Suffocated aspirations.
Our journey took us past the charred shell of a home. Deep black marks were scoured into the driveway where vehicles once sat. Yellow streamers blew in the wind; tiny survivors of the police tape once strewn about. A warped shrine—not even the neighborhood felt it worth sifting through the rubble.
Not far from there lay a strip of town homes, just off the bus route on South Main. We stopped in front of the third one on the left, painted gray with a red-brick stoop. A man in a camouflage jacket sat next to the railing, sharing some time alone with his cigarette. We amused him. He took a drag . . . grinned, then repeated.
As I exited, he yelled to someone inside. Thin walls yielded the
thump-thump-thump
of descent from the second floor. Figuring it was who I came here for, I thanked him. Drag . . . grin, he went again.
“Sheeeed, rich folk crazy,” he declared before extinguishing the Camel with his foot and departing down the block.
The front door swung open and the person I’d sought exited. She wore a plain white T-shirt and gray warm-ups that fit over her full legs. On her feet, she wore furry Elmo slippers.
“Maybe I should’ve called. I didn’t mean to run him off.”
“Oh. That’s just my uncle. He acts like that whenever somebody stops in a limo. We get that at least twice a week around here.”
Serious until her full lips broke into a smile, Deonté broke down. She sprang off the stoop, clearing the three steps easily to embrace me.
“I thought you weren’t coming back. I’m so sorry about what happened with you and Mr. Coleman.”
“I’m not.” I chuckled. “It’s okay. Really.”
Breaking from our hug, I beheld my former assistant, embarrassing her when I lingered on the scarf that covered her hair.
“I really came to see how you were making out.”
“You know me. I’m makin’ it do what it do. School’s going well. Got another job since you . . .”
“Where?” I asked, feeling bad over the circumstances I’d forced her into.
‘The SuperTarget across town.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. I got on as a manager. I absorbed all that ’experience versus a purchase’ mumbo jumbo you used to harp about. Making them all feel special out in the ’burbs.”
We shared a laugh.
“I’m glad you landed on your feet.”
“I did, but it’s not as good as working for you.”
“Really?”
“You took a chance on me, Mrs. Coleman. When you didn’t have to. There were a lot of ‘sure things’ you could’ve chosen from my program instead.”
“I knew who I wanted.”
“Aww,” she gushed.
“How are the grades?”
“A’s. Just ready for graduation, y’know. Um . . . do you and your driver want to come inside? It’s looking a little janky in there, but . . .”
I glanced at the driver. He was on his phone, probably complaining about where I had him at the moment. “I can’t stay long, Deonté. I came by to offer you something.”
“What?”
“Your own business.”
“What?”
“All these ‘whats,’ ” I teased. “Are you that rap-per Lil Jon now?”
“What you know about Lil Jon? I . . . I . . . Wait, wait. Wait. What are you saying, Mrs. Coleman?”
“The boutique, complete with shoe inventory. I’m giving it to you. That is . . . if you want it. I mean . . . you seem pretty happy with Target.”
“Do I want it? You’re not shitting me, are you?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Then my answer is yes!”
Deonté screamed in my ear as she hugged me again. As the emotion subsided, I felt her grip relax. “But where are you going? What are you doing?”
“After the divorce, I need to get away from here. Clear my head. Of course, I would pop in to check on you and would be just a phone call away.”
“I . . . I could never repay you,” she said between the groans erupting from her throat. Both of us were becoming misty eyed.
“Repay me by making it a bigger success than I could. You’ve got it in you. I’m certain.”
I told her my lawyer would be in touch, then gave her one last hug. Between the unspoken hints, she knew she might not see me again. I was never good at good-byes. Seeing I was finished—and that we were leaving HG—the driver was quick to exit his seat and open the door for me.
“To the airport, Mrs. Coleman?”
“Yes, but take your time.”
Once I was away from Deonté and any other person somewhat familiar with me, a deep breath rushed through my lips. I turned the music up, then mixed myself a drink.
Mrs. Coleman.
A title for which I had no further use.
After his heart attack, Tanner was charitable enough to settle amicably without a messy, protracted divorce in the press. His public image tainted and his strength waning, he wanted nothing more than to get on with his imperfect family with Rory. Her eyesight had returned in one eye. Uncanny how she favored the woman who ruined my family all those years ago. No wonder my mind went screwy that night I saw her with Tanner. Something I’d repressed for so long.
I hear my dad’s new woman passed away. An unfortunate accident back in Seattle. Something about a radio and a bathtub.
The day before I got on that bus and came here.
A shame.
A fucking shame
, I thought, holding the sarcasm at bay. I tuned the music to something more uptempo.
A strip mall caught my eye as we drove by. A more urgent matter at hand than harping on the past.
“Turn around,” I exhorted. After muttering under his breath, he spun the elongated Lincoln around.
“Did I miss a turn or something?”
“Pull in here.” I pointed. “I need to pick up something in there.” The store carried everything from hair for weaves to beauty supplies . . . and wigs.
Leave it to this side of town to have a quality wig shop. I knew the right one was inside.
Waiting on me to claim it.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Mrs. Coleman, I can run you by a nice mall instead. Are you sure you want to go in there?”
“Totally. And stop calling me ‘Mrs. Coleman.’ ”
“Sorry. What would you like me to call you?”
With a gleam apparent in my eye, I smiled.
ERIC PETE BLOW YOUR MIND
A CONVERSATION WITH ERIC PETE
Q.
Blow Your Mind
is your sixth published novel! Anything you want to say or get off your chest?
A. Wow. You’re giving me a second to exhale, huh? As I answer your questions, I’m remembering the day my very first novel,
Real for Me
, arrived from the printers. Six novels later, that joy and anxiousness is unchanged.
Q. How did you come up with such a wild idea as
Blow Your Mind
in the first place?
A. It’s just some more of that random chaos that took root. I’d kicked the scenario around for over a year—of a woman role-playing for her husband in an effort to please him, but who hits her head on the steering wheel and gets stuck in the make-believepersona—but wasn’t sure I could carry it convincingly through a whole novel. Eventually, I decided, “What the hell!” I’ll leave it to the readers out there to be the judges.
Q. How long did it take you to write
Blow Your Mind
?
A. Four to five months, which is funny, since I debated and debated over trying this story for longer than it took to write it. I guess it was the “right write.” Feel free to slap me.
Q. Which character was the easiest for you to write? Which was the hardest?
A. I would have to say Pumpkin was the easiest, but also the most exciting. When you have a character you can just cut loose with, it’s exhilarating. I just never knew what she was going to do next. For a change, the male character Henry was the hardest. It’s usually the other way around. I wanted Henry to be loathsome in one breath, but someone you could empathize with in the next.
Q. Give us some insight into the title. How did it come about?
A. The working title was
Caution: Dangerous Curves Ahead
, playing off the car wreck at the beginning (and Pumpkin’s literal
curves
. . .ahem), but it wasn’t sexy enough. We wanted to play off the psychological elements and head games that take place in the story, but without giving away anything.
Blow Your Mind
fit like a glove. The title structure also was similar to my previous novel,
Gets No Love
. Afterward, I remembered stating in an earlier interview that I thought my upcoming project would blow the readers’ minds, and here we are.
Q. Take us inside the head of Eric Pete. What type of characters do you like? What influences the creation of those characters?
A. Flawed. I thought you knew. Television shows like
Deadwood
,
The Sopranos
,
The Wire
,
The Shield
, and
Rome
are prime examples of where characters get to be of both virtue and vice. It’s all about the layers and how you can show a character in both the harsh light of day as well as the shadows cast by a night-light.
Q. What’s next for you?
A. More novels and a short story or two in upcoming anthologies. I still haven’t given up on seeing these novels on the big screen, although some of the secrets in
Blow Your Mind
might be difficult to hide in a visual medium.
Q. Any remarks for your readers?
A. Yes. If you’re truly enjoying these stories of mine, please tell as many people as possible to pick them up too. Word of mouth is still the most valuable tool to ensure your favorite authors continue to have their works available to you. And again . . . thank you for spending your time with me.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Did you realize or suspect Pumpkin’s secret? If so, when?
2. Were you surprised at when or how the revelation occurred?
3. How do you think things would’ve turned out if Henry hadn’t rescued her in the beginning?
4. What do you think of the character Henry’s development?
5. What do you think of Henry’s relationship with Pumpkin? Do you think she had true feelings for him? Do you think his feelings for her were legitimate/genuine?
6. What do you think was Pumpkin’s view of the world? How did it differ from Bianca’s?
7. Other than appearance, what are some other differences you noticed between Bianca and Pumpkin?
8. Do you think there were instances of Pumpkin manifesting herself or controlling Bianca prior to the car wreck? Do you recall any that were referenced in the story?
9. What do you feel contributed more to Bianca’s issues—her childhood past or her current relationship with Tanner?
10. Why do you think Tanner “selected” her to be his wife and not Rory?
11. Did you suspect Rory’s involvement with Tanner? If so, why?
12. In what city did this story take place? Did you ever realize that it wasn’t mentioned or named?
13. How did you react to Bianca’s remarks about the fate of her father’s girlfriend before she left Seattle?
14. Did the revelation at the very end surprise you?
15. What scene in the book was the most surprising to you? The most disturbing? Most humorous? Wildest?
16. Is there any one character from
Blow Your Mind
whom you would like to see more of in the future?
17. If you’ve read previous novels from Eric Pete, how do you feel this one compares? Is there any comparison?
18.
Blow Your Mind
has been described as a “dark, erotic thriller.” Would you agree or would you describe it differently?
19. Do you feel the book cover was a good match, considering the nature of the story?
20. If
Blow Your Mind
were a movie, who would you like to see portray Bianca?
21. Have there ever been situations in your life where either you did or would like to have exhibited a different persona (i.e., “game face” in a difficult or uncomfortable situation)?