by Carl Weber
Once I got in the building, it took no time to find Apartment L. I knocked on the door. A few seconds later a scarecrow-thin woman who looked like she hadn’t combed her hair in about two weeks answered. She was scratching her arms like she had fleas or something. I was sure I was at the wrong apartment. In fact, I must have gone into the wrong building, because this was obviously a crack spot.
“What you want?” the woman asked. She was still scratching her arms.
“I’m sorry. I think I have the wrong apartment. I was looking for Tanisha.”
I took a step back, preparing to leave until she said, “She’s here. Come on in. I’ll get her.” In between her scratching, the woman gestured for me to come in, then turned toward the back of the apartment and screamed, “Tanisha! Somebody here to see you!”
I followed her into the apartment and felt like I was in another world. It was what my mother would call a well-kept mess. There was stuff everywhere, but you could also see where someone had tried to straighten up and keep the place neat. From the looks of the woman in front of me, I figured that must have been Tanisha.
“You can sit down,” the woman told me. She was back to her scratching and it was starting to make me feel like I had an itch too. She ran over to the couch and scooped up a handful of clothes to clear a spot, then she gestured for me to sit down. She called for Tanisha again at the top of her lungs, as if the apartment were the size of a mansion.
“I’m coming,” I heard Tanisha shout from behind a closed door.
By the time I walked over and sat down, the woman had scooped up another pile of clothes and was sitting next to me, still scratching. I figured if she wasn’t going to introduce herself, I might as well.
“How you doing? I’m Dante.” I offered her my hand and she stopped scratching long enough to shake it.
“My name’s Marlene. I’m Tanisha’s mother.” She was so bony I felt like I was shaking the hand of a skeleton.
“Nice to meet you, Marlene.” As soon as I let go of her hand, she was back to scratching her arm again, and now I was scratching right along with her. It was like that shit was contagious.
“Hey, Dante, you got a cigarette?”
“Sorry, I don’t smoke.”
“Think you could loan me five dollars so I can get a pack?”
“I’m sorry, Marlene, but I don’t have any cash on me. I was planning on going to the ATM when I left here,” I lied. I didn’t mind loaning her money for cigarettes, but I was afraid she might use it to buy something stronger.
“So bring me a pack of Newports when you come back, and I’ll let y’all use my room.” She smiled and I had to look away so I wouldn’t gasp. That woman didn’t have but one tooth in her entire mouth.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Okay, and bring me back a doggie bag. Y’all are going out to eat, ain’t you?”
“We were supposed to, but—”
“But what? You taking me somewhere else instead?”
I recognized Tanisha’s voice right away, but when I looked up, I damn sure didn’t recognize the woman standing in front of me. She bore a resemblance to the woman in the baggy sweats I had met the day before, but if this was Tanisha, she must have gone on that show Extreme Makeovers. The woman standing in front of me was so fine she looked like she should have been on a rap video. She had these tight, baby blue low-rise jeans on with a matching jean jacket. Under the jacket she was wearing a thin white halter that didn’t leave anything to the imagination. And that was just her outfit.
Her hair was hooked up in a curly brown style that fell down to her shoulders, accented by a baby blue Kangol that was cocked to the side. All this was accessorized with a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses, freshly manicured nails, and a pair of blue boots that made her a full three inches taller. She was looking so good I was glad I was wearing baggy pants, because my little head immediately took over for my big one, and he was telling me, The hell with Bingo! We need to take her to dinner and a hotel.
“Tanisha?”
I must have sounded unsure, because she looked at me like I was stupid and said, “Yeah, were you expecting someone else?”
“No, I just didn’t expect for you to look this goo—I mean, you look damn good.”
She rolled her eyes at my foolishness. “Thanks, I think.”
I was relieved that my phone rang so I could get my foot out of my mouth, but then I realized it was probably my mother calling back to nag some more about my Bingo obligations.
“Aren’t you gonna answer it?”
I sighed then nodded. “Hello?”
“Dante, where are you?” It wasn’t my mother. It was Anita. “Your mother said you were going to be here ten minutes ago. There are over a hundred people out here waiting to get into the rec hall.” I was brought back to reality and my little head relinquished control to my big head.
“I’m coming, Anita. I had to make a stop first. I’ll be there in five minutes.” I hung up the phone and looked at Tanisha with a frown.
“I hope Anita works at the poetry theater.” Tanisha was glaring at me over the top of her blue-tinted glasses.
“Well, not exactly.”
She jumped in before I could explain. “What do you mean not exactly?” I could hear the disappointment in her voice, but I was sure that was going to turn into B.W.A.—Black Woman’s Attitude—at any moment.
“Tanisha, I’m sorry, but I have to cancel our date.”
All the expression left her face as she leaned back in an Oh-no-you-didn’t-just-cancel-our-date pose. “What? I don’t wanna hear that shit. You mean to tell me I spent all day getting ready for nothing? Do you know how long it took me to put this weave in my head?”
“Look, Tanisha, I’m sorry. You see—”
She cut me off again. “You know what, Dante? You’re full of shit.” She took her sunglasses off. She was no longer disappointed. Now I could see anger in her eyes.
“I’m sorry. But it’s not my fault.”
“Whose fault is it?” She was starting to raise her voice.
“Tanisha, calm down for a minute and let him explain,” her mother chimed in. I’d completely forgotten she was there until just then, although I was grateful, because Tanisha looked like she wanted to pluck my eyeballs out.
Tanisha folded her arms. “Okay, I’m listening. Why can’t you go?”
“Something came up and I gotta work.”
She uncrossed her arms and pointed a finger in my face.
“Do I look stupid to you? Do I look like I have Tanisha’s a stupid bitch written all over my face?” she spat.
“No, but—”
“Then why the fuck you tryin’ to play me?” she yelled.
“I’m not trying to play you. I really gotta go to work.” I turned to her mother for some help, but she looked just as skeptical as her daughter.
“So I guess you work with this Anita, right?” Tanisha asked, giving me a look that told me she wasn’t going to believe whatever answer I gave her.
“Uh-huh. Yeah, I work with her.”
She sucked her teeth, then rolled her eyes as she walked over to the door. “You are such a fucking liar.”
I stood up. “I’m not lying, Tanisha. I swear to God. If you want, you can come to the church with me.”
Both Tanisha and her mother started laughing. “Church? Now I’ve heard everything. You niggas be coming up with some of the corniest shit. What are you, the preacher?”
I was about to tell her I was the preacher’s son, but instead I just gave her the basics. “No, I’m supposed to be running the Bingo game tonight.”
She and her mother laughed even harder than the first time. “Yeah, you running game, all right. ’Cept it’s not even good game.”
Tanisha opened the door, glanced at me, then looked outside to the hall. I took her hint and walked toward the open door, stopping at the threshold. I decided to give it one last-ditch effort.
“I’m not lying, Tanisha. If you don�
�t believe me, you can come by First Jamaica Ministries on Merrick. I’ll be there all night.”
“I ain’t going nowhere looking for you. Now get out my house.”
As I stepped past her to exit the apartment, she put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to face her and she said, “You know what, Dante? I wish you had never paid for my groceries.” She reached in her pocket and pulled out some money, forcing it in my hand. “I hope you have fun with Anita, but believe me, it won’t be as much fun as you could have had with me.”
“Tanisha…” I looked in her face and she raised her hand as if she was about to smack me. I ducked out of the way just in case she swung. That’s when I knew it was time to get out of there. She was about to take things to the next level and the last thing I needed was to wind up in jail for fighting a woman. I walked out the door without another word.
7
Tanisha
It was a little after ten when I walked out of the house and stepped into a waiting cab. I decided to go in to work to take my mind off the fact that Dante had canceled our date to be with another woman. Maybe making some money would take my mind off the fact that I was hurt. I hated to admit it, but I was really feeling that brother, and it wasn’t just his looks. I would have bet money that he was one of the good ones, but I guess I was wrong, because he sure made a fool outta me. I just wish I hadn’t spent all my money on a new outfit and begged my boss to give me the night off. Trust me, he had not been a happy camper when I told him I wasn’t coming in. Saturday was our busiest night at the club, and the last couple of weeks we’d been short-handed. I thought he was gonna give me a hard time when I called in and told him I was coming in after all, but he was so happy I thought he would jump through the phone and kiss me. Well, at least somebody cared, even if he was a fifty-year-old, overweight, balding white man.
“Where to, miss?” the driver asked.
“Take me to the F train at the corner of Hillside Avenue and 168th,” I replied as he headed toward Merrick Boulevard. We hadn’t gone two blocks before my cell phone started ringing. I fumbled through my bag to find it.
“Hello?”
“How’s it going?” a female voice whispered.
It was my friend Natasha, the head bartender at work. She was probably the closest girlfriend I had, despite our ten-year age difference and considering I didn’t get along with women too tough. I’m sorry, but they’re just too petty and catty for me. My grandmother used to have a saying before she died: Where there’s a woman, there’s bound to be trouble—especially if there’s a man around—so stay as far away as you can. And she was right. Ever since I was a teenager, whenever I got close to a woman, there was trouble. I’ve had four best friends in my life, and I’d lost all of them because of something to do with a man. I lost one because she thought I liked her man, another because her man liked me, the third because she liked my man, and the last one…well, I’m not proud of it, but I liked her man and he liked me too, so we ended up sleeping together. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I got mine in the end. Not only did I lose my best friend but I lost the man, too. They got back together, and I think they’re happily married now. From that day on I learned a lesson about other women and myself. We just don’t mix. Nevertheless, Natasha and I were cool, even if I still tried to keep my distance. I just didn’t wanna meet her man, and when I got one, I wouldn’t want her to meet mine.
“How’s what goin’?”
“Your date. How’s your date going?” she asked.
I wanted to lie and say it was fine, but if she saw me at work later on, she’d know I was lying. She’d come over and helped me fix my hair that afternoon and I’d made the mistake of telling her how excited I was to be going out with Dante.
“What date? Girl, that nigga had the nerve to come over to my house and cancel five minutes before we were supposed to go out.”
“Get the fuck outta here.”
“For real. Oh, and get this. While he was there, he got a phone call and told some other bitch that he’d be there in five minutes.”
“No he didn’t!” I could imagine Natasha’s expression.
“Yes he did. And then after he was busted, he had the nerve to try and change shit up by telling me she was his coworker, and that he had to meet her at the church.”
“At the church? What kinda job he got at the church?”
“He said he runs the Bingo game. Imagine that.” I laughed.
“A Bingo game?”
“Uh-huh, a goddamn Bingo game! Can you believe that shit?”
She laughed. “You know, Tanisha, that story sounds so crazy, it could be true.”
Natasha was all right. She knew Dante was a dog just like all the rest, but she was still trying to make me feel better. I just wasn’t in the mood. Sometimes you just wanna be miserable.
“At a church? Running a Bingo game? Come on, Natasha. Now I know why you got three baby daddies, ’cause you’ll believe anything these niggas tell you.”
“Now why you gotta go there?” Natasha barked half-jokingly. She was very sensitive about and protective of her children’s fathers. I was about to apologize until my cab pulled up to a light at the corner of 109 and Merrick and a huge sign across the street grabbed my attention. It read: BINGO, THURSDAYS AND SATURDAYS, 7:30–10:30 PM. The sign was in front of a huge church I’d passed a thousand times before, but this was the first time I paid any attention to it.
“You know, that was wrong, Tani—”
“Hold on a minute, Natasha,” I told her as I read the sign for the second time.
I leaned forward and asked the driver, “What church is that?”
“That’s Bishop T.K. Wilson’s church. Everybody knows him. He’s the man running for borough president.” He pointed at a campaign billboard.
“I didn’t ask you who the preacher was, I asked you the name of the church.”
“Oh, sorry. I think it’s called First Jamaica Ministries.” I glanced at the sign again and my stomach did a flip. Was it possible that Dante had been telling the truth? Had I kicked him out of my house for no reason? Did he really have to go to work? There was only one way to find out.
The light turned green. When the cab started to move I said, “Pull in there. I wanna see something.” Then I placed the phone against my ear and told Natasha I’d call her back. “I gotta check something out.”
A few minutes later I was following a series of Bingo signs that led me to a short flight of stairs and the side entrance of the church. I took a long, deep breath. As much as I wanted to walk down those stairs to find out if Dante was inside, part of me was afraid that he might not be there and I’d have to relive his lie again. Another part of me was concerned about what he might say if indeed he was inside. After all, I did call him a liar and kick him out of my house.
Finally, after standing there like a fool for five minutes, I walked down the stairs and opened the door. The Bingo hall was much larger and more crowded than I had expected. I’d never seen so many old people in my entire life. There had to be over five hundred people in that room, and all their eyes seemed to be glued to the colorful Bingo pads in front of them as they waited for the next number to be called. I felt like I was at a grandparents convention. I scanned the room twice, but there was no sign of Dante. Finding him, if he was there, was going to be much harder than I thought.
“Can I help you? You look a little lost. Are you here to pick someone up?” a woman asked.
I turned toward the voice and saw an attractive woman in her thirties sitting behind a desk to the right of the entrance. I’d been so fascinated by the number of people playing Bingo and my search for Dante that I hadn’t even noticed her or the older, one-armed gentleman sitting next to her.
“No. I’m not picking anyone up. I was wondering if there’s a man named Dante who works here.”
The woman gave me the once-over with her eyes then asked, “And you are?” She had a little too much attitude in her voice for me and the way she was look
ing at me was just as rude. I tried to keep my cool. I was in a church, after all.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m his friend Tanisha,” I replied with a smile. “Are you his mother? I can see where he gets his good looks.”
“I am not his mother,” the woman snapped angrily. She was halfway out of her seat.
“Calm down, sweetheart. She didn’t mean any harm.” The man reached up and gently pulled her back down to her chair.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
I was lying through my teeth. I knew the woman was too young to be Dante’s mother, but I wanted to put her nosy ass in place. From her reaction, I’d succeeded. She just sat there and glared at me evilly with her mouth open. I know this sounds crazy, but she was giving off this hostile vibe like she considered me her enemy, but we’d never even met. From the way she was looking at me, I was sure that if we were in any other place, she’d have had plenty more to say.
“Dante’s over there, young lady.” The man pointed with his one arm and my eyes followed his hand until they were focused on Dante’s handsome face.
Well, I’ll be damned. He really is one of the good ones. A big smile crept onto my face as I observed him sitting at a table on a small platform, calling the Bingo numbers into a microphone. I didn’t recognize his voice at first because the cheap church speakers were distorting it.
“He should be done in about ten minutes. We only have two cards to go,” the old man told me. The woman was still glaring at me.
“Thank you,” I said as I walked toward an empty seat. I sat down and watched Dante as he called the last two cards. When he was finished, I let the majority of the people exit the building, then walked up to the platform where he was cleaning up. When he saw me, his eyes got wide and he rubbed them with both hands as if he wasn’t quite sure if what he was seeing was real.
“Tanisha.” His tone was neutral. I couldn’t tell if he was happy to see me or upset about the way I’d acted before. Either way, it was probably good that we were in a church so he had to stay calm.
