazy? You don’t ever put notes on a phone. That shit never goes away. Memor
ize it and erase it now!”
Bobby rolled his eyes and erased the note from the phone. “It’s down in Southwest. Head towards Mexican town.” Robert rolled up to the intersection. He stopped, put on the turn signal and pulled out into traffic. His gear shifting wasn’t smooth, but got better as he drove. They didn’t speak for a few minutes. Robert glanced at his son. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you. You gotta be careful. Neither one of us wants to end up back inside.”
“Nah, I can’t take doing all that time.”
“I thought you only had another year on that bid.”
Bobby put his hands on the dash. “I got two strikes. If I get another one, I may never get out.”
“Well, we’re in the same boat. I’m not on parole, but I’m not going to do any more time. Kendra is gonna pay for acting like she doesn’t know me. Since when does a daughter get to ignore her father? She didn’t even want me at your funeral.”
Bobby scoffed. “She sure can hold a grudge. We had a couple arguments, she told me she never wanted to see me again.”
“She told me she got arrested for drugs. She using now? Is that why she’s acting so evil?”
“Nah. She ain’t even smoked weed.”
“She said the drugs in her house had something to do with you.”
“Don’t believe anything she tells you. She got arrested because of that nigga she’s fucking. He’s one of Big Sam’s boys, and she’s been with him a while. If the police are looking at her, is because of that, not me.”
Robert snorted. “Stop lying to me, boy. If this is gonna work between you and me, we have to be honest with each other. What really happened?”
“Promise me you won’t get mad.”
“You’re my only son. There’s nothing you can do that will make me turn my back on you. I’m not like your sister.”
“I got paroled early because I was a confidential informant. I did some work for the DEA. Those drugs they found in Kenny’s house--I put them there.” Bobby waited for his father to respond.
Robert stared out of the windshield. “You put drugs in your sister’s house?”
“I didn’t have any choice. It was either that or go back to jail.”
Robert glanced at Bobby and started to laugh. He laughed so hard that the truck drifted into the next lane. He jerked it back when an alarm went off on the dashboard. “She thinks she so special. Your mother always favored her. She’s like us now, she’s been arrested, too.” Robert chuckled. “I wish I could have seen the look on her face when they put the cuffs on her. I bet she wasn’t so high and mighty.”
They drove along. Every once in a while, Robert would laugh to himself. The very thought of his daughter sitting in a jail cell amused him. “She thinks she’s better than us. This job will set us up for life. Big Sam will call it even when we deliver the trailer. Boy, our troubles are over!”
He followed Bobby’s directions, and pulled into the drive of the shipping company. “This is it?”
“Yes.”
Robert pulled into the drive and stopped at the guard shack. “We’re here to pick up a trailer.”
The guard was a tiny old man. He peered at Robert. “It’s late. We’re closing down soon.”
“Are you closed now?”
The guard sighed. “Where’s your paper?”
“We left it at the office. We have the trailer number.” Bobby handed Robert a scrap of paper. “A706CXC.”
The guard picked up a clipboard, and ran his finger down the sheet. He did it again, then turned to the second sheet. “I don’t see it.”
“Look again, man. They told me it would be ready tonight.”
The man repeated his search. His finger stopped at an entry. “It says here you not supposed to pick it up until tomorrow.”
Robert shrugged. “They told us to come get it today. I’m doing what they said do.”
“Maybe I should call.” The guard picked up the phone.
“No,” Robert said. “Didn’t you say you’re ready to shut down? If you call, you know they won’t find it right away. You get overtime?”
The guard thought for a minute, then held out his hand “I need I.D.”
Robert handed him the counterfeit driver’s license. The guard studied it for a moment. Flipped it over. Bobby was holding his breath.
The guard looked up at Robert. “It looks thin. Is this one of those new licenses?”
“Yeah, I got it a couple months ago.”
The guard examined the license again. “This one is a little light.” He flipped it around, then handed it back to Robert. “I guess the state is trying to save money again.” He pushed the clipboard through the window and tapped a line “Sign here, Mr. Jones. The trailer is on the back fence. Need any help hooking it up?”
Robert jerked his head toward Bobby. “I have my trainee with me in case I need help”
“He looks just like you.”
“My baby boy. Bringing him up to be a driver like me.”
The guard smiled. “I’ll see you on your way out.”
It took Robert three tries to line the tractor up with the trailer.
Bobby stood next to the trailer. “Come on, Pop. We need to get out of here.”
“Keep your shirt on, boy. It’s been a while since I’ve done this.”
“They’re closing in ten minutes. We need to get this thing hooked up and go.”
Robert opened the door. “You think you can do better? Come on.”
“I don’t know how to drive that thing.”
“Either drive or shut the hell up.”
He managed to line up on the next try. He heard the trailer fasten to the tractor, and got out of the cab. “Come here. I need you to pull up the feet. Crank this. And hold it tight. If you let go, it can knock out your front teeth. Just enough to get about an inch off the ground. Rest it on the hook. Got it?”
“I’m not stupid, Pop.”
Robert hooked up the brake and electrical lines. He checked the connections and got under the trailer to check that the clip had fastened it to the tractor. He got up and dusted off his hands. “Looks like we’re good.”
A man came out of the building. “Hey! You need to get out of here! We’re ready to lock the gates.”
Robert grinned and waved. “On our way!” He climbed into the truck and drove to the gate.
The old guard took the paperwork, checked the trailer number, and stamped the paper. “Have a good night.”
Robert was still grinning. “You, too.”
He pulled out of the yard and pulled into the street. He turned the corner all he could see was red and blue lights. There were police vehicles blocking the road. It was the only way out.
“What the fuck?”
“Out of the truck! Hands in the air! You’re under arrest.”
6
Kendra opened her eyes and groaned. The blinds weren’t closed completely, and the sun was in her eyes. She realized she wasn’t alone in bed and turned over.
Jay grinned at her. “Good morning. How’s your head?”
“It hurts a little. Why are you here?”
He smoothed a strand of hair that fell across her forehead. “You insisted. Told me to stay.”
Her eyes widened. “What happened last night? Did we.....”
“No. I just put your drunk ass to bed, and we went to sleep. Something did happen, though. You told me you love me.”
Her mouth fell open. She closed it and bit her lip.
“Well, do you?”
She blinked, looked away, and back to him. “Yes.”
“Say it.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you. You’re cute when you’re drunk, you know that?”
“I wasn’t drunk.”
“Yeah, baby. Stick with that story.” He got out of bed, took the glass from the night table and went into the bathroom. He returned and handed her the glass. “Drink this. You’ll feel better.”
“No.”
“How
’s your stomach?”
“Okay.”
“Drink it. Every drop.”
She drank the water and set the glass on the night table. “Satisfied?”
“Yup.” He sat on the bed, reached out and caressed her cheek. “Why don’t we take a shower? Then I’ll take you out for breakfast. Do I still have clothes in your closet? You didn’t do that Angela Bassett thing and burn them, did you?”
She laughed. “No. I wasn’t that mad.”
He shook his head. “You could have fooled me. I’d hate to see you really mad.”
Maxine was standing by the cash register when Jay and Kendra came into the diner. “Hey, handsome,” she said.
“Good morning, Miss Maxine.”
She saw their fingers laced together. “So you finally brought my competition in?”
Jay laughed. “Sorry, there’s no competition. This is Kendra.”
Maxine put a hand on her hip and looked Kendra up and down. “Well, he did not lie. You are a pretty thing.”
“Thank you,” Kendra said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Pretty and good home training. I’m not mad at you, Jay.” She grabbed two menus and led them to a table. She waited for them to sit and handed them menus. “You missed Sam. He’s been and gone. I know you want coffee. What about you, Kendra?”
“I do.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Kendra put her menu on the table. “What do you like?”
“Everything,” Jay said. “I was thinking about the Kitchen Sink omelet with pancakes.”
“It sounds like a lot.”
“It is. But it’s good.”
Maxine set coffee cups and a carafe on the table. She looked at Kendra. “You want cream, sweetie?”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”
Maxine beamed at her. “I like her, Jay.”
Kendra smiled. “So that means you won’t spit in my food for taking your man?”
Maxine laughed. “I’m not a sore loser. You seem like a nice girl. Besides, I got Harold waiting on me at home. He’s got his qualities. He’s not as young as Jay, but he’s just as handsome. And after forty years, I’m not trying to break another one in.”
“I understand.” Kendra tilted her head toward Jay. “I have my hands full with this one.”