Read Online Red Light Wives by Mary Monroe - Free Book Online Page B

had not been much of a mother to me, and I’d ignored the rantings of my grandmother. Etta had shown me in more ways than one that she didn’t care anymore about being a mother figure to me than she would a duck. Her behavior at my son’s memorial didn’t make up for all the years she had mistreated me. But when I had to be around her, I treated her with respect. It took too much energy to be angry. Besides, I wanted to use it all on Larry and any other man who dogged me.
    Even though I sometimes protested, I liked it when Odessa jumped into her position of authority with me. “Now you see here, Miss Girl, you been mopin’ around long enough. You comin’ to that party me and Verna’s throwin’ for my brother if I have to drag you by the feet.” Odessa blew her nose and cursed under her breath. She had a mild cold she had contracted while sleeping with her bedroom window open the night before.
    Odessa worked for the welfare department, processing applications for people in need of welfare assistance. Like me, she hated her job. She had shared dozens of horror stories with me about irate welfare recipients calling her up and threatening her with physical violence every time their check was late. When her job got to be too much for her, she called in sick, whether she really was or not. Her recent cold had nothing to do with her taking off sick this time. She would have done it anyway, just so she could be on call for me if I needed her.
    Even though Odessa was already my best friend, I still went out of my way to stay on her good side. “Party for your brother? All right. I’ll be there,” I said in a meek voice.
    Odessa’s brother, Bohannon Hawkins, was forty-eight, twelve years older than Odessa, and almost old enough to be my daddy. But I liked him right away. Even though he looked his age, he was not a bad-looking man. He wasn’t that much taller than me, and most of the limp hair on his peanut-shaped head was gray. He had nice, shiny black eyes and a smile that seemed to light up the room. And since he was the only male at the party of more than a dozen folks, he really stood out.
    â€œBaby sister tells me you lookin’ for a new friend,” he said, talking loud enough to be heard over Grace Jones blasting from the CD player.
    â€œI wouldn’t mind that at all,” I replied, following him to the corner in the small living room where we could have more privacy and a better view. We watched Odessa, Verna, and their husky female friends party their butts off. They danced, drank, and smooched like it was their last chance. It was entertaining, and I was glad to be present. I had the best time that night than I’d had in years. And I had Bo Hawkins to thank for that.
    Bo was likeable. There was no doubt about that. His cross eyes, wandering all over the place when he looked at me, didn’t bother me at all. It was a while before I noticed his other flaws. Like his crooked mouth and stained teeth. Still he had a nice smile. After a few dates, I knew I could never love Bo Hawkins. At least not the way I’d loved Larry. And, I think he knew that. But he was the nicest, most charming man I had ever met. I felt bad about my mild feelings for him. However, I made up for that by always being available when he wanted to see me. I had nothing else to lose but time.
    Bo was a convenient man to have around. He offered to do my laundry, buy my groceries, and clean my apartment when I had cramps or was too lazy to do it myself. He worked on my car when it needed to be worked on and he cooked for us when I didn’t feel like doing it. Larry had done the same things for me. There were times when I wished that Bo wasn’t so quick to do so many nice things for me, because it reminded me of Larry. And sometimes when I was with Bo, I found myself wondering what Larry was doing. Even when I was in Bo’s arms.
    I felt kind of bad about wallowing in the