by Mary Monroe
Vera’s daily activities varied from one day to the next. Some mornings when I got up, she would have already left to go shopping or to see one of her plastic surgeons or wherever it was she went almost every day. One thing I noticed was that she never bothered to hook me up with any of the charities she worked for, even though I had mentioned it several times. And whenever I brought up me helping with her charities in front of Daddy, she quickly changed the subject or made it sound so unappealing Daddy suggested I not get involved. Therefore, I had a lot of time on my hands. That was the reason I visited my old friends so much. But that was getting to be too expensive. I was sick of “lending” money to my friends. And I was tired of fucking men that I didn’t have a future with. I still wasn’t ready to start looking for a job yet, and since I didn’t have to work anyway, I decided to enjoy my leisure time as long as I could. Unlike most of my friends who were trapped in boring jobs, I was living the life of Riley. When I was not out shopping, I lounged around the house reading street lit and romance novels and watching game shows on TV most of the day.
“No, he’s not going to start working until next week. Kenneth just took him out to the main store to introduce him to some of the more important members of the staff. They’ll be back here in a little while. Once Bo gets settled in, I want you to help me make him feel at home,” Vera told me.
“Oh, I’ll make him feel real welcome,” I replied quickly. “I want him to be so happy here, he’ll never want to go back to Texas.”
Cash had the usual stupid look on his frog face, but Collette rolled her eyes. I didn’t care what they thought about Bo. If the man was nice to me, I was going to be nice to him.
I was glad they left the kitchen a few minutes later, burping and picking their teeth with toothpicks. Breakfast was more enjoyable when I ate alone.
Before I finished my breakfast, Daddy strolled into the kitchen with Bo behind him. I almost choked on the hot link in my mouth.
“Hello, sweetie,” Daddy began. He came up to me and kissed me on the cheek. Bo had stopped in the middle of the floor. I hugged Daddy, but I was looking over his shoulder. When Bo’s eyes met mine, I looked away and pulled away from Daddy. He glanced from me to Bo and back. “Honey, this is Bohannon, but we call him Bo. He’s Vera’s favorite cousin.” Daddy covered his mouth with his hand. “Oops! I’d better not let Cash hear that!” he laughed. “He thinks he’s Vera’s favorite cousin.” He turned to Bo again and beckoned for him to move closer. “This is Sarah Louise, my princess.” I rose up out of my seat like a Phoenix.
When I’d heard that Bo was moving to California, I had prayed that in person he still looked exactly like his picture. I thought that would make it easier for me to be nice to him.
God didn’t answer my prayer. Bo didn’t look exactly like the man in the picture I’d seen. He looked even better! And he looked at least ten years younger than his actual age.
I couldn’t wait to see how things would develop between him and me. I was glad I had put on a dress that showed off my curves.
“Hey, Sarah,” Bo said, squeezing my hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Hi, Bo,” I said shyly. The way he looked into my eyes with so much intensity, I had to blink and look away to keep from giggling like a teenager. “Welcome to California. I hope you like it here.”
“I’m sure I will,” he said. He winked at me and my blood rushed up to my face.
“Bo and I have a lot to cover today, so we’re heading right back out. I just wanted to swing back by here first because it’ll be somewhat late when we get home tonight. We’ll let you finish your breakfast, baby,” Daddy said, already walking toward the door.
I was already worried about Bo spending as much time at the store as Daddy, who was there ten to fourteen hours on most days. Doing what? I never could figure that one out. Whenever I asked Daddy why he had to work such long hours, his answer was always something vague and confusing. Like, “I need to make sure things are being handled accordingly.”
“It was nice meeting you, Sarah.” Bo cocked his head to the side and gave me a mysterious smile. “I can’t wait to get to know you.”
“Uh-huh. Me too,” I squeaked. I was glad he left when he did. My mouth had begun to water.
It was almost midnight when Daddy and Bo returned. I had turned in for the night, so I didn’t see Bo again until the next day when we all sat down to eat breakfast. He nodded at me and “good morning” was all he said to me the whole time. He chatted with Daddy and Vera about world events, work, and other mundane things. Then he argued with Cash about some stupid sports events. He didn’t even look at me again and my seat was directly across the table from his! Then I decided that he had not winked at me the day before. He must have had a piece of lint or something in his eye and he’d winked to get rid of it. I wasted no time trying to convince myself that maybe Bo was too old for me after all.
I was the first one to leave the table, and I couldn’t get out of that kitchen fast enough.
An hour later, as I lay across my bed reading the latest issue of Ebony magazine, somebody tapped gently on my door. I assumed it was Delia coming to clean my room because she was the only one who bothered to knock these days.
“Come on in,” I yelled, rolling onto my side.
“Sarah.” It was Bo.
My breath caught in my throat as I stood up ramrod straight, dropping my magazine to the floor.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said with one hand in the air and an apologetic look on his handsome face. “I was just wondering if I could borrow your car today if you won’t be using it. Kenneth needs his car to drive to Daly City this morning for a meeting with his lawyer. Vera has a doctor’s appointment. And Cash is taking his car to the shop for an oil change.”
“Oh! You want to drive my car?”
“If you have plans, don’t worry about it. I can take a taxi. I want to check out some dealers, compare prices. I’ll have a vehicle of my own as soon as I find one I like. Thanks to your generous daddy.”
“What about Costa, our chauffeur? He can drive you anywhere you want to go.”
Bo waved his hand. “I don’t like the idea of somebody driving me around. It makes me feel less independent.”
I wished some of the men I’d been fooling around with had felt that way. Every chance one of them got, they had me arrange for Costa to haul them here or there. Then I had to bribe our driver with a lot of hush money so he wouldn’t blab to Daddy or Vera.
“Yeah, you can use . . . uh . . . use my car,” I stammered.
“Now, if you want to drive me around, I wouldn’t mind that,” Bo said, sliding his hands into his pants pockets. Then he winked again. “But you probably have plans for today. . . .”
I smiled. “I don’t have any plans for today. I’d be glad to drive you around.” I had an appointment to get my hair done, but I could do that later.
That was how it started, the beginning of the end.
I took Bo to three car dealers and he chose a brand-new Range Rover that Daddy had agreed to pay for.
That Friday, Bo took me to dinner at my favorite restaurant in the downtown area, which was Tad’s Steakhouse. We talked about everything from our favorite foods to our favorite movies. After dinner, we rode around and I showed him some of the most popular parts of San Francisco. He liked action movies, so I took him to some of the locations where Clint Eastwood had filmed some of the scenes for Dirty Harry. Bo was like a kid in a candy store. And so was I. He was so damn fine, I had to force myself not to grab him.
He was still being trained at the store, so some days Daddy had him come in for only a few hours. Friday evening when he got home from the store a little after four, we went to Fisherman’s Wharf. We walked along the pier acting like tourists and munching on jumbo prawns on a stick. He held my hand and draped his arm around my shoulder the whole time. We rode the cable car back down to Powell Street, where he had parked his brand-new SUV in a nearby garage.
&
nbsp; When we got back to our neighborhood, I pointed out Danielle Steel’s sprawling mansion a few blocks from ours. There was a shiny black stretch limo parked out front. “She’s as gorgeous as the women she writes about,” I said with a sigh.
Bo gave me a confused look. “Who is Danielle Steel?” he asked, staring at her mansion.
“You don’t know who Danielle Steel is?” I gave him an incredulous look. He looked puzzled as he shook his head. “She’s one of the most successful romance writers on the planet. I have most of her books if you want to read one.”
Bo blinked and shook his head. “When I read, it’s usually nonfiction or something related to business and finance,” he said seriously. “I have never read a romance novel.” He laughed. “But it’s nice to know we live around people like one of the most successful romance writers on the planet.”
The following week when Bo started working full-time at the main store, he got home early enough to take me out to dinner three nights in a row.
I got the feeling that Collette was jealous of all the attention I was getting from Bo. Every time she saw me leaving the house with him, she got this tight look on her face. And last Saturday night, as I was dressing to go to a jazz club with him, she eased into my room and plopped down on my bed. “You look real nice, Sarah.”
“Thanks,” I replied, struggling to get into my dress.
I was surprised when Collette ran up behind me and zipped up the back of my dress. “You know Bo is still in love with his ex-wife,” she warned, giving me a guarded look as she sat back down on the bed. “Cash told me she’s the only woman that man has ever loved. Cash also told me that Bo took the breakup so hard, he actually bought a gun and talked about killing Gladys. Knowing a man would go that far scares me.”
“It doesn’t scare me,” I said sharply. “I know how to treat a man.”
“Well, at least you know about Bo’s past. He sounds like he’s got some serious issues with women.”
“So?” I shrugged. “Most men have serious issues with women.”
“Yeah, but Bo’s the kind of man who has a problem with women who disappoint him. A man like that can be real dangerous. Especially one that went out and bought a gun. That doesn’t scare you?” she continued with even more conviction in her voice now.
“Collette, I appreciate your concern, but please let me take care of my business and I’ll let you take care of yours. I can take care of myself when it comes to men. When I was still living in Hunters Point, I used to go out with dudes that would bash a girl’s face in if she even thought about getting out of line—which I did with more than one of my boyfriends. And I’m still here,” I said proudly, stabbing my chest with my finger. “Besides, as long as my daddy is alive, I don’t have to worry about some man hurting me.”
“Your daddy is getting older every day.”
“So am I. So are you. Who isn’t?”
Collette gave me a frustrated look. “Your daddy might not be around to help you when you need him, you know. Or he may come around when it’s too late. I really do care about you, Sarah, whether you believe me or not.”
It was my turn to give her a frustrated look, and I gave her one that was so severe it made her shudder. “Collette, what is your problem? Why do you care about what happens between Bo and me?”
“Well, I’m just trying to look out for you. You’ve become like a little sister to me.”
I had to hold my breath to keep from laughing.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t get too involved with Bo,” she advised, placing her hands on her hips. It was only eight o’clock and she was already in one of the many ugly nightgowns she owned. This one was plaid with ruffles on the end of each sleeve. “Girl, I am telling you, if his ex decides she wants him back, he’ll be up out of here lickety-split.”
“I’ll worry about that when and if it happens. Until then, Bo is my man.”
The following Monday, Bo came home early enough to take me out again. He always enjoyed the rib joints and chicken shacks that I took him to. But on this particular night, we dined in one of the most expensive Italian restaurants in the Bay Area. I couldn’t tell if it was the potent wine or if we were both ready to take our relationship to the next level, but we made love that night in my room.
We did the same thing the next night, and the next....
If that meddlesome-ass Collette had not barged into my room, or if I had locked my door, things might have turned out differently. I looked over Bo’s shoulder as we lay in bed, naked and humping like rabbits, to see Collette standing in the doorway with her mouth hanging open.
“Collette—shut that damn door!” I ordered, glaring at her.
“I knew it! I knew it! I knew you two love birds were getting busy,” she said with a smirk. She kicked the door shut and folded her arms, looking like she was some kind of warden or something. “I see I was right!”
“Shit!” Bo hollered, scrambling to get under the covers.
“It’s okay, Collette. Bo and I are getting married,” I announced, grabbing his hand.
I couldn’t tell who was more surprised by what I’d just said, Bo or Collette.
CHAPTER 27
KENNETH
SARAH AND BO CAME INTO MY BEDROOM HOLDING HANDS THAT SUNDAY morning. He had been in Frisco six weeks. And when I saw Collette trailing along behind them, I didn’t know what to think.
Vera was sitting at her vanity applying makeup and fussing with her hair. She had had the bags removed from under her eyes two weeks ago, so now she looked more beautiful and younger than ever. As far as I was concerned, the woman was flawless, even with bags under her eyes. But whenever she felt the need to do something to make her feel better about herself, I encouraged it. More than anything I wanted to keep the two most important women in my life happy. But when I saw the strange look on Sarah’s face, and the fact that she and Bo were holding hands, I got curious real quick.
“What’s the matter?” I wanted to know.
Collette, being the busybody she was, spoke first. “Sarah has something to say.” I ignored the smirk on her face.
“Daddy, you know Bo and I are real fond of each other,” Sarah began.
“Mmm-huh. I figured that out already. You two have been out almost every night since he got here,” I said with a chuckle. My daughter was glowing like a two-hundred-watt lightbulb, and that made me feel so jubilant I could barely contain myself.
Vera stood up, still holding a powder puff in her hand. She looked puzzled. Just as Sarah was about to speak again, Collette started waving her hands. “I think it’s way too early for them to be talking about getting married!” Collette said.
“Who’s getting married?” Vera and I said at the same time.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bo look at Vera and nod. She nodded back. I didn’t know what to make of that, but then I didn’t know what to make of anything else that had just occurred in the last few moments.
“Bo and I are in love,” Sarah blurted, leaning her head on Bo’s shoulder. He put his arm around her and started to caress her shoulder. “We want to get married.”
I adored Bo. He reminded me of myself when I was his age. When I recalled how Sarah had told me she wanted to marry a man just like me, I couldn’t have been happier about him and her getting together now. Despite the fact that they had hooked up quicker than most people, I didn’t let that bother me. I knew the first moment I laid eyes on Vera that she was the only woman for me.
“This is kind of soon to be talking about marriage,” Vera suggested, giving me a sharp look. She must have suddenly remembered how fast she and I had decided to marry after we’d met. “But I guess there is such a thing as love at first sight.” She gave me a big smile. I smiled back and gave her a knowing wink.
“Vera’s right. There is such a thing as love at first sight,” I agreed. “But things are different now than they were when she and I rushed into marriage. Times have changed. It’s a big step that nobody should rush into nowadays.�
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“I tried to tell them that,” Collette snarled. “Bo, don’t you think you should wait for the ink to get dry on your divorce papers?”
“Collette, don’t you think you should mind your own damn business?” Sarah snapped.
Cash padded down the hall and into the room. He was still in his pajamas. “I was wondering where everybody was. What’s going on here?” he asked.
“Sarah wants to marry Bo,” Collette told him. “Can you believe this girl?”
“Excuse me?” Cash’s eyes got big and an amused expression spread across his face as he looked from Sarah to Bo. He slapped his hands onto his hips. “Is this some kind of a joke?” He laughed. “Don’t you two think you should get to know each other better first?”
“I know all I need to know about Bo,” Sarah insisted. “Daddy, I hope you will give us your blessing.” Then she turned to Vera. “You, too, Vera. But . . . we’ve made up our minds. I’m over twenty-one now, so we’re going to get married no matter what anybody says,” she said, looking from Collette to Cash as she made her last statement.
“Baby, all I want is for you to be happy. If you and Bo want to get married, you have my blessing.” And I meant every word. Sarah was a strong-willed young woman. I knew right after I’d first met her that she was the kind of girl who was going to live her life the way she wanted to. She’d been doing just that so far. If she wanted to get married, I was glad it was to a man like Bo and not one of the lowlife characters she had been involved with in the past few years. And I knew Vera felt the same way.
“Uh, I hope you two getting married doesn’t mean you’ll be moving out of the house,” Vera mumbled. There was a worried look on her face and that worried me.
“Vera, if they want a place of their own, that’s their business,” I threw in quickly. “Newlyweds need their privacy.”
“What I want to know now is when you two plan on getting married? Do you plan to do it in a church, or what?” Vera asked. I was glad to see that the worried look was no longer on her face. Now she looked downright giddy. But that worried me too. Vera was a complicated and mysterious woman who never ceased to amaze me.
