Even Sinners Have Souls TOO

by Joy, E. n.

  "I hadn't noticed him come in," answered Miss Yolanda. "Do you want me to have Wilson put his sorry behind out?"

  "Only if you expect me to serve him. I have nothing to say to Percy, and he has nothing to say to me." Kanesha glanced in Percy's direction and rolled her eyes at him before returning her attention to Miss Yolanda.

  "Is Byron picking you up from work tonight?"

  "Yes. He said he would probably be in tonight for a few drinks before closing time."

  "Well, the last thing I want is for a fight to break out in here. I'll have Wilson throw Percy to the curb," laughed Miss Yolanda.

  Kanesha watched Miss Yolanda walk through the crowd toward Wilson. Before the two could get back over to where Percy was seated, he had left on his own accord.

  "Thank God he left before Byron got here," Kanesha whispered to herself.

  Wilson didn't need to be asked to keep a watch on Percy. He had been keeping watch over Kanesha since he'd started working there. He was happy when Kanesha cut Percy from her life, but disappointment set in when it became obvious that Byron had taken his place. Wilson knew that Kanesha was selling herself short by having such low expectations.

  Time flew by, and before Kanesha knew it, the D.J. announced last call for alcohol. Byron and his boy had arrived just in time to toss back a couple of drinks. Kanesha's heart smiled when Byron paid for their drinks instead of assuming they were free.

  "Hey, sexy, we gon' be out in the car waiting for you, cool?" slurred Byron with a silly smile plastered to his face.

  "Okay, I won't be long," promised Kanesha.

  Wilson eyed the way Byron looked at Kanesha and couldn't help but feel jealous. For months Wilson had been waiting in the shadows, longing for Kanesha, watching while she settled for men he knew did not deserve her. Being a man of few words, Wilson felt the direct approach with Kanesha would be very difficult for him. He feared pouring out his heart to her, only to have the doors slammed shut in his face. Each night before closing his eyes, Wilson thanked God for the passing day and asked Him to bare watch over Kanesha and her children. Kanesha didn't seem to notice Wilson was alive, and that caused many sleepless nights for him.

  "Wilson, do you hear me talking to you?" asked Miss Yolanda.

  "I'm sorry, Miss Yolanda, what did you say?" Wilson answered, embarrassed. He was so deep in thought about Kanesha, that he had failed to hear Miss Yolanda and Kanesha calling his name.

  "I don't know what you were thinking about, but it must be important," laughed Kanesha.

  "I apologize for that. My mind was somewhere else. Did you ladies need anything else before we call it a night?" Wilson waited for a response.

  "Wilson, you are always the gentleman. Men like you are becoming an endangered species," said Miss Yolanda.

  "I think so too, Miss Yolanda. You better watch out, Wilson, because I just might scoop you up and marry you one day." Kanesha smiled at Wilson, making him blush.

  If Wilson didn't know any better, he would have sworn they could read his mind. "All right, gang, the place is cleaned up, the drawers cashed out to the penny and the safe is locked up tight. Let's hit the road," said Miss Yolanda. "I don't know about the two of you, but I'm tired and my bed is calling out to me." She looked to Wilson. "Did you check both bathrooms to make sure they were empty?"

  Wilson nodded in the positive.

  Yolanda then looked to Kanesha. "Do you need a ride home tonight?" Miss Yolanda walked around the bar, turning off lights and turning on the alarm system.

  "No, ma'am, Byron is outside waiting for me," replied Kanesha.

  The three walked outside and headed toward the parking lot. Only three cars remained; Miss Yolanda's new Nissan Maxima, Wilson's old school Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Byron's souped up twenty year old Impala. Byron's car speakers were blasting the new Scarface CD. He appeared to be asleep with his head tilted back on the head rest.

  "Is he asleep with the music playing that loud?" asked Miss Yolanda.

  "He can sleep through a tornado if he has enough liquor inside of him," Kanesha replied. "I don't know how he does it, because my surroundings have to be as quiet as a church mouse for me to even doze off to sleep," joked Kanesha.

  As usual, Wilson remained silent as the ladies talked amongst themselves. That is, until it became clear that Byron was not in the car alone.

  Chapter Seven

  The Beginning and the End

  "Kanesha, why don't you ride with Miss Yolanda up the street and I'll wake Byron and make sure he makes it home safe," Wilson said nervously as they all stood in the parking lot outside of the bar.

  "Byron and I don't live together, but if he's drunk, I can drive us up the street and he can sleep," said Kanesha. She was stopped in the middle of her sentence when she looked inside the car. It quickly became clear that Byron was not asleep and he was not alone.

  "I don't believe this ignorant-" Kanesha stopped herself from cursing and calling Byron out of his name. "Byron, what are you doing?" She approached the car in a haste.

  Miss Yolanda and Wilson grabbed for Kanesha as she raced toward the driver's side car door. Unfortunately, they were both too slow for Kanesha's swiftness.

  "Come on, Kanesha. I'll drive you home," pleaded Miss Yolanda. She hated to see her friend hurt by another man, but she was relieved it happened before Kanesha got too deep into the relationship. "Don't give either one of them the satisfaction of knowing they got to you by acting a fool and losing that new found Christianity you've been talking about."

  "Byron!" yelled Kanesha, not hearing a word Miss Yolanda had suggested. The music was playing so loud that Byron did not hear Kanesha scream his name the first time, but the second time was the charm.

  Kanesha smacked the car window as hard as she could; startling Byron.

  "Oh shoot," fussed Byron.

  Byron was enjoying his time with the mother of another one of his kids. He was so caught up in the physical pleasure. "Stop, Mickey, stop!" Byron was so unnerved that he was having trouble zipping his pants back up.

  "What? Why you trippin'," asked Mickey as she rose up to see Kanesha. "You tricking with this witch again?" Mickey spat with as much hatred as she could muster. She and Kanesha had never bumped heads, but Mickey knew who she was, and there was no way she was letting Byron go, again.

  "Just get up and shut your stupid mouth," yelled Byron as he opened up the car door and got out to confront Kanesha. "Baby, don't trip. This don't mean nothing." He pointed toward Mickey. "I don't care nothing about that trick," lied Byron. He reached out to touch Kanesha, but she backed out of his reach.

  "So, is that supposed to make me feel better? You talking about we can take things slow, I got cha back, I'll do whatever you want me to do so we can become a family?" mocked Kanesha. "You sitting outside of my job, waiting to give me a ride home, and you got some project hood rat with you. Are you serious?"

  Byron was frozen in place because Kanesha's tone was frightening. He couldn't tell if she was angry or not. He looked into her eyes in search of some measure of emotion but found nothing.

  While the two stared at each other, Mickey got herself together and jumped out of the passenger side car door. She'd heard what Kanesha said about her, and as far as Mickey was concerned, the statement earned Kanesha a smack across her face.

  "I got cha project hood rat right here." Mickey rolled her neck when she spoke.

  Miss Yolanda could tell that Mickey wanted to turn up the heat and get physical, but she wasn't having it on her property. "You stay just where you are," demanded Miss Yolanda. "This is between the two of them, not you. Do you understand me?"

  Mickey looked Miss Yolanda up and down and smacked her lips. One look told Mickey the mature woman was not to be messed with, and besides, there would be other chances to get at Kanesha now that she knew where to find her. So, instead of causing a scene and making the current situation worse, Mickey did as she was told though with much attitude.

  "Come on, baby, let me take you home
so we can talk about this." Byron was not too proud to beg Kanesha for a chance to redeem himself.

  "We're cool, Byron," Kanesha broke her silence.

  "Sweet! Come on, baby girl, let's go," smiled Byron. He turned to open the car door for Kanesha. "Let's go to Perkins and get something to eat. We can talk everything over while we wait for our food."

  "No, I'm cool. You and Mickey go to Perkins and I'm going home," replied Kanesha.

  "Whaddaya mean? You just said we were cool," said a puzzled Byron.

  "We are cool. I should have expected you to do something like this. All of that, take it slow talk and us not sleeping together, didn't faze you because you were doing it with one of your other baby momma's. I'm not surprised, or hurt, by catching you with your pants down. Even if I did get my feelings hurt, I would only have me to blame," said Kanesha. She was determined not to show Byron and Mickey how disappointed she was. Kanesha spoke clear and proper with her back straight and her head held high. "You've shown me exactly who you are many different times over the years, but I never believed you. That's been my bad. It won't happen again because I won't let it. You take care of yourself and make sure you continue to take care of the child we have together."

  The parking lot was still. The air had a summer breeze blowing through the trees. Kanesha was proud of herself for being strong and wanting more from a relationship than sex and money. Miss Yolanda smiled at Kanesha, signaling her approval of how she handled the situation. Byron stood with his jaw hanging open in disbelief. He expected Kanesha to show out and get into a physical fight with him or Mickey. Byron wasn't sure what had just happened, but he knew for certain that the Kanesha he once knew had changed.

  "Kanesha, I'll see you home safely," smiled Wilson as he extended his left hand for Kanesha to grab hold of. Wilson was proud of Kanesha and even more attracted to her than he had been. He thought it truly might be time that he let her know how he felt before the next man tried to step up. God had intervened with this one is how he saw it, but who was to say the same would be said for the next?

  After confirming Kanesha was seated comfortably, Wilson shut the passenger side door and walked around the car to climb in behind the wheel. He turned over the ignition and glanced at Kanesha.

  "Are you sure you're okay?" asked Wilson with great concern.

  "Yes, Wilson, I'm just fine." She shifted in her seat. "I can't lie; a small part of my heart is hurting, but tomorrow is a new day that the Lord will make, right?"

  "Lord willing, it sure will be," smiled Wilson as he drove off.

  "I just realized that in all of the time we've been working together, we have never spoken more than three or four words to each other. Why is that?"

  "I guess I'm just a man of few words," replied Wilson with a shoulder shrug.

  "You seem to possess a quiet spirit; I like that about you. I may be wrong, but you appear to be very sure about yourself," Kanesha said cautiously.

  "I've been through a lot in my twenty-nine years on this earth. I haven't always lived right, and it led to me giving the state free labor for a good portion of my life," confessed Wilson.

  "We've all made mistakes, so don't be ashamed. Look at me. I'm twenty-six years old with four kids by four different men. I only have a high school diploma and no secure way to take care of the lives I brought into this world. My whole life so far has been a mistake." Kanesha's voice was sad. It broke Wilson's heart to hear her so down on herself.

  "I don't see you in that light. You are a beautiful person, both inside and out. Any man fortunate enough to win your heart should be honored to call you his," blushed Wilson.

  "Thank you for saying that. Lately I've been trying to turn my life around, and with the love of God; I believe my children and I will be fine. I haven't shared this with anyone yet, but I enrolled in school two days ago. The Career Center offers classes for adults. I chose the Surgical Technician program. I'll have a certificate in less than a year, and I'll finally have a career instead of a job," smiled Kanesha.

  Wilson could tell that Kanesha was very proud of her decision to better herself. He could hear it in her voice. It was her intent to make the announcement to her mother and kids on Sunday after church services, but she just had to tell someone.

  "Praise the Lord! That's great, Kanesha. You deserve to be happy. I hated seeing you with men who were beneath you. Let me correct that because it's wrong of me to judge others. You deserve to be with a man who puts you only second to God, someone who respects himself because only then will he respect you."

  Kanesha looked into Wilson's eyes and noticed their color and depth. Wilson's hazel eyes, smooth almond skin and strong arms grabbed Kanesha's attention. She'd never seen Wilson swallow a drop of liquor or chase after any of the women who patronized the bar. "And God created man in his own image," whispered the Lord in Kanesha's ear.

  Kanesha blushed and turned her head away from Wilson's view. After gathering her composure, she returned her attention to the man before her.

  "Wilson, I don't even know your last name."

  "I'll tell you everything about myself if you promise to visit my church this Sunday," responded Wilson.

  "I'm sorry, but I can't do that," said Kanesha just above a whisper and with a slight grin on her lips. She got a quick glance at the disappointed look on Wilson's face before finishing her sentence. "But you can attend church services with my mother and me."

  Wilson smiled as he pulled up in front of Kanesha's place. Instead of her going right in, she stayed in the car and conversed with him. The two learned more about each other in a matter of minutes than they'd learned working with each other all of the time. Minutes soon turned into hours before Kanesha decided to retire into her home, but not before placing a small peck on Wilson's cheek. Wilson watched the woman walk away.

  He was sure that she was the answer to his prayers.

  Chapter Eight

  This Is What Being Loved Feels Like

  Kanesha stared into the bathroom mirror, trying to arch her eyebrows evenly. It had taken her an hour to do her hair, and not a strand of it was out of place. The scent of her Baby Phat cologne filled the air as she strolled out of the small bathroom.

  "Dang, girl, I'm gon' have to sit at the bar with you all night. You lookin' as good as you wanna look," complimented Wilson.

  "Thank you, Wilson," smiled Kanesha. "You ready to get to work?" Kanesha grabbed her purse and walked toward the door. Wilson followed Kanesha out the door. The two made their way down the two blocks in the direction of work. They held hands during their quick drive.

  "See you inside," Kanesha said knowingly. Wilson would immediately take his post at the door.

  Swaying her hips, Kanesha walked into the bar like she owned the place. A few male patrons turned their attention to Kanesha as she sauntered behind the bar to start her shift. Percy sat at the end of the bar staring a hole through Kanesha. She pretended not to notice him as she spoke to a few regular customers while preparing to start her shift. Unlike his last visit to the bar, Percy's presence didn't bother her. She was unfazed by his stares and went on about her work without missing a beat.

  Life was going so well for Kanesha that even her self confidence had improved. She walked with her head up, her back straight and a smile on her face. She was amazed at how committing to serve the Lord had made such a huge difference in her life. The relationship she and Wilson were building gave Kanesha a natural high.

  "Look at you, girl," smiled Miss Yolanda. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say there was a spotlight shining down on you."

  "I can't remember the last time I was this happy," giggled Kanesha like a teenage girl.

  "Doesn't it feel good to have a good man in your life? A God-fearing man who's comfortable in his own skin at that?"

  "Yes, ma'am, it does. Wilson treats me so good and I can see how much he cares for me when I look into his eyes."

  Kanesha had her back turned to Percy, but Miss Yolanda had a clear view of him. The sm
ile on her face quickly faded, causing Kanesha to turn and see what she was looking at. Something about the glare in Percy's eyes gave Kanesha an uneasy feeling, but she dismissed it, thinking Percy was a jealous and miserable soul in search of company.

  "Don't worry about him, Miss Yolanda. I'm not going to let anyone rain on my parade, especially somebody as pitiful as Percy Watkins.

  Kanesha and Miss Yolanda gave each other a high- five, followed by a hug.

  Outside, Wilson was focused on searching women's purses and patting men down to make sure no one was carrying a concealed weapon before entering the establishment. Just when the line disappeared and Wilson pulled the door open to step inside for a minute, Byron pulled up to the curb.

  "Hey, Wilson, what's up witcha, man?" greeted Byron.

  "I'm straight," responded Wilson with the black man's handshake and quick hug. He could have held some animosity against Byron for how he had played Kanesha, but looking at the big picture, he owed Byron. If it hadn't been for Byron's mess up, he might have never hooked up with Kanesha. "We ain't seen you around in a long time."

  "Yea, man. That same night when Kanesha caught me with Mickey, I got popped and had to serve out my forty-five days in the county. Karma I guess." Byron and Wilson shared a quick laugh at his bad luck. "It's all cool, though. Word in the joint is you and Kanesha kickin' it now." Byron unexpectedly turned the conversation serious.

  "Kanesha's a good girl. I'm just trying to treat her the way my momma taught me to treat a lady." Wilson looked Byron in the eyes as he spoke.

  "It's all good, Playboy. She's cool. I ain't trippin'. I just stopped by to see if she'll let me go up to the spot and grab some stuff I left there. She's working, right?"

  "You know she is, but you know the routine; assume the position," instructed Wilson before patting Byron down. Wilson was not going to jeopardize his job by assuming Byron was not carrying a weapon.