When All Hell Breaks Loose (16 page)

Today Louise and Shreese are going shopping with Adrian to look for furniture and carpet for the house. Adrian fell in love with a remodeled home towards the west side of town, in the Winnetka Heights Historic District. She loved it so much, I put down the deposit on it immediately. It’s a four-bedroom two-and-a-half-bath with a study. All the floors are hardwood and all the windows, with the exception of the ones in the bathrooms, are huge, landscape style. The room designated as a study faces east and the sunrise from the window is breathtaking. It sure is going to beat the stank view I have from this flat. We’re not scheduled to move in until the beginning
of the year, because of some unfinished renovations, but it’s okay. I’ve started to value spending time like this alone.

Adrian and Shreese have really gotten close in the short time that Louise has been home and my sister has started hanging around more. They’ve been going shopping together and spending more time on the phone, and Shreese is really open to Adrian’s liberal pro–black woman views. So much so, that the last time I saw Shreese, she had her hair cut to her shoulders and curled. A hairstyle she once swore women would burn in hell for, since it involved cutting. She looked good, too.

Lately, my sister has been flaunting behavior totally opposite to what I’ve been used to. Before, she always had this serious look on her face. The kind of look a librarian might give you if she catches you putting a hardback in the magazine section. Shreese is even wearing colored lip gloss now. Maybe it’s a little bit of Adrian and Louise that’s bringing forth this change in my baby sister. She still hasn’t apologized from when she hung up in my face, and I haven’t forgotten, either. The ugly side to all this is that she’s still hanging around pimp-man, Reverend Dixon. They’ve been spending more time together, as well.

I found out his first name is Ulan. What kind of name is that for a man of the cloth? Seriously, he looks like a Derrick or a Kevin. Either of those names would fit him perfectly. Those are the kinds of names for brothers who run around getting all the booty they can at one time and then wonder why women try to slash their tires or burn their houses down. Skirt chaser. That’s the kind of vibe I get from this Ulan Dixon man. He’s suave, too. I’m talking about the gold nugget ring, the German-made car he drives, the expensive shades he wears, even the way he walks. It all screams ladies’ man. Shreese can’t get enough of this pimp preacher, and I would like to think that my baby sister knows better, but in my heart I know she doesn’t. I’m determined to protect her and send his no-preachin’ ass on its merry way. Especially before he sweet-talks Shreese out of her panties. I don’t even know if my sister is a virgin or not. God forbid he takes that from her and leaves her high and dry. I’d have to kill him then. I can imagine. I’d be on the front of the local newspaper in
handcuffs. Police would have me surrounded and the headline would read something like
MAN MURDERS MINISTER FOR TAKING SISTER’S CHERRY
. It’s a shame that after all that, they wouldn’t put my name in the headline. I don’t know, maybe his monkey ass wouldn’t be worth the trouble. I’ll probably just call him and threaten him. No, I would definitely hurt the man.

I need to get up and get dressed. I have an appointment with a marriage counselor in an hour. Adrian doesn’t know I’m going. Louise set it up and asked me to consider going to see this guy. I figure it’s the least I could do considering she’s been very supportive so far. He’s the grandson of an old acquaintance of hers. At first I protested, but then after thinking about being counseled by the priestess, I reconsidered. I’m not saying this woman can’t counsel me and Adrian effectively. It’s just that, some of these freethinking people don’t have a valid grip on reality and I can’t afford sitting in an office talking about healing the world when my future is at stake.

This guy Louise asked me to go see is actually a clinical practitioner and counselor. He’s supposed to be one of the best in Dallas. This is the part of getting married I don’t like. I mean, why should I be counseled on marrying the woman I love? Even if this doctor makes me realize that there may be some things about Adrian I don’t like, that won’t stop me from marrying her. I’d marry her if she had one leg, no hair, a glass eye, and a mole on both her cheeks.

The other thing I need to do today is go visit Uncle Bennie and his family. He’s been on my case about not coming to visit. The rain is letting up, so I better get dressed if I plan to make my appointment on time.

Dr. Len Bringham meets me at the door of his small home. He’s converted part of it to an office. He leads me to the back room, where he holds his sessions. There are all kinds of Roman art on the walls, and a red Persian rug lines the floor. He’s spent a lot of cash on this place.

When we get to the office, I’m even more impressed. There are books lining the walls and some sit neatly on the floor beside his desk. I’m checking it out and I like the feel of the place. Dr. Len is
half white, half Japanese looking. I try to figure out which of Louise’s friends he looks like, but I can’t place him. Knowing my mother, Dr. Bringham’s grandfather could be some horn player she met in Belgium or Spain. Someone I never met as a child. I sit in a brown leather chair facing the desk and wait for him to start the session.

“Gregory, I’m Dr. Bringham. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He extends his small pale hand. I shake it and resume sitting. He removes a tape recorder from his desk and places it on the stool next to him.

“Do you prefer to be called Gregory or Greg?” he asks.

“Greg is fine.”

“So, I understand you’re getting married in a few months?”

I take a deep breath and let it out. “Yeah, March the twenty-second to be exact.”

“Most of the people I counsel who marry in the spring tend to stay together longer.” Dr. Bringham is fiddling through his desk drawer as he talks to me. I’m annoyed at his rudeness.

“Really?” I ask. “What’s the difference?”

“There is less stress in planning a wedding than there is in the summer and fall months. Most couples who marry in the spring don’t hassle with relatives traveling from long distances and if there are any children involved, school keeps them busy so they aren’t interfering with the preparation process as much.” He pulls out an ink pen and I am relieved that his fiddling through the drawer has stopped. “And for the most part, the weather is exceptional.”

“That makes sense,” I add. The doctor is saying some interesting stuff. “I can tell that everyone is excited about the wedding being in March.”

“Also, spring couples tend to be happier their first year together.”

“Really? You know, you may be right, because Adrian and I met in the spring three years ago.”

“Where did you meet her?”

“At a club.” I clear my throat, thinking that I probably sound silly, saying that I met Adrian at a club. I feel like I should have said a museum or a grocery store.

“Was she alone?”

“No, she had two of her girlfriends with her.”

Doctor Bringham hasn’t turned on the tape recorder. That’s good. That way he won’t be able to play over how stupid I sound now. I need to loosen up. Don’t want to give him any reason to think me and Adrian won’t make it.

“She sounds like a fun and adventurous woman.”

“She is. She’s independent, smart, charismatic, and stable. I like that in a woman.”

“What do you like in a woman? Stability?”

“Yeah, I mean who would want a person who is unstable?” I say smartly.

“Well, sometimes stability brings balance to instability.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are people in this world who are too stable. Finicky and neat. Straight, to-the-point kind of people. Being with someone who is equally
unstable
can make both lives balance.”

The doctor is starting to play mind tricks, but I’m ready for him. Nothing I say is going to make me look bad or unprepared for marriage.

“Well, I’ve had all the instability I need in my life.”
Damn! I’ve opened up the floodgates!
The doctor leans back in his chair and rotates from side to side. I can tell he’s about to hit me with the big question.

He leans down and places his hand on the tape recorder. “Do you mind if I begin recording?” he asks.

Now I’m nervous. I don’t want my private life recorded, but I’m not too ashamed to have him do it because I don’t have anything to hide. I mean, it’s just some simple questions with simple answers; how stressful could it be? “Sure,” I hear myself say.

He presses the record button, leans back, and continues the session. “What kind of instability are you referring to?”

“Well … I mean when I was young, my mother went to France to pursue a singing career and that made things hard on me, my sister, and father.”

“So your sister was the only woman in your life for several years?” I clear my throat. “Yes.”

“Tell me about your sister.”

“Shreese is kind of a fanatic. An extremist of sorts. She finds something she’s interested in and jumps in headfirst.”

“Is she married?”

“No.” I laugh. “Heavens no.”

“Tell me about your fiancée. What is she like?”

I lean back on the chair and think about Adrian. Her face becomes a fresh picture in my mind. “Adrian is the kind of woman who doesn’t remind you of anybody. She doesn’t nag like a mother would do. And she’s not nosy like a kid sister would be. Being with her is like being with your best friend. She is really good at what she does and she gets along with everybody.”

“She sounds like your mother. Louise is good at what she does, she gets along with everybody, and she lets you do what you want to do, right?”

I feel my foot twitch. “Ah … yeah, you can say that. Except, Louise left. My mother wasn’t committed.”

“Is Adrian committed?”

“Yes. She’s staying here. She likes Dallas. She loves me, no doubt.”

“Your mother loves you, too.”

“I’m not trying to marry my mother,” I snap.

“Do you and Adrian spend a lot of time together?”

“It’s average. We both have busy lives. She loves to hang out with her friends and I definitely don’t neglect my homies, but we find time to be together.”

“Do you think Adrian’s upbringing is a reflection of the woman you have fallen in love with?”

“Yeah. She comes from a two-parent home and her parents get along fine. She has her own business, just like her grandfather did, and she’s always done community-oriented services. Her upbringing is a validation of the woman I love.” I reposition in the chair. I feel like I’m having to prove myself to this man, and I don’t like it.

“She tells you that she loves you often?”

I look up at the doctor. He’s not even looking at me. I feel insulted that he would even question me knowing whether or not Adrian loves me.

“Yes. She tells me all the time,” I reply.

“Do you tell her you love her all the time?”

“Yes,” I say with aggravation in my tone. “Open expression is healthy for both of us,” I snap.

The room is quiet and Dr. Bringham looks at me with a casual smile on his face. I feel like whipping his nosy ass. This is the main reason I didn’t want to come here. I’d rather be somewhere with the guys watching a game or two.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

I avert my eyes and clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m cool.”

He leans up in his chair, causing a loud squeaking noise. “Do you and Adrian have a good sexual relationship?”

“Yeah, we do.”

“What kind of things do you disagree about in the bedroom?”

“Turn the tape off.”

“Excuse me?”

I point to the stool next to his desk. “If you stop the tape, I’ll tell you.”

Dr. Bringham leans down and turns the tape recorder off. When he smiles at me, his slanted light-brown eyes look damn near closed. “Okay. Now do you care to tell me?”

“We disagree about oral sex. Sometimes she likes only oral performed on her and I ain’t down with that.” I feel a little better making him turn off the tape recorder. I feel like I’m back in control of the situation.

“Why aren’t you willing to perform oral sex on her and let that be the end of it?”

“Because I like a full round of sex with Adrian. I mean, I like being with her from A to Z, not just A to P. But to be honest with you, that was an issue a while ago. We’ve gotten over it since then.”

“Did it affect your performance?”

“Sure it did. I mean wouldn’t you be a little reluctant to initiate sex if you ran the risk of your woman telling you she only wanted oral sex, leaving you with a rock-hard, aching penis?”

He smiles slightly and shakes his head, as if he hears me but isn’t agreeing with me. “Has Adrian’s performance been affected?”

“No. As a matter of fact, her desire for oral heightened and she pretty much lets me know when she wants it because she becomes more relaxed. More uninhibited about it. We were able to level it off and eventually things were back to normal.”

“So she never asked you to perform oral sex on her after that?”

“No. She doesn’t have to. I know when she wants it.”

“You know because she becomes uninhibited, as you said.”

“Yes. And because she knows I don’t like to do that without being able to enjoy the full acts of our sex life, she doesn’t hint to me that much anymore. Adrian and I got through it and left it at that. Our relationship is very open and we talk about everything.”

“Greg, can I turn my recorder back on now?”

“Sure,” I say with a flip of my hand. I’m satisfied that I’ve shut him up. I’m also glad I’m not a headshrinker, because this shit is way overrated.

The doctor stands up and pours himself a cup of water from his purified water fountain nestled near the door. I stretch my legs, letting them pop like old wood.

“Water?” he asks.

“No thanks,” I say. I wonder what he’s going to conclude from all this. Hopefully, he won’t say some bullshit to me about putting my wedding plans on hold.

He comes back over and sits at the desk. I play our conversation over in my mind and come up with nothing negative to discredit me and Adrian’s engagement.