call.”
“What about Reverend Reynolds?” I was still trying to talk my way out of it. The last thing I wanted to do was cancel my date with Tanisha in order to spend three hours with Anita and her husband.
“I couldn’t get in touch with him.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Ma, but I can’t do it.”
“Dante, you are the director of church activities. When these things happen, you’re supposed to be there to pick up the slack. You have a responsibility. How do you expect to become pastor one day if you can’t handle being director? I’m sorry, but this is your job. If this young lady doesn’t understand that, then she’s not worth it. Now you get your behind over to the church and open up the recreation hall. Bingo starts at seven-thirty sharp and I’m counting on you.” She hung up without waiting for my reply.
I folded my cell phone just as I pulled up in front of Tanisha’s building. I turned off my truck and stared at the entrance. Now what was I going to do? There was no way I was going to ask a girl like Tanisha to go to the church with me. She’d probably laugh me out her house. I thought about just leaving. I mean, she was a nice girl with a terrific body, but it wasn’t like she was Tyra Banks or anything. Besides, she didn’t have my number or my last name. She also didn’t go to our church, so the chances of me running into her again weren’t that great. I started the truck and slid the shift into drive, but my conscience wouldn’t let me put my foot on the gas. I owed her an explanation; whether she was cool with it or not was up to her. At least I’d know I’d done my part. So I sat there another two minutes then willed myself to get out of the truck.
Once I got in the building, it took no time to find Apartment L. I knocked on the door. A few seconds later a scarecrow-thin woman who looked like she hadn’t combed her hair in about two weeks answered. She was scratching her arms like she had fleas or something. I was sure I was at the wrong apartment. In fact, I must have gone into the wrong building, because this was obviously a crack spot.
“What you want?” the woman asked. She was still scratching her arms.
“I’m sorry. I think I have the wrong apartment. I was looking for Tanisha.”
I took a step back, preparing to leave until she said, “She’s here. Come on in. I’ll get her.” In between her scratching, the woman gestured for me to come in, then turned toward the back of the apartment and screamed, “Tanisha! Somebody here to see you!”
I followed her into the apartment and felt like I was in another world. It was what my mother would call a well-kept mess. There was stuff everywhere, but you could also see where someone had tried to straighten up and keep the place neat. From the looks of the woman in front of me, I figured that must have been Tanisha.
“You can sit down,” the woman told me. She was back to her scratching and it was starting to make me feel like I had an itch too. She ran over to the couch and scooped up a handful of clothes to clear a spot, then she gestured for me to sit down. She called for Tanisha again at the top of her lungs, as if the apartment were the size of a mansion.
“I’m coming,” I heard Tanisha shout from behind a closed door.
By the time I walked over and sat down, the woman had scooped up another pile of clothes and was sitting next to me, still scratching. I figured if she wasn’t going to introduce herself, I might as well.
“How you doing? I’m Dante.” I offered her my hand and she stopped scratching long enough to shake it.
“My name’s Marlene. I’m Tanisha’s mother.” She was so bony I felt like I was shaking the hand of a skeleton.
“Nice to meet you, Marlene.” As soon as I let go of her hand, she was back to scratching her arm again, and now I was scratching right along with her. It was like that shit was contagious.
“Hey, Dante, you got a cigarette?”
“Sorry, I don’t smoke.”
“Think
“What about Reverend Reynolds?” I was still trying to talk my way out of it. The last thing I wanted to do was cancel my date with Tanisha in order to spend three hours with Anita and her husband.
“I couldn’t get in touch with him.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Ma, but I can’t do it.”
“Dante, you are the director of church activities. When these things happen, you’re supposed to be there to pick up the slack. You have a responsibility. How do you expect to become pastor one day if you can’t handle being director? I’m sorry, but this is your job. If this young lady doesn’t understand that, then she’s not worth it. Now you get your behind over to the church and open up the recreation hall. Bingo starts at seven-thirty sharp and I’m counting on you.” She hung up without waiting for my reply.
I folded my cell phone just as I pulled up in front of Tanisha’s building. I turned off my truck and stared at the entrance. Now what was I going to do? There was no way I was going to ask a girl like Tanisha to go to the church with me. She’d probably laugh me out her house. I thought about just leaving. I mean, she was a nice girl with a terrific body, but it wasn’t like she was Tyra Banks or anything. Besides, she didn’t have my number or my last name. She also didn’t go to our church, so the chances of me running into her again weren’t that great. I started the truck and slid the shift into drive, but my conscience wouldn’t let me put my foot on the gas. I owed her an explanation; whether she was cool with it or not was up to her. At least I’d know I’d done my part. So I sat there another two minutes then willed myself to get out of the truck.
Once I got in the building, it took no time to find Apartment L. I knocked on the door. A few seconds later a scarecrow-thin woman who looked like she hadn’t combed her hair in about two weeks answered. She was scratching her arms like she had fleas or something. I was sure I was at the wrong apartment. In fact, I must have gone into the wrong building, because this was obviously a crack spot.
“What you want?” the woman asked. She was still scratching her arms.
“I’m sorry. I think I have the wrong apartment. I was looking for Tanisha.”
I took a step back, preparing to leave until she said, “She’s here. Come on in. I’ll get her.” In between her scratching, the woman gestured for me to come in, then turned toward the back of the apartment and screamed, “Tanisha! Somebody here to see you!”
I followed her into the apartment and felt like I was in another world. It was what my mother would call a well-kept mess. There was stuff everywhere, but you could also see where someone had tried to straighten up and keep the place neat. From the looks of the woman in front of me, I figured that must have been Tanisha.
“You can sit down,” the woman told me. She was back to her scratching and it was starting to make me feel like I had an itch too. She ran over to the couch and scooped up a handful of clothes to clear a spot, then she gestured for me to sit down. She called for Tanisha again at the top of her lungs, as if the apartment were the size of a mansion.
“I’m coming,” I heard Tanisha shout from behind a closed door.
By the time I walked over and sat down, the woman had scooped up another pile of clothes and was sitting next to me, still scratching. I figured if she wasn’t going to introduce herself, I might as well.
“How you doing? I’m Dante.” I offered her my hand and she stopped scratching long enough to shake it.
“My name’s Marlene. I’m Tanisha’s mother.” She was so bony I felt like I was shaking the hand of a skeleton.
“Nice to meet you, Marlene.” As soon as I let go of her hand, she was back to scratching her arm again, and now I was scratching right along with her. It was like that shit was contagious.
“Hey, Dante, you got a cigarette?”
“Sorry, I don’t smoke.”
“Think
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