Another Time, Another Place

by Zane

  I walked by them gawking, and stepped cautiously towards Harrison. “You ready to talk?” I asked, watching his bare back flex from manual labor.

  He didn’t respond and continued to chop away at the wood.

  I spoke louder. “Harrison, you hear me? Can we talk?”

  He stood chopping, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. Nothing more than a grunt came from his mouth as he stood straight, staring at the trees before him. Harrison’s face turned casually to me for a second. He threw his cigarette down, and didn’t say a word as he continued to vent with the wood. I sighed as I removed my pumps. I unraveled the beige suit coat I’d wrapped around my hips, placing them on another stump where his sweet tea rested. I picked up the Mason jar, taking a sip as I tucked a bra strap that had fallen to my shoulder back under my rayon camisole.

  “Man, you shoulda listened to me when I told you ’fore, Naomi was nothin’ but trouble.” He smirked, pointing at me. “And this one here, she’ll send ya to an early grave.” I gulped down my sip, drawing my cheeks in as I flipped Otis the bird. His simple ass cackled, stomping his foot on the porch.

  Harrison gritted his teeth and hit the wood again, keeping the ax in the stump as he stared at Otis. “Otis, I ain’t for your two cents. All I want is some wood. Keep your opinions to yourself.”

  Otis held his hands up. “All I’m sayin’ is, some of these Sapelo women too high maintenance. That’s why I brought me back a real Geechee girl, ain’t that right, rice puddin’?” he said, tickling his woman.

  I tightened my lips, placing my free hand on my hip as I walked to the porch.

  “Well, if things so Peachy and Geechee in Vietnam, why don’t you take your ass back there? Be fewer headaches for all of us. Ain’t that right, rice puddin’?” I asked, acknowledging the woman.

  She stood up and bowed at me. “Yah, yah,” she replied through a million teeth.

  “You speak English?” She nodded and smiled, not knowing what I’d just asked. I was gonna have fun with this. I shook her hand. “Welcome to Sapelo. Lemme help ya learn a couple of words… Hot grits.” I mouthed the words slowly, “H-O-T G-R-I-T-S.”

  She smiled. “Yah…yah.”

  “Yah, good for attitude problems,” I mimicked, tilting my head toward Otis. He played with the toothpick in his mouth, eyeing me from head to toe. I sucked my teeth. “Otis, you need a damn tutor yourself. Who gonna teach her English?”

  He gave me a sinister stare. “Whatcha doin’ here, homewrecka?” He howled again, as if he was truly funny. I threw sweet tea in his face. He jumped up, looking at his wet tank shirt, then back at me with a deep frown. Harrison dropped the ax and flew over, getting in between us.

  “Woman, you lost yo damn mind!” Otis screamed, wiping his face. His woman did the two-step, all in a tizzy that her man’s shirt was soaked.

  Harrison tightened his fists. “You better not even look like you gonna hit her. You make a wrong move, and I’ll be sure to give you another bum knee.”

  I threw the jar to the ground. “He ain’t gonna do nothin.’ He just pissed off, ’cause I told him to eat dust off my shoes, after he said he wanted to fill Adam’s shoes—asking me for sex.”

  “What!” Harrison yelled, positioned like he was ready to punch Otis.

  I pulled him back. “Let’s go. He ain’t worth your time.”

  We gathered our things and started to walk away when Otis yelled. “That’s right. Get off my property! Damn vanilla house negra, keepin’ a henpecked joker.”

  Harrison ran back to the porch, knocking Otis flat on his back. “Whatcha talkin’ now, fool!” he hollered, throwing punch after punch on Otis.

  I tried to intervene, grabbing him by his belt. “Harrison, that’s enough!” Neighbors were starting to come out on their porches to see the show.

  All Miss Saigon did was fling her arms, screaming, “Ha gris! Ha gris!” Like she thought that meant, stop.

  Harrison heard her and suddenly stopped, shaking his head at her efforts to settle things down. I pulled him off the porch as Otis stammered to his feet. He had a swollen eye, and was rubbing his jaw. I smiled at the woman. “You keep practicing, rice puddin,’” I said. “You’ll need those hot grits sooner than later.” Harrison tried to hide a smile. I pinched his side, letting him know I’d caught him holding a laugh as we walked away.

  ***

  Harrison and I sat quietly on a rock near the dunes, watching seagulls hunt for fish in the water. I touched his shoulder. “How long you gonna be mad?”

  He looked down, rubbing a piece of seaweed between his fingers fingers. “As long as I gotta see her.”

  “Seem like a long time. Sapelo ain’t that big.”

  He flicked the seaweed down to the sand, shaking his head. “Big enough to make a fool out of me. I can’t believe she was with my best friend, Floyd. The whole time, screwin’ him on the side. Carryin’ his seed while I was in combat, fighting for my life. Nobody tell me nothin’.” He put his head in his hands and broke down in tears. “Keenan mean the world to me. I bust my ass, working long hours to make sure that little boy got what he need. And he ain’t even mine?”

  I bit my lip, not knowing what to say. I reached for his hand, but he resisted, opting to crack his knuckles instead. “Floyd was smart to run off to Atlanta. Can’t figure out why Naomi’s ass ain’t follow him?”

  I smiled and kissed his cheek, trying to make light of the situation. “She doesn’t wanna have him for a husband. She got you. She just needed somethin’ extra.”

  His jaw tightened as he looked at me. “That’s always what I am, somethin’ extra. Ain’t that right, Miss Jasmine?”

  I looked at my hands for a second, then touched his thigh. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “No other way ’round it,” he said, looking off to the water.

  I happened to glance behind us, and thought I’d pee on myself from the sight.

  I swallowed hard as I slowly turned back. “Harrison,” I whispered. “Don’t look now, but there is a big-ass gator, sun bathing three feet behind us.”

  He did exactly the opposite of what I told him. He slowly peered back to find the gator, grinning under fangs, like we were Labor Day ribs. He turned slightly towards me while he kept his peripheral vision on the gator. “We got three seconds to put his ass on a diet,” he whispered. “We jump on…shit!” The gator made the first move, jaws wide open.

  Harrison pushed me down to the sand, miraculously throwing the blanket we’d sat on over the gator’s head with his free hand. By the time the gator gripped the blanket, unveiling his elongated head, we’d haul-tailed it up shore. When we reached the dirt road, we slowed down. “That was close,” I said, laughing as I massaged a cramp out of my side.

  “You ain’t never lie,” Harrison said, bending over to catch his breath. He rose back up and pulled me into his arms. “You all right?”

  I nodded as I looked up at him. “You?” I asked, concerned as I caressed his face.

  He pulled my hands down, holding them against his chest. “I don’t know, Miss Jasmine. Seem like life shouldn’t be this stressful.”

  I kissed his fingers. “Harrison, you’re a good man. Don’t let Naomi’s lies make you bitter.”

  He shrugged. “A good man that got played for a fool. Naomi and I wasn’t right, even before I left for the war. We got married too young. She got childish ways, and I ain’t been the best husband. The minute I got home, the fussin’ started back up. My relief was spending time with Keenan…and then you.” I smiled as he took my hand, and we began walking to my house. “This mornin,’ when you saw us fightin,’ I’d just told her to leave. That’s how I found out. She knew she could hurt me by using Keenan. She said I wasn’t the real daddy, but if I stayed with her, she’d let me adopt him. She told me to pick between you and Keenan. I told her if I couldn’t bargain with God, I sure as hell wasn’t gonna bargain with her.”

  “What about Keenan?”

  He sighed. “He’s over at
her folks’ place with her. ’Less Naomi plan on gettin’ a job, she ain’t goin’ nowhere. I’ll try to see him when I can. If she act ugly, and keep Keenan from me…I’ll just have to wait until he gets older, where he can decide for himself.”

  When we reached my door, I hugged him. “Harrison, I know the pain you’re going through, losing something precious.”

  He nodded. “I know you do. That’s why I don’t want you worryin’ about me. It’s been a helluva day. Go on inside, and get some rest.”

  I held onto his arms. “Won’t you come in? I can make supper.”

  He kissed my forehead. “Ain’t got much of an appetite right now, Miss Jasmine.”

  “What can I do for you, Harrison? I love…” I swallowed hard. “I’d love to help.”

  He touched my cheek. “I may need some legal help, separating from her and all, but right now, I just need time to clear my head.” He gave me a soft kiss on the lips. “Night, Miss Jasmine.”

  I leaned against the porch banister, crossing my arms. “Night,” I mumbled as I watched him leave me.

  OH ME, OH MY

  Harrison had been avoiding me. I’d call, he wouldn’t answer. The house never had lights on. Even in the daytime, he didn’t open the door when I knocked. I knew he needed time to sort through some things. One morning, I left a note taped to the back door. I knew he’d see it, when he went out to the yard to lift weights. It simply read, I miss you. The next morning, I found a bouquet of fresh cut flowers on my doorstep. Harrison had been missing me, too.

  The demands of maintaining a law office kept me from daydreaming about romance too much, especially since Mr. Rayman had been referring new clients my way. I was reading a brief, on the verge of calling Mr. Rayman to discuss his will, when Naomi stormed through the door. I peered at her from under my wire-rimmed glasses, unfazed. “Need help with that divorce?”

  “No, I need you to leave my man alone!” she yelled in front of my desk. Her chest heaved under a hot pink blouse that clashed with the black polka-dot micro mini she sported, two sizes too small.

  I put my glasses on my desk calendar and got up, walking right up in her face. “You got some nerve barging into my law office, makin’ accusations, when the flies on the wall can’t even keep up with all the men you been fuckin’!” She backed up a little, when she realized I had a sharp letter opener in my right hand.

  “Harrison and I got some problems we tryin’ to work through, and you ain’t helpin,’ with your Geritol ass!”

  I looked her up and down. “Humph. Last I heard, you’re the one that needed the K-Y Jelly.”

  She pointed in my face. “Looka here, Harrison ain’t perfect. Neither am I, but I wanna work things out.” She smoothed her hand over her belly. “For our new baby’s sake.” She curled her lips, looking indignant. “I’m pregnant.”

  I gave her a blank expression. “So? What’s that mean to me? You like to multiply, similar to creeping rats.”

  Naomi slapped me, sending the letter opener to the floor. I had her falling back in the visitor’s chair, once I knocked the wind out of her.

  “Pregnant my ass!” I hollered down at her. “You would not have tried me like that if you were with child. I bet you won’t try me again, now will you?” To add insult to injury, I yanked her freshly pressed ponytail before I picked up the letter opener and went back to my desk. I had semi-renovated an abandoned church house for my law practice, but this drama made me realize I needed a bigger place, with a receptionist to screen assholes.

  She crossed her arms over her body, whimpering like a baby. “I love Harrison!”

  I patted my French roll and put back on my glasses. “The next time you wanna fool yourself into thinkin’ you love Harrison, think about how you hurt him. He was in Vietnam, praying he’d make it through, just to come home and find out his son isn’t his. Despite your deception, he still wants to make a life for that boy, because he’s a good man. He can teach Keenan something decent.”

  She stood up, adjusting her clothes. “Like sleeping with a slut?”

  I raised a brow. “No, like divorcing a Looney Tune.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “People make mistakes!”

  I twirled a pen in my hand. “And people pay for mistakes.”

  She banged her fist on my desk. “I agree, heifer. This ain’t over!”

  I waved my finger at her. “You know, you’re right, Naomi. Please forgive me for forgetting one last thing.” I pulled a card from my stationery box, scribbled a message, and tucked the card in an envelope.

  “What’s this?” she snapped as I handed it to her.

  “A thank you note, for not treating Harrison right. Your ignorance, my bliss.”

  She stormed out. I ran to the door, watching her switch up the road. “Naomi? Be sure to check your mail, ’cause you gonna get a bill for wastin’ my damn time!”

  ***

  Harrison fed me grapes, drenched with Sangria. A midnight moon illuminated the white sand where we sat.

  “Thanks for meeting me,” he said.

  I leaned against his shoulder. “Thanks for rescuing me from work.”

  He kissed my forehead. “Everything all right?”

  “Yeah, just a lot of late nights reviewing paperwork for Mr. Rayman.”

  “He ain’t doing too well, is he?”

  “No. He’s not doing too well. I gotta meet with him tomorrow. Help him get his affairs in order.” I smirked as I looked at my fingernails. “You know your old lady paid me a visit earlier this evening.”

  Harrison frowned. “Say what? That woman is stuck on stupid. She ain’t hurt you, did she?”

  “No, but I kinda feel bad about givin’ her an Ali blow to the belly. She said she was pregnant.” I tried to read Harrison’s eyes.

  He waved his hands. “Don’t put that one on me. If she ain’t lying, she definitely knocked up by somebody else. We ain’t been like that since I’ve been back.” He held my face as he nestled his nose against mine. “I been with you, and you only. That’s the God’s honest truth.”

  I felt his cheek. “I believe you, Harrison.”

  “What you and I got together ain’t conventional, but it feel more sacred than anything I’ve felt before.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I love you, Jasmine, body and soul.”

  I blushed like a school girl, as I reached behind me and pulled a present from my beach bag. I handed it to him. His eyes brightened. “What’s this?” he asked, opening it.

  I laughed. “A peace offering from the gator. He said he’s sorry for biting the blanket, ’cause he was really goin’ for your ass!”

  Harrison laughed as he held the crocheted black-and-red quilt up in admiration.

  “Well, we ain’t in alligator territory tonight, but I got my pistol, just in case one of ’em gets lost.” He shook his head as he pulled me close to him. “What am I gonna do with you?”

  I gave him a sly grin. “I’m sure you’ll figure out something.”

  He smiled as he pulled a banana from the wicker fruit basket beside us. “Ever had a banana split before?”

  I nodded. “I love ’em.”

  He licked his lips. “Alright, I want you to try mine.” He handed me the blanket. “Spread this out, take your bathing suit off, and lay down on your belly.”

  “My belly?” I asked, removing my peach-colored bikini.

  “Yep,” he said as he removed his Bermuda shorts, exposing a pleasingly erect penis.

  “Can I have this instead of the banana?” I asked as I pulled his body onto the blanket. I swirled my tongue around the head of his shaft, then took it all in my mouth. I tugged him at just the right pressure.

  “Baby, you suckin’ me so good,” he moaned as he held my head steady. I made popping noises as I released, then wrapped him in my mouth again, exciting him further.

  “Turn this way,” he said, rotating my bottom to his face. He waved his tongue down the valley of my juicy pussy, then he traveled back up through the middle of
my plush rear.

  “Ohhh…Harrison,” I whined. “Right there.” His tongue rolled rhythmically over my folds. I continued to suck appetizer juices from the tip of his goodness, when I felt him massage his finger in the crevice of my ass. I tensed for a second.

  “Relax,” he said, moving from under me. He peeled the banana, placing it near my mouth. “Take a bite.” I went down on the banana, like it was his dick. I closed my eyes and moaned as I slowly pulled back, clipping a chunk off into my mouth. Harrison looked mesmerized. “Damn, baby. Lay down.” I got on my stomach and felt him part my legs with his strong hands.

  I watched him mash a piece of the banana between his fingertips. As he rubbed the sticky, sweet consistency, he lowered his body on top of me. I shut my eyes tight as he lubed my crack with the banana paste. He was gentle, tracing his finger lightly over the hole. “Jasmine, just relax. Let your body trust mine, and give into the feelin,’ okay?”

  “Okay,” I said under a muffled moan. I hoped my thirty-two-year-old ass could hang with the virile, young-ass dick that was about to go up my anus. When he slowly penetrated me, I thought I was gonna lose my mind.

  “Ahh…!” I cried, clenching the blanket.

  “Easy,” he whispered as he massaged the small of my back.

  “Harrison, your cock is so thick,” I moaned as I rubbed my clit, trying to get used to him stretching me.

  His strokes were steady and smooth. He placed wet kisses all over my back. “Breathe. Breathe, baby,” he moaned in my ear. He gripped my hips, raising them further up his pelvis. “Lawd, Jasmine, this gonna take me there, I swear. Is it hurtin’?”