by La Jill Hunt
“Hey, Ma.”
“Bilal, when are you gonna bring me the phone?” my sister whined in my ear.
“Fatima, not now. Leave me alone about that damn phone.”
“Well, you were the one who said you were gonna give it to me. That was the reason you even went and got a new phone, remember? I haven’t had a phone in two weeks, and I really need it.”
“That ain’t my problem, Fatima. You were the one who lost your phone, not me,” I reminded her.
“Uuugghhh! I don’t know why you just won’t buy me a new one anyway, Bilal.”
“Hell no! I already bought you two phones over the past two years. You want a new phone, you buy it yourself.”
“Fatima, bring me my damn phone!” my mother yelled in the background. “And you need to stop telling your li’l friends to call you back on my number. This ain’t your phone.”
“I’m talking to Bilal, Ma,” Fatima told her.
“Oh, well, tell him I’m cooking the oxtails that he asked me for, and he can come and pick them up tomorrow.”
“She’s lying, Bilal. She ain’t even been to the store to get no oxtails. You can bust her if you come over right now and bring the phone.”
“Bye, Fatima. Tell Ma I’ll call her later.” I ended the call and drove over to my uncle’s crib, thinking he would be home since he didn’t have a steady job. I didn’t see his car in the driveway, but the garage door was up, and his girlfriend was backing out. I beeped my horn as I pulled beside her in the driveway. I put my truck in park, got out, and walked over to her.
“What’s up, Nikki? Your hubby home?”
“Now, you know that ain’t my husband, Bilal. Don’t even.” She smiled at me as she stepped out and gave me a hug.
“Well, he calls you his wifey. That much I do know,” I told her.
“Whatever, but to answer your question, no, he ain’t home.”
“Would you happen to know where he might be?”
“Not really, but he’s probably over at the church. They have men’s Bible study tonight that he’s teaching, so he’s probably setting up for that.”
I thanked her and tried not to laugh. The thought of my uncle teaching Bible study was the funniest thing I’d heard since learning that he was actually a deacon at the church. How he’d managed to land that title was beyond me. He had always been a smooth talker and had fooled a lot of folks, including Nikki, who was not only pretty but warm, welcoming, and well liked. As smart as she was, she was as gullible as they came, and I felt sorry for her. My uncle’s good looks and fraudulent charm had seduced this poor woman and snatched her into his sticky web of lies. I just prayed that she escaped before he sucked the life out of her like he did the other unsuspecting victims he bled financially, mentally, and emotionally.
After saying goodbye to Nikki, I drove over to Mount Hebron, the church that she and my uncle attended. The parking lot was empty, but I spotted a man coming out of one of the side doors.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I’m looking for Patrick Parker.”
“Deacon Pat? Oh, he’s not here. He’ll be back, though, later tonight, because we’re having men’s Bible study. You should come back and join us. That man has a way with God’s word, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy.”
“Thanks, but I’m good,” I said and drove out of the parking lot. It was almost five o’clock, and I still had to meet with my supplier across town. I became pissed all over again, because I was about to be sitting in traffic due to my being out chasing a grown-ass man over something that ain’t have anything to do with me. I had to handle this and handle it quick. I wasn’t about to let my dumb-ass uncle disrespect my best friend.
I dialed my mother’s number and prayed that she would answer the phone and not my sister.
“Hey, Bilal, I was just about to start cooking. What time you coming by?”
“I don’t know, Ma. I got some running around to do. Have you talked to your brother?” I asked her.
“What?”
“Uncle Patrick. Have you talked to him recently?”
“I talked to him earlier today.”
“A’ight, if you talk to him again, tell him I went by his crib to holla at him, but he wasn’t home.”
“You went by there today?” she asked.
“Yeah, a few minutes ago.”
“Now, Bilal, you know your uncle wasn’t gonna be at home this time of day. His ass is probably over at Chubby’s doing something he ain’t got no business doing,” she told me.
“Thanks, Ma. I’ll talk to you later,” I said, turning around in the middle of the street and heading off to find my uncle.
Celia
I ran my hands along the smooth leather seats. Sitting behind the wheel of the brand-new BMW X5 that I’d been eying for the past month felt like heaven. I originally planned to wait until my birthday, but the salesman that I’d been talking to at the dealership called and told me that his manager had given him the okay to give me a hell of a deal. A customer had ordered one but changed his mind once he saw the color. It was too good to pass up, and I was ecstatic, even though I had a feeling Darnell wouldn’t be so pleased that I bought the car without even calling and telling him. I told myself that his attitude had been so horrible the past few days, it was easier for me to ask forgiveness rather than permission. I would face the consequences of my decision later. Either way, it was gonna be an argument.
“One thing about it, you make this car look good,” the salesman said.
“Nah, I think it’s the other way around,” I told him.
“You sure you don’t wanna trade your other beauty in? It’s in excellent condition, and I know we’ll give you a trade-in amount that would be more than decent.”
“I’m sure. That beauty is going to stay in the family. As a matter of fact, I’m going to pick up her new owner right now, and then I’ll be back later,” I told him and stepped out of my gorgeous new car.
“Sounds like a plan. We’ll be ready when you get back.”
I drove over to Kendra’s job, hoping to catch her before she caught the bus. It was Thursday, and she got off at four o’clock. I pulled into the parking lot just as she was walking out of the door.
“Aunt Celia, what are you doing here?” she asked with a worried look on her face.
“Everything’s fine. I came to pick you up so you could ride with me.” I smiled.
She got into the car and asked, “Go with you where?”
“I need someone to take me to pick up my new car, and I figured you could give me a ride in your new whip.”
“What? Aunt Celia, are you serious? Don’t play,” she shrieked.
“I’m not playing,” I told her.
“So, this . . . you’re really . . . you mean?” She couldn’t seem to get her words together.
“This is now yours, baby girl.”
She reached over and threw her arms around my neck, squeezing me so tight that I almost couldn’t breathe.
“Aunt Celia, thank you so much. I can’t believe this.” I could see the tears forming in her eyes, and I almost started crying myself.
“A promise is a promise, Kendra. Oh, and I’m supposed to give you this.” I pulled the visor down and handed her the crumpled bills. “Your daddy sent this to you.”
“He did?” Kendra asked.
I nodded. The truth was that Champ had called and told me about Kendra needing book money. He didn’t have the total amount, but he did have most of it. I assured him that I would make up the difference. Despite Diane’s horrible treatment of him while they were together—and even worse after their breakup—Champ and I remained friends. I knew that he wasn’t blameless in the demise of their relationship, but he was still a good father to Kendra.
“So, let’s go get this ride of yours all cleaned up, so we can go and pick up mine,” I told her. “As a matter of fact, get over in this driver’s seat.”
Kendra and I swapped places. I sat back and enjoyed being chauffeured as she drove do
wn the street. We continued until she pulled into a strip mall not far from her job, where cars were lined up, waiting their turn to be detailed by the small group of men on the side of the building.
“Um, this is where you want to get it washed?” I asked, looking at the line.
“Yes, Aunt Celia. This is Shine Boss. This is the spot. Can’t you tell?” She pointed at the flashy cars waiting in line. Although a hood car wash wouldn’t have been my ultimate choice, I knew Kendra was loving this moment, so I didn’t protest.
“Well, it’s your car.” I shrugged, hoping nothing would happen while they were detailing, because I doubted if Shine Boss had any type of liability insurance.
We chatted while we waited our turn. A few moments later, a skinny guy walked over and handed us a red ticket with a number on it, then directed us inside another establishment called Zippy’s to wait and pay.
“So, we go in there to pay?” I asked Kendra as we walked toward the strip mall.
“Yeah, the same guy who owns the chicken spot owns Shine Boss,” she explained.
We were about to walk in when I spotted Patrick at the other end of the shopping center, laughing and talking to another group of guys. I thought about Nikki, who had just told me this morning that he had gone over to the church.
“Hey, Patrick!” I yelled over at him, making sure that he knew I saw him. He looked over and saw that it was me. He gave me a weak smile and waved at me.
I followed Kendra inside and paid for our ticket. When we came out, he was still there, and standing there with him was Bilal. I nudged Kendra’s arm.
“Huh?” She looked at me, and I nodded toward the group of men so she could see what I was talking about.
“Look who’s over there.” I smiled.
She looked past me and then quickly looked away. “Oh.” She glanced up at me.
I spoke loudly again so they would look over at us. “Bye, Patrick.”
“Aunt Celia.” Kendra gasped.
“What? I was just telling him goodbye.” I laughed.
“Kendra?” Bilal asked as he walked toward us.
“Oh, hey, Bilal,” Kendra said.
“Is that the only person you see?” I teased, surprised that he seemed just as excited to see her as she was to see him.
“Oh, my bad. Hey, Ms. Celia. How are you doing?” He grinned, his eyes still on my niece.
“I’m fine,” I answered. “I didn’t know you knew my beautiful niece.”
“Yeah, she gives me great service at Cell City. Well, when I’m lucky enough to catch her at work. What’s up, Kendra?” He smiled at her.
“Nothing much,” she said.
“What are y’all doing on this side of town?” he asked.
“Kendra brought her car over here to be detailed,” I told him.
“Car? Last time I saw you was at the bus stop—when you ain’t want me to wait with you to make sure you were safe,” he said. “I didn’t want you out there all alone.”
“Yeah, well, I have a car now. I’m really safe,” Kendra told him.
“That’s what’s up,” he said.
“Well, that was nice of you, Bilal,” I told him.
“That’s what real men do.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Which car is yours?”
“The white Volvo,” Kendra said shyly.
“Wow, that’s a nice ride.” Bilal’s eyes stayed on Kendra. “Hold tight. I’ll be right back.”
We waited and watched him walk over and talk to one of the guys detailing cars. He pointed to the car, then back at us. The guy nodded, and Bilal came back.
“What was that all about?” Kendra asked him.
“Just making sure my man takes excellent care of you, that’s all,” he explained.
“Wow, you are just a gentleman all the way around, huh?” I nudged Kendra again.
“I try,” Bilal said. “So, I guess I’ll see you whenever I need my phone serviced again, huh? Unless you wanna see me sooner and finally give me your number.”
“Nah, I’m sure I’ll see you when you come back to the store,” Kendra told him.
I couldn’t help but frown, wondering why she was acting nonchalant. It was obvious that he liked her, and I knew that she was attracted to him.
“Cool.” Bilal shrugged, then added, “Well, it was nice seeing you two beautiful ladies again. I got some business I gotta go handle over here with my uncle.”
“Take care, Bilal,” I told him. When he was gone, I looked over at her and said, “What’s wrong with you? Why won’t you give him your number?”
“Aunt Celia, I am not trying to get involved with someone like that. You know better. You taught me better,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I asked her, concerned about what she was referring to.
“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Look at Bilal.” She nodded toward where he was standing with Patrick and the other guys.
“Okay, what am I looking at?” I asked, staring at the well-dressed, articulate young man who had just tried to impress her.
“You know just as well as I do what he’s about. His swag, his demeanor, his talk, it’s all game. His money. Have you seen his truck?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen it. Kendra, what are you getting at?” I was still confused.
“I’ve seen guys like him my entire life. I know what he does and how he gets all that.”
“He’s a business owner.” I shrugged.
“Okay, business owner. You see that store they’re in front of, Chubby’s? You do know that’s a dope spot, right? That’s what those guys over there are doing. Most of them are corner boys. My mama’s had more than her fair share of street dudes, and I don’t have time for that. Besides, I definitely ain’t about that life.” Kendra shook her head. “I’m trying to get away from the hood, not stuck here with some dude. You even showed me that. That’s all we’ve ever talked about.”
“Kendra, have you asked Bilal what he does? Have you had a conversation with him?” I asked her.
“No,” Kendra said matter-of-factly.
I shook my head and inhaled. “I swear, y’all young girls these days are so damn smart that you’re dumb sometimes and don’t know a real man when you see one.”
“What does that mean, Aunt Celia?”
“That means I think you may wanna get to know someone before you judge them. You might miss out on a good thing. I would definitely give him my number if I were in your shoes,” I told her.
She looked at me and hesitated before turning around and saying, “Bilal, can I speak to you for a moment?”
As she walked over to meet him halfway, my eyes went to Patrick and what she had said about Chubby’s. I thought about calling Nikki and telling her where her man was. I even thought about taking a picture and sending it to her, but my best friend was in love, and I knew that even with evidence in hand, she was still going to stay with that loser. It was going to take something way more damaging to get her to see him for what he truly was.
Bilal
I hadn’t been this excited over a woman since, well, I really couldn’t remember ever being excited about one. I had dated chicks and smashed more than my fair share, but none of them had ever really intrigued me the way Kendra did. The first time we talked on the phone, she was a little apprehensive and shy. For a second, I thought I had misread the attraction I had for her when we first met. There were brief moments of silence in the conversation that made it kind of awkward.
“If now isn’t a good time to talk, you can call me back,” I offered after one of the fifteen-second pauses.
“No, I mean . . . I’m good. I’m sorry. It’s just that one of my younger sisters is working on a science project that I’m helping her with, and the other one is trying to finish her math homework. But they’re all finished and gone off to bed, so I should be undisturbed. But I can’t make any promises.” She laughed.
“Oh, I thought I was boring you,” I told her.
“No, not at all. I
kept muting the phone so that it wouldn’t be disruptive, but I guess it didn’t work.”
“It’s all good.” I realized that it wasn’t her being quiet; it was the phone being muted. “How old are your sisters?”
“They’re fourteen. Ashley and Avery. They’re twins,” she said. As she continued to brag about her sisters, who were both on the honor roll, and how one was a cheerleader and the other on the dance team, I instantly knew how important they were to her. I also learned that in addition to working at the cell phone store, she was a full-time student and on the dean’s list. She was smart and about her business.
“You have a lot going for yourself. I respect that,” I told her.
“So, can you tell me exactly what it is that you do?” she asked me. “My aunt told me you owned your own business.”
“Yeah, I have my own security installation company,” I said proudly.
“Oh, okay.” She sounded like a cross between surprised and relieved.
“What did you think I did?” I responded.
“Um, I wasn’t really sure,” she answered.
“Naw, come on and tell me.”
“There’s nothing to tell.” She giggled, then quickly said, “Security installation. Like burglar alarms?”
“Burglar alarms, that’s funny. But yeah, along with video surveillance cameras, motion detectors, all of that,” I explained.
“That sounds kind of cool. How did you get into that? Did you go to college?”
“I did. Graduated with an associate’s degree in IT and was bored sitting behind a desk. One day a customer called in, and I was the only one he talked to that helped him solve a problem he’d called in about four times before. He was really appreciative and impressed. We got to talking, and I found out he worked for a home security company doing installations, and they needed part-time workers. He hooked me up with a job and taught me everything he knew, and I took it and ran with it. A year and a half later, I ventured out on my own, with his blessing, and I’ve been rocking it out on my own ever since,” I explained.