Talk a Good Game (6 page)

“
Well, you thought wrong,” I said,
trying to smile.

Mrs. Size 4 placed a hand to her
husband
’s
chest and I noticed the huge
diamond sparkling on her ring finger. “Sweetheart, am I
interrupting something?” she asked the way women do when we know
something smells funny. She was right to be alarmed. She smelled
straight bullshit.

Rock stepped back, trying to
regain some of his personal space. “No dear. Not at all. Master
Sergeant Dawson is coordinating a recruitment fair at the school.”
No he wasn’t trying to play me!

“
It
’s
nice to meet you.” Regina
fake-smiled me. She obviously didn’t recognize me from the wedding.
The uniform did have a way of making a woman look like a
man.

I decided to play dumb.
“I
’
m sorry, Rock. I didn’t know you
were married.”

“
Ten years.”
Regina beamed with pride, then gripped her man
’s
arm
possessively. “Actually, we
’
re renewing our vows
this weekend in Vegas.”

“
You
’
re what?”
I couldn’t believe his ass.

Suddenly, Regina was looking at me
cross-eyed. “Have we met before?”

I wasted no time busting her
bubble. “No, but you’ve probably tasted my pussy on your
husband
’s
lips.
”

His jaw dropped and her lips began
to quiver.
Priceless
.

“
What the fuck?” she stared at me
for several seconds before returning her attention to him. “Rock,
what is she talking about?”

You should have seen the panic on
his face. “Sweetheart, I have no idea.” He cleared his throat and
tried to act confused.

Couldn’t she tell her husband was
lying? Apparently not because Regina just stood there like an
idiot, nibbling on her bottom lip. Some women are so stupid.
Although after this incident, I wasn’t one to talk.

“
Where did you
think your husband
’s
been laying his head
this
last
week?
” I asked while staring his lying ass
dead in the eyes.

Regina blinked her eyes. “I
thought you were away at a conference?”

Rock turned up his nose like I was
a stanky diaper. “Regina, can we talk about this at home?” he urged
and drew his wife in close, and I noticed the way she melted in his
arms.

My neck was rolling now. “Regina,
he might wanna talk about this at home, but I think
you
’
d rather hear it coming from me
first.”

She closed her eyes as if she was
afraid of what I was about to say. “Hear what?”

“
Regina, honey,
your husband talks a good game… I’ll give it to him.” I was talking
with my hands the way I always did when I was pissed. “But I’ve
wasted six months fucking his tired ass. Hell, his dick ain’t even
circumcised.” You shoulda seen her eyes. Now that I’ve rattled off
the appearance of her husband
’s
Johnson there was no
way she thought I was lying. “All those months he said he was
leaving you was a bunch of bullshit.” I quickly pointed my finger
in Rock
’s
face. “Don’t you ever fucking
call my phone again!”

I felt the tears surfacing, but I held them back and
headed toward the door. There was no way in hell I was going to let
either of them see the tears now streaming down my face.

Damn was I really that desperate to be loved?

JANELLE

I made a left onto Banks Road and slowed my car to a
crawl. There were no cars parked out front so that was a sign Mommy
was home alone. I would have preferred someone else had been there.
That way I could have dipped in and out in a matter of minutes.

I parked, turned off the car, but
sat there staring at that small ranch style house. Last year
I
’
d had siding installed and had a
dude build a brand new porch, hoping the face-lift would bring some
life to that house.

Yeah, whatever.

There were so many memories and dark secrets behind
that door. Things the neighbors would have found hard to believe
because to them the Foxes were the perfect family.

Oh, if those walls could talk.

Shaking the thought from my mind,
I climbed out and smoothed down the front of my dress. Trust and
believe, there was nothing insecure about me, yet, there was
something about the house that no matter how much I tried, I
couldn’t shake a feeling of uneasiness. Lord knows how many times I
have dreamed of that bitch burning to the ground. Hell, I had even
tried once or twice back in the day
but failed.

“
Hey Janelle!
” Ms.
Gina
’s
voice seemed to come out of
nowhere.

I waved at the gray-haired woman
sitting on the porch across the street. Her face was hidden by the
overgrown bushes. “Hey Ms. Gina!” I sang. For years that nosy
heifer spent hours watching the neighborhood so she could be in
everyone
’s
business. I found it funny
because she had no idea what had gone on right across the
street.

As usual, the front door was unlocked. I walked
inside and immediately felt like I had stepped through a time warp.
Plastic on the furniture, shag carpet, and a big floor model
television with a record player on top. I ignored that eerie
feeling and headed straight back to the kitchen. My mother was
sitting at the kitchen table with a cigarette dangling from her
bottom lip.

“
Hey, Mommy,” I said and forced a
smile.

“
Hello, Jae,
” she replied.
Her entire face lit up the way it always did when she received
visitors. Usually because she was feeling lonely. It also meant it
was going to be hard as hell to leave.

She pointed to the chair across
from her. “Have a seat.”

Obediently, I lowered onto the chair. The pleather
seat cushion was cracked and biting my ass. I waited while she
puffed away at the cigarette, drawing in a breath so deep her dark
cheeks looked sunken in.

“
Katherine wants me to go with her
to the casino in Boonville on Friday.”

“
That
’s
good Mommy. You need to get out
the house more.”

“
Yeah, yeah, Katherine said the
same thing.” She rolled her eyes and tried to act annoyed but Mommy
loved the way we all fussed over her.

“
I agree so go.” I reached inside
my purse and peeled off two hundred dollars and set it on the
table. “Make sure you enjoy yourself.”

“
We
’ll
see how I
’
m
feeling tomorrow.”

A small television was on the
counter and one of those stupid soap operas was playing. Dishes
were piled high in the sink and the floor hadn’t been swept or
mopped in days. I glanced around the tiny room with limited
preparation space and remembered when I could barely look over the
counter. “Has your housekeeper been by this week?”

She scowled, and waved the
cigarette in her hand. “She
’ll
be here
tomorrow.”

I nodded and as usual was at a
loss for words. “I’ll call Brice and have him come over and cut
your grass. You need me to pick you up anything from the
store?”

“
Yeah. Bring me some more
cigarettes,” She replied and blew a puff of smoke in my face, which
pissed me off.

“
Mommy, I really
wish you
’
d give up them cigarettes. What
did your doctor tell you?”

“
What else am I going to do all
day?” she argued.

“
Where
’s
the crossword puzzles I bought
you?”

“
On the coffee table. I can only
do so many of those.”

“
Then read a
book.” I
’
d brought her over a
boxful.

She gave me a knowing look and
frowned. “All they talk about is sex!”

I smiled back at her.
“
Hey, sex
sells Mommy.
”

She wrinkled her nose.
“I
’
m too old for all that. Just get
me a good mystery to read.”

“
I’ll bring you one this
weekend.”

“
Has anyone been over today to
check on you?”

She nodded. “My nurse was here and
then Uncle Todd.”

I smiled at the mention of my
godfather. “How
’s
he doing?”

“
You know him.
Always complaining about something,” she commented then gave a sad
smile. Todd Malcolm had been my father
’s
best
friend and like an uncle to me and Brice.

“
Have you eaten?”

“
Why all the questions?” Mommy
snapped, but I didn’t take it personal. In the last year she had
become increasingly irritated.

I leaned forward before answering,
“Because you
’
re my mother and
it
’s
my job to make sure you
’
re okay
over here by yourself. I don’t know why you won’t just move in with
me.” So I could sell this bitch.

She looked frustrated.
“
I
don’t
know why we keep having this
conversation. You know I
’
m not leaving my house.”
She took a final draw on the cigarette, then put it out in the
ashtray. “My nurse will be back after
Meals on Wheels
delivers my lunch.
”
Avoiding eye contact, she looked over at the television.

“
I’ll have April bring you over
something from the restaurant tonight.”

“
Have her bring me some of those
biscuits. Those are good.”

I
smirked.
“They
’
re rolls
not biscuits and that
’s
Granby
’s
recipe.
”

“
It is?” she said and her
expression softened. “No wonder they tasted so good. My mama sho
did know how to throw down in the kitchen. “

I nodded. “Yes, she
did.”

I felt myself looking down at my
manicured hands. Uh-uh. I wasn’t about to started tearing
up.

My grandmother had meant the world to me. Growing up
she only lived a few blocks away, so I was always able to go over
and spend hours watching her cook in the kitchen. When she passed
away my entire world crumbled.

I glanced down impatiently, at my
watch. The sooner I got out of there the better. “I better get
going,” I said and rose.

“
Before you leave can you go in my
room and get that big blue picture album off the shelf in my
closet?”

I was slow to answer. “What
for?”

There was that frustrated look
again. “Because I can’t reach it, that
’s
why.”

I looked down at her small frail body in the chair,
with the blanket draped over the stump that was once her left leg.
Diabetes. Years of not listening to her doctor had cost her half
her leg.

I hated seeing her that way—incapable of taking care
of herself and needing the help of others. Judith Fox had always
been quiet and weak with self-esteem issues, now she was subjected
to a life at the mercy of others.

I walked back through the living
room and down the short narrow hall. The closer I got to her
bedroom the harder my heart thumped. The old peeling wallpaper, and
the squeaky wood floors didn’t help the situation none.

It took everything not to look at the closed door to
my right. The room had once been my own personal hell.

I pushed open my
parent
’s
bedroom door--because there was
no doorknob. There never was any privacy. Not even the bathroom.
The only lock had been on the basement door.

I brushed an eerie feeling aside
and moved around my mother
’s
unmade bed toward the
closet. The sooner I got the album the sooner I could get the fuck
out of there.

I opened the closet door and fumbled around on the
top shelf and somehow the old wood shelving collapsed and
everything came tumbling down.

“
Jae! You okay?” my mother cried
from the kitchen.

“
Yes Mommy!
I
’
m
fine.
” The last thing I wanted was to
worry her.

Irritated, I popped the shelf back in place then
looked to see what had fallen onto the floor. I reached for a
blanket and jumped at what I found underneath.

My father
’s hat
.