by Mary Monroe
“He is,” I replied, trying to look and act nonchalant. The last thing I wanted was for her to suspect I was up to something. The thought that I could use Bo to “straighten Sarah out” had entered my mind immediately after she’d expressed her interest in him. He’d be good for her and she’d be good for him as long as I was the one in control.
“He’s so damn cute.” Watching Sarah swoon like a love-struck puppy was sickening, but it was worth it.
“His wife took him to hell and back. She grew up in some fancy neighborhood in Boston. She has this notion that people from that part of the country are better than the rest of us—especially people from the South like me and . . . people from California like you. That wench was so trifling she’d fuck her lovers in the same bed she shared with Bo.”
“Ooo wee! That’s what I call a straight-up skank!” Sarah snorted. She softened her voice and grinned. “So . . . uh . . . he’s single now?”
“Oh yeah, the divorce is in the works. He put up with her as long as he could before he finally threw in the towel. Well, actually she’s the one that moved out. She was screwing one of their neighbors who was also one of Bo’s fishing buddies. When she left Bo, she moved in with the dude—in the house right next door.” I sniffed and gave Sarah a serious look. “I wish he could meet a nice girl like you. He’s somewhat older than you, but an older man can enrich a younger woman’s life tremendously. Look at your daddy and me.”
“Uh-huh.” Sarah gave me a mildly incredulous look. Then she grinned like the Cheshire cat and blinked a few times. I could just imagine the wheels turning in her head. “I like older men as long as they’re cute and not too broken down.”
“Me too,” I said. Had I known Sarah was this big of a fool over a handsome older man, I would have been on this case a lot sooner. I could have hooked her up with Bo a long time ago.
“Having his wife leave him for one of his friends must have been real hard on Bo,” Sarah continued with a glazed look on her face. “If I were a dude and my woman disrespected me the way Bo’s wife did him, I’d beat her ass.”
This was getting so good I wanted to lick my chops. Instead, I just cleared my throat. “Tell me about it. She’d park her car in the dude’s driveway so Bo had to look at it every time he left his house or looked out the window.”
Sarah’s eyes darkened and her brows furrowed with anger. “She sure was a bold soul sister.”
“She’s a lucky one too. Bo wanted to kill her. He’d even bought a gun. He probably would have killed her if Cash and I hadn’t called him up every day and talked him out of it.”
“Well, the next time you go visit your family in Houston, take me with you. I sure would like to meet your cousin.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Sarah.” Her interest in my long-suffering cousin had really piqued my interest. “Would you like some more wine?” I poured what was left in the bottle into her wineglass before she responded.
“Thanks, Vera. This stuff sure gives a smooth buzz.” She took a long drink and then let out a sharp hiccup. I had purposely left the photo album open to the page with the picture of Bo. Every few seconds I looked at Sarah out of the corner of my eye and caught her staring at that same picture. “Want me to get another bottle of wine from the bar?” she asked, already rising.
“That’s all right. I’ve had enough for now.” Now that I had the ball rolling, I needed to focus on my own love life. My pussy was itching like I had fleas. I had to put Sarah on hold for a little while so I could go get myself taken care of. “Um, I just remembered I’m supposed to call up Mr. Beauchamp to discuss that fundraiser for a children’s home in South City that houses troubled kids.”
“Huh?”
The fact that I did some charity work surprised a lot of people. But there was more to me than shopping and dining out and having affairs. During the year, I spent a few hours a week now and then at various inner-city churches or some youth facility, helping out any way I could. Those places had become havens for kids in low-income families and other bleak situations. Had it not been for places like that when I was growing up, I would have lost my way and ended up like my sisters.
“Why is a woman like you off into stuff like that?” The look on Sarah’s face confused me. I couldn’t tell if she was surprised or amused by what I’d just told her. “I used to help serve dinners to the homeless at our church on the holidays. And when I was acting up a little in my early teens, Grandma Lilly put me in a youth home for a few weeks and it sure straightened me out.” Sarah gave me a pensive look. “You’re the last person in the world I expected to be doing charity work or helping out with the troubled kids.”
Her last statement stunned me. I didn’t want her to spend too much time thinking about how I spent my time during the day. The last thing I needed was for Kenneth to start monitoring my movements.
“Well, I care about people, so that’s why a woman like me is off into stuff like that!” I snapped.
“I . . . I didn’t mean anything by what I just said!” Sarah fumbled defensively, rearing back in her seat. “What I meant was, you are such a glamorous, dainty lady. I just thought that when you weren’t at some fancy country club or having lunch with one of your rich friends, you’d be hanging out at fashion shows and beauty parlors and stuff every day.”
I only did enough charity work to make myself look good. But that was not what I wanted to discuss at the moment. I had a more important matter to address, but Sarah seemed to be so interested in what I did with my time, I decided to indulge her a little longer. My pussy would have to itch a little while longer. The more I got her into my corner, the easier it would be for me to keep her there.
“No matter how glamorous and dainty I am, I still enjoy helping less-fortunate people. I had a hard life when I was young, so I can relate to those people. It’s a burden I accept without complaint. That’s why God has blessed me so much.”
Sarah looked at me in awe. “Dang, Vera. I think that is so hella cool! Is there anything at one of those places that I can do to help out? I’d love to help out less-fortunate people like I did at our church when I was younger. Now I can donate some of my money, too, especially now that I have so much of it.”
Tell me about it, I said to myself. Sarah had already “helped out” enough less-fortunate people by being so generous with her friends. This conversation had taken a wrong turn. The last thing I wanted to do was encourage this stupid girl to give away even more of Kenneth’s money. “Uh, yeah. I’ll look into it. Right now we have more help than we need,” I mumbled. I finally snapped my photo album shut. I glanced at my watch for the third time in the last five minutes. “Hmmm. I’d better go freshen up and use the bathroom before I call up Mr. Beauchamp. He’s so long-winded he might keep me on the line for an hour.” I was going to call Mr. Beauchamp—and Andre—but later. I had another call to make that was a little more important. I practically floated upstairs to my room so I could use the telephone in private.
Bo was the only person I knew who did not have call waiting on his landline. I got a busy signal for ten minutes. I finally called his cell phone, but it went straight to voice mail. After three more attempts, he answered his landline. I didn’t want to waste any time putting my latest scheme into action. “We need to talk!” I yelled.
Bo greeted me with an exasperated sigh. “Look, Vera, I know I still owe you a couple of grand. As soon as I get myself sorted out with that bitch and her alimony, I’ll break you off a payment. Now stop harassing me. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you and I don’t appreciate you accusing me of harassing you.”
“What else is it? You’ve called me five times this month asking me when I’m going to pay back the money I borrowed from you last month.”
“Fuck that. As a matter of fact, you can forget about the money you owe me. Consider it a gift,” I said in a low voice, my eye on the door. Sarah had a rude habit of entering my room without knocking. “Listen, I’ve got a proposition for you.”
> “I’m afraid to ask what it is,” Bo replied with a groan.
“You told me one time you’d love to live in Frisco someday.”
“So? I still do. Why?”
“Now that you and Gladys have finally called it quits, a serious change would probably do you a world of good.”
“That’s true. I even thought about moving up to Buffalo to start up a landscaping business with one of my old navy buddies.”
“Buffalo gets real cold in the winter.”
“So?”
“Well, it’s warm out here most of the year. And we’ve got all these empty bedrooms in this beautiful mansion. . . .”
“Cuz, I know you, so I know you want something from me. You don’t need to beat around the bush. Whatever is on your mind, you need to tell me and you need to tell me now. I have to get to my second job in a little while. That bitch left me so high and dry that I have to work two jobs now just to get by!”
“It would help if you didn’t have to see her for a while. Is she still living right next door to you?”
“Yeah, she is! I’m going to start looking for a new place as soon as I can afford it. I’d rather live in a hole than stay so close to Gladys!”
“Bo, how would you like to live with us and work for Kenneth? You’ll be earning way more money than whatever you’re earning now. I’ll see to that.”
Bo was taking too long to answer.
“Bo?”
“I’m still here. What’s going on, Vera? For you to be offering something that sweet to me, there has to be something in it for you. Now what the hell is it?”
“When will your divorce be finalized?”
“One month from today. And not soon enough for me! I will say this much—had I known how many headaches I was going to have as a married man, I never would have taken that step in the first place. I still think about shooting that heifer dead!”
“You stop talking like that! What good would it do for you to kill Gladys? And believe me, Texas is not the state where you want to commit murder. Those courts down there would love to fry another black man. Or at the very least, put your ass in jail for life.” The words were rolling off my tongue so fast I had to pause for a few seconds to catch my breath. “Baby, let nature run its course. At the rate Gladys is going, you ought to know that somebody else is going to kill her sooner or later.” Bo’s ex had played several different men at the same time before he married her. One had attempted to choke her to death when he caught her screwing his brother.
“Going to prison for killing that tramp would be worth it to me. I can take care of myself.”
“Bo, a pretty boy like you wouldn’t last a week locked up with all those thugs. Some snaggletoothed redneck or some bald-headed brother from the ghetto would make you his bitch in no time. Just forget about that woman and move on with your life.”
“I wish I could. I’ve never been hurt like this. I never thought losing my woman would hurt so much. I wish she was dead. If . . . if I can’t have her, I don’t want anybody else to have her.”
“You married the wrong woman, Bo. That’s all. There are a lot of other women available for you to choose from. And there are women you can trust who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. A smart man like you should know that.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that.”
“Well, then, move on with your life, cuz. Don’t let what happened with your first wife turn you against women!”
“My first wife?” Bo guffawed and I could hear him snorting like a bull and clapping his hands like a seal. “Gladys was my first and last wife! I will never go through some shit like this again!”
“Gladys didn’t have anything to offer you anyway,” I said. “You brought so much more into that marriage.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that either. She even had the nerve to tell me that she married me because I was such a hard-working man. She saw me as a goose that laid golden eggs from the get-go. The money that I had saved up over the years, that bitch is taking half of it. And my retirement and 401K money too!”
“It’s time for somebody to give you something, cuz. You deserve it.”
“I deserve a lot. I deserve to be rich. I deserve to get my dick sucked on a regular basis. What are you getting at?”
“Now, I want you to listen to me and I want you to listen good. I’m going to get you back in the game. Honey, have I got a woman for you!”
Bo let out a loud and impatient sigh. “Now that’s just great. I already feel like a pile of shit and now you’re telling me I need you to help me find a new woman. I used to listen to shit like that from my mama! I don’t want you or anybody else to pity me—or find a woman for me!”
“Calm down, sweetie! I do not pity you. I’m trying to help you.”
“Thanks but no thanks. I don’t need your help. If you are trying to dump off one of your homely friends on me, don’t waste your time. I’ve seen a few of the women you associate with and I already have one dog.”
“Stop trying to be funny.”
“Vera, I’m not trying to be funny. I’m serious. I still know how to pick a woman on my own.”
“I hate to remind you, but you didn’t do such a good job when you picked Gladys.”
“I guess I didn’t.”
“Will you just listen to what I have to say? That’s all I want you to do.”
“All right. I’m listening. And this better be good!”
“It is,” I said with a triumphant sigh.
CHAPTER 22
VERA
“YOU REMEMBER ME TELLING YOU ABOUT KENNETH’S UNMARRIED daughter, don’t you?”
Bo grunted something unintelligible. Then he laughed. “Keep talking, Vera. I have a feeling this is going to be real amusing and I could use a few laughs.”
“I hope you’re not drinking. I need for you to have a clear head right now.”
“I had a couple of beers a few hours ago, but my head is as clear as it can be now.”
“Then listen and listen good. I think she’s the one for you, Bo. She’s up for grabs and so dumb and stupid she’s a sitting duck for these scumbags out here. If some man’s going to put his hand in her pocketbook, that man ought to be you. She’s the answer to all of your problems.”
“Kenneth’s daughter? I remember you mentioning something about her. Is she the one he had with some file clerk he was fooling around with back in the day?”
“She was his secretary. Lois was her name. The child’s name is Sarah and she’s living with us now.”
“Oh? Where is her mama?”
“She died in a car crash a few years ago. I thought I told you about that.”
“You probably did, but I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life these past few years, remember? I’ve forgotten about a lot of things.”
“Let me refresh your memory. The girl has no other relatives, so that’s why she’s living with us now. She was away at boarding school in another state for a while and doesn’t want to go on to college, so now she’s with us for good. Having her under foot has become a major burden to me! She’s a pain in the ass if ever there was one. See, she still hangs out with people from her old neighborhood. Believe it or not, she was actually dating a man who hauls trash! And before him, she was fucking a cabdriver! He was some Nigerian tar baby with sneaky eyes. I had my friend down at Immigration check him out. That sucker came here to go to school and no doubt look for an American fool to marry so he can get a green card. He would have hit the mother lode had he convinced Sarah to marry him. It’s a good thing I found out in time to stop that! She’s too stupid for her own good. I’m going crazy trying to keep an eye on this girl, preventing her from getting into something she can’t get out of on her own. Luckily, the Nigerian lost interest in her, but I’m sure some other maniac will take his place. It seems like trouble comes looking for this girl. Right now she’s sliding around town with a man who is a . . . a fry cook in a fast-food restaurant!” I almost choked on those wor
ds.
“Well, give the girl some credit. At least she’s not getting involved with drug dealers or pimps. She likes men who do honest work. I thought that was what every woman wanted.”
“She’s worth millions, Bo. When Kenneth dies, she’s going to be worth even more millions. With that much money on the table, she needs to marry the right man. Every unattached, broke-ass man in this city will try to marry her once Kenneth is out of the way. She’s just stupid enough to say yes to the first one who proposes to her. I need to help her get with the right man.”
“You need to help this girl find a man? Hmmm. Well, what all is wrong with this sad sack? She must be one hell of a dog! And is she retarded or deformed too?”
“Nothing’s wrong with the girl, Bo.”
“Well, something’s got to be wrong with her if the only way she’ll get a husband is because she’s filthy rich. She either looks like Godzilla or King Kong. Don’t play with me, Vera. I am not about to let you set me up with a beast.”
“No. Believe it or not, the girl is quite pretty. You remember Kenneth’s dead brother’s daughter? The one that accidentally spilled some punch on your foot at the family reunion a few years ago.”
“Oooh yeah. I remember that juicy little cutie.” Bo laughed again. “She had a nice pair of legs on her and butt for miles.”
“Sarah looks a lot like her. They could almost pass for twins.”
“Why are you telling me all this and I haven’t even met the girl? How do you know she’d be interested in me?”
“Bo, she saw your picture a little while ago. The way she was drooling, you would have thought she was looking at a picture of Denzel Washington in the nude.”
“Uh-huh. Well, I’m sure she’s already got more men sniffing her scent than she can handle.”
“That’s the problem.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Are you listening to me or not?” I was more than a little impatient. But I was not ready to give up. “A lot of men are sniffing her scent. I don’t want the next man she falls for to make a fool out of her.”
