Read Online Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black and White by Claudia Mair Burney - Free Book Online Page B

good,” she lies.
    And here comes Pete. “Hey there.” His grin can’t get any bigger.
    He nudges me. “Aren’t you gonna introduce me?”
    I say no with my eyes, but he ignores my signals. He thrusts his hand out at her, and she takes it. She leaves no trace of the sorrow I just saw. She’s a good politician.
    “I’m Zora Johnson.”
    “Pete Greene.”
    “Nice to meet you, Pete.”
    He turns her hand over and kisses it. Then the clown bows from the waist until he almost hits his head on the table. “The pleasure is all mine, lovely Zora.”
    I lose all semblance of patience with him. “I’ll see you at the table in a minute, Pete.”
    “I’d like to stay and chat with you and Zora .” Not a yo to be heard.
    “We don’t want you, Pete.”
    Zora snickers, but at least I made her smile. She’s all grace and kindness. “You’re both welcome to join me.”
    “Pete doesn’t want to disturb you.” And to Pete: “Could you go keep an eye on our table? YO !”
    I irritate him, but he doesn’t want to punch me in the face in front of Zora. He does another goofy bow for her. “Milaaaaaady,” he says, and saunters away.
    Zora laughs. “That Pete is quite a character.”
    “Quite.”
    I sit down. Pete can wait. “Look. I won’t beat around the bush. I can see you were upset, though that was a good save. I don’t want to pry, but if you’d like to talk, I can be a good listener.”
    She gives me a shy smile. “I don’t know, Nicky. The last time I cried you hightailed away from me at warp speed.”
    I can’t stop the blush creeping to my cheeks. I stare at her like a deer in the headlights, and she calls me on it.
    “Say something, Bambi.”
    I’m totally flustered. “I don’t know what to say.”
    “How ’bout you don’t feel comfortable with black people being so”—she crooks her fingers into quote marks—“‘expressive.’”
    My mouth opens. I can’t even respond at first. I sputter like an idiot until I finally get out, “Is that what you think?”
    “Maybe. You’re the one who said your father is a racist. Like father like son, Nicky?”
    Okay, she might look like the Queen of Sheba, but wait just a minute. “I’m nothing like my dad.”
    “Why’d you run?”
    What? I’m supposed to tell her? Another verbal seizure. “I can assure you that wasn’t the reason.”
    “What was it?”
    I hate this woman, but I don’t want to lie to her. Did I mention I hate her? Regardless of how I feel, I’m not gonna let her brand me a racist just because she’s in a mood.
    “ Maybe ,” I lie, “I wish I could be that”—I imitate her gesture—“‘ expressive .’ Maybe I’ve been walking around like something from Night of the Living Dead and I see you wallowing on the floor with all that …”
    Luscious, round …
    She looks impatient. “With all that what ?”
    “All that, uh, feeling .” Real smooth, Nicky. “I’m … I just mean, you definitely stirred something in me.” Now that’s the truth.
    Her eyes search mine. “For real?”
    “For real. It was difficult for me to process all that was going on inside of me, and that’s God’s honest truth.” I drum the table with my fingertips while she stares at my hand. “Look, Zora, I’m a PK; you’re a PK. At birth we get a cross, a Bible, and a mountain of issues. Don’t let my issues concern you. All of us go to Linda’s Bible study because it’s safe. You can find God however you find Him there. It can look like however it looks, and if for you it looks like being on your face …” with your glory coming at me “so be it.”
    A stray strand of hair sweeps across her cheek, and God help me, I can’t resist, I brush it back behind her ear. She recoils.
    Stupid, stupid, stupid, Nicky.
    I bolt back away from her. Can’t even think of how to save face this time. I touched her face. Can I be any more intimate? I could! Which is why I need to stay as far away from her as possible.
    “Nice to see you again,