The Bus Ride

The Bus pulled off from in front of Josie's Bar.. They were all on their way to Baltimore for "Crab Night"....Mabel and Her man sat in the front seat...Clerow and Cora-Beth sat across from them...Sweet Dick Jenkins was up for a visit and he had agreed to watch the baby for them. Paris and his latest girlfriend and His Frat brother and buddy Blake and his date sat right behind them..Sean Jackson and Sheila were directly behind them and Conrad and Jill sat across from them. Kevin and Sepia sat across from Cock Robbins and his wife Vanessa. Sepia still felt some kind of way around Cock, but since this was a nice occassion, she just snuggled up extra tight with Kevin everytime Cock looked her way. Deacon Larry Weatherford and his new wife, The
former first lady of the church, Victoria Struthers, now Victoria Jenkins Struthers Weatherford
(The older half sister of Mabel and Cora Beth) rounded out the group in the front. Bartender Gus and Honey Brown were also on the bus..but surprisingly not in the front with their known patrons, but in the back in between three newcomers.

Six foot seven, Carlton Brown was an NBA Basketball player, who like Cock Robbins, played a lot of semi-pro basketball in the Philadelphia area and for a number of teams in the old Continental Basketball leauge...He had played in Italy and in Spain for awhile and had been picked up for ten day tours of duty by the Memphis Grizzlies, The Boston Celtics, even the Sixers...but like Cock
Robbins, that big guarunteed contract just seemed to elude him. He was home now for a spell until another team called him to fill in for somebody..He hooked back up with Honey Brown, his
off and on girlfriend when he was in town...but his eyes kept shifting over to another girl who was on the bus..Anita Jenkins. Another Half sister of Mabel ,Cora Beth and Victoria and like them, newly arrived in Philadelphia from Louisiana.. Also like the three of them, dark skinned with a body built for sin as the saying goes. She was the result of a Dalliance Sweet Dick Jenkins
had had with a woman in Lafayette ,Louisiana several years before.. Sweet Dick had forgotten all
about it, but the woman didn't and with the help of the Louisiana Child Welfare board...They both tracked Sweet Dick down.. He didn't know why of course...He wasn't a man of means, but he was a man of love , who loved all of his children....He assured his live in girlfriend that there was no more children of his out there.

Carlton couldn't take his eyes of of Anita...and he kept trying to make conversation with her while they were standing outside Josie's waiting to get on the bus, much to the consternation and
constant side eyeing of Honey Brown.

"So, you from Louisiana, huh?" he asked Anita.

"Yes." she said, trying to keep the conversation short..

"I've been to New Orleans and Baton Rouge...you from either of them places.?" he asked.

"I'm from Lafayette." she said.

"OH really? Where bout is that?" he asked.

"Carlton honey, could you help me with my luggage?" asked Honey Brown giving Anita the side
eye.

"Luggage? We aint goin nowhere but to Baltimore...what you bring luggage for? All you got is that big cooler and yo pocketbook." he said.

"Well I can't very well lift both of them." she said trying to sound helpless.

Carlton breathed heavy turned to say goodbye to Anita and found she had already walked away.
She was getting acquainted with her new found sisters, Cora Beth, Mabel and Victoria.. He picked up the cooler and stored it on the bus..

Now He was sitting just two seats from her, but he couldn't get close enough to talk to her, not with Honey Brown sitting right next to him. He would wait until they got to Baltimore maybe and then make his move..

(To be continued........)