Reality Check (11 page)
Authors: Eric Pete
23
Glover
I did everything I could to keep myself busy. Anything to keep Max off my mind. I was spending Saturday with Lionel, so the ladies decided on a sleepover Friday night. We held it at my apartment this time, since the last few were either at Mona’s or Charmaine’s.
Charmaine brought the drinks, Mona brought the movies and music, and I cooked the dinner. I’d brought some of my secret baked chicken to work one day, and they had been bothering me ever since. I bought the fresh chicken and left it marinating Thursday night, just like my mom had taught me. I’d learned the recipe while standing at her side as a little girl and had committed it to memory. People loved my version, although it could never touch hers. I cheated with the store-bought potato salad, but did toss a fresh green salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
Mona showed up in jeans and a T-shirt, with her shades atop her head. Her overnight bag dangled over her shoulder as she held the DVD and CD selections. She went straight to work on the entertainment, putting on some Keyshia Cole while setting the movies atop the TV for later. Charmaine, in her jogging suit, banged on the door less than five minutes later. After putting the drink mix and alcohol down, she helped Mona set the table. With the chicken fresh out of the oven, we barely allowed it to cool before getting our grub on.
The three of us waddled to the living room on full stomachs. Charmaine stopped for a second, letting out a tiny belch that was followed by a giggle and an “excuse me.” After that display, she staked out the couch as her territory. Mona and I sprawled out across the Persian rug I’d picked up from the swap meet.
“Mona, what movies did you rent?”
“Why?” Mona answered, feigning innocence.
“Aw, shit. She done gone and rented
Mahogany
again,” Charmaine screamed.
Mahogany
again,” Charmaine screamed.
“Mona,” I dared, “tell me you didn’t rent that again.”
“What’s wrong with
Mahogany
, y’all?”
Mahogany
, y’all?”
Charmaine answered, “Nothing, if you like watching that shit again—”
“And again!” I chimed in. “Okay, Mona. We gotta watch something else tonight. It’s fun to watch Billy Dee’s radical, protestin’ ass, but not tonight. Okay?”
Mona rolled her eyes then gave up. After that debate, I think we all needed some tension relief. I got up off the rug and went into the kitchen.
“Ready for drinks?” I called out. They didn’t answer. I heard them as they whispered, but shrugged it off and made some chocolate martinis. As I carried them out, Mona and Charmaine grinned at me.
“Glover, we’ve been wondering,” Charmaine began. “Do you plan on asking us to be in your wedding? It’ll be here before you know it, and you haven’t really brought it up. We noticed you’ve been kinda
distracted
at work ... with interviews and all.”
distracted
at work ... with interviews and all.”
The two of them snickered, thick as thieves.
“What the fuck is so funny?”
“Nothing,” Mona offered. “You just seem different since you came back from Miami. Like your mind is somewhere else.”
“I’m going to be married in less than three months and you’re wondering why I’m acting strange? Damn! Wouldn’t you be?” I scolded, my defensiveness all too apparent as my voice rose.
“Easy, G-love. We’re not tryin’ to come at you like that. We just noticed the way you were acting the other day, when you were interviewing those dudes. That and how you never talk about the wedding and stuff. It seems almost like you don’t want to be married. And that’s your business too.”
“Hey, if it is my business, then why are y’all all in it like that? What am I supposed to do, run around singing and shit?” I asked, lashing out at my friends. It was more a reflection of my frazzled and conflicted emotions than any real antipathy toward them.
Mona and Charmaine sat there, blinking and looking embarrassed. The room was silent as the CD player switched to another disc. Rafael Saadiq came on.
I knew exactly what they were getting at, but I didn’t want to deal with it now. Embarrassed? Ashamed? Confused? I would agree to all those assessments of me.
Mona chose to break the silence. “Glover, there’s no need to blow up like that. We were just worried about you. We didn’t mean to upset you, girl.”
“Yeah. Real talk,” Charmaine said, reminding me of Max at the worst possible moment.
“I’m okay. Just under a lot of stress. And it was stupid of me to forget, so please forgive me. Will you guys be in my wedding? Please?”
Charmaine was the first, her answer rushing out of her mouth. “Hell yeah! You think we would pass up the chance to walk down the aisle with some of Lionel’s friends? Sheeeeeeeeeeeeed!” We all laughed at her impression of Senator Clay Davis from
The Wire
.
The Wire
.
“Charmaine, do you have something else in you besides white?” I asked, curious.
“Well, if you must know, my dad’s Native American and my mom’s Italian. I took my mom’s last name, Fulda. My dad was never really around much.”
“I know all about that, Charmaine,” I remarked, with thoughts of a man too good to be true who got my mom to forsake her family. “My father skipped out when I was little. I couldn’t even tell you where he is now. And here I thought you were just another crazy white girl from the Valley.”
“Fuck you too, bitch,” she said with a smile. “Now you know that I’m just a half-crazy white girl. Or would that be a crazy half-white girl? And watch that ‘Valley’ shit. You know I wasn’t raised there.”
“Okay, okay! A half-crazy white girl from Crenshaw.”
Mona was uncomfortable. Our talk about fathers bothered her. Unlike us, her father stayed in the picture. The problem was that Mona thought him an asshole as well, especially after he left her mom.
I broke the tension with, “So, are y’all gonna drink your martinis or what? It’s the least you could do, since you’re gonna be in my wedding and eating all my cake ‘n shit. Now, give me some love.”
After the big group hug, we moved on to other things, including watching Mona’s other rental, a Will Smith movie that none of us minded in the least. As we wound down in the early morning hours, Charmaine snored loudly from under her blanket. Mona was in my bathroom putting on her night mask and pajamas, so I got up to bring the glasses into the kitchen. I stood there alone in the dark, placing items in the dishwasher, when I almost jumped out of my skin.
“We saw you the other day.”
I jumped up, startled.
Mona.
She stood behind me in her silk pajamas, scaring the hell out of me. The glowing green shit on her face didn’t help.
“Huh?” I asked, my pulse rate beginning to slow.
“Me and Charmaine saw you Monday. In front of the office with your friend. Wasn’t that the cutie I told you about?”
Damn.
“Yeah,” I answered calmly. “He was one of the interviews. He got there late.” In spite of the darkened kitchen, I still avoided eye contact.
“Just be careful, Ms. McDaniel. All right?” Nothing else to say, Mona abruptly turned and walked off.
24
Max
“Ay! Ay, man! Open up!” Smitty banged on my door to no end. One day, his loud ass was going to get evicted and I’d be there to help him move. I wasn’t doing much Friday afternoon. Just hanging in my boxers and not expecting any company.
Paradise to many.
I had barely opened the door when Smitty barged in. He wore a suit, so I knew what that meant.
“You got the job at West-tel, huh?”
“You damn right!” he exalted, brushing imaginary dirt off his shoulders. “Wallace Lewis is now gainfully employed. They even take care of my parking and shit. Damn, you still in your drawers?”
“They look good to me.”
I spun around toward the voice I’d just heard, seeing an overly thick sister in my doorway. She had a lollipop in her mouth, looking at me as if I were her next piece of candy. She wore a white blouse with a pair of tight denim shorts. Her gold earrings dangled just below her brand new ebony weave. It was Zena, one of Smitty’s jump-offs. She worked with him at Costco and must’ve given him a ride downtown. Removing myself off her dessert menu, I scurried off to my bedroom to put something on.
“Oh, don’t put nothin’ on, on my account. I’m just enjoying the view, Max.” She laughed, husky like a smoker, as she closed my apartment door behind her.
“Hi, Zena,” I said over my shoulder as I retreated.
Zena made herself comfortable, having never been inside my apartment. As I put on some clothes, I hoped she wasn’t putting her feet up.
“You tryin’ to make me jealous up in here?” Smitty asked of his woman.
“Smit, you know I’m just havin’ a little fun with Max. You know he can’t do nothin’ for me, boo.” From my room, I could hear the two of them sucking face or something. I decided to hurry up, lest they take it to another level on my furniture. Those two carried on like lovebirds when they were together, but both of them did their own thing when apart. I think they both liked it that way.
Smitty hollered, “Hurry up, Max. Put some clothes on your ass and shit. We’re gonna get our celebration on.”
I threw on a pair of jeans and my white Nike tee and laced up my black Airs. I could still hear Zena giggling in the living room while I tightened up my hair in the mirror and donned my watch. Fully clothed, I ran back out to join them.
“Where is this celebration supposed to take place?” I asked.
“Me and Zena were thinking about going by Hometown Buffet to celebrate. They got shrimp scampi on Fridays. Zena likes that, and I like the fried skrimps.” I groaned before Smitty continued. “But Zena changed her mind,” he said.
“Yeah, I want to go to Roscoe’s instead, baby. We ain’t been there in so long,” Zena said as she licked her lips. She was through with her lollipop. I wondered what she did with the stick. She better not have dropped it in between my sofa cushions.
“I don’t want to cramp your style ‘n shit. Why don’t you two go on?”
“Nah, you my boy. Besides, I wouldn’t have the job if it weren’t for you. You drove us down there that day, remember? C’mon. Zena’s drivin’.”
We drove up Venice Boulevard toward the Santa Monica Freeway in Zena’s baby blue Impala rolling on twenties. She had the windows down, sunroof open, and her stereo blaring Day26. All eyes were on Zena as Smitty leaned over the armrest beside her. Marking his turf to any busters that might be watching, I suppose. Smitty still had his suit on, savoring the moment. I decided to enjoy the ride, watching the mini marts and residents as we drove by.
“We’re going to the Roscoe’s on Pico, right?” I asked over the music once I had my bearings.
“Starting to learn your way around, huh, Maxwell? Zena, you should have seen this fool when he first got out here. He had his little maps and shit and had to plot out everything before he turned his car on. Now he thinks he knows his way around here better than me.”
Zena smiled at Smitty as she threw her lollipop stick out the window and fetched a new one from the center console in one smooth motion. How many of those did she have in there?
“Smit, have you told Costco yet?” I asked.
“Nah, I was thinking about just bouncing on them without word, but that would be unprofessional. I’m gonna put in my two weeks’ notice.”
“Yep, my baby’s a professional now,” Zena chimed in as she looked in the mirror to merge onto the freeway. “Hey, Max, did Smitty tell you about my sister, Niobi? She broke up with her old man last week.”
“Oh.” Here it comes. I knew something was up.
“Yeah. Anyway, she’s lookin’ for a new boo. She’s a little bit smaller than me, but just as cute. I know you ain’t gay, so I was thinkin’ about bringing her with me next time I came over. You two would make a cute couple. I know you from down south and all, so you probably ain’t used to sophisticated women like us. You probably used to them slower country girls back home,” she proclaimed assuredly.
“Yeah. Sophisticated. It’s been an adjustment.”
Smitty didn’t say a thing. He had quietly slid back over to his side and kept looking out his window. Admiring the view, my ass. He knew this was coming.
“Smitty, baby? Ain’t y’all barbecuing next week?” Shit. He told her about that. I guessed it would hurt too much if I hurled myself out the car door now.
Smitty, acting surprised, replied, “Yeah, baby. We got a reason to ’cue now.”
Mental note: kick Smitty’s ass.
25
Glover
After learning my best friends had discovered me making a fool of myself, I still slept pretty well. It must have been the chocolate martinis that helped. Upon waking, I fixed a big breakfast for my girls before they headed out. Charmaine was going back to the Valley and Mona was off to Santa Monica. There wasn’t a further mention from Mona after her revelation last night, sparing me further humiliation. That left me clear to go see my future husband, Lionel. Knowing that was just what I needed to help me make sense of my feelings, I wasted no time.
I took one last look at myself in the mirror as I drove through Lionel’s gate. Just to think, I would be living here soon. As nice as it was, I remained uncomfortable on a certain level. Kind of like a stranger in a strange world, with all its accoutrements of money and status that I didn’t particularly crave. Being married to a Dunning would bring a lot of stuff with it.
Before I had a chance to park, Lionel was at my door. Once I got out, he kissed me deeply, passionately. As if he needed me in order to live. At that moment, my silly fears diminished.
As our lips parted, I copped a feel on his ass.
“Nice to see it’s still there,” I joked. “I haven’t grabbed it in a while.”
“I missed you. Wish you were here last night, but I know you had plans with your girls and all. I need to be patient, though. We’re going to be with each other every night soon enough.”
“Yep. Just don’t be expecting a home-cooked meal every night.”
Lionel gave me a gentle elbow. “What’s wrong with my woman cooking for me every night?”
“Nothing’s wrong with it,” I replied. “I’m just wondering what woman you’re talking about.”
“I see we’re going to have to negotiate the terms of this marriage, huh?”
We walked inside through the kitchen, passing through the living room with its vaulted ceiling, before walking out back at poolside. Lionel had a table out there, and we sat, enjoying the refreshing breeze from the north. A small tree was providing perfect shade for us. A perfect day next to the perfect man. So why had doubt taken up so many of my thoughts?
Lionel went back inside and came out with a couple of Snapples. He knew that fruit punch was my favorite.
Stocking up for the Mrs. already.
He twisted the top open on my bottle. “My mother wants to know if you’re available Wednesday. She’s trying to put the plans together.”
“I can make it after work I guess,” I replied, dreading this part of the affair.
Lionel’s expression changed for a second. Something on his mind. He sat next to me.
“You know you can leave your job at that place. I’ve told you that before. Answer me this: Do you plan on working there after we’re married?”
“I’m not sure, baby,” I said as I sipped my Snapple. “We’ll see.” I wasn’t coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs over my job, but disliked the notion of being beholden to someone else for my well-being. There once was another man with everything that promised another woman the moon and stars. Now her daughter was in an eerily similar situation.
“I’m not going to push that. Lord knows it wouldn’t help. You’re just so damn independent, but that’s one of the things I love about you.”
“Are you coming with me by your mother’s?”
He chuckled. “No, I know better. I plan on just showing up at the wedding looking good. I’ll leave all the details to you women.”
“You mean to your mother, don’t you?”
“C’mon. I already talked to her about this. This is our wedding and she understands it. Totally. Y’know, you need to give her a chance, baby.”
“Okay. You’re right. I’ll give her a chance. She is going to be my mother-in-law after all.”
“Have you thought about moving in yet? I’ve got all this space, and it’s so lonely over here.”
“Buy a dog, baby. You know I want to wait.”
“Well, we’re
almost
there.”
almost
there.”
“Almost ain’t the same. Once I’m living here, you’ll probably be wishing for your single days. You know I’ve been eyeing your walk-in closet.”
“That’s cruel. Once we’re married, I’ll give you a view of it from a different angle.”
“Are you being a nasty boy?”
“Me?” he replied, those pretty teeth of his showing.
“Yeah, you,” I answered as we came together to kiss again.
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