Soulful Strut

by Emery, Lynn

  “Heard you did good at that workshop,” Candi mumbled, her eyes still closed.

  “Word travels fast around here. You were back in this place maybe ten minutes or so? Dang.” Monette sat down at the small desk set against one wall.

  “Twenty minutes. You know how the grapevine works, girl. Somebody hears you talking out in the hallway, tells the next person. In a flash the whole house has the details. Anyway, congratulations. I knew you would shine.” Candi shifted to get more comfortable.

  “Yeah. Glad everybody is so sure I can perform,” Monette mumbled.

  “Uh-huh. Heard you met fine-ass Jayson Odum, too. Wish I could get some of that. But he’s too normal for me.” Candi lapsed back into their prison slang for people who hadn’t been into street life.

  Monette stopped fiddling with the ink pen in her hand. “What’s up with him?”

  “Nice guy finishes first. Comes from a good family, so they say. Kinda slow, but like I said, he is fine.”

  “Slow?” Monette knew Candi meant he didn’t party hard, but she wanted to keep more details coming.

  “You know the type. He works long hours, doesn’t hang at the clubs, and he’s a college boy.” Candi rose and rested on one elbow as she gazed at Monette with a crooked smile. “I hear you two was lookin’ each other over. Now you’re pumpin’ me for the 411 on him.”

  “I’m making conversation, alright?” Monette laughed and shrugged. “Okay, and he is superfine, like you said.”

  “Exactly. More than one woman around here has tried, girl. He’s strictly into sorority girls that he can take home to the folks, if you ask me.” Candi stood and stretched.

  “You don’t have to tell me. Still, I like checkin’ out the goods. Umph, umph, umph.” Monette shook her head.

  “And he’s got a lot of goods to check out. Lawd, Lawd, Lawd. Trust me, girl. Knowing you as I do, you’d be bored after the first thrill. You need danger to go with a hot body. Like me and the rest of us around here.” Candi nodded.

  “Yeah. Look what it got us.”

  “A lot of fun times and good sex?” Candi let out a crude laugh. “I’m goin’ to hit the showers. Let’s watch Jerry Springer later tonight. If we act all into it, Sherrial doesn’t keep us too long at the evening group counseling.”

  “Nah. I need to work on this book proposal. Tomorrow I meet with the radio station manager, too.” Monette had no taste for sleaze and chair-slinging, angry love triangles.

  “Umph, okay.” Candi seemed about to say more. Instead she flipped a hand and headed out of the bedroom.

  Monette took out a copy of her book. Her unsmiling photo on the book jacket stared back at her. Ticket Out was a hot seller because Monette talked candidly about her mistakes, including those with men. How she’d landed in prison made her story unique, but ninety-nine percent of the other inmates she’d met had suffered at the hands of some man.

  Monette thought about her past and some of what she’d heard at the workshops that day. She wanted more than just trading on notoriety. Monette wanted to do something more with her life, something to make her kids proud for once. Shoving the book into a drawer, Monette wrote down ideas for the radio talk show. Time for a change in more ways than one.

  ***

  The next morning Monette arrived at the radio station thirty minutes early for her ten o’clock appointment with Chaz Franklin. After giving her name to the receptionist, Monette took time to gaze at photos of on-air personalities. Glossy, professional publicity photos stared back at her. Attractive young faces smiled with confidence and made Monette wonder if she’d made the right decision. Chaz had taken the unusual step of visiting her in prison to offer her a contract as a talk-show host. The sensational nature of the circumstances surrounding her parole had helped.

  Jerry Hines, Winn Barron’s former investigator, had finally supported Monette’s story after years of silence. After being charged with a crime, Hines had confessed that Barron had framed Monette in retaliation after she’d ended their affair. That Winn Barron had become Louisiana’s attorney general and came from a wealthy old money family had ensured that Monette’s story would go national. Before it was over, Barron had been forced to resign. Unfortunately, no one else had backed Hines’s account. Still, the governor had approved Monette’s parole, mostly to save Barron’s family more embarrassment. Lies, sex and politics—lurid details that made her story one juicy tabloid headline after another. As Monette looked at the smooth faces on the wall, she suddenly felt like damaged goods. Sure, she’d been framed, but Monette had been guilty of making a lot of foolish choices. Before she could give in to the urge to run, the station manager came into the lobby.

  “Welcome to KTQL FM 106, Monette.” Chaz strode out dressed in an impeccable olive green suit. He held out both arms as though Monette were his long-lost superstar returned home.

  “Hi, Chaz. Hope I didn’t mess up your schedule by arriving early. The bus system here is better than I thought.” Monette shook his hand.

  “No indeed. Come on and I’ll show you around.”

  Chaz gave her a tour for twenty minutes. KTQL shared the studios with three other stations. Monette visited the country music format, a gospel station and a classic rock show. All three had their own call letters. She met a dizzying number of staff members. Still, Monette had learned to remember faces and names in prison, where knowing the players had been a survival skill. In no time she had built a mental file of who had done what. Chaz led her to a sound studio. A man smiled as they entered the room. He worked a control panel like a real expert.

  “Last but not least, let me introduce you to Irvin Halston, your producer. And that lovely young lady is Nikolya Lands.” Chaz pointed through a glass wall to a female disc jockey on the air. The woman waved to them and kept talking into the microphone.

  “Nice to meet you, Monette. Look forward to working with you.” Irvin shook hands with Monette, and then went back to the controls.

  Another man stuck his head in the door. “Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Franklin. You have a video call coming in from Los Angeles.”

  “Right, right. That must be Magic Johnson’s people. I’m on my way.” Chaz slapped his hands together. “Irvin will walk you through the details of the technical side. Nikolya will give you a short intro. You know, let the listeners know that your show will start Monday.”

  “What?” Monette grabbed his sleeve when he took a step toward the door.

  “You’re in good hands. I know you’ll be fantastic. Take care of her, Irvin.” Chaz patted her hand, worked his way free, and was out the door in a second.

  “What?” Monette turned to Irvin with her mouth hanging open.

  Irvin smiled reassurance back at her. “You’ll do fine. Nikki is a pro.”

  “I’m not ready. Monday. Today is Wednesday. I have five days to do a show? Damn.” Monette sat down hard in a chair and pressed a hand to her forehead.

  As if answering a signal, the young woman came through the door separating the two studios. “Hi, Monette. I’m thrilled to meet you. Got your book and can’t put it down.” “Hi,” Monette managed in a dazed tone.

  “We are all so excited about your show.” Nikki put a hand on Monette’s arm and lifted her from the chair. She gently steered her through the door to the other studio.

  Before Monette knew it, she was sitting down again next to Nikki. A microphone that seemed to grow until it was the size of a watermelon loomed in front of Monette’s face. She blinked at her surroundings, and then looked up to see Irvin give her a thumbs-up to encourage her.

  “I didn’t know I’d be on air today. I’m not ready.” Monette thought ahead to Monday. She wasn’t ready for that either. Icy waves of fear sent shivers down her spine.

  “Don’t you worry, girl. This is just you and me talking. I’m going to introduce you, say a few words, and it will be over. After I do your spot my show ends. Then we can brainstorm your first show.” Nikki kept an eye on Irvin as she spoke. She put on a headset and a
djusted her microphone as the commercial faded. “Just relax. Here we go.”

  Monette swallowed past the bone-dry, sandpaper feeling in her throat. “Okay.”

  Nikki gave her one last smile, then started talking. ‘That’s right everybody. Check out Hope’s House of Unisex Style. You wanna look good for the weekend, right? You better believe it. Okay good people, we’ve got a special treat for you. Bestselling author Monette Victor has joined the KTQL team. That’s right. Monette has her own hot new show starting Monday. Welcome, Monette. We’re excited to have you here.”

  When Nikki winked at her, something inside Monette clicked. Her gift for talking her way out of tight spots kicked in. ‘Thanks, Nikki. I’m excited to work with a group of talented people.”

  “Okay, so Monday morning at nine o’clock you’re going to debut your talk show right here. From what I hear, you’ve got some hot topics coming up. Just what we need in the city, somebody to educate and illuminate. Tell us more.” Nikolya gestured that Monette should keep it going.

  “Well, uh, I’m going to talk about real problems that affects real people. We’re not going to sugarcoat anything, nothing but the real deal. ’Course we’ll have fun, too. I’m going to mix it up for y’all.” Monette rolled out a line of bull, the same way she had when trying to wriggle out of trouble.

  “Can you give us a sneak preview of what’s to come?” Nikki gestured again that Monette should continue.

  “Since I’m so notorious, I’m going to talk about how I ended up on the wrong side of the law. I’ll talk about life on the inside of a women’s prison. Who knows? I might even share some tidbits that didn’t make it into my book, Ticket Out!’ Monette wasn’t sure what she was saying, but it sounded good.

  “Intriguing indeed. I’m gonna be listening in for sure. Okay y’all, tune in to the hottest new ticket in town. Monette Victor’s talk show starts Monday nine o’clock a.m. on the FM. That’s right, FM 106. Check it out. That’s all for me, good people. I’m gonna get outta here and let my man Shawn Dell slide behind the microphone. Until next time be safe, take care and be cool.”

  When music played, Monette let out a long sigh. “Whew.”

  “You did great, girl. I can’t wait to hear that first show.” Nikki draped an arm around Monette’s shoulders as they left the studio.

  “Thanks. Now all I have to do is deliver on those big words.” Monette shook her head. Monday seemed far off right at the moment. She didn’t feel nervous, but maybe the adrenaline rush of thinking on her feet hadn’t worn off.

  “Hey, you must have met a lot of interesting people inside and outside of prison. I’m sure you can come up with guests.”

  “Uh-oh. Guests. I’ll need to line up guests.” Monette’s rush came to a screeching halt. “By Monday.”

  “Chaz probably didn’t give you much notice. The man moves at the speed of light. Don’t worry. I’ll bet you’ve got more resources than you think. Here is the office. We share it with two other disc jockeys. They both work overnight shifts.” Nikki led Monette to a large room with four desks and a long table. “You can use my phone to network if you want. I’m going to get some coffee. Want some?”

  “I can tell we’re going to be good friends, Nikki. I would love a cup. And thanks for helping out in there.” Monette grinned at her with affection.

  “No problem. Just settle in. Chaz will probably sprint in here any sec.”

  Monette had a flash of inspiration. She dug Jim’s business card out of her purse and dialed his office. Her luck held. Jim’s secretary said he was in and could talk to her. After a few minutes of chitchat, Monette invited him to be her first guest. Jim hesitated, and then asked her to hold on while he checked his schedule. Monette spent the next two minutes praying. When he came on the line again Jim said he was available. She then spent another two minutes thanking him profusely. Just as Monette hung up, Nikki came back carrying two large black mugs with the KTQL logo on them.

  “Here we go. Brought sugars and cream, too.” Nikki put the mugs down and took out the small packets from her pants pocket “Found a guest?”

  “As a matter of fact I have.” Monette started to say more when Chaz walked in.

  “Irvin says you were fab on air. Knew you would be. Listen, sponsors are lining up for your show. Does my heart good to hear about ad spots being sold. In fact, you can meet one of your sponsors right now. Hey, Darlene. You finished your meeting with our new account?” he called down the hall to someone. “Excellent.”

  Monette wasn’t sure she could take any more of Chaz’s surprises. She drank coffee for fortification and prepared to memorize another face and name. When the tall dark man appeared next to Chaz, Monette was definitely pleasantly surprised. Jayson turned on his radiant smile and brightened her day more than a ray of sunshine ever could. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and charcoal gray slacks, Jayson took the phrase “business casual” to a stunning new level.

  “Jayson Odum came in to buy thirty-second commercial spots for his auto repair shops. Heard about your show and signed up. Told you we would do great things.” Chaz slapped Jayson on the back as he beamed at him.

  “Nice to see you again, Monette. Congratulations on your new show.” Jayson’s full mouth curved up like a chocolate treat

  Monette tried not to stare. After a moment she realized he’d reached out his hand. When she took it, his firm grip made Monette feel anchored and safe. She’d never had that feeling from a man before. When Nikki cleared her throat, Monette blinked back from fantasyland.

  “Thanks. Hope I live up to all the hype,” Monette quipped.

  “You kidding? Your book is climbing the charts. Already made the extended USA Today Bestseller list .With the right topics and our publicity Hot Topic will be a hit.” Chaz was about to go on when his secretary showed up again. “Be right back.”

  “You’re a busy guy, Chaz. And I have to leave anyway. Thanks for giving me first crack at a hot time slot for my commercials.” Jayson shook hands with Chaz.

  “No problem. Your big brother and me go way back. Tell him I said hello.” Chaz was already hurrying off as he waved goodbye to them. “Monette, Monday morning is going to be all about you.”

  “See you then.” Monette grinned. “Whew, that guy is a whirlwind in a suit.”

  “That’s our Chaz. Takes good care of us, too. I better move out of here. I’m the emcee for a lunchtime mall event See you later, Monette. Bye, Mr. Odum.” Nikki grabbed a denim-and-leather purse from a file cabinet.

  “Bye, Nikki. Will I see you Monday?” Monette asked.

  “Sure. I get here around eight usually, but I’ll come early and give you a quick run-through.” Nikki winked at Monette, then Jayson.

  “Bye, Nikki. And call me Jayson. That way I won’t feel so old,” Jayson replied with a grin.

  “Please. You are not old.” Nikki smiled back at him as she scurried out “I have time to catch another cup of coffee and a Krispy Kreme cinnamon swirl if I get moving.”

  Monette realized they were alone and suddenly felt self-conscious. Jayson seemed relaxed as he put a hand in one pocket “Everybody stays on the move around here,” Monette said.

  “Exciting place. This is going to be your office?” Jayson glanced around the room.

  “Looks like. If you turn in a circle you will have taken the grand tour,” she joked.

  “Nice. I especially like this view.” Jayson went over to the window.

  She followed him and looked out at the parking lot. Across the street was a busy convenience store. A tall clown danced on the sidewalk, waving at traffic and wearing a sign that said no joke, best hot dogs to go in town. Monette burst out laughing.

  “Now I know I’m in the big time. I’ve got a desk and a phone I share with only one other person. Plus I get free entertainment,” she said.

  “Hey, it’s better than my office view. All I can see through the burglar bars is a vacant lot the owner never mows,” Jayson joked.

  ‘Tell you what, I’ll l
oan you my clown,” Monette tossed back.

  “You’re too kind, but I’ll pass.” Jayson raised an eyebrow when the clown did a series of hip-hop moves as he blew his big clown horn. They both burst out laughing at his performance.

  Monette liked the sound of his deep voice, the way his laughter rumbled up from his broad chest. She realized they were standing close together at the window. When she glanced up at him, a subtle spicy scent enticed her. They stepped away from each other at the same time. When he glanced away, Monette felt a hot spike of irritation. Mr. Nice Guy didn’t want to catch her prison cooties, she guessed. Who needed him anyway?

  “Gotta go. Bye.” Monette gave him a stiff smile and turned to leave.

  “Sure. Didn’t mean to hold you up. Good luck with the show.” Jayson followed her out into the hallway.

  “Jayson, one last question on the way you want your commercial to be produced,” a woman dressed in a dark green business pantsuit called to him.

  “Sure, Darlene.” Jayson glanced at Monette again. “Take care.”

  “Same to you.”

  Monette kept walking. She mentally swept away her initial impression of him. Jayson thought he was too good for her. No problem. Besides, she had enough on her plate. What she really needed to do was avoid men like they were bad news. Most of them were worse than bad news, they were major natural disasters. With one last wave to the receptionist on her way out, Monette went outside into the sunshine. A block away she arrived at the bus stop. She sat down on the stone bench and read a section of newspaper someone had left behind. A light gray Dodge Ram pickup truck pulled up at the stop sign. When the window slid down, Monette prepared to put some guy in check. She was in no mood to deal with some wannabe Casanova. Wearing a pair of sunglasses, Jayson waved to her.

  “My Convention Street shop is only a few minutes from New Beginnings. I’d be happy to drop you off,” Jayson said.