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Authors: Tresser Henderson

My Mans Best Friend (9781622860241) (10 page)

BOOK: My Mans Best Friend (9781622860241)
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Essence
I squinted as the bright lights blinded me. I looked around disoriented because I didn't know where I was and what was going on. I lifted my hand to my eyes to feel a tiny sting atop my hand. Squinting, I saw an IV hooked up to me. My sense of smell kicked in as I inhaled the aroma of what seemed like alcohol, Pine-Sol, medicine, and other things letting me know I was in a hospital. With my vision coming into focus, I tried sitting up in the bed. A hand touched mine, and I jerked it back, not knowing who was touching me. Turning to the source I saw it was Jaquon.
“What's going on? Why am I here?”
“I brought you here because you passed out on me.”
“Passed out?” I questioned. “I don't pass out.”
“Well, you did tonight. We were doing our thing,” he said with a little smile, “and the next thing I know, I was standing there with my dick exposed, looking at you lying on the ground. You scared the hell out of me, Essence.”
The expression on his face was so cute.
“I scooped you up and rushed you here. Lucky for me you were wearing a dress because I don't think I could have put your pants back on to bring you here. I might've rolled you outta my ride, letting you hit the asphalt and kept going because me walking in here with a half-naked woman and me being a black man, they would have had my behind under the jail.”
I smiled at him, saying, “I'm sorry. I don't know why I fainted like that.”
“Maybe I was just that good and you couldn't handle what I was putting down.”
I swiped at him before looking around for a nurse or a doctor.
“Did they tell you the reason why I passed out?”
“Nope. I tried to find out, pretending like you were my wife, but one look at my left hand told them different. By law, they can't disclose any of your medical information to me. They were at least nice enough to let me sit by your side.”
“I can't believe you stayed.”
“I couldn't leave you like this. That would make me a bad guy, and I'm not a bad guy,” he said.
“You're just one who likes to cheat all the time, huh?”
Holding his chest he said, “That hurts me right
here
.”
“It should.”
“But you don't mind being the other woman,” he protested.
“Just call me settling for less,” I said.
“Why do you keep coming at me with your dagger-like comments? I'm not the enemy.”
“My comments weren't meant to hurt your feelings,” I said smiling. “I thought I was just stating facts.”
“Well, you damn sure are not making me feel good right now. I feel bad enough that you're in here.”
“Jaquon, I haven't been able to find a man who makes me happy. Either he's gay, got kids, or committed to another love,” I said, pointing at him.
“Hey, I'm not gay.”
I laughed. “You know what I mean. I'm just saying my experiences have proven love doesn't matter. That's why I'm not in a relationship now.”
“But love does exist,” he said.
“And what does love mean to you? You're cheating on a girl who loves you, and you claim to love her. If it's love you claim you have, then why cheat?”
“I don't know, Essence. You have a point. I'm a man who loves to have sex. The idea of being with only one woman for the rest of my life scares me. What if I get bored?”
“Are you bored now?”
“No. Kea excites me.”
“And yet you slept with me.”
“I see where you're coming from,” he said defeated.
The nurse came in with the doctor holding a laptop instead of a file.
“Good morning, Ms. Clemmons.”
“Good morning, Doctor. Now, tell me what's wrong with me.”
“You are straight and to the point, aren't you?”
“I want to know what's going on,” I said.
The doctor looked at Jaquon and looking at the door said, “Can you please excuse us for a minute.”
“No, Doctor, he can stay.”
“Okay. Suit yourself.”
I looked at a now-standing Jaquon who paused as I smiled, hoping he would stay with me. He put his hands in his pocket and waited to hear what the doctor was going to say.
“Ms. Clemmons, I hate to ask you this, but are you bulimic?”
I looked at Jaquon, and he looked at me waiting on the answer.
“No,” I answered, denying the accusation.
“Are you sure? Your examination revealed you were dehydrated and suffering from malnutrition. Your teeth are weak, and your throat has small ulcers indicating you have been throwing up for quite some time.”
I wished I had listened to the doctor and had Jaquon leave the room. This was the last thing I wanted him to hear about me. No one knew my dirty little secret but me and my toilet bowl. Now it was out, and I didn't know what I was going to do to maintain it. I was a bulimic, and I didn't think anything this physician was about to tell me was going to change that fact. I wondered how Jaquon would look at me now. Did he see me as sick, disturbed, or just plain crazy? Anyway, I wanted to rip this IV out of my arm and run away. But I couldn't. This was my reality that I knew would come out one day. That day was today. I just didn't think it would be around someone like Jaquon, the guy for the moment who I was into and the only person who knew my secret eating disorder.
Kea
This morning, I woke up alone yet again, but Jaquon not being next to me didn't bother me one bit. Today, I felt like a new woman, and this new woman wanted to start her day off with some coffee. With two cups of coffee in hand, I tried to click the deadbolt lock to my apartment and stuffed the keys in my pocket. I was taking my neighbor a cup of coffee. As soon as I heard music, I knew Freak-a-Leak from across the way had opened her door. I turned to see her standing there leaning against her door eating an apple. I pictured her consuming things like bananas and hot dogs but not anything healthy like an apple.
“Who was that good-looking man leaving your place this morning?” she asked.
“What business is it of yours?”
“I'm just asking because if you weren't getting down with him, I was going to get with him myself because the brother was fine.”
I wanted to push her ghetto behind down the stairs but thought better of it, knowing she was the type of person quick to file a lawsuit.
“He's taken,” I said callously.
“My bad. I didn't know you were cheating on Jaquon.”
“I'm not. That guy was his best friend.”
“Even better. They say good-looking people travel together. Damn, I'm jealous of you. You got the best of both worlds.”
“It's not like that,” I said argumentatively.
“Don't get your panties in a bunch. I believe you,” she said winking her eye, smiling. “Whenever you are done with either of them brothers, send them my way because I would be more than happy to sample those pieces of chocolate.”
I walked downstairs to get away from her before I really did push her down the stairs.
Mr. Hanks was sitting in his usual spot outside the apartment complex near the steps. He lived on the bottom level and always sat outside in his green yard chair with a pack of cigarettes and ashtray in hand. He was puffing on one when I walked up.
“Good morning, Mr. Hanks. How are you doing this morning?”
“I'm doing fine. I'm enjoying another day blessed to me.”
“I brought you some coffee,” I said passing him the cup of dark liquid.
“Well, thank you, Kea.”
“I put two tablespoons of sugar in it just the way you like it. I'll be cooking in a little bit too. When I get done, I'll bring you down a plate.”
“You need to stop spoiling me,” he said, trying to take a sip of his coffee but his cough halted him.
His cough was terrible. It sounded like he had enough mucus in his chest to be diagnosed with emphysema. Still, he puffed on those cancer sticks, not giving his cough a second thought.
Short with a round belly, Mr. Hanks looked like a man who had been through a lot in his time. The years had not been good to him, but he never let that stop him from enjoying another day. He had a bunch of kids and none had anything to do with him. Back in the day, he was a playa. He went through his share of women, and all his kids were confirmation of his sleeping around. I think he had more kids than he was aware of, but no one wanted to claim him as their dad.
I didn't know why, because Mr. Hanks was a decent old man. I felt sorry for him because he lived alone. No one ever visited him. I couldn't imagine going through my elderly years with not one person calling or dropping by to see how I was doing.
Living on money he won from the lottery, Mr. Hanks had some cash. He looked like he was broke, but I was told his bank account proved different. Rumor was he won over a million dollars, but you would never know it from his demeanor and the fact that he lived in an apartment complex which was not in the best of neighborhoods.
On a few occasions when I found myself in a bind, he offered to help me. Of course, I declined, but he insisted, getting me out of a couple of jams. I always paid him back. With gratitude for helping me, I started taking him food when I cooked dinner some nights and breakfast some mornings. Mr. Hanks didn't have anybody cooking for him. He may have had money, but he didn't get a home cooked meal often. So I tried to bring him something. It was the least I could do and with time, both of us had become really good friends.
“You know you don't have to go through any trouble cooking for me, Kea.”
“I know, but I'm going to fix me something too, so it's not a problem. Are you going to church today, Mr. Hanks?”
“Nawh, I don't think so. I haven't been feeling too good lately. This cough got my chest hurting something terrible.”
“You know I'm going to fuss, don't you?” I said.
“I know. I know.”
“Then why haven't you been to the doctor yet, and why are you still smoking?”
“Honey, I don't have much longer here on this earth. I done lived the life I was supposed to, and I'm going to enjoy smoking until it kills me.”
“And it is killing you,” I stated, sitting down on the third step of the building.
“What are you doing up so early anyway?” he asked.
“I got a lot on my mind.”
“I know it has to do with that no-good man of yours. Where is he at anyway?”
“He hasn't gotten home yet.”
“You see what I'm talking about? The man got a good woman at home, and he still finds the need to stay out all night. Bastard.”
“Leave him alone,” I said defensively, knowing Mr. Hanks was right.
“Alone he needs to be. I don't know why you insist on wasting your life with that no-good son of a—”
“Okay,” I stopped him. “Remember that you were trying to stop cursing. Especially on Sundays,” I said smiling.
“Jackie, Jookie, Jomo, or whatever that punk's name gets under my skin.”
“His name is Jaquon, Mr. Hanks. And does he get under your skin because he reminds you of your younger self, maybe?”
“That could be it. I do see a lot of myself in him, and if he keeps it up, he's going to be just like me. Alone with no one who wants to deal with him. He's lucky to have you. You're a beautiful woman, and he's messing up. He doesn't even realize you can have any man out here you want.”
“I know,” I said, not knowing how to respond to the truth which had been told to me several times already recently. “You really don't like him, do you, Mr. Hanks? What has Jaquon ever done to you?”
“He looked at me. I wanted to smack the bastard soon as we made eye contact.”
I laughed.
“That boy ain't nothing but trouble, just like that gal living across the way from you.”
“You mean Freak-a-Leak?”
“You mean freak nasty. Her legs open twenty-four hours a day. I'm surprised she can walk as many men she keeps stuck up in her.”
“Let her do her thing,” I said laughing.
“I'm letting her do it, just as long as she doesn't do it to me. Don't you know she asked me if she could hook me up with some of her gushy stuff? I told her hell to the nawh. That gushy stuff probably has some type of infection aching to get out of her.”
“You are so nasty, Mr. Hanks.”
“Why would she want to sleep with somebody as old as me anyway?”
“She's probably heard about your lottery winnings.”
“Kea, I'm sixty-two years old. She told me she got some Viagra for me. Trick trying to kill me. If I even look at one of them pills, my heart might stop beating.”
“Maybe she likes you.”
“She thinks I got money. If I would have agreed to her offer, I'd be broke now because that trick would have got me for everything I own. I don't want her in my place, much less on my dick.”
I laughed, enjoying his antics. He never failed in making me laugh.
“If I never told you before, Mr. Hanks, I enjoy these talks,” I said looking at the blue sky with white fluffy clouds moving.
“Same here, Kea. You have made these past few months worth me living another day.”
I got up off the step, wiping the dirt particles off the back of my jogging pants and embraced him.
“I'll be back in a few with your breakfast.”
“I'm looking forward to it,” he said taking another puff off his cigarette and a sip of his coffee.
BOOK: My Mans Best Friend (9781622860241)
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