by Carl Weber
“What? No!” I shook my head. “My friend paid for it.” I didn’t want to lie, but I also didn’t want to tell the truth.
“Your friend paid for it, huh?” she asked curtly. For the first time since I’d arrived, my mother was starting to judge me. “I hope you didn’t let your friend get up under your skirt. You know that’s all they want.”
Well, that was a punch to the gut. “No, Momma, my friend’s a girl. Her . . . her name’s Donna, and her daddy’s a doctor down in Waycross, Georgia. That’s where I’ve been staying. I even had a job.”
“A job doing what?”
“Working at a convenience store at a gas station. I worked for a real nice man named LC Duncan and his family.”
She looked at me skeptically but didn’t say anything as she kept on cooking.
“So, if things were so great, then why’d you come home?”
“Because I missed you, Momma.” I jumped up, hugging her with tears running down my face. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, baby.” She smiled and set the plate of eggs, bacon, hash browns, fried green tomatoes, and biscuits in front of me, hovering nervously. I could tell how much she wanted my approval.
I knew things were different from the way she was making such a fuss over me. My mother had never cared one bit what I thought, but this was a different person. She waited for me to take that first bite, and since it looked like she wouldn’t budge until I did, I obliged, shoveling a huge forkful of eggs into my mouth.
“This is so good, Momma,” I murmured absently, trying to calm my anxiety.
“All I want is for you to be happy. This time you’re going to be happy, I swear. Just promise me you’ll give this a real chance?” She asked it in a way that made it seem like she was begging me for something, and I just didn’t know what. “I’ma make you those baked turkey wings you like for dinner,” she told me as she got up and began to prepare the next meal.
By the time night fell, we were both exhausted as we sat down on the couch together to watch television. When Archie Bunker ended, Good Times came on. My mother and I howled with laughter every time J.J. said “Dy-no-mite!”
As soon as the show ended, I started yawning. She got up and turned off the television. “You must be tired,” she said.
“Yeah, I am,” I said, getting up and heading into my bedroom. My mother followed close behind me, talking a mile a minute.
It was strange being back in that room. I opened the set of drawers and pulled out a nightgown. I was actually surprised she hadn’t thrown away my stuff. I got dressed and was about to slip into bed when my mom threw her arms around me.
“Charlotte, I’m just so glad you’re finally home. I had almost given up on ever being happy again.”
LC
29
I should have been walking out of the Holiday Inn beating my chest because I’d just gotten laid, but instead I wanted to plug my ears because of Donna’s nagging.
“I don’t see why we can’t spend the day together. We can go back inside and tell them we want to keep the room until checkout then head down to my parents’ summer place.” Donna took hold of my arm, trying to turn me back toward the hotel. Part of me wished I could, but I had responsibilities.
“Look, I can’t, all right? I told you last night I had to open the shop this morning,” I reminded her as we approached her car. The tow truck was parked on the other side of the parking lot just in case anyone got suspicious, because good girls like Donna didn’t get caught in hotels with guys who were not their husbands, even though we were engaged.
“Please, I’ll give you a blow job.” She licked her lips coyly. At the same time, she looked around to make sure no one had heard her.
“You have no idea how much I wish I could.”
She stuck out her lip and pouted. I slipped my hand around her waist and pulled her close, trying to make amends. It seemed like all the things I’d been wanting Donna to do, like spend the night and give a brother a blow job, she suddenly wanted to do. I should have been ecstatic, except for some reason, it didn’t feel quite right. It almost felt contrived.
“Even if I leave now I’m going to be late. Donna, I have responsibilities.”
“What about your responsibility to me?”
I gave her a peck on the lips, stepping back only to be met with the saltiest expression. Normally, she was the one too busy to spend time with me, leading me to chase behind her, but over the past few weeks, it was like everything had flip-flopped. Now she was the one acting all needy, wanting to be with me every waking minute. Who knows? Maybe the idea of me owning the shop was becoming attractive to her.
“LC, what kind of kiss was that?” she complained. “I ain’t your old aunt Ethel. I’m your fiancée, who just spent the last twelve hours showing you how much I love you.” She chastised me until I leaned in and planted a deep, long French kiss on her, even knowing that my mind wasn’t present.
“How was that?” I laughed, wanting to make sure everything was all right before she got back on the road. Last thing I needed was for her to be upset and get into an accident.
“That should keep my mind busy on the drive back to Jekyll Island.” She made a face like she was being sent to a prison instead of the luxury summer home her parents kept on a private island with a beach, where all she had to do all day was relax and have fun.
“If it’s any consolation,” I said, “I love you.”
“I love you too, and you better call me at least five times before tomorrow,” she whined.
Boy, I certainly wasn’t used to this version of Donna, and I was seriously ready for her to go back to her old self. I’d never been attracted to needy women, especially not whiny, spoiled ones.
“Okay, but I want you to call me at the shop and let me know that you arrived safely.”
“So you gonna come down this Saturday right? My parents are having a big seafood party, and afterwards we can make love on the beach.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m planning on it, but we still haven’t got everything together for the shop’s grand opening, so don’t hold me to it, okay?”
“The shop. The shop. Everything is all about the shop,” she snarled, yanking open the door to her car and getting in. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t the shop that was bringing out the seductress in her. “There are a lot of people on St. Simon’s and Jekyll Island that would love to spend time with me, so if I were you, I’d make me a priority,” she snapped before she turned on the engine and drove away. Now that was the Donna I had grown used to!
She’d driven two hours yesterday and lied to her parents so we could spend the whole night together in a hotel, and as much as I enjoyed it, I had to admit my mind was elsewhere for much of our time together. It was weird; I had been so into the chase, but when Donna finally gave in to all the things I’d been begging for, I could barely stay focused on her. Other than the issue with going to her parents’ house, though, I think I’d managed to hide my preoccupation from her. At least she hadn’t commented on it.
I got in the tow truck and headed to the station. Instead of taking the direct route, I found myself traveling through town and down Oak Street past Big Sam’s, probably because it made me think of Chippy. I guess I couldn’t blame her for leaving, but I sure wished I’d had a chance to explain myself and say good-bye. I couldn’t deny my disappointment as I drove by.
Less than five minutes later, I pulled into the shop, slamming on my brakes. “What the hell is he doing here?” I murmured to myself, gazing at the 300D Mercedes-Benz that belonged to Dr. Washington. Donna’s father was leaning against the car, looking out of place in his suit and tie.
“LC.” He nodded to me.
I got out of the truck and approached him, my heart pounding in my chest. “Dr. Washington.” I held out my hand to him, but he ignored the gesture. “I thought you were down in Jekyll Island,” I asked, even though the possible reason for not being there worried me.
“There was an emergency with
a patient, so I had to come up last night. I heard you opened up this shop, so I thought I’d stop by and have a heart to heart talk with you.” He took a few steps back, looking up at the sign. “Duncan Brothers Service Station,” he read aloud.
“Yeah, my brothers and I own the place,” I replied, suddenly feeling less than confidant about what had been a real source of pride lately. Something about this man made me feel like I was still some scruffy little kid begging for scraps, and I didn’t like it.
“I thought you told me that you were going to get a degree in business.” He stared at me like he felt I’d been lying to him.
“I am getting my degree,” I answered, feeling sweat forming on my brow.
“So why are you wasting your time in this place?” His face scrunched up like he had swallowed something nasty. “Shouldn’t you be up there in Atlanta or Charlotte doing an internship?”
I took a deep breath to calm myself before answering. “Dr. Washington, I’m trying to set something up to secure my future, so that I will always have a fall back plan when I’m married to your daughter.”
He laughed. “Speaking of my daughter, would you happen to know her whereabouts?”
“She’s on her way back to Jekkyl Island, sir.”
“Is that right? And where did she stay last night?”
Shit. Was he really going there? From the way he was looking at me, I was sure he already knew the answer. “Maybe you should ask her that.”
“I’m asking you.” He folded his arms, looking me dead in the face. I felt like I was shrinking before him.
“Dr. Washington, Donna and I are engaged, and I really don’t feel comfortable answering that question.”
He raised his hands and waved them in my face like he had no interest in hearing about that. “Your engagement still remains up for discussion as far as I’m concerned. Where I come from, when a young man wants to marry a young woman, he goes directly to her father and asks for his permission, and only after he receives that approval does he go and buy her an acceptable engagement ring—not a piece of fool’s gold.” His words landed sharply, as they were meant to wound.
“That ring belonged to my mother. It’s a family heirloom,” I shot back, feeling a sudden urge to punch him in his smug face.
He audibly groaned at my response. “Not all things are meant to be passed down, son. That thing barely had a diamond. It was more like the chip off a real diamond.”
“When you love someone, you’re not concerned with the size of a ring,” I replied in defense.
“My daughter thinks that she loves you, but that is because she doesn’t know who you really are. Nor, for that matter, does she know anything about love.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, reminding myself that this was Donna’s father and I needed to keep my cool for her sake.
“You don’t think I know about your family? I remember your father. He was an awful, lawless, godless human being. You’re all con men and criminals, and there is no way I want my darling daughter to ever be called a Duncan. Do you understand?”
Before I could give him a piece of my mind, a sheriff’s car pulled up, and a dark-haired, olive-skinned man got out with a desperate look on his face. “Excuse me,” he said. “Do you have a tow truck available? I need my car towed out of a ditch.”
I glanced over at Dr. Washington and said, “We’ll have to pick this conversation up another time. I have work to do.”
He shook his head and brushed off his suit as if to remove the indignity of even setting foot on the property of my service station. “You and this clan of thieves are not good enough for my daughter. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can get back to . . . pumping gas.” He laughed derisively as he got into his car and left.
The man looked from me to the moving car. “Please, sir, I really need a tow.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t right now,” I told him. “I need to open up the shop. But I’ll have someone here in about an hour and we’ll get you all straightened out.”
“How much?” he asked.
“How much what?” I snapped, still reeling from the encounter with Donna’s father and the nasty way he treated me. The man rubbed his index finger and thumb together in the universal sign for money.
“It’s normally twenty-five dollars, but like I told you, I can’t do it right now,” I told him, my tone absolute.
“What if I give you a hundred dollars?” he said, raising it to a number that I couldn’t afford to pass up. No way was I pumping a hundred dollars’ worth of gas in the next hour.
John
30
“So you’re certain about that?”
The man who towed the car was speaking to someone on the phone back in his auto shop. He’d been nice enough to tow me right away, although he didn’t hesitate to take my hundred dollars, which was four times his normal rate. His brow furrowed enough to make me nervous as I waited to hear what was wrong with the car.
“Yes, Waycross, Georgia.” That was the last thing I heard before I zoned out, pacing back and forth in front of the counter separating us, my mind racing with scenarios of things happening back home. None of them were comforting.
“I got good news and bad news,” he announced as he placed the phone back on the receiver, staring at me until I stopped moving and he could be certain he’d gotten my attention.
“Go on,” I said as casually as I could with my heart pounding out of my chest.
“Which one you want first?” he asked, his expressionless face leading me to assume he was used to delivering bad news.
“Whichever one ends with me driving that car out of here.” I leaned on the counter across from him.
“Good news is I can fix everything on the car in a day.”
“Uh-huh?” I waited, certain I was about to hear the other shoe drop. And sure enough, his next bit of news was terrible. “Bad news is you need a manifold, and for this particular car it’s out of stock at the factory. The only place that might have one is in Oklahoma.”
“Oklahoma! How long is that going to take?” I asked, thinking it would take at least a few days. I didn’t have that kind of time.
“Yeah, not exactly around the corner. It’s going to take seven to ten days for it to get here. I know you need to get on the road, but I tried everybody. To tell the truth, half an hour ago I didn’t think I would find it at all,” he finished, offering me a look of condolence.
My hands tightened into fists. It took everything in me to keep it together. “You don’t understand. You have to find that part someplace closer. I have to get on the road.” My voice shook with emotion, thinking about my family and what this man who was my boss would do to them. He’d have them killed, and then he’d come after me and murder me too. I had to hold on to the counter to stop myself from sliding to the floor in a heap.
“I’m sorry,” he said calmly, ignoring my obvious distress, “but these guys are the best in the state. If they say the closest one is in Oklahoma, then that’s where it is. You’re welcome to try another shop if you’d like.”
“No, I trust you,” I said. I had witnessed the guy make multiple phone calls to track down the part, so I knew he wasn’t bullshitting me. “You have an honest face.”
He laughed loudly. “Thanks. I’ve never had anyone say that before. Name’s LC Duncan.” He offered his hand.
I accepted his handshake. “Uh, John. John Roberts.”
A car rolled into the station, so he went outside to pump gas. By the time he returned, I had managed to get myself together.
“There’s a little motel out on the highway. Not too fancy. I’m sure they have rooms,” he offered. If he had any idea what was worrying me at that moment, he would have known that the last thing I was thinking about was a hotel room, fancy or not. I just wanted to get the fuck out of there.
“I don’t have that kind of money,” I said, barely containing the anxiety I felt. Truthfully, money was not the problem, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
“I didn’t budget for things going wrong. Can you help me push the car outside of the shop and I can sleep inside? I won’t be in your way.” No way was I leaving the premises and letting that car out of my sight. Not with all those drugs in there.
He furrowed his brow like he was in deep thought for a minute, and then he said, “Well, if you don’t mind staying here, there’s a little room in the back with a cot. Between work and school I’ve spent more than a few nights sleeping there myself, so I know it’s not that bad.”
Man, this guy was so nice he almost didn’t seem real. Maybe it was a Southern hospitality thing. Whatever it was, I was relieved that he didn’t have a problem with me hanging around. Maybe I have an honest face too, I thought, laughing to myself.
“That’s nice of you to offer,” I said. “But if I’m going to be staying here, the least I can do is help you out around here. I can sweep, pump gas, anything.” I kept this whole nice-guy theme going. Maybe it would get me my car faster when the part did arrive. Plus, keeping busy around this place might help the time pass faster. It would be better than sitting around worrying about my family all day.
“Yeah. Sure. We’ll call you the night watchman,” he joked. “I’ll make sure NeeNee sends you some food every day. She loves any opportunity she can get to feed people,” LC said, talking like I was one of the family or something. This was one hospitable dude.
In spite of all this friendliness, though, I still had big problems hanging over my head. “I need to make a phone call, let my people know I’ve been delayed,” I said.
He nodded. “Pay phone’s outside.”
I went outside to make the call I’d been dreading. “Hello? It’s Juan—I mean John,” I said when a voice I recognized as Manny picked up. When he heard my bad news, he quickly handed the phone to the man who had placed me in this position.
“What do you mean you are going to miss the drop-off?” he seethed, the threat in his voice clear and uncompromising. “If you don’t make that drop-off, then you will be the one who owes us the money for the drugs.”
“But the part needed to fix the car will not come for a week or more,” I tried to explain but he wasn’t interested.
