can drop in anytime you want to,” he told me, his voice full of emotion. If this was not a declaration of sincerity, I didn’t know what was. No man in his right mind would give a woman, especially a married woman, the key to his residence unless he meant business. “If I give you my address, will you meet me at my place? Or would you like to ride with me? My building doesn’t have a garage, and I don’t want you to worry about parking on the street or in our parking lot and somebody you know seeing your car.”
“I can park a block from your building,” I offered. I had a valid reason for wanting to drive myself to meet Louis. As long as I had my own transportation, I would have better control over my depar-ture. The last thing I wanted to happen was for me to get bored with him and want to leave early and not be able to. Or for something unexpected to happen that would require me to leave in a hurry.
46
Mary Monroe
“Then you will come?”
“I think I can do that.” After I hung up with Louis, I clicked back to Rhoda. “I’m sorry I took so long with that call.”
“That’s all right. I had to take one myself.”
“That was him,” I said, swooning.
“Him who?”
“Louis. He wants to cook dinner for me tonight after we leave the Red Rose.”
“I see. Do you want to reschedule our date? That way you can spend the whole evenin’ with him.”
“Now, you know I’m not the kind of woman who cancels plans with my female friends so I can be with a man, so you stop that!” I scolded.
Rhoda laughed before she spoke again. “But I am,” she told me.
“Bully, the only lover I’ll ever need, just called me from the gym, with a major hard-on, and I’m feelin’ right frisky myself. I need to take care of some business with him this evenin’, so to speak. We haven’t had a chance to do it since he got back from London yesterday.”
“Just say it, Rhoda. You need to get laid.”
“I need to get laid,” she told me, speaking loud and clear.
“All right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I called my husband at his work to let him know that I’d be home even later. Bobby Jones, one of the young barbers who worked for him, answered the telephone.
“Hi, Bobby. Is Pee Wee available?”
“Um, no. He had a doctor’s appointment.”
“A doctor’s appointment? Are you sure?” My husband was the kind of man who’d use every home remedy in the book before he’d go to a doctor.
“I’m sure. He’s been going every other Friday for almost a year now. Well, now it’s every Friday since last month. If you want to come by, me and Lester got everything under control until he gets back.”
“He told you he’s been seeing a doctor?”
“Yes, ma’am. You didn’t know that?”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. Yes, he did tell me. Look, don’t tell him I called, Bobby. If you do, don’t tell him you told me about his GOD AIN’ T BLIND
47
doctor visits. He told me not to worry about him, and I promised him that I wouldn’t bring it up unless he did. Bobby, please promise me you won’t tell him I called.”
“I won’t tell him. Do you want me to have him call you when he gets back, Miss . . . ?” Bobby paused for a brief moment. “Uh, who is this, anyway?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Bobby was a little on the slow side, so he did not recognize my voice. I was glad that I had not identified myself. “Oh . . . this is Sister Holmes.” I was sure that there was a woman or two in Richland by that name, but this Sister Holmes was a figment of my imagination. My husband had so many regular customers that he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with all their names, anyway. “Pee Wee is the only barber that my little grandson will let cut his hair, and I was hoping that he’d be able to squeeze him in today. You know how two-year-olds can be.”
“I heard that. My baby mama got my son so spoiled, he won’t let nobody but me cut them naps on his big head.” Bobby
“I can park a block from your building,” I offered. I had a valid reason for wanting to drive myself to meet Louis. As long as I had my own transportation, I would have better control over my depar-ture. The last thing I wanted to happen was for me to get bored with him and want to leave early and not be able to. Or for something unexpected to happen that would require me to leave in a hurry.
46
Mary Monroe
“Then you will come?”
“I think I can do that.” After I hung up with Louis, I clicked back to Rhoda. “I’m sorry I took so long with that call.”
“That’s all right. I had to take one myself.”
“That was him,” I said, swooning.
“Him who?”
“Louis. He wants to cook dinner for me tonight after we leave the Red Rose.”
“I see. Do you want to reschedule our date? That way you can spend the whole evenin’ with him.”
“Now, you know I’m not the kind of woman who cancels plans with my female friends so I can be with a man, so you stop that!” I scolded.
Rhoda laughed before she spoke again. “But I am,” she told me.
“Bully, the only lover I’ll ever need, just called me from the gym, with a major hard-on, and I’m feelin’ right frisky myself. I need to take care of some business with him this evenin’, so to speak. We haven’t had a chance to do it since he got back from London yesterday.”
“Just say it, Rhoda. You need to get laid.”
“I need to get laid,” she told me, speaking loud and clear.
“All right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I called my husband at his work to let him know that I’d be home even later. Bobby Jones, one of the young barbers who worked for him, answered the telephone.
“Hi, Bobby. Is Pee Wee available?”
“Um, no. He had a doctor’s appointment.”
“A doctor’s appointment? Are you sure?” My husband was the kind of man who’d use every home remedy in the book before he’d go to a doctor.
“I’m sure. He’s been going every other Friday for almost a year now. Well, now it’s every Friday since last month. If you want to come by, me and Lester got everything under control until he gets back.”
“He told you he’s been seeing a doctor?”
“Yes, ma’am. You didn’t know that?”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. Yes, he did tell me. Look, don’t tell him I called, Bobby. If you do, don’t tell him you told me about his GOD AIN’ T BLIND
47
doctor visits. He told me not to worry about him, and I promised him that I wouldn’t bring it up unless he did. Bobby, please promise me you won’t tell him I called.”
“I won’t tell him. Do you want me to have him call you when he gets back, Miss . . . ?” Bobby paused for a brief moment. “Uh, who is this, anyway?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Bobby was a little on the slow side, so he did not recognize my voice. I was glad that I had not identified myself. “Oh . . . this is Sister Holmes.” I was sure that there was a woman or two in Richland by that name, but this Sister Holmes was a figment of my imagination. My husband had so many regular customers that he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with all their names, anyway. “Pee Wee is the only barber that my little grandson will let cut his hair, and I was hoping that he’d be able to squeeze him in today. You know how two-year-olds can be.”
“I heard that. My baby mama got my son so spoiled, he won’t let nobody but me cut them naps on his big head.” Bobby
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