Lookin' For Luv (6 page)

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Authors: Carl Weber

BOOK: Lookin' For Luv
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“Yeah, an’ baby got back too. Damn, Kev, you done fucked around and hit Lotto.”
All Kevin could do was smile.
“Tell you what. Why don’t you go home and I’ll be Kevin?” Tyrone laughed, half serious.
Kevin took a second look at the woman’s pretty face, the color of cocoa, which complemented the near-perfect picture.
“Not in this lifetime, bro. Besides, she’s expecting Superman, not Clark Kent. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got business to take care of.” He straightened his collar and stood up.
“Yo, Kev, I’m gonna chill here for a while just in case. You never know. She could be a chickenhead in disguise.”
“Aw’ight, this should cover the tab until I’m ready to leave.” Kevin reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. He handed the money to Tyrone and winked.
“Yo, thanks, man.” Tyrone took the twenty. “And good luck.”
Kevin approached the woman, who was talking with a waitress. He cleared his throat as he approached them. “Excuse me.”
The waitress turned to face Kevin. Giving him a quick head-to-toe look, she smiled at him approvingly. “Yes, can I help you?”
“I wanted to ask the young lady if her name was Alicia.” Kevin smiled as he noticed she was even more attractive up close.
“Yes, I’m Alicia. Are you Kevin?” She tried to appear calm, but she was busy praying that this fine man was her date for the evening.
“Yes, I’m Kevin.” He extended his hand. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Alicia.”
“No, the pleasure’s all mine.” She blushed. “I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I really wasn’t expecting someone so handsome.” The waitress chimed in with an “mmm-hmm.”
Now it was Kevin’s turn to blush, and it wasn’t easy for him to stop.
“We’ll take that table now,” Alicia told the waitress as she . and Kevin finally took their eyes off each other.
As the waitress led them to a table in the back, Alicia let Kevin lead.
Damn, he’s got a nice butt.
She thought as she smiled to herself.
They were seated at a small round table in the comer, and Kevin ordered a beer. Alicia ordered a glass of white wine, and they sat and smiled at each other until Alicia finally broke their contented silence.
“Did you have a hard time finding this place?”
“No, your directions were great. How’d you find this place anyway? My mother would love it.”
“It is nice, isn’t it? I work across the street as a legal secretary, so sometimes I come here for lunch. I wanted our first date to be in a familiar surrounding.”
“Hmm, that makes sense.” He nodded. “Is that also why you didn’t want me to pick you up at home?”
“Sort of, but the main reason is I didn’t think it was proper for you to meet my son until I get to know you. He’s a very bright and impressionable kid, and I don’t think I should bring every Tom, Dick, and Harry home to meet him. No offense.”
“None taken. I’m a teacher, remember. I always want what’s best for the kids.”
He meant that, but he couldn’t help thinking about himself too. He wondered if he could handle a relationship with a single mother. And he already knew he would have some explaining to do to Mama, who had her own opinions about unwed mothers. She would say he deserved to have his own children, not some other man’s.
“You’re really sweet, Kevin. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?” Alicia gently touched his hand.
This is the part of a date I always hate
. He smiled nervously but thought this woman was definitely worth the effort, so he began. “Hmmm. Let’s see. My full name is Kevin Brown, and I’m the oldest of three. I’m from Hopewell, Virginia. I graduated from Virginia State University.” He paused for a second and looked in her eyes. “I feel like I’m at a job interview. Why don’t you just ask me some questions? I’m sure there’s something you wanna know.” He hoped she didn’t sense his discomfort.
“Okay, Kevin. I really didn’t mean to stress you.” She smiled. “Why don’t I start?”
Nodding, Kevin sat back in his chair and relaxed as Alicia began to speak.
“As you already know, I have a little boy. His name is Michael, and he’s seven years old. And yes, I had him when I was seventeen.” She looked a little worried as she revealed the news.
“That’s none of my business,” he answered honestly, not trying to judge her.
“It could be your business if you plan on seeing me again. So I just wanted you to know that I’m no tramp. I was with Michael’s father for eight years and would still be with him now if he didn’t beat me so bad.”
“He beat you?” Kevin tried not to sound too shocked.
Alicia knew she was revealing a lot of information for a first date, but she had decided that if she met a man who couldn’t handle her past, she wanted to know right away. She wasn’t about to waste time. She looked Kevin directly in the eye. “Yes, Trevor used to beat me.”
“You did call the police and have him arrested, didn’t you? Any man low enough to hit a woman needs to be in jail.”
“No, I didn’t call right away. Not until he put me in the hospital and the police visited my bedside. I know you probably think I’m a fool, Kevin, but the story is more complicated than you think”
Kevin folded his hands and sat back in his chair, wondering what excuse she would come up with for the lowlife. He waited silently for her to continue her story.
“You see, my problems started long before Trevor. They started with my father, Kevin. As long as I can remember, my father has been an alcoholic, and when Dad drinks, he becomes violent. Unfortunately for Mom, over the years he started drinking every day. So when I started dating Trevor”—she took a deep breath—“he was doing the same thing I saw growing up. For me it was normal for a man to hit a woman. I thought he honestly loved me. Then, as the years went by and the beatings got worse, I tried to leave. That’s when he put me in the hospital.”
A tear slid down Alicia’s cheek, and Kevin leaned forward to touch her hand gently as she continued.
“Thank God for my social worker at the hospital. She got Michael and me into a shelter, then an apartment of our own.”
“So what happened to that guy Trevor?” Kevin asked with sympathy. He wished he knew so that he could beat the hell out of him. He had no patience for men like that.
“I heard he was living in Brooklyn, but I haven’t seen him because of a restraining order.” She wiped away a few tears as she regained her composure and realized she had just poured her heart out to a man she hardly knew. She hadn’t expected to cry in front of him.
“I’m sorry, Kevin. I hope this isn’t freaking you out. Sometimes I get a little emotional. I just felt comfortable with you, but now I’m afraid I went too far.”
Before Kevin could even respond, the waitress approached the table. She eyed him with suspicion as Alicia quickly wiped away her tears.
“Is everything all right?” the waitress snapped as she placed their drinks on the table.
Kevin sneered at the nosy woman as Alicia nodded and gave a weak smile.
“Would you like to order?” she asked.
Realizing that they hadn’t even looked at the menu, Alicia and Kevin quickly scanned the choices. Alicia ordered a fish dinner with french fries and corn bread. Kevin, unable to make up his mind between pork chops or chicken, finally decided on the combination dinner with collard greens and macaroni and cheese. The waitress left, and Kevin gave Alicia an understanding smile before speaking.
“I know how it is to have an alcoholic father. My dad died of cirrhosis of the liver five years ago.”
“Oh, my God, Kevin, I’m so sorry,” she mumbled, her eyes full of tears once again.
“Hey! Hey! Don’t cry again. It’s aw’ight. My dad was never there for me. I played basketball all my life and he never came to one damn game. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I just want you to know I understand and I want to be your friend.”
This
man
is too good to be true. Alicia reached across the table and gently held Kevin’s hand. She picked up her glass with her free hand and looked into his eyes.
“Here’s to friendship and possibly more.”
“And possibly more!” Kevin repeated as he raised his own glass.
They laughed and joked like old friends for hours, never realizing that the entire restaurant staff was waiting for them to leave. Suddenly the waitress was at their table.
“Look. You two seem to be getting along real good. Why don’t y’all go down to the Kew Motor Inn and get a room so the rest of us can go home?”
Embarrassed, Alicia surveyed the room, only to find the whole staff staring at them. Kevin quickly paid the bill and made sure the waitress saw him leave a twenty-dollar tip. “Sorry about the inconvenience.” He grabbed Alicia’s hand softly as he led the way out the door.
They walked to Alicia’s car holding each other closely. He had his arm around her shoulders, and she was pressed against him with her arms wrapped around his waist. At her car Alicia stepped back and looked into Kevin’s eyes.
“Tonight was really special, Kevin. I have a good feeling about you.”
He smiled at her and hugged her against his chest. Looking up to the sky, he silently prayed,
Thank you, God, for answering my mama’s prayers.
She nuzzled her chin against his chest, thinking about how many times she had almost canceled their date. Now she was grateful she hadn’t missed out on this wonderful man.
He bent to kiss her but was startled by Tyrone, who stumbled toward them.
“Yo, ma‘fucker ’member me? I’m the fool who been sit-tin’ on your car for three damn hours!” he slurred.
“Kevin, who is this drunk fool?” Alicia whispered nervously.
“Well, I hate to admit it, but this fool is a friend of mine. I brought him along in case our date didn’t go well. I guess when we were busy getting along so well, he was busy drinking half the bar.” Alicia exploded in laughter as she let go of him.
“Shit!” he said. “I really messed up, didn’t I? I am so sorry. I had no idea you were gonna be such a beautiful woman and that we’d have so much in common. I’d heard so many horror stories about date lines.”
Still laughing, she grabbed him in another hug.
“Remember the bitch of a waitress we had?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, she’s my best friend.” Kevin laughed with her as she told him, “You’re not the only one who had some backup.”
“I’m glad you two find somethin’ funny, but I’m tryin’ ta get my black ass home,” Tyrone blurted out, falling on the grass.
“Look, Kevin, it’s getting late, and your friend’s waiting,” Alicia said, stifling her laughter. She kissed him on the cheek. “Give me a call tomorrow. Please.”
Kevin watched as Alicia got into her car and pulled away. Agitated by the way his date had ended, Kevin seriously contemplated kicking Tyrone in the ribs.
“Dammit, Tyrone., you have the worst fucking timing!”
“Wait a damn minute. You’re the one who gave me the money to stick around at the bar.” Tyrone belched.
“Yeah, I did do that, didn’t I?” Kevin helped his friend up from the ground. “I’ll tell you what though. She’s the most attractive woman I’ve ever met. And not just physically attractive. She’s got a beautiful spirit. Ty, man, I honestly think I just met the mother of my children.”
“Well, whoop-de-damn-do,” Tyrone answered, vomiting all over Kevin’s shoes.
5
 
TYRONE
 
Tyrone Jefferson always considered himself a product of the streets. Growing up in the crime-plagued Marcy projects of Brooklyn, he became a member of the notorious street gang, the Bloods, for protection. At seventeen, like many young men in his neighborhood, Tyrone was a father forced to sell drugs to support his daughter. Two years later, trying to escape the responsibility of a second child by another woman, he joined the navy, looking for a new start. Unfortunately his past caught up with him with horrible results.
After navy boot camp he was informed by his commanding officers that both of his children’s mothers had placed claims against his earnings and that each would receive a large portion of his income. Swearing that “neither one of those bitches” would get his money, he went AWOL, hiding from the navy in South Jamaica, New York, until his arrest for possession of crack cocaine two years later. He was given probation because of the small amount of crack, but was turned over to the navy to face desertion charges. Having no further use for a crack-addicted sailor, the navy found him guilty of desertion and sentenced him to a year in Fort Leavenworth prison.
After serving his sentence Tyrone was given one hundred and fifty dollars by the government, along with a bus ticket back to New York. He swore that he was going to beat his drug addiction and become a better person and entered the Apple drug program in East Hampton, New York. There, along with his drug-treatment program, he took fatherhood and self-improvement classes. Slowly his self-esteem started to improve.

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