Push Comes to Shove (28 page)

“You can pretend. That’ll be cool with me.”

She blushed.

Wendy’s parking lot was nearly filled. GP filled in an available space. “I hope you really like the apartment. It’s not much, but it’ll do for the time being.”

She ran a hand over her ponytail. “Liking it isn’t a concern of mine. All that matters to me is that it’s ours. I can’t wait to furnish it and have Social Services inspect it. I’m too ready to bring the kids home.”

He traced the length of her arm with a fingertip. “I apologize for all that I haven’t been. I never meant for any of this to happen. What I should’ve done was taken that job. Kitchie, I swear, if I could go back and change it all, I would.”

“Papi, things happen. It’s the way of this screwed-up world. I haven’t been…I could do a much better job at controlling how I say things when I’m angry. I be tripping, I know. You accept my apology?” She closed her eyes and puckered up.

GP forgave her with a passionate French kiss, reminiscent of their first.

She licked her top lip. “Let’s somehow get Squeeze’s money, move in our apartment, and store this entire ordeal in the past. You, me, and the kids will start brand new.”

GP opened the door.

“Hey, wait a minute. You didn’t ask me what I wanted.”

“We can’t afford to eat out. I have to handle something; that’s all.”

She watched him bop his way into the restaurant. “I love that man with every heart beat.”

Jewels’s car phone rang.

Kitchie put the radio on mute. “Hello.”

GP bypassed the line, excusing himself as he made it to the counter. “Can I see the manager, please?”

The cashier looked him up and down, then crinkled her lips.
Another fucking complainer
. She picked up a phone and told the manager that he was being summoned.

GP found contentment as he observed a young couple interacting with their infant child. It reminded him so much of Kitchie and himself when Secret was just a little bigger than a football. Proud parents.

“Is there something I can help you with, sir?”

He turned to face a clean-shaven, buzz-cut wearing, middle-aged black man who reminded him more of a drill sergeant than a Wendy’s manager. GP looked into his murky irises and braced himself for the worst. “You don’t know me, but you more than likely remember the incident. I was in your drive-thru about a month ago. I ordered about fifty dollars’ worth of food that I took off with without paying for.”

“I remember quite well. You caused—”

“Please don’t tell me; just let me explain.”

The line of patrons hushed and zoomed in on GP’s conversation.

He could feel that he was under observation. “All I wanted to
do was break up the monotony at home. Sit down with my wife and kids to share a decent meal together. It’s no excuse, but it doesn’t happen often in my household. I’m fully aware that what I done was wrong, and I apologize for any harm I may have caused.” He placed a hundred dollar bill on the counter. “If I could have paid it back sooner, I would have. The extra is for your troubles.”

Even the staff was now gathered around the manager, listening to GP’s confession.

“Why?” The manager removed the money. “Why did you make it a point to come back here under these circumstances? I don’t understand; you’d gotten away with it. People who are faced with hard times would’ve kept going and never looked back.”

“Because I want my family to always be proud to have me as a husband and a father.”

He offered GP a hand. “Thank you. Things will work out for you. Honorable things happen to virtuous people. You’re proof that there is still some good in the world. If there’s ever anything I can help you with, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“How about a job? I could really use one.”

“Come see me the day after tomorrow, and we’ll talk about it.”

One person clapped, which urged the staff and patrons alike to follow suit.

A mahogany-colored woman wearing a straw hat and a sundress nodded in approval. “That was all right. Now that’s something you don’t see every day,” she said to no one particular.

GP turned to leave, feeling good about himself, and saw Kitchie standing there.

“Papi, I don’t think a day will ever come that I won’t be proud that you’re my husband. They don’t make them like you anymore.” She took his hand. “Come on; Jewels is on the phone. She said it’s important.”

GP put the phone to his ear while backing out of the parking space. “What you know good, Jewels?”

“It took you long enough to come to this motherfucking phone, punk. Attorney Green is on the three-way.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Patterson.” Vivian chewed on a pen cap, a nasty habit she had while talking on the phone.

“I’m putting the phone down,” Jewels cut in. “Y’all hang up when you’re finished. I got a move to make.”

He tapped the turn signal and eased into the left lane. “What’s up, Vivian? I had planned on calling you today.”

“I have some good news and some bad news. How do you want it first, the pain or the pleasure?”

“By definition, all news is bad news. So how about you give me the version of what you think is good.”

“Conrad Tharp dropped the charges against you and Mrs. Patterson yesterday.”

“Shit, I’m on the verge of believing the definition of news is wrong.”

“The District Attorney refiled. The state is going to prosecute you and your wife because of the severity of the charges.”

“Fuck! I can’t stumble on a break.”

Caribbean Cutty pushed four bundles of money across the hood of a Porsche as he looked at Squeeze. “At what point did you convince yourself that it was cool to test my intelligence?” He used the nub of his missing finger to emphasize his words. “Don’t you ever come around my way, trying to pass this bogus bullshit.”

A vein throbbed at Squeeze’s temple. “Cutty, I don’t know what
you’re talking about, but make that your last time you ever come at me sideways, tropical sucker.”

Hector eased his narrow suit lapel back, revealing a gun stuffed below his protruding belly. “You heard the man.”

A man in greasy coveralls came from beneath a hydraulic car lift carrying a torque wrench. He let out a piercing whistle, alerting others in the garage. Within seconds, six men were standing behind Cutty. Three other men appeared on a tier above the lopsided standoff with automatic weapons.

The torque wrench carrier positioned himself beside Cutty. “I see you got your chest all poked out, Squeeze. Need some help letting that hot air out?”

“Self-checked coward, I don’t see you. Shut the fuck up.” Squeeze shot Cutty a warning look. “Let me get this straight. I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars with you, and all of a sudden my cash ain’t good no more?”

“Nah, it ain’t. I don’t accept counterfeit money. There’s a small-time crew on the rise over on Hayden; go beat them out of their rides.”

Counterfeit?
Squeeze’s brows knitted. He focused on the Porsche’s hood and pointed at the money. “You saying this ain’t legit cash?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Now gather your confetti and find the door before shit gets ugly.”

Squeeze and Hector didn’t like being made out to be fools. Squeeze steadied his hands on the roof of his car while staring at the front door of Cutty’s chop shop. “If it’s one thing that will cause me to hurt a bunch of people, it’s a chump playing on my intelligence.”

“Yeah, Boss. It makes me want to be violent, too.” He stretched
and yawned, then looked at Squeeze from the other side of the Mercedes.

“GP played me like I rode the little yellow school bus. You know what I want you to do?”

“What’s that, boss?”

Two days later, GP was stretched out across the couch, his head resting on Kitchie’s lap, staring at the ceiling. “Are you sure, Mami Chula?”

“Yeah.” She caressed his face. “I don’t care. I don’t have to have the car. You and Jewels do what you have to do. I’ll get myself together in a little while, then get on the bus. Besides, it’ll work out anyway. The Goodwill is only a block away from the group home. When I leave the kids today, I’ll walk over, pay for the furniture, then ride with the delivery men to the new apartment.”

He was transfixed by the movement of her lips. “By that time, I’ll be done and will be waiting at the apartment for you and the furniture to get there. I hope like hell that Ms. Pittman approves of the place.”

Kitchie could hear Desmond walking across the floor in the apartment above them. “Ms. Pittman said that the only thing she’s concerned with is that we have our own place. After she does her walk-through in the morning, she promised me that Secret and Junior will be home by lunchtime.”

“One thing is for certain; this is the last day we’ll be away from the kids until they go off to college.”

Jewels came out of the bathroom, keys in one hand, cell phone in the other. “Come on, GP, you slacker. Let’s bounce. Kitchie, we’ll holler at you later.”

“Alright.”

GP sat up and shared an intimate kiss with Kitchie. “I love you so much, girl. See you later on.”

“I love you, too.” Kitchie heard Desmond’s footsteps fall again, thought for a moment, and then a smile stretched across her face.