by Eric Pete
“It is.”
I led Kyne to the storeroom in back, which doubled as my office, and moved technical manuals aside to clear some space for the food. “So, what did you pick up? Sandwiches?”
“Nope,” was all that came from her lips as she let a smile come across her face. Rather than sitting in the chair I had provided for her, she copped a seat on top of the desk, legs dangling in front of me. She reached into the plastic bag and pulled out a spray can of whip cream, which she set down with a clunk on the desktop beside her. She slowly moved her knees outward causing her skirt to rise up her thighs. I watched in disbelief, as the shadows beneath her skirt gave way, revealing no panties underneath. “Hungry?”
“. . . Yeah,” I answered in a daze as I looked up from lunch and into her now commanding eyes.
“Go lock the door.”
Following her instructions, I walked back to the storefront. I was running my hands over my scalp again and questioning my judgment. This didn’t mean anything, I kept telling myself over and over. The day before I had let my dick get me in trouble at Akhet’s place, but I was trying to rationalize now. If we just have oral sex then it’s not really sex, I thought, trying to split legal hairs before I split actual ones with my tongue. Where was all this attention from Kyne before I met Valerie?
Just as I reached to turn the latch, the door swung open in my hands.
“You were looking for me?”
“Umm, no. I was just about to take lunch, Val.”
“Good. I thought so,” she said with relief. “That’s why I stopped by. I have to take Bobby for his shots so I took off half the day. I wanted to see what you’re doing for lunch.”
“Oh. Well . . .”
“Hi, Valerie,” Kyne said, acting like she had been looking at one of the computers in the front of the store all along. She actually surprised me when I heard her voice.
“Kyne?” Val asked with a look that was part surprise, part confusion. “How have you been, girl?”
“Never been better,” Kyne answered as she walked up and gave Valerie one of those sistah-girl hugs. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yes, it has. Didn’t you move or something?”
“Yeah,” she chuckled, “for a second. I’m back now.”
“Oh.”
“Matter of fact, I had just stopped by to let Lance here know I’m in town. I think I surprised him more than I did you when he saw me.”
“You sure did,” I said, finally daring to interrupt the two of them.
“Well, it looks like y’all two want to be alone, so I’ll be leaving. Lance, don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t, Kyne.”
Kyne paused as she exited. “Valerie, do the two of you have another date set for the wedding?”
“No, I . . . we . . . No. There aren’t any plans.”
“Hmm. That’s too bad. Girl, somebody’s going to scoop him up if you don’t look out. You can’t let a good man hang out there like that,” Kyne said with a shrug of her shoulders before she gave me a wink and left out the door.
Valerie stood there fuming, silently counting to ten, as her eyes followed Kyne through the glass door and out to the parking lot. I acted as if nothing were wrong and excused myself to grab my keys in the office. I was afraid of what I would find as I walked back there, but all I found was the bare desk Kyne had been sitting on.
“Lance?”
“Coming,” I said as I snatched my keys up. I then opened the bottom desk drawer and peered into the darkness. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw the metal can resting at the bottom of it and quickly slammed the drawer shut.
As neither one of us was very hungry, and for different reasons, we decided to grab some smoothies. Valerie drove us in her Kia and since she had an hour left, decided to stop at a nearby park. Since it was the middle of the weekday, it was virtually empty save for a few power walkers on the track that wound past us. We found a covered picnic area and took a seat. Out of habit, I sat up on the table. Val took a seat on the bench between my dangling legs, her arms resting on my knees.
“As rude as she is, she’s right,” Valerie said. She followed it with a slurp through her straw.
“What are you talking about?”
“Kyne. I can’t take for granted that you’ll be there.”
“She got to you, huh?”
“In her own obnoxious way. I hate that she’s back. Did I interrupt something earlier?”
“No. She was just interested in lunch too.”
“But she bolted when I showed up. I know y’all are just friends, but I’d feel more comfortable if she were a lesbian.”
“That’ll be the day,” I laughed. I then stopped abruptly as I became uncomfortable.
“You ever thought about . . .”
“About?” I asked, pulling back.
“Y’know. You and her.”
“What?”
“Boy, I hate it when you play dumb. Have you ever thought about sleeping with Kyne?”
I took another sip of my smoothie before answering. “Yeah. I’ve thought about it.”
“I knew it!” she shrieked.
“You don’t have to be so enthusiastic. You’re acting like you won a bet.”
“I know, I know,” she said while composing herself. She was tired of talking to me over her shoulder and stood up so she could look me in the eye. “It’s not that. It just lets me know you’re human.”
“And with faults, huh?” I curiously raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah. If you want to put it like that.”
“Does that make you more comfortable, Val?”
“Actually it does. Come on. Let’s go.”
“We just got here.”
“Yeah, but you’ve probably got things to do.”
“I can’t think of anything I would rather be doing at this moment.” I put my smoothie down and stepped to Valerie. I held her hands firmly, but not too tightly, while I looked into her eyes. “Why do you insist on keeping me away?”
“I . . .”
“I love you, Val. Let me back in. Please.”
I brought her hands up to my lips and gently kissed the tops of her knuckles. She closed her eyes. I could see her eyelids trembling. Her eyes then flashed open with life. I was still there, which caused her to smile. She didn’t talk but nodded her head in agreement.
I looked around the park and saw the empty jungle gym nearby. “C’mon,” I said.
Valerie protested as I ran with her in tow through the woodchips and over to the swing set. There was one swing on the end that was for teenagers, which I convinced her to sit in.
“You know this is crazy.”
“I don’t care. Just enjoy yourself and let go.”
And she did. I laughed and Valerie screamed as I pushed her higher and higher. When it was time to go, we left to pick up Bobby for his doctor appointment . . . together.
13
Saturday morning, after she fed him, Valerie let me take Bobby along to paint Mrs. Dumas’ house. The weather was returning to its usual hot, humid state and the thermometer was already pushing seventy degrees. On the way there, I brought Bobby for a haircut by my barber on North Broad, or “Barber’s Row” as I called it because of the large concentration of barber and beauty shops on one street. Bobby was still rubbing his head.
“Is this where you usta live, Daddy Lance?”
“Yeah, little man,” I replied as I avoided the large potholes that riddled my old street. “I used to live in that house over there.” I pointed at the abandoned building. With its boarded-up windows and lawn overgrown with weeds, it was hard to believe this was the same place where I grew up. The chain-link fence I used to hop over to avoid being seen by my mother was gone except for one spot where it was rusted and twisted.
When we arrived, Akhet was already busy outside sanding Mrs. Dumas’ house in the back. Whitish-gray dust covered his exposed arms from his cutout shirt.
“When’d you get here?” I shouted at Akhe
t as I held Bobby’s hand.
“About six,” he replied, adjusting his goggles. “Couldn’t sleep.” It wasn’t the attention of ladies like Roxie and Alexis that kept him from sleeping this time. He’d been plagued with this problem for a while.
We exchanged looks before I said, “Let me run in and say ’Hi’ to Momma D. I’ll be out in a sec.”
“Fo’ sho, fo’ sho.”
As I led Bobby up onto Mrs. Dumas’ large front porch, I reminisced over the times I had sat on the concrete steps slurping frozen cups on hot days. On the porch, cans of white and blue paint were laid out along with brand-new brushes.
“You gonna let me paint too?”
“If you’re really good, I’ll see if we can find you a brush.”
“Yeah!”
I had promised his mother that I wouldn’t bring him back dirty, so I had to be careful how much I gave in to him. I had always been a part of Bobby’s life since he was born and I was determined to remain a figure even if I didn’t get back together with Valerie permanently.
I rapped on the burglar bars with my key ring, making that clanking sound I knew Mrs. Dumas could hear. I could hear her humming. I inhaled and salivated over the fresh cinnamon biscuits I knew she had baked before day as she always did.
“Hold on, baby. I’m comin’,” she said over the static sound of the AM gospel station her radio was always tuned to. Although age was slowing her down, there was still a spring in her step.
“I hear you need somebody to waste some paint.”
“Anything you do will sure be an improvement, baby.” Mrs. Dumas opened her front door. Her brushed-back gray hair and thick eyeglasses peered out first. “Come give me a hug.”
“How’s life?”
“Day to day with God’s will, baby,” she said with a wink as she held my face in her hands. “Awww! You brought little man to see me, huh?”
“Yes ma’am. I knew it had been a long time since you last saw him.”
“Yes, indeed! How old are you, little man?”
“Five.”
“Last time I saw him, Lance, y’all two had come by to announce your wedding date,” Mrs. Dumas said with a roll of her eyes, assuming I was to blame. “Some news for me today?”
“No ma’am. No news. We’ll see.”
“Whatever y’all young folk got going on, y’all need to let it go and put it in the Lord’s hands.”
“You mind if Bobby visits with you while I help Akhet out back?”
“Nah, child. Go on. I’ve been wanting some company. Bobby, you like coloring?”
“Yes ma’am,” he shyly smiled.
“Good. I’ve got some coloring books inside and a big box of crayons.” Bobby’s eyes lit up. “You like Kool-Aid?”
He nodded and off they went inside.
I jumped off the side of the porch like old times but caught my knee when I landed.
“You’re getting old, boy.”
“I just landed wrong, s’all.” I was already trying to walk it off as I approached my boy. “You okay?”
“I’ll live,” he said in a low tone, his eyes toward the house. “It’s all a brother can do.”
I wondered how any man could harbor the horrible secret Akhet had all these years and still act normal. Of course, I don’t think waking up in cold sweats every other night to be normal.
Mrs. Dumas’ son, Kevin, had always been the choirboy of the neighborhood. He wasn’t an angel, you understand, but he was still pretty tame compared to the rest of us. His murder was never solved all those years ago. They always say most murder victims know the person that murdered them. Well, they were right. Kevin knew his killer.
“I don’t know how you do it, bruh.”
“Shhh. Change the subject. You know these walls are thin.” The last bit of old paint came free with a big scrape from his hand.
“Alright, alright. What’s going on with you and your label?”
“Haha! I knew you’d go back to that,” Akhet chuckled. It seemed amusing that his gun-toting label would actually be an easier subject to talk about. “You know how that goes, Lance. Jason North and them are doing what most companies do. I’m just stupid enough to be on the receiving end.”
“They’re being funny with your money?”
“Think they ain’t? Man, you saw the Five Heartbeats. Jason’s my ‘Big Red.’ I can’t front on them though. On-Phire’s done a lot for me. I’ve got a house, a set of wheels, money in my wallet, and an album that’s blowin’ up the charts. That’s more than I had out here on these streets.”
“What’s up with Melvin? Looks like y’all two got some bad blood.”
“Me and Melvin don’t see eye to eye. That goes way back. I’ll leave it at that. Now, are you gonna help me paint or ask questions?”
“I can’t do both?”
“Nah. You’re startin’ to get on my nerves.”
With my interrogation of Akhet in check for the time being, we actually made progress on the house. When we were halfway through, I let Bobby come out and run a paintbrush over the rusty railing. I would have to go over it again, but he was happy and that was all that mattered.
Once we realized there was too much left, we decided to finish up Sunday morning. Mrs. Dumas protested heavily as it was the Lord’s day, so we said nothing further about it. We would just come by while she was at church. It was devilish of us, but for a good cause.
While Bobby and me visited some more, Akhet ran down on North Robertson and returned with a couple of pounds of boiled crawfish with potatoes and corn and four cans of cold Budweiser. Knowing Akhet, he was hoarding the remainder of the case in his ride. It was cool, as Mrs. Dumas didn’t like us drinking anyway.
I dug through the kitchen cabinets and brought out some trays so we could start eating. I was going to have to peel the mudbugs for Bobby so I grabbed extra napkins. With everything we needed at hand, the four of us sat around the big table with uneven legs and didn’t move from it until dark. It felt so right bringing laughter and joy to Mrs. Dumas’ house. I made a promise to myself to come around more often.
After bringing Bobby home, I stayed long enough at Valerie’s to apologize for keeping him out all day and to steal a few kisses. I was a man who preferred a quick and easy shower, but couldn’t wait to soak my sore muscles in the bath at my place.
To add insult to injury, my usual spot was taken so I had to park on the opposite side of my building this evening. Drooping, strained eyes guided me past the Dumpster where I walked up on Renika, who was taking out the trash.
“Whoo!” she shrieked, almost completely missing the large opening she was throwing the trash bag into. “You startled me, boy.”
I held back a chuckle. “Sorry. I should warn you though. The management does an okay job of alerting us, but we do get some characters lurking around. Just be careful, alright?”
“I will, Lance. Thanks, hon,” she answered as she daintily stepped down from the curb by the Dumpster bin. “Where you been? You look beat.”
“I am. Was painting back in the old hood. You remember Mrs. Dumas?”
“Yes. A real sweet lady,” she replied. “Of course, that’s not all I remember about your old hood.”
“Umm . . . yeah. We did a lot back in the day. Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m going to fall out if I don’t make it upstairs to my crib now.”
“I understand,” she chuckled. “I’ll walk with you as far as my place.”
“Cool.”
The two of us walked together, exchanging some small talk until we arrived outside her place. Renika’s porch light bathed us in a yellow glow, giving me a better look at her face.
“What happened?”
“This?” she asked, realizing I had noticed the discoloration over her eye. “I almost forgot about it. I bumped into the door last night.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I’m still getting used to the place. You know how it is when you fumble around in the dark in strange surroundings.�
��
“Yeah, I do. Does it hurt?”
“It sure as hell did when it happened,” she said with a laugh. “I’m fine now though. Well, I guess I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah. Later.”
14
“What!”
“You asleep?”
“Not anymore,” I growled into the receiver. “Some of us have to work in the morning, asshole.”
“I’m dreaming about it again.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” I sighed. I strained my eyes to try to focus on the alarm clock across the room. “You ever thought about getting some help?”
“A shrink?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not crazy.”
I yawned. “I never said you were. It’s just that there’s only so much I can do, bruh.”
“So, I’m bothering you now? Is that it? I never said shit all those times you were cryin’ like a little bitch over the chickenhead.”
“That’s not what I mean. And don’t call Val a chickenhead! I’m getting tired of telling you that!”
“Whatever. Look, go back to sleep. Sorry about bothering you with my shit, bruh. I’m going get some air and hang with my real peeps. Some people that still know where they came from and where I’m comin’ from.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m out.”
Akhet had managed to wake me up, piss me off, make me feel guilty, and insult me all in one call before hanging up in my face. I had to hand it to him. He was getting better with age. I didn’t know who he was talking about hanging with, but I just hoped that it didn’t mean trouble.
Now I couldn’t go back to sleep and began realizing just how hungry I was. I was so worn out from our second day of painting and scraping at Mrs. Dumas’ house that I had gone straight to bed without dinner. I probably could have rustled up something to eat at Valerie’s but hadn’t felt like the drive to Marrero.
It was still several hours before sunrise so I put on a pair of shorts and headed out into the night. I drove across the bridge back into town and over to the Chicken Box on Elysian Fields Avenue. After a fifteen-minute wait, I was going home with some hot chicken wings.