Chapter 22
The Girl I Used to Know
“Hey baby,” I grin at Juke as I answer. “You ready for me?”
“I sure am,” she giggles. “Waiting patiently now that I’m all prettied up for you.”
“Mm-hm,” I give a parting nod to Juke as I head out the door and he waves back happily. “I bet you didn’t need to do much work for that to happen. Decide where you want to eat at?”
“How about Taco Bell?” she asks shyly. “Or wherever you’d like is fine with me.”
“Taco Bell?” I frown at my reflection as I approach my ride. “Baby, this is my treat! You can’t be pickin’ some nasty, cheap joint like Taco Bell. I know you like the place and you’re tryin’ to be sweet to my wallet, but where do you really wanna go?”
“Oh, Perce, I hate to go runnin’ up a bill with a good friend like you.” She’s worried she offended me. “Maybe Angel Bell Deli? Like how we used to do?”
“Now you’re talkin’,” I slide in behind the wheel and take the first fizzy sip of my soda. “Good food, good memories. Fine choice! I’ll be over in just a minute to pick you up, ok?”
“Ok!” she sings, “Can’t wait to see you!”
The drive to Canton Gardens passes by swiftly, in fact I’ve barely got time to finish my soda and gnaw on some of that jerky. Lolinda’s apartment never has been difficult for me to find because even though she moved out of Cedar River in our sophomore year of high school, I kept visiting her. We never straight up dated, but we get along nicely and enjoy the hell out of each other’s company. Matter of fact, I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying her company.
Strolling up to her apartment, I reach for the doorbell. Before I can ring it, the front door opens to me.
“Percy Straight,” she beams at me, her smile lighting up the soft moon of a face she’s got, “You are a sight for sore eyes, boy!”
She steps back to allow me inside, but I take a few seconds to absorb how she looks, how she’s changed. Her hair’s long and silky straight, some shade of honey blond which contrasts her milk chocolate skin tone beautifully. She either got it straightened or she’s wearing extensions because I know her hair has the natural kinky curl of any woman with African ancestry. Her jeans are tight, flaring at the ankles, faded in the right places to accentuate her divine curves. The tight, long-sleeved shirt she’s wearing gloves her slender figure in a pale shade of pink. The belt matches the shirt, shimmering with rhinestones that compliment her silver hoop earrings. It’s difficult to imagine that this woman and the girl I knew growing up are one and the same. When we were teenagers she wore baggy jeans and loose-fitting tee shirts only. She’s blossomed into quite the prize rose these days.
“My, my!” I lean in to give her a hug. “You could start a house fire with that outfit it’s so hot!”
“Aw,” she squeezes me. “You still know how to make a girl feel like a princess don’t you, Perce?”
I inhale deeply, savoring some unknown scent around her neck.
“What’s that perfume you’re wearing? You about drop a man smellin’ so fine.”
“Oh!” her hands shoot up to her neck. She’s embarrassed. “Did I use too much?”
“No, no, no,” I reassure her, “I’d just like to know because I don’t think I’ve ever inhaled anything quite so inviting.”
She giggles, covering her mouth like she always does, “It’s called ‘Lovely’ by Sarah Jessica Parker.”
“Lovely is right,” I’ll have to remember the name. “You sure have come a long way from the girl who used to insist that tight clothes were for loose women and jewelry would only make you a nice target for muggers.”
“Maybe I matured a little,” she shrugs. “Or maybe now I have to work harder to get dates. All I know is I got tired of watching every other girl get to look good while I waited for a man who liked me for my mind. I still read plenty of books when I can, but I try to get out to have a little fun now and then, too.”
“Looking like that, scoring dates and getting out has got to be easy.” I shake my head at her, still smiling. “Probably got you a stable full of sugar daddies.”
“Oh, quit it!” she’s about to melt from the compliments. “Come back in here and say hi to Shawnita and the kids, will you?”
“You know I couldn’t set foot in here without seein’ your rug rats.”
I follow her into the living room where the little ones are watching Blue’s Clues on an old TV.
“Devon, Emmy!” She’s always cheerful with her babies. “Look who came to see you! Uncle Percy!”
Both kids whip their heads around and scramble towards me shouting and reaching out to be hugged. Devon’s grown like a weed since I last saw him, green eyes shining from a face shaped like his mothers, but a complexion that proves his daddy was white. His sister’s smaller and several shades darker than he is, her hair done up into a multitude of small braids tied with tiny yellow ribbons. It’s a ritual that during my visits I pat Devon’s poofy little afro and hold Emmy up in the air, doing what she calls ‘airplane!’ as she’s rocked by a giggling fit.
“You kids been good?” I ask as I let Emmy land gently on the floor. “Not giving your momma any trouble are you?”
Both of them shake their heads, serious as can be. Since Emmy’s only three, she may not know what I’m about to do next, but at age five, Devon’s well practiced in this routine.
“That true, Momma?” I ask Lolinda who’s smiling and nodding at me. “Well, isn’t that good to hear! Sounds like what we’ve got here are two little saints who deserve a reward for bein’ so good when it’s easier to make trouble. Don’t you think?”
All three of them nod, each bursting with their own flavors of pride. I reach inside my coat and pull out the sacks of gummy worms, handing them over to the kids.
“Now you won’t want to go eating all of them today,” I chide playfully. “Give yourselves a tummy ache like you can’t believe, so make sure you save plenty for later, ok?”
They nod wildly and thank me because their mother reminds them to before they run off into the kitchen to ask Shawnita for help getting their packages open.
“You know,” Lolinda’s tone is thoughtful, “Sweet as you are to me, you’re even better with the babies. Wonder you haven’t got a family of your own, Percy. You’d be an excellent father.”
I wave her off, more than horrified at the thought. “Nah, I just remember how it was growin’ up is all. I make a lot better uncle than I would a daddy. This way I get to visit and never have to deal with diapers or temper tantrums. Suits me just fine.”
“Percy Straight!” Shawnita barrels out from the kitchen. “Damn you look smokin’ today!”
I brace myself for impact as she swoops in for a hug. She’s Lolinda’s younger sister and the two women couldn’t look any less alike. Despite her generous figure and short stature, she’s squeezed herself into a screaming lime green halter top and a pair of jeans that must surely be straining to contain her. She appraises me with those deep black eyes, shaking her head, making an “mm-mm” sound and licking her lips as she sizes me up visually.
“Good to see you, too, Shawnita.” I’ve always been curious how two sisters could have such different personalities. “You get those gummy worms open ok?”
“You know I’m a pro at opening packages.” She winks at me in a manner she must believe looks coy. “Especially if there’s something sweet waiting for me. Had a couple myself, too.”
“You eating my babies’ candy?” Lolinda rolls her eyes. “Don’t you have enough food of your own without gobbling up the kids’?”
Shawnita waves her away. “Percy don’t mind, do you, Sexy?”
“I s’pose it’s good to encourage sharing.” I hate when she calls me Sexy. “Long as they get the majority of ‘em.”
“Course they do!” She wobbles a little when she laughs. “I’m not some kinda crazy candy thief.”
“Okay, girl,” Lolinda’s telling her, “We’re goin’ down to Angel Bell for a bite to eat. You need me for anything, you call my cell. Don’t forget they’re due for nap time in about half an hour.”
“Oh,” Shawnita croons, clearly jealous. “Angel Bell? Now, that’s a nice place. Ricardo took me down there a couple months back. They have the finest pastrami sandwiches in town. Good lemon meringue pie, too! Oh, you are gonna enjoy yourself, Lolinda! Make sure you try the Heavenly Meat & Cheese platter. Comes with three different kinds of mustard and these little crackers, taste kinda like Wheat Thins. You’d love it, girl!”
“We’ll be sure to do that,” I try not to picture Shawnita scarfing all that down. “Only be gone a couple hours or so.”
