Hot Boyz (9 page)

“He’s in his room,” Star said.

“As always. Go get him and tell him to eat while it’s hot.”

“Rashaad, come on and eat,” Star yelled at the top of her lungs.

“Don’t yell, Star. I could have done that. Go get him.”

“What?” Rashaad yelled, walking toward the kitchen.

“Time to eat,” said Star in a lower tone. “Time for our family breakfast. And standing in for Daddy, once again is Mommy.” Star stretched out her arms to each side, looking toward Mercedes.

“Funny. You’d better watch your mouth.”

Rashaad said in agreement, “Shoot, Mom. She’s right. Why is it that Dad always leaves just when he has a couple of days off?”

“It’s his busy schedule. You should be glad he provides for us like he does. How many other kids do you know who have the type of lifestyle and opportunities he’s given the two of you? Not many,” Mercedes explained, scooping some of the scrambled eggs onto her plate.

Rashaad took his seat. “Maybe not. But they have the opportunity of having their dad home on the weekends, at least.”

“Boy, you’d better eat this food and stop complaining. I thought none of the boys your age felt it was cool to hang out with their parents anyway.”

“Maybe if I had the chance I could decide that for myself,” Rashaad said matter-of-factly.

Mattie chimed in, “Boy, sit down and shut up. And you’d better stop your bellyaching, all this cooking I’ve done this morning. Thank God I don’t have my cane in my hand, young smart mouth.” She cut her eyes at him.

Rashaad prepared to respond, “Grandma…”

“Don’t say it,” Mercedes advised.

“Grammy, how many pieces of bacon do you want?” asked Star.

“Give me about five or so,” she said, pointing to her plate.

“You are not going to eat…” Rashaad said, looking dumbfounded.

Mercedes interrupted. “Give her five or six, Star.”

“Here you go.”

“Why not give her a dozen pancakes and a dozen eggs,” Rashaad joked.

“You know what, Rashaad? You can go to your room. Since you insist on being a pain. Just go and think about what disrespectful, dumb things have been coming out of your mouth lately.”

Rashaad stood up. “Why is it that Star can make comments and I can’t?”

Mercedes pointed to the door. “Just go. And I do not want to hear a PlayStation or television. Do you hear me?”

Rashaad started to walk away.

“I asked if you heard me, boy.” Mercedes voice resounded.

“I heard you, Mom,” he said with a downward glance.

Mercedes looked at Mattie. “I’m so sick of him being negative.”

“Jesse would have tanned his hide for talking back.” Mattie shook her head.

“That sounds like a great idea. He’s going to have his butt in church tomorrow.”

“Do you think Daddy will be able to go?” Star asked.

“I don’t flippin’ know. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“I will, Mom,” Star said, staring at her mother in amazement.

“Good. Now let’s say grace,” Mercedes said, still sounding irritated.

Mattie took over and blessed the food, holding hands with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter. “Heavenly Father, hear our
prayer, keep us in thy tender care, help us to be kind and good and thank you for our daily food, Amen.”

“Amen,” Mercedes and Star said in unison.

Later that morning, Mercedes rushed downstairs with her keys and purse in hand. “We’ve got to get going.” Star was standing by the door but Mattie was coming out of her room, still barefoot. “Please hurry up, Mamma. Go get your shoes. Your CT scan appointment is at one o’clock.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Mamma, just come on. Let’s go for a ride.” Mercedes rushed into Mattie’s room and grabbed her ballerina slippers. “Here. Put these on. I’ll stop and get you some pistachio ice cream, okay?”

“Why didn’t you say so? Let’s go,” she said, slipping her feet into her shoes.

Mercedes pulled up to the three-story parking structure of the UCLA medical center. She went up all three levels, circling and circling over and over again, trying to find a parking space.

“Mamma, they’ve got this huge medical facility and there’s nowhere to park. This is ridiculous.”

“You can just drop me off, I’ll go in and get in line.”

“No, Mamma. I need to go with you,” Mercedes said, distracted as she wound down a ramp a little too fast. She screeched as she slammed on her brakes. “Uh, oh,” she said. “I almost hit him.” Mercedes rolled down her window.

“Lady, you’re killing me,” said a black man driving a new blue Navigator.

“I’m so sorry, sir. I could tell you were trying to move over. I just cut it a little too sharp.”

“That’s okay, just be more careful,” he said, rolling up his window.

“I will,” Mercedes mouthed, pulling over to make sure her mother-in-law was okay. “You all right, Mamma?”

“This sure is a rough ride today. All this just to go to Newberry’s to get some ice cream?”

Mercedes heard another honk. It was the man whose car she was blocking. He was letting her know he was about to back out if only she’d move.

“Oh, good.” She gestured by raising her hand and waving to the driver as they both backed up.

She pulled in and looked at her watch. “Finally, we’re here. And we’re right on time.”

“Mrs. Wilson,” the nurse called from the waiting room door.

“Right here.” Mercedes held onto Mattie’s arm as they went into the examining room.

Ten minutes or so went by after the nurse asked a few questions and then left.

“How much longer,” Mattie asked impatiently.

“Just a few more minutes.” Mercedes stared at the wall clock.

“Mattie Wilson,” the doctor said, walking in the room a few moments later.

“Yes,” Mattie said, smiling at the doctor.

“I’m Dr. Green.”

He looked at Mercedes. “Wallace Green.”

“Hello, Dr. Green,” Mercedes said.

He turned and stood over the sink, looking down at the medical file. Mercedes noticed the back of his head, with his curly dark hair, well groomed and trimmed along his neckline. “I see you made your way into a parking space without causing injury to yourself or others,” he joked, turning to look at Mercedes.

“Oh my God, was that you?” Mercedes asked. “I’m so sorry.”

“You apologized already. These parking structures are pretty much crowded all the time. And it’s even worse on Saturdays,” he said, sitting upon the small, black leather stool on wheels. “So, Mrs. Wilson. How are you today?” He scooted over next to Mattie.

“I’m fine. How are you?” Mattie acted like he was the ice cream man, being so cooperative.

“I’m doing better,” he said looking at Mercedes again. “Has she had a CT scan before?”

“Yes, a year ago at Brotman Hospital in Culver City.”

“Which doctor?”

“Doctor Maya Turner.”

“I know her. She’s a great neurologist. Okay, so this is a follow-up to check the status of the dementia. I’ll just check your vitals and then ask you a few questions if you don’t mind, Mrs. Wilson.”

“No, I don’t mind.”

My how obliging Mattie is
, Mercedes thought.
I’d be too. What a bedside manner he has.

Dr. Green checked Mattie’s blood pressure, pulse, and heartbeat. Mercedes rolled her huge wedding ring around as she continued to investigate the doctor’s features, even the shape of his ears and his baby-fine sideburn hairs.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” he said, trying to startle her from her zone. “Your name is?”

“Mercedes Wilson.”

“Mrs. Wilson?”

“Ah, yes, Mrs. Mercedes Wilson.”

“She’s your mother-in-law?”

“Yes, she is my husband’s mother.”

“I see. Well, Mrs. Wilson, we’ll need to have you take her to the x-ray lab right down the hall. I’ll meet the two of you there in a few minutes. Is that okay?”

“That’s just fine. Thanks, doctor…” Mercedes replied, making it obvious that she’d forgotten his name.

“Wallace.”

“Dr. Wallace, right. That’s just fine. Thanks.”

“No, my name is Dr. Green. You can call me Wallace.”

Mercedes gave an embarrassed smile.

Mattie watched the doctor as he walked away. “That man looks just like Jesse did when he was young. Tall and handsome and he smelled good, too. Did you notice?”

“I noticed, Mamma. Let’s go get this done.”

Once in the x-ray room, the technician assisted in getting Mat-tie onto the table.

“Perhaps we should give her something to relax her,” Dr. Green suggested. “Is she claustrophobic?”

“No. She seems to do real well with these type of things.”

“Then we’ll just see how it goes.”

Mercedes watched him talk to Mattie, coming within six inches of her face as she lay on her back about to enter the machine. He explained everything to her and touched her upper arm as he spoke. Mattie closed her eyes and smiled.

“You’ll have to wait outside because of the rays. You understand, right?” Dr. Green explained.

“No problem. I’ll be right out here when you need me. Thanks, Dr. Green,” Mercedes said, making a point of referring to him in a professional way.

He made a point of watching her walk into the waiting room just before he slowly closed the door.

Mercedes tried to keep both eyes focused on the road while licking the sides of her rainbow sherbet cone. Mattie was crunching the sugar cone of her own double dip of pistachio. “Hello?” Mercedes pushed the button to the speakerphone of her cell.

“Mercedes, it’s Cicely.”

Mattie looked irritated, saying, “You need to hang up and focus on this trip.”

“I will, Mamma.” She resumed her call. “Hey, what can I do for you?”

“I hope you don’t mind me calling but isn’t this Mason’s old number?”

“Yes, we switched phones a couple of months ago.”

“Oh, I see. Well, I’m calling because Mason left his briefcase over here and I think he might need it when he leaves tomorrow. Can you tell him to come and get it?”

“Aren’t you in Leimert?” Mercedes asked.

“I’m still here.”

“How about if I come by and get it? I’m just coming back from Mattie’s doctor’s appointment. I’ll swing by if it’s okay.”

“That should be fine. How far away are you? Because he just left. I can try to call him again.”

“He didn’t answer before?”

“No,” Cicely said.

Mercedes licked another drop of melting ice cream. “I’ll just run by real quick. You’re still on Creed, right?”

“Yes.”

“See you in a minute.”

Mattie stared out of the window looking angry.

Cicely opened the door wearing casual hip hugger jeans and a tiny white tee with silver lettering that read, “diva”. She also wore an unusually warm smile on her face.

Mercedes greeted her. “Hi, Cicely.”

“Hello, Mercedes. Good to see you.”

“Thanks for telling me about Mason’s briefcase. That man is good at this kind of stuff.”

“I know. He’s always been, even back in the day,” Cicely replied.

Realizing that she didn’t go back as far with Mason as Cicely did, she replied, “Yes, even back in college.” Mercedes peeked in. “You’ve decorated this place real nice. I haven’t seen it since Mason bought it years ago.”

“Let me go and get his briefcase. It’s right back here.”

“Thanks.” Mercedes stood still.

“Hey. Let me show you around real quick.”

“No, I’d better not. I just had my mind set on running up to your door. I’d …”

“It’ll only take a minute. My place is pretty small, not like that gorgeous house you live in.”

“But it’s obvious that you have impeccable taste. I’ve wanted to get into black art but never really took the time to look into the different artists and styles,” Mercedes said, stepping inside at me same time.

“Come on back for a minute. His case is back here anyway. In my office.”

“Okay,” Mercedes said, still leaving the door open and glancing outside as she looked around the living room.
Cicely had a LifeCycle and Stairmaster in her den. She made a point of going to the gym three times a week. She’d always say her butt needed to be as flat as her chest, and they both were. Mercedes checked her out not feeling a bit intimidated by her body. But feeling something.

“And back here is my little sitting area where I meditate and where I work,” Cicely explained.

“Good for you. I noticed your exercise equipment. I have a treadmill and some other machines just collecting dust.”

“How in the world would you ever have time, what with all that you’ve got going on with working, being the wife of a pro golfer, a mom, and taking care of your mother-in-law?”

They walked into Cicely’s office and Cicely headed straight for Mason’s snakeskin case.

Mercedes said, “Mrs. Wilson is worth looking after. She’s been so good to me through the years.”

Cicely smiled. “All I have to look after is my cat, Chaka.” She pointed to her baby. “But you know how cats are, they just sleep and eat.” Chaka was a big, fluffy Calico, all curled up in the middle of her wide-back wicker chair.

“Just like a man I’ve always said,” Mercedes joked.

“Okay?” she replied like a sista-friend.

“She’s beautiful. And who’s this?” Mercedes asked, looking at a framed photo of Cicely and a woman, obviously on vacation somewhere.

“That’s my sister Heidi. Unlike most sisters, we’re pretty close. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Mercedes turned her head for a minute and paused. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” Cicely asked.

“The sound of…”

Mercedes ran to the front door just fast enough to catch the tail end of her SUV turning the corner on Creed Avenue.

Mercedes yelled, “Oh, my God. Mattie drove off. She started the car and drove off.” She placed her hands to her head with a wide opened mouth.

“Mason’s mom? I thought she couldn’t drive anymore.”

“Yes, but she doesn’t know that,” Mercedes said. “Let me use your phone, please. I’ve got to call Mason. He’s going to kill me.”

Mercedes dreaded the call with every digit, even as she pressed talk.

“You did what?” Mason asked loudly.

“Mason, I just ran in for a second and she pulled off,” Mercedes explained.

“You left your keys in the car?”