Read Online Disappearing Acts by Terry McMillan - Free Book Online

knees and I saw that she had skinny legs. When she realized I was looking, she squeezed ’em together and pulled the robe down to hide ’em.
    “Thank you for the coffee,” she said.
    “No sweat.” Damn, in the morning her voice is deeper than mine. I betcha she
can
sing. She ran her fingers through her short hair. Those curls looked like they was hers and not them nasty-ass Jheri-Kurls everybody’s wearing. She took the lid off her coffee. I walked over to sit down next to her, and she didn’t move. A lot of women are scared of me ’cause I’m so big; they don’t think big men know how to be gentle.
    “Don’t you have to go to work today?” she asked.
    “I’m laid off for a few days. Materials is late.”
    “Really?” she said, then took a sip of her coffee. “This stuff is really disgusting. I’ll make a good pot.”
    She got up and walked over to the sink. She had tobe about five seven, maybe 140 pounds, and she moved as graceful as the gazelles on “Wild Kingdom.” I wish people could be more like animals. Just trust and follow our instincts without worrying about the consequences. If that was the case, I’d be getting up right now, walking up behind her, and turning her around to look me in the eye, and I would kiss her. But since we ain’t animals, I just asked her, “So how was your first night?” She turned around real fast and gave me this piercing look, like I just asked her for some pussy or something. Then she put all her weight on one of them little bony legs and let out a long sigh. “I’m not trying to be nosy. I was just wondering.”
    “Kind of spooky, to tell you the truth. I have to get used to sleeping in a new place.”
    “Where’d you sleep?”
    “On the floor.”
    “Where’s your bed?”
    “Over there, those boards against the wall. It’s a platform bed. I threw out the old mattress and am getting a new one in a few days.”
    “You gon’ put it together by yourself?”
    “Not exactly. A friend is coming over to help me, as soon as the floor is dry. You think it’s dry now?”
    A friend? Why didn’t she just come on out and say her man? Women. Why be so sneaky about shit. I got up to go check the floor. It was dry, all right. “It still ain’t dry yet, and if you don’t wanna mess it up, I’d give it one more day.” When I start lying like this, it means my ass is in trouble. I shoulda went home then, but I couldn’t.
    “Another whole day?”
    “Well, tell your man to come on over anyway.”
    She looked at me kinda weird. “I told you, he’s a friend.”
    Yeah, right, and I’m running for President. Women don’t have men for friends. I don’t know why I feltrelieved, though. She didn’t sound like she was lying, and why would she have to lie to me? I swear to God, here I go again. I’m contradicting myself like a motherfucker. I ain’t got no business being here, none whatso-fuckin’-ever. But I still couldn’t leave. My primal instincts always get the best of me. I watch too many damn nature shows is what it is. “What’s in all these boxes? Where’s your stereo? I know you got a stereo, being a singer and everything.”
    “Mostly books. I do have a stereo, but Eli’s hooking that up too.”
    “He must be a good friend.”
    “He is.”
    “Look, I don’t mean to get all in your business, but I’m not doing nothin’ today, and I wouldn’t mind helping you. You got bookshelves, I see.”
    “I need toggle bolts for ’em. Thanks for the offer, but I told you, Eli’ll do it for
free.
”
    “Did I mention anything about money?”
    “You’re the one who said you didn’t work for free.”
    “Yeah, and if your memory serves you correctly, I also said that sometimes I believe in charity.”
    “You’re getting a little carried away with it, wouldn’t you say?”
    “Maybe. Look, you got any tools—a drill, a screwdriver, hammer—anything like that?”
    “No.”
    “I shoulda guessed.”
    “Are you always this persistent?” she