The Future Has a Past (24 page)

Rether was steady, and strong, she was headin straight for the bar and Joe as she said, “Oh, come on, Agatha! We ain’t gonna do nothin but order a cab! We have to, since your car stopped on us. What’s wrong with you, girl? Don’t try to ack like you ain’t never been in no bar!”

Agatha answered, “There is a phone booth right on the corner . . . we can call our own cab from there. You just want to come in this club, Rether!”

Rether pulled free from Agatha, “This bar prob’ly got a direct line . . . so why waste a dime?” She reached the bar and looked up at Joe, flirtin. “Bartender Joe, can you call us a cab, please?” I knew she knew Joe from watchin him get grown, married and have his own children, so I knew she didn’t mean nothin by battin her eyes at him. Still.

Then through the dark she saw her niece, Tan-Tan, and walked over to her to say a few words I didn’t hear. They kissed cheeks, then Rether walked back over to Agatha.

I think Joe was amused at my friends, but he is always so friendly and kind. “Why certainly, ladies! Right away.”

Agatha leaned around Rether to ask, “How long will it take for the cab to get here, Joe?”

“They usually don’t take very long, Ms. Agatha.”

Agatha sighed, “How you doin, Joe? How is your family?” Joe, hung up the cab phone, answerin, “Just fine, Ms. Agatha, everyone is fine.”

Rether was moving to the tables to take a seat. Agatha was turning to follow her and said, “It’s dark in here! I can’t see a thing.”

Rether chose a table and laughed happily as she sat down, “What do you want to see?”

Agatha feeling for a seat as she spoke, “I like to know what’s going on around me. There is no tellin what’s creepin round in this dark!”

Rether reached out to help Agatha to the table, said, “You ain’t never known what was goin on round you, Agatha. Now rest yourself, everything’s all right.”

I don’t know how well Cool knew my friends, him being so much younger than they were, but it’s a small town so he spoke out to them, “Afternoon, ladies!”

I didn’t really want my friends to see me, because I had just thrown on a clean cotton dress to come down to work in this kitchen and I don’t think I looked too good, but I had moved, quietly, to a better place and I could see them without them seein me. After Cool spoke to them, I saw Rether put on a big smile (she showed me once how she made them dimples come, they ain’t natural) and primp her hair.

Rether said, “Evenin!” And giggled! Yes mam, she giggled! Have mercy. But maybe I’m bein too hard on her; she got a right to giggle if she want to.

Agatha pulled herself together in her chair, held her chin up and her bust just naturally puffed out as she spoke, “Humph! You better quit speakin to people you don’t know, Rether.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Aggie. (She knew Agatha hated to be called that) Relax, girl. He ain’t no stranger. You just can’t see him too good with them bad eyes of yours! Just relax!”

But Agatha wouldn’t quit bein a stuffy old lady. She was even makin me tired. She said, “How am I going to relax when I know I am in the devil’s house?! And the good Lord is sittin somewhere wondering why I’m lettin you lead me out’a my own good mind!”

What the hell does she mean? I am in my nephew Joes club and you don’t have to go to a bar to meet the devil, he sits right in your own house, if you ain’t careful. But, I have to admit, I did know what Aggie meant.

Cool musta been enjoyin listening to them talk, because he spoke to the ladies again, “Would you ladies like a little taste on me? A soda or somethin? While you wait? It’ll cool you off. That’s my name, ‘Cool.’ ”

Agatha foolishly gasped.

Rether blinked her eyes at him, then rolled them like she was thinkin, and smiled until, fightin their way through the wrinkles, her dimples showed up. Then she said, “Why, I believe I will, Mr. Cool.”

Agatha seemed to be indignant, sayin to Cool, “Well, I sure believe I won’t.” She turned to Rether, said, “I don’t do nothin like this, Rether.”

Rether gave Agatha a pained, annoyed look. “I know you don’t, Agatha. Cause it shows. But, maybe you shoulda, once in a while. Make a woman out of you.”

Agatha never let up one bit, “Drinkin alcohol and talkin to strangers make a fool out of you, not a woman. Most you find in bars is crazy people and people with nowhere else to go! Just loners and looneys and losers!”

I kinda resented Agatha’s words myself. I like a little drink now and again and I knew she did too. I come down to this place when I feel like it to talk to my nephew Joe. Not often, no, but just when I feel like it or I can help him. I ain’t no loner nor a looney nor a loser. No mam!

Rether waved the back of her hand to Aggie, saying, “Lord, help me.”

Aggie was gettin mean, she said, “You better call on somebody who knows you! Not the Lord cause He don’t know you.”

Rether was about to say something to Cool or Joe, but she stopped long enough to say, “Now you’re an angel?” Agatha didn’t say anything back because all three of us knew a few things about Agatha’s past. We was close friends. She had not done many things at all, but just a few little things that made her human. A bit of a sinner. I cannot compare her with Rether, but God don’t compare people either, we all go before Him and are judged one by one. Yes mam!

When Rether did speak, she said to Joe, “I’ll have a sloe screw, please.”

Agatha gasped again, “Rether!”

Rether laughed as she said, “Give my girlfriend one too! Please!!”

“No he isn’t gonna give me no slow screw. He ain’t gonna give me nothin!” Agatha started to get up, but Rether, laughing, grabbed her arm. “Sit down, Agatha. Have somethin else. It’s hot outside. The drink will taste good and then the cab will be here and we can go.”

Agatha sat back down, sayin, “Get behind me, Satan. Alright, but give me a tomato juice . . . with a little gin in it.” She indicated a ‘little gin’ with her thumb and a finger held wide apart. “Rether, you get me into more things!” She smiled.

Rether smiled as she said, “Yeah . . . ain’t you glad?”

Then Tan turned around and said to them, “Have the drink, honey . . . you may be dead tomorrow!”

Joe was putting the drinks on their table as Agatha leaned to look around him to tell Tan, “Miss LaTanya I wouldn’t have a drink on my mind or in my hand if I thought I’d be dead tomorrow.” Then she took hold of that glass and drank it right down, all of it, and I know Joe put a lot of gin in it.

Just then the cabdriver stuck his head in the door, saying, “Anybody call a cab?” Joe answered him, “Yeah! Be right out. Cab’s here, ladies.”

Rether picked up Agatha’s empty glass, looking at the bottom of it. “It’s a good thing. You might hurt yourself, Aggie.” She turned to Cool, “Thank you, Mr. Cool.”

Aggie couldn’t let Rether’s implication go by. “Don’t lick the bottom of that glass, Rether.”

Rether was gathering her things and answered with a frown, “Oh, Agatha, you always messin things up when I’m enjoyin myself. What’s a little drink?!”

Agatha was movin to the door and spoke over her shoulder, “I’m the oldest and you look older than I do!”

Rether dragged slowly behind her. “Looks don’t make me happy!”

“Well, if drinkin makes you happy, you won’t be unhappy for the next thousand years just ridin on what you done already drank!”

“I wish you quit tryin to save me and let me live!”

Agatha reached back to take Rether’s arm and pull her out the door. “You been living more’n sixty years! Don’t you know you better get ready to die?! Come on here! Let’s go by the church.”

Rether went out, lookin back sadly. “Bye.”

Tan called out to her, “Leave her home next time, Aunty. You deserve to get out sometime.”

Everybody laughed after the ladies left. Tan said, “My mother sounds just like Aggie.”

Cool laughed, saying, “That ole lady sounds like everybody’s mother!”

Tan, thoughtful, said, “She had her points though.”

Joe added, “She does look a lot better than Rether though. Bet she feels better, too.”

Tan didn’t laugh this time, “Okay, now, that is my aunt.” Then turning to Cool, she said, “That was nice of you, Cool, buyin them two older ladies a drink.”

Cool, back to lookin in the mirror at hisself, smiled, brushed his jacket sleeve and said, “Never can tell whether one of them old biddies have some money. You got to be nice to all women. Tan, your aunt, the fast one, might be comin back someday!”

I guess Tan wanted another drink because she didn’t answer him. Or she already knew Cool couldn’t get a dime from Rether; Rether might get his money if he wasn’t real careful.

My legs were tired of standin still in one place. I knew I needed to do a few more things in the kitchen before I left, so I was just turnin to go back there when another lady came in. Well, you know me by now, so you know I waited to see who it was. Well, you could have knocked me over with a dead leaf! It was Irene!

It was takin her a minute for her eyes to adjust from the light outside so she could see in here, but I could see good! And just then Cool spoke up. “I wish the broad on the phone would come on in! I got things to do. I can’t wait around all day!”

Joe could see behind Cool, the entryway. He said, “Maybe this is the lady.”

Cool turned around to see and he was shocked to see Irene, too. “Irene! Irene, what you doin here?”

She could see better then and she was lookin at Cool, “I come to talk to you, Cool.”

You could hear the annoyance in Cool’s voice when he said, “Well, it sure coulda waited til I got out to the house to see you! I don’t like you comin down here!!” Lookin back at Tan and Joe, he moved from his place at the bar to try to steer Irene to the doorway, outside.

My legs was sure ready to stand a little longer now.

Cool had his hands on Irene’s arm, but she pulled gently away. Her voice was tired and strained. No anger in it. She even looked a little sad. “No . . . it couldn’t wait. I tried to wait, but it’s been a month now, and this just can’t wait any longer because I didn’t want you coming . . . over and bein surprised.”

Cool looked over his shoulder at Joe and Tan again; they were lookin right at him and Irene. He took Irene’s arms again, sayin, “Well, let’s go. I’ll take you to the bus stop and we can talk while we wait for your bus.” Then her words must have sunk in and he asked, “Surprised about what?” He was so nervous he didn’t wait for an answer, he turned back to Joe, “What I owe you, Joe?”

But Irene, gently, removed his hands from her body and moved away, deeper into the club. “I have a way . . . home. No, we can talk here, Cool.”

Cool snapped his head around to face her, astonishment on his face. “No?! No? What you mean, no? Are you tellin me what to do? Woman, I’m your man! Don’t question me!” He glanced over his shoulder to see if Joe had heard that.

Irene passed on around Cool and sat down at one of the tables, sayin, “Let’s sit at this table.”

Cool was utterly (I always wanted to say that word, but never had no occasion), utterly surprised. “What’s wrong with you, girl?” Then he changed his tactic, sat down and said, “Well, alright. But only for a minute, I ain’t got much time. I . . . uh . . . got . . . uh . . . a little job I got to do.”

Irene smiled a little tired smile and looked a little amused as she said, “I think I’ll have a drink, Joe. Something . . . pretty.”

Cool spoke, “I ain’t got much money, Irene, you know that.”

But that did not faze Irene, she said, lookin at Joe, “Well, then . . . I’ll pay for it. Somethin pretty, please, Joe. A Tom Collins.”

Cool glanced at Joe and quickly said, “I’ll pay for it! Hey, Joe, bring the little woman a drink.” Turnin back to Irene, he asked her, “Where you get money for a drink? And what kind of ride you got? Who brought you here?”

She looked at Cool for a moment and started to answer, but didn’t get to answer because just then Joe came with a pretty red and yellow drink with a colorful straw in it. Joe had a big welcomin smile as he said, “Well, it’s little Ms. Tatum! I haven’t seen you since you was goin to high school. How you doin?”

Cool answered for her, “She doin just fine! What kind of drink is that, Joe? What you put in it? She don’t need no hard liquor.”

Joe cocked his head at Cool and smiled, “It’s just a nice, cool glorified Tom Collins with some gin in it.”

Irene smiled and said, “Thank you, Joe, this will do just fine.”

Cool didn’t smile, “With a glorified price, I bet!”

Joe was about to answer when another person walked in. A man. When I see that it is Mr. Summer I am not surprised because I figured he was the one with the ride. Joe turns right away to Mr. Summer with a smile, saying, “Afternoon, Mr. Summer! How you doin, sir? Have a seat. What can I bring you?”

Mr. Summer took a seat at a table near Irene’s and sat down, sayin as he smiled, “I’ll have a Tom Collins, Joe. How are you and your family?”

Joe was already on his way back to the bar, “Fine, Mr. Summer, fine. Tom Collins comin right up!”

Cool didn’t pay Mr. Summer much notice, he was talkin to Irene again as she sipped her drink. He tried to speak real low so no one could hear. “What is it, Irene? Now, I ain’t got no money! I just gave you twenty dollars last time I saw you. It wasn’t no month either.”

Irene just sipped and slightly smiled. “Ten dollars.”

Joe waved his hand at the air, “Was it ten dollars? Well . . .”

“Three months ago.”

“Well, I still ain’t got no more today.”

Now Irene waved her hand at the air. “I didn’t come for money, Cool.”

Cool was taken aback, agitated, “Well, what is it then? My sons sick?”

All durin this time, Joe was servin Mr. Summer his drink and exchangin a few more words with him.

Cool paid them no mind, just kept talkin to Irene as low as he could keep his voice. “If my sons sick, what you doin out here at a bar? You oughta be home with them! Or at work. Not out here! . . . in no bar!”

Irene set her glass down, “The boys aren’t sick, Cool.”

Cool leaned back in his chair, satisfied as boss again. “Well, okay. I want you to take good care of my sons, Irene. I don’t want them sick.”

“Everything is alright, Cool. I won’t let my boys get sick.”