by Carlos King
“Nothing.”
“Anyway,” Vinny continued, turning back to Julie. “I’m gonna be the bigger person here Julie and ignore the childish things you say. I know the truth and I don’t have to expose myself to anyone to validate it.”
Vinny walks off and Jovon follows behind him.
“I’m proud of you, man,” said Jovon, wrapping an arm around Vinny’s shoulders. “It takes a big man to just walk away like that.”
Vinny smiled. “You like that, huh? I realized you were right, so I decided to let the whole thing go. Somebody has to be an adult about the shit. Let me ask you something, though. Is Julie’s cell phone number still 555-9672?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“No reason.” Vinny comes to halt. “Hey, I gotta go to the restroom. I’ll just talk to you later on.”
“Oh, okay.”
As Jovon continues up the hall, making his way toward the elevator, Vinny turns toward the men’s restroom. As Vinny enters the restroom door, he removes his cell phone from his inner jacket pocket. The restroom’s door closes behind him. Seconds later, Julie’s cell phone rings. She looks at her phone and notices the display screen is flashing an icon that indicates she’s received a new picture message. She flips her phone open and is shocked by the image she sees.
Shocked and upset, Julie utters, “Oh my god! That disgusting little…” She suddenly begins to laugh. “I see the rumors are true.”
Chapter 6
Jovon is now at home, relaxing on his sectional sofa as he talks to his best friend of thirteen years, Shanti Cruz.
“So what are you saying, Shanti? That I should give up the wonderful life of a bachelor and settle down?”
“I’m just saying there’s nothing out there but trouble. Why are you so afraid of settling down? You’ve been that way ever since we were in college.”
“You know why I’m this way,” Jovon told her. “You went to the same high school as me. You know how them stuck up ass girls treated me back then. So pardon me for getting my payback on the bitches who played me back then, and excuse me for setting such high standards, which enables me to date nothing but the finest women this world has to offer. I apologize for all that shit,” he sarcastically concluded.
“I know the way they treated you back in school was horrible. And that’s why when you felt you went through your little metamorphosis in college and later landed a good job at a prestigious law firm, I could kind of understand why you sought revenge against the girls who clowned you. But you’ve gotten your revenge on all of them. Why still do it? The way you treat women now is the same way those girls treated you back then.”
“No it’s not,” Jovon protested. “I treat every woman I date with the upmost respect. I don’t force them to do anything they’re not comfortable with. Hell, they be throwing themselves at me to be honest with you.”
“That don’t mean you have to try and catch everything that comes your way.”
Holding the cordless phone pressed to his ear, Jovon smiles. “Trust me, I don’t. Just last night I had to put this one chick in her place for trying to step to me. It got a little ugly, but shit, she should’ve known better. She knew I was outta her league.”
“Do you hear yourself sometimes?” Shanti’s appalled voice came through. “For the last couple years you’ve been transforming yourself into a complete ass.”
“Maybe. I guess I’m suffering for that ugly duckling syndrome. Back in school nobody wanted me, but now that I have a little status, hit the gym on a regular basis and got money as long as train smoke, everybody wants a piece of me. That’s why my mind state now is fuck’em all.”
“That goes to show what you know, because there were a few people back in high school who actually liked you,” Shanti said in subtle, yet hinting manner. “And as much as you probably don’t wanna believe it, there are a couple of people who still wouldn’t mind being with you to this day…People who don’t care about your status, the shape of your body or how much money you have. They may not even care about the fact you’ve turned into a complete ass.”
“Yeah right,” Jovon scoffed. “Like who?”
“I’ll just let you think about it. You should think long and hard about it to, because that person could be right under your nose.”
“Yeah, if you say so.” Jovon paused to yawn. “A, I’m about to go to bed, but before I do I told Lewis I’d call him to answer some legal questions he had for me. I’ll try to call you tomorrow, okay?”
“I don’t know why you still mess with them fools…Especially Vinny’s no good ass.”
“Vinny’s not that bad. And the reason I hang “with them fools” is because “them fools” are my boys…Always have been…Always will be.”
“I guess I can understand that. But did you just say Vinny’s not that bad? Every time I come around y’all, he always manages to fix his eyes on my chest. And on several occasions I caught him staring at my ass. I could just be sitting there talking and he’d be staring at either my breasts or thighs like he was hypnotized.”
Jovon laughs. “That ain’t nothing to get offended over. Shit, that’s actually a compliment. It’s also something that all guys do when they see something they like. It’s in our nature to stare at the voluptuous curves of the female body. It’s just pros like myself who never get caught.”
“Do you ever stare at me?” she asked flirtatiously.
Jovon’s line beeps.
“Hold on for a second, Shanti.” Jovon pulls the phone away from his face and checks the caller ID. “A, this Lew right here. I’ll try to hit you up tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Shanti replied, partially disappointed she didn’t get an answer to her question. “Goodnight.”
“Bye.” Jovon hangs up with Shanti and clicks over to Lewis.
“So did you get a chance to handle that for me?” Lewis asked hastily.
“Yeah, I did,” said Jovon. “It looks pretty legit to me. I don’t know what you sent that girl, but as of yesterday, you are no longer allowed to send Kim Kardashian anymore fan mail. By order of the Courts. Damn, fool…You mean to tell me you made her put a restraining order out against your mail? What the hell did you send her?”
“Nothing,” Lewis responded, his voice high in pitch. “Just a few pics of me getting my Merlin Santana on.”
“Your what?”
“Merlin Santana,” Lewis repeated. “You know, the dude from the Steve Harvey Show…Romeo. I took a couple of shirtless pics to show off some chest muscle and…Uh oh!”
“What?” Jovon asked.
After a brief silence, Lewis speaks up. “The same night I took those pics I had gotten a little shit-faced. I may have put a few x-rated pictures in there, too. Damn! I meant to take those out before I sent them to her.”
Jovon shakes his head. In a casual voice, Jovon says, “I’m tired, Lew. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, man.”
Jovon hangs the up phone and heads for the bathroom adjoined to his bedroom. He looks in the mirror, studying the dark rings under his eyes. He opens the medicine cabinet and applies a moisturizing cream to darkened areas, puts on his wave cap and walks back to his bed. Once he’s under the covers, he turns to check the time. The clock reads 8:54pm.
DAY 2
Once again Jovon shuts off his alarm clock, gets out of bed and heads directly for the bathroom. Once inside, the first thing his does is close the medicine cabinet so he can look in the mirror. Once his reflection is in view, he takes off his wave cap and is terrorized by what he sees.
“What the fuck!?” he yelled out. Not only have the dark rings around his eyes gotten worse, but his hairline has significantly receded. “What the fuck’s going?!”
After staring at himself for a few seconds, Jovon throws on a suit and immediately bolts out of his house, abandoning his daily preparation rituals. He weaves in and out of traffic, speeding towards his job. When he arrives at his office building, he runs into Vinny’s office and slams the door close.
Jovon rus
hes over to Vinny’s desk. “You see this?! You see this shit?!”
“Jesus…You look horrible. I thought you were gonna go home and get some rest.”
“I did!” Jovon told him, his face panicked. “I slept for over nine hours and it still didn’t do shit! I look like the fucking Crypt-Keeper!”
“Maybe sleep isn’t enough. Maybe you need to put a couple cucumbers under your eyes. Say, did you get your hair lined up or something? Cause if you did, I sure hope you didn’t pay for it. Somebody fucked your shit all up.”
“I didn’t get my hair cut or lined. I woke up this morning and this is the way my shit was,” Jovon explained.
“That’s impossible. Nobody loses that much fucking hair in one night. My uncle has nine kids, a wife, two girlfriends, he’s on parole and his family has a history of male baldness that starts in their early 20’s, and he still hasn’t lost as much hair in his forty-one years as you have since yesterday. At this rate, you’ll be bald by the end of the week.”
Jovon’s eyes grow glassy. “I’m scared, Vinny.”
“You should go to the doctor. It’s probably a case of scabies or bed bugs. Have you been itching a lot lately? It could be some type of crab, too.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Jovon said, hoping to find logic behind Vinny’s words. “I should just take my ass to the doctor. I’m probably working myself up for nothing.”
Jovon picks up Vinny’s office phone and begins dialing. He calls Julie and asks her to push his appointments back for another day.
“Mr. Smooth, you have an appointment in 15 minutes with Mr. Winsor (a partner with the company) and he’s not going to be happy if I push back your scheduled appointment again. He’s already a little upset that you backed out of your meeting yesterday.”
“Damn, I forgot about that meeting,” Jovon gasped. “Alright, Julie, tell him I’ll be up to his office in a few minutes. And, Julie, schedule me an appointment with Dr. Lee please.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Smooth.” Julie hangs up.
“Look at me,” Jovon said to Vinny as he hangs up the phone. “I’m not dressed to see a Mr. Winsor today.”
Jovon’s shirt is buttoned wrong, he’s wrinkled from head to ankle, and his tie is undone.
“Now that you mention it, you are looking a little rough around the edges,” Vinny confessed. “What’s the matter with you? You usually come to work a lot sharper than this.”
Jovon angrily replies, “Well I don’t know…Maybe it’s due to the fact I woke up looking like a balding corpse. The appearance of my clothes wasn’t that relevant to me at the time.”
Jovon storms out of Vinny’s office, leaving the door wide open.
Vinny leaned back in his chair, shocked at Jovon’s snappiness. “Someone’s a little sensitive today.”
Jovon is sheepishly sitting in a chair located in front of Mr. Winsor’s desk. Jovon listens closely as the fifty-nine-year-old man speaks. Jovon couldn’t help but notice how the old man’s second chin bounces with every motion of his jaw.
“So, Jovon, I’m sure you’re aware that this is the time of year when I and my other partners review potential candidates for our junior partner slot, right?”
“Yes, sir, I am aware.”
“I’ve been keeping my eyes on you, son,” the portly man divulged. “You’ve been doing a wonderful job for us. Now, I know emergencies can popup at anytime, so that’s why I’m not going to hold yesterday’s cancelation against you.”
“I appreciate that, sir,” Jovon nodded.
“Yes, by sitting here now I can tell you’re ill. So I’ll let you get back to your business. I just wanted to inform you that as far as that junior partner spot goes, you’re definitely a frontrunner.”
Jovon stands up and shakes Mr. Winsor’s hand, smiling. “Thank you, sir.”
Just as Jovon is preparing to head out of Mr. Winsor’s office, Mr. Winsor calls out to him.
“Uh, Mr. Smooth…”
Jovon stops and turns to face his boss. “Sir?”
“Food for thought…You may want to consider switching barbers or maybe even having a firm talk with your current one, because he really did a number on your lining.”
Jovon lowers his head, his smile fades. “Thank you, Mr. Winsor.”
Jovon takes the elevator back down to the floor his office is located on and makes his way through the hallway. He stops by Julie’s desk to see if she booked his doctor’s appointment.
“So what time can he see me?” Jovon asked.
Julie reaches across her desk and picks up a yellow stick-it. She hands the piece of paper to Jovon. “The doctor said he won’t be able to see you until tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? He didn’t have anything open for today?”
“His assistant said he’s booked solid.”
“Man, damn!” Jovon griped, but clearly not directing his displeasure toward Julie. “What the hell am I supposed to do until then?”
“Do you still want me to clear your schedule?”
“Nah…I guess I’ll do some catching up today.” Jovon stared at a window several feet away. “At least that’ll temporarily take my mind off of things.”
Through the course of the day, Jovon sees several of his female clients…And has sex with them all.
It is now the end of the workday and Jovon is locking up his office for the night. As he walks pass Julie’s desk, she asks, “So did work help take your mind off of things, Mr. Smooth?”
Jovon shrugs and nonchalantly answers, “Yeah…You could say that.”
Chapter 7
DAY 3
Jovon hesitantly gets out of bed and slowly makes his way to the bathroom mirror to see what toll the night has taken on him. Once he looks in the mirror, he begins to whimper at the sight of his reflection. His hairline has receded even further, forming the classic horseshoe pattern. Jovon leans toward the mirror, patting the newly-bald area of his head as he desperately tries to hold back from crying.
With quivering lips, he whispers, “My hair.”
Jovon is sitting on an examination table at his doctor’s office, a ball cap covering his shame. He waited a total of twenty minutes in the primary waiting room, and an additional ten in the private room. After thirty anxious minutes, Dr. Lee finally enters the room, staring at Jovon’s medical chart.
“Okay, Jovon, how’re you doing today?” The doctor asked, never taking his eyes of Ryan’s chart.
“Take a good look at me, Doc,” Jovon said dully. ‘How do you think I’m doing?”
The doctor looks up and is surprised by Jovon’s appearance. Jovon then removes his hat, sending the doctor into an even higher state of alarm.
“My lord!” Dr. Lee gasped. “What in the hell happened to you?”
“What?” Jovon asked, startled by the doctor’s reaction. “Is that standard medical procedure to ask me what the hell happened?”
“I’m sorry, Jovon, you just caught me off guard. You are right, though, that was very unprofessional of me. Please except my apology.”
“Don’t worry about,” Jovon exhaled.
“So why don’t you tell me when all this started. Are there any strange symptoms you’ve been experiencing?”
Jovon looked at his doctor with a disgruntled glare. “What are my symptoms?” Jovon stated, his sarcasm evident. “Well, I look like I haven’t slept in weeks. And I’m losing my hair faster than a tree loses its leaves during a hurricane. Other than that, I have no symptoms at all.”
“First thing first…We need to run a couple of tests to make sure everything is functioning properly,” Dr. Lee said. “But before we get started on that, I want to ask a few questions to see if we can try to at least speculate on what’s going on.”
“Why not?” Jovon huffed.
“Alright.” The doctor grabs a stool and sets it in front of Jovon and takes a seat, his hands crossed in his lap. “Have you been experimenting with any new drugs or medications?”
“No,” Jovon answered, his eyebrow ra
ised.
“Okay,” the doctor said, scrunching his lips. “Have you been handling rat poisons, arsenics, or any other types of deadly chemicals?”
“No,” Jovon replied, his annoyance rising.
The doctor continues. “Have you been spending much time around high-voltage power lines lately? You know, even sitting to close to a microwave while it’s in operation could lead to physical changes if it’s done frequently.”
Jovon’s demeanor grows hostile. “No. I haven’t been near any power lines and I haven’t been sitting in front of a microwave watching my food go round-and-round. So what now?”
