The Prom Queen

As we walked out of the church after Fathead's wedding...we noticed that all four of the tires on both ofhis limos were as flat as pancakes! His entire security detail had been in the church, so nobody saw who had slashed the tires...

'What the hell? This is Mingus comin back at me...He is sooooo dead." screamed Fathead.

I didn't think this was Mingus, not his style and besides after the beatdown Chris and I had given him and his boy,Oatmeal...it was highly unlikely that they would double back and do something like this. Chris didn't believe it was Mingus either and he said so-

"Fathead...come here..let me holler at you....Listen...This aint Mingus...This here is some lady scorned stuff...now I won't call no names, but you and I know exactly who is behind this...and to be honest..can you blame her? You told her you were going to marry her and then you go and marry someone else..???Come on man..if it were me...I'd be a little heated too." said Chris, always the voice of reason.

"You probably right Chris...Well? What should I do?" asked Fathead.

"Take a cab....Take your new bride ,get in a cab and get out of dodge as soon as possible, give her time to deal with this." said Chris.

Fathead and his new bride caught a cab to the airport and a tow truck came to tow the two limos
away. Chris and I stood on the windswept corner...saying nothing..Finnally,I broke the silence..

"You think she did that?" I asked.

Chris looked at me as though i had asked him what one plus one meant and said-

"I know she did it...and you know it too Chess...I just hope she chills, but I know how she feels, Fathead been stringin her along for a minute now." said Chris.

I was surprised at Chris's sudden sensitivity and my lack of it...I felt a strange kind of rueful glee at Cherry being literally left at the alter by Fathead.

I went home with Rell and we put our son to bed. I sat up looking out the window...Rell studied me and she said-

'Chess,what's on your mind? You seem like something is eating at you?" she said.

"It is.....Something I gotta do...You don't have to wait up for me..I'll probably be back late...but I'll make it up to you...tomorrow I'll take you and the baby out to breakfast in the mall." I said.

"Breakfast at the mall? That's all I get?" she said.

"I'll be too tired for any sexin, when I come back." I said.

"Sex? I'm not talking about sex...I'm talking about something more than breakfast" she said..

"Okay, I'll take you shopping." I sighed...

"That's more like it....I'm kidding Chess..breakfast will be just fine" she said.

I grabbed her and kissed her...slowly fondling her breasts ....

"You keep this up and you won't get to where you're going..sure you want to go?" She said.

"Yeah..I gotta take care of this...See you later." I said.

I drove to Josie's....It was nearing closing time...88 had stopped playing and was packing up...There was a few patrons still milling around....I saw Cherry,sitting by herself at the end of the bar. She was downing gulps of Patron..

"Somehow I knew you'd show up." she said as I sat down next to her. Gus looked at me and I quietly said...

"Two Coffee's Gus...Cream and sugar in mine...and you like yours with one cream and two sugars
right?" I said.

"Chess, you remembered." she said...She managed a weak smile, then she turned and asked me-

"Chess, would you have left babymama for me if I had gotten that divorce?"

"Honestly...I would have. Truth be told...I was still sleeping with her the entire time you and I were seeing each other." I said.

"I know." she said.

"You know? You didn't know! " I said.

"Sure I did...You never pressed me for sex....so I knew that you were getting it from someone else."

"It could be that I was a gentlemen" I joked....

"Gentleman is not what I think of when I think of you Chess." she said. She took some photos out of her pocketbook. The photos were of her when she was about 13 years younger....They were taken at her prom in Oakland,California.

"I was the Prom Queen back then..can you believe it? I had guys falling at my feet...I was a cheerleader...and class valedictorian....I was going places..I was a winner. I haven't been a winner in a long time Chess." she sighed as she put the photos away.

'What happened Cherry?" I asked...

"My husband happened...I was a junior in college and I met him. He and his boys used to sell weed, dope and coke around our campus...They didn't go there but they hung around..they were
hip, older guys, cool....I was attracted to the cash he was spending on me and the flash. He was so
nice to me at first....Then he became mean and abusive and I got caught up in him and by the time I saw him for what and who he was..it was too late..I was married to him. I didn't finish college because of him....My middle class family turned their back on me because of him...He started beating on me shortly after we got married, then he beat a man to death, who he thought I was sleeping with."

"Well, were you?" I asked.

"Yeah, I was...My husband was such an asshole...I needed someone to take my mind off of him.. After he killed that guy...I knew I couldn't stay with him any longer so I fled as far from Oakland as possible. I met you and I liked you for all of the same reasons, but I thought you were just like him. Guess I was wrong about you Chess...I got involved with Fathead..a bad man...That's all I ever meet is bad men Chess.." she said and began to cry again.

At that moment, I forgave her and all of my anger,all of my frustration completely left me..It was as if a demon had been cast out of me...I knew that I could move on.

"What am I going to do now Chess? Got no man, Got no job, Got no place to go..."

"You have a place to go....Here's a key to one of my apartments..You can stay there rent free until you find employment...Where is your stuff in storage?" I asked.

"Yes Chess....Why are you doing this for me? I stole your money and your car and left you stranded in Puerto Rico.?"

"Yeah,I know..but you paid me back and we found the rental car and sent it back...and I tossed in putting the kibosh on your ex and getting him locked up as a little extra." I said.

"You're a good guy Chess...You're the one I let get away." she said.

I paid her tab and walked her to her car....We kissed for a long time...Finnally, I broke away from her...I put the key in the palm of her hand...

"Here....The apartment complex is near the one you were in before. Take this key and let yourself in...Tell the business manager to call me and I'll square everything with him." I said.

"Nobody does anything for nothing Chess...I guess you own me now, huh?" she said.

"Slavery is over Cherry...Nobody owns you....Get a job and start paying me rent...Other than that...the game is even between me and you..You're free and clear." I said.

"I love you Chess" she said.

"Goodbye Cherry" I said as I turned and walked towards my car....

"I really do mean that Chess." I heard her say in the distance!

Dearly Beloved

I stood in the parking lot that was directly across the street from the church waiting for Fathead.
It was his wedding day, unbelievable as that was. The Biggie Smalls look alike was fumbling with something in his car. I chuckled..Nerves, I suppose.

I stood and watched the virtual who's who of people going in the church. There was my childhood friend ,Kevin and his lovely wife,Sepia. Kevin was a writer and a blogger now and a sometimes Private investigator. He was pretty good. He had always been smart as a whip..even when we were kids. His co-worker and associate, Sean Jackson and his girlfriend Sheila brought up the rear. Sean was a photographer...He worked at the same magazine that Kevin worked at..so did his girlfriend Sheila. Then there was my business associate and co-owner of apartment complexes, Clerow and his foxy wife, Cora-Beth and their little daughter, who was the same age as my son. Cora-beth's equally foxy older sister, Mabel Jenkins arrived with her boyfriend...my main man and church organist, "88". They had another fine sister....a little bit older named Victoria. Victoria used to be married to the Preacher, Reverend John Struthers..Now she was married to the Deacon, Larry Weatherford..wonder how THAT worked out.

My other childhood friends, Paris and Blake turned up with two new foxes...Man, these guys kept good looking women. Attorney Robert Foxworth and his ex-wife, Corrine was there , as was
Anita Jenkins, Mabel,Cora beth and Victoria's youngest sister and some tall Basketball player, she was obviously dating also arrived. Another Attorney I knew named Conrad and His Wife and Gus the bartender at Josie's and Honey Brown were the last of the guests that I knew to show up. No sign of Chris, though I know he was either already in the church or planning to make a cool ,yet grand entrance.

I looked at my watch and finnally Fathead showed up.

"Damn man..I thought that maybe you got cold feet or somethin." I laughed.

"Oh No, nah man..I'm ready..ready to be an honest man." he joked. We looked at each other and laughed our heads off.

"Oh Chess...check it out...My guys hadn't found Mingus yet and so, I thought about what you said..and I called the hit off. No need to start my big day out with any drama." said Fathead.

"Good man..you did the right thing." I said.

Just as I said that..a Black Jaguar drove up and cut us off as we were about to cross the street.
It was...who else?Mingus, sporting the fat lip I gave him and a swollen eye...also courtesy of yours truly...

"Well...Well ..Well if it aint the would be hard guy,Chess and Bitch ass Fathead." said his cheif Lieutenant.. a relatively new player known only as "Oatmeal." He got the nickname when he was in the joint..I couldn't begin to guess why. He was supposed to be a tough guy..So was a lot of people.

"Come on man...We can do this another day..We on our way to a wedding." I said, not wanting to get into anything in front of the church and with all these people around, yet knowing that these
two guys could have cared less.

"How bout we don't?" said Mingus.

"HOW BOUT YOU DO?" came a very familiar voice.

"Chris? Chris Thompson??? is that you??" said Mingus, suddenly filled with fear and dread.

"You were expecting Barack Obama?" said Chris who was decked out in a fabulously fly and impecablely neat suit.

"Uh...ruh...well uh.. You know, that's a great suit Chris..you always uh did have good tastes man...aint that right Oatmeal?" mumbled Mingus.. Oatmeal said nothing.

"Mingus my man...what's the matter,cat got your tongue? Now...you are going to call it even with my boy Chess here and let by gones be by gones right?" said Chris.

Oatmeal apparently didn't agree.

"Yo man..I know who you used to be playa and I don't care. What you need to do is fall back,for real, for real..ya know...This aint none of your business."

Chris smiled that kilowat smile of his....

"What's this? I hear somebody talkin, but I don't see nobody." he said. Then he walked up to Oatmeal and slugged him in the stomach...Oatmeal folded like a tent....Chris then grabbed him in the collar and bounced his head off of the side of a parked car....Oatmeal hit the pavement and was wimpering like a baby..

"Owwwww, uhhhhh,that hurttttt mannnnn...ummmmphhh..."

"How bout it Mingus? Is the beef squashed or what?" asked Chris, not raising his voice above a whisper.

'Sho..sho...it's a done deal Chris...Hey Fathead, good luck on your wedding man, She's a finne,fine girl..Really..Look.uh..heyyy..I was just gettin ready to bounce man....Come on Oatmeal, what you
layin on the ground for?? Get up and let's get to the car man." said Mingus as he helped Oatmeal up and they scurried to their car.

"Nice meetin ya Oatmeal...maybe next time we can have breakfast..ya know?" said Chris as Fathead and I looked down at the ground..trying hard not to laugh..

"Sometimes you do it on your name and rep alone ,then other times, you gotta demonstrate" laughed Chris, who rarely ever resorted to violence. It was known to a man that he was not one to mess with...Someone forgot to give Oatmeal the memo. Now he knew.

"Alright fellas ...let's go to a wedding." I said.

"Dearly beloved.....We are gathered here today...and ah did say today...not tiddy, so get yo minds out of the gutter...We are gathered here today to join this man..Arthur Felonious Newton in holy matrimony with Marsha Lynnette Mason.....Marriage is an institution that should be entered into with a clear heart, a clear mind and most of all soberly. I was sober myself until about an hour ago...when I imbibed a little too much of the communion wine, but
uh anyway...it is said that he that findeth a wife, findeth a good thing....I know this...I had a fine young thing....curves every which a way...gave me much pleasure in the marital bed...GLORRRRYYY!!!! Yes...Yes...yes...sir...yes sir....but we are not together today....today she is giving the deacon that pleasure that she once giveth to me....Marsha..make sure that you only giveth your pleasure to yo husssband...and girl you look like you give some-


"PaSTOR!!!" screamed one of the other deacons.

"OHH..uH YAS...iF THERE IS ANYONES WHO has any reason why these two..Arthur Felonious Newton ,known to the world as "Fathead" and Marsha Lynette Mason , lawd girl you
got a rack on you...ummmph..ummph...ummmmph...Mah lawd...GLORRRYY!!!! Should not be wed in Holy matrimony...let him speak now or forever hold his peace....By that I mean the peace that cometh from above...Not your peice....Holster yo weapons boys....Uh, ruh....By the powers
invested in me by the state of Pennsylvania and President Barack Obama....I now pronounce you Husband and Wife...you may kiss the bride....before I do...Lawd have mercy..GLORRRY!!
The doors of the church are now open...if you don't know him....join tomorrow..now is not the
time."

Chris ,who was thinking of joining the church looked at me and I looked at my friend, Kevin ,who was mortified....He had suggested the church and the Pastor, John Struthers. His wife Sepia was
rubbing his shoulders as he hung his head, almost in shame. Attorney Robert Foxworth was laughing outright at what he had just heard....as well he should have.

Fathead and Marsha didn't care..they were still kissing and deep throating each other at the alter..They had to be seperated and told to walk to the receiving line.... Rell and my son had come and were sitting in the back row....From a distance ,I saw Cherry Johnson....weeping and crying.....No one else noticed her. This was supposed to be her day....or so she thought.
These were definitely not tears of joy.

(Conclusion Next-)

Spilled Milk

Two weeks later, Chris, Fathead and I were eating Breakfast at the Diner...We all had Blueberry Pancakes,sausage and Orange Juice with Hot tumblers of coffee... It was early in the morning..Daybreak...Fathead was the only one talking..

"Hey Chris...did you see that babe I had at my party?" he laughed.

"Who, Cherry?" I said, knowing that that was not who he was talking about..and ignoring Chris's side eyed glance.

"Nah, Nah, I'm talking bout that babe Marsha.....man, the rack she got on her.....lawdddd....Chris man, I took her in the bathroom and was wearin her outtttt..." he bragged.

"Aint that Mingus's girlfriend?" I asked again. Chris just shook his head, gave me a side eyed glance again and continued eating.

"I heard it used to be....but sheeeet, so what? Mingus know he better not come down in West Philly unless he's comin heavy and he aint got the heart nor the manpower to bump with me."
snorted Fathead.

"Come on Fathead...that's somebody else's girl....I hear you good at that.....takin somebody else's
girl." I said leeringly looking Fathead dead in the eye. He was confused..He had no idea what I was talking about and now the man most people in the know feared looked at me with fear in his eyes... He didn't have a clue as to what I was talking about.

"What you talkin bout Chess?" he said. Finnally Chris stopped eating, looked at me and said quietly-

"Chess, cut it out...stop playa hatin......don't pay him no mind Fathead..He just hatin from the sidelines."

Fathead laughed uneasily and then we all laughed and finished our breakfast.

Later on, I was giving Chris a ride to one of his many places of "residence " around the city and I
knew that I was going to hear it.

"What was that back in the diner man? You still cryin over spilled milk Chess? If you wanna do the babe..then step to her and be done with it..but don't hate on Fathead because he with her.Actually ,he doin you a favor...She aint the one for you...You're with Rell and you and Rell are good together..You and Cherry, yall had secrets..and secrets aint never good between a man and a woman....Leave her be Chess...Just leave her be...Why can't you do that?" said Chris.

I said nothing..I just drove him to where he needed to be. I waved goodbye to him and just drove off. I don't know how long I was driving until I happened to be driving down a strange neighborhood and I happened upon Marsha..the girl Fathead had been with that night. She was
attractive....even with the black eye she was sporting.

She was standing on the corning crying. I pulled my car over to the side and I walked over to her.

"Hey girl...what's up? who did this to you?" I asked.

"Chess, just get away...you don't want to get involved with this." she said, still sobbing..I could see she was very upset and slightly frightened. Then I heard the booming voice and I understood why.

"Hey nigga, get the hell away from my girl before you wind up just like her." came the voice.

It was the player they called Mingus...he was ,like Fathead, big and bald headed...He had a fierce rep, but that didn't move me one bit. I turned and faced him and then said-

"Come Again?....I don't believe you know me." I said.

"Ah know you...you're Chess, Chris Thompson's boy...Do I care about who you are ??Hell No." he spat. Famous last words.... I picked up a trash can and rammed it into his huge belly...He made a groaning sound, then I took the can and brought it down on his fat bald head..he grunted some more...then I punched him in his jaw and sent him flying... I took my left leg and kicked his legs from under him and sent him sprawling to the ground... He tried to get up, but I punched him again and knocked him down and pretty much out. I walked into a local store, bought a carton of milk and poured it on top of his head.... I don't know why, I just felt like doing that to him....I got a perverse and wicked sense of elation and pleasure out of doing that. One day a shrink would explain why.

"Wake up...wake up Mingus..." I said..pulling my nickel plated .45 out and placing it cooly to his temple...

"I want you to get in your car and get the hell out of West Philly,feel me?....If I see you again...it aint gonna be milk I'll be pouring on you, ? Now get to steppin." I said. The so called fearsome gangster got up and got in his car and pulled off without so much of a threat... The people who were standing nearby started clapping and giving me dap... My anger was now gone..I was the only one who knew that it wasn't really Mingus that I was angry at, it was something else ,something crazy knawing at me....He had just been handy to take it out on.

"Oh Chess, thank you so much...Thank you....I'm gonna tell Fathead how you helped me...Don't
worry about Mingus...he won't be alive next week this time once my fiance finds out." she said.

"Your fiance?" I said.

"Yeah, Fathead and me is gettin married." she said. I scratched my head.

Later on that night I was at Josie's having a drink at the bar when Cherry walked in, with Fathead.

"Chess...Chess...I heard you whupped Mingus's ass today.....Man, you my main man...Don't even
worry about that bum...I got people on him....He won't be bothering anybody else...ever..." said
Fathead.

"Look man, really, you aint gotta do that..we just had a little beef, is all..let him be..forget about it." I said.

"Too late, he's already gone..."said Fathead with a wink and a conspiratorial look at me as he eyed Cherry...Meaning, don't mention to her that I was defending Marsha. I continued to drink as Fathead worked the bar.

"You got in a fight with some player? Wow Chess, there's more to you than I thought" said
Cherry.

"Yeah...More to you too." I said.

"What do you mean by that?"she said.

"Nothing" I said, laughing to myself.

"Fathead and I are going to get married soon." she said.

"Married? He told you that?" I asked.

"Well, kinda sorta.." she said.

I smiled to myself and continued to drink my drink....What a day this had been...

"What's that on your pant's leg?" asked Cherry.

"Oh...I spilled some milk." I said.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saturday

I should have stayed home with Rell and our son...But no...I let Chris talk me into going to Fathead Newton's exclusive birthday party at Club Invisible! It was called that,because if you had to ask where it was or about it...You really didn't need to be there!. It was located on the top floor of a seemingly abandoned warehouse in East Oak Lane, Philadelphia PA. From the outside it was just a warehouse, but take the elevator just three stories up and you had a plush floor made of pure marble ,with fountains full of crystal...A Huge Glass Bar that was the length of a football field and that was also an aqauriam ,full of exotic fish of all kinds... Meanwhile on the black marble top..There were six skilled bartenders mixing all kinds of drinks and serving them to several thirsty customers.

To the side was an ultra-modern kitchen where some of the tastiest meals were being provided for the hungry customers who came to say Happy Birthday and pay homage to the king! Of course Chris Thompson was too laid back to ever have thrown himself something so incredibly large...even in this exclusive location...but Fathead Newton was a different animal.

"My man Chess...so glad you could come....Chris is up in the VIP section..can I get you anything?" said Fathead.

"Happy Birthday Fathead...yeah man, just get me a Corona and I'm straight." I said.

"Just a Corona? Come on Chess, let your hair down baby..have a real drink potna." laughed Fathead.

"A Corona's just fine man." I said. I didn't get drunk or even risk it in strange places that I wasn't familiar with. Neither did Chris. I joined him in the V.I.P. section of the club and watched
the kids dancing on the Parquet Dancefloor in the middle of this lavish club. The DJ played T.I. ,
Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Old school hip-hop like L.L. , Dr. Dre, Snoop..Public Enemy and
hometown favorites like Cassidy and Beanie Seigel... I had even heard a rumor that Beanie might
show through.

There were some of the finest strippers and exotic dancers you could imagine..giving some of the players lap dances and other things in private booths if they produced the right amount of cash.

"Hey Chris man...I don't feel comfortable here...This spot could get raided." I said.

"Chess, Chess...lighten up man..The cops don't know about this place and aint no laws being broken here..Just people eatin and drinking and dancin." said Chris.

"This spot got a liquor licensce?" I asked. Chris's face went blank.....He looked at me sheepishly and said with a shrug-

"You know something Chess, you got a point here, but the cops can't pop me and you for just bein here..This aint our club."

Just as he was saying that, my eyes zoomed across the room.....and there she was......Cherry!! Cherry Johnson....the woman who had betrayed me! Left me high and dry in Puerto Rico a few months back...Took $750.00 and my rental car and fled. She repaid me the money, but she still needed to answer a few questions...Now was as good a time as any. Chris, always observant must have read my mind.

"Uh Uh Uh Playa...don't even think about it..She's Fathead's girl now." he said.

'Fathead?? I thought she cussed him out for leaving her in the supermarket when Diamond Joe's
boys tried to hit him last month" I said.

"Yeah, she did, but you know how women are man..mad at you one minute, swinging on your jock da next." said Chris.

"I gotta talk to her, get some closure man." I said.

"Closure? You sound like a woman Chess.. What don't you understand? She took your money,stole your rental car and left you in Puerto Rico...You beat up her husband and got him locked up and now she's with someone else...What don't you understand? You aint got nothin to close...Let that be baby...You got a good woman at home...Don't mess with her..she's trouble."
said Chris.

Cherry walked over to Fathead and gave him a kiss on his big coffee cooler lips and rubbed his bald head Fathead laughed picked her up and put her on his lap...Fathead was my friend, but I couldn't bare to see him and Cherry making out like that. I left the VIP section and went down on the dancefloor ,grabbed a fine young thing and began dancing. They were doing a line dance to the song Booty call.

'You turn to the left, you move to the right, you cha-cha with your left, you turn to the right..jump back..and dance!..."

I didn't want to think about Cherry..Soon I was joined by Chris and some Stripper he had plucked from the crowd....


"And left foot step, and right foot step, you turn to your left, you move to your right, you cha-cha with your left, you turn to your right...jump back...and dance.."

After we finished dancing, I walked across the floor to get a plate of hot food, when I felt a tap on my shoulder..

"Nice Moves Chess..You always had em...In the bedroom and on the dancefloor." It was Cherry.

"Speaking of moves..you've made a few of your own" I said.

"Oh you mean Fathead? He loves me and I need a man to take care of me." she said.

"This is America Cherry, you could get a job, take care of yourself." I said.

"There is a depression on or haven't you heard Chess?" she said.

"So Fathead is going to take care of you?" I asked.

'We are supposed to be getting married." she said.

"You're already married." I said.

"Nope...Thanks to you...I was able to get my divorce. My crazy ex is behind bars for the rest of his life and the court granted me an un-contested divorce. Thanks Chess, for kicking his worthless ass and turning him in to the FBI." said Cherry.

"I didn't turn him in....They just happened to be there." I explained.

"Doesn't matter.....We might have made it..who knows...but fate just dealt us a different hand."
she said. She didn't seem like the woman I knew once..She seemed altogether different.

Chris heard the whole thing..After Cherry walked away he shook his head and said to me-

"Ya Happy now Chess?"

A little while later, I walked into the huge restroom....while in there I heard Fathead's voice. He was in a stall with a woman. I could hear sounds..sounds of two people kissing and slurping...

"Ohhhhhh, Ohhhhh Fathead......"

"Ohhhhhh Marsha....."

"mmmmmmph....Fathead, stop...stopp, take your hands from under my dress..ouuuu.."

'Come on girl...pull my zipper down and let me show you why they call me Fathead.."

"ouuuuuuu, ohhhh my , Fatheadddd....mmmmmmph..ohhhhhh."

They were oblivious to me, but I could see that Fathead was on something different...someone different too.

As I headed out to my car, I saw Cherry again..

"Goodnight Chess......Hey did you see Fathead in there by chance??...I'm tired...I'm ready to go home." she asked.

"He's in the bathroom....he'll be out shortly." I laughed as I got in my car and pulled off.


To be continued......

After You've Gone

ART: "Soulful Flight" By LaShun Beal

The Deeper I looked for something in you..
The deeper I fell...
I felt as though I was falling deeper into a
bottomless well..
you could never seem to face your demons
and I had my demons too!
but had you of talked more to me..I would have
faced them with you../

But baby now that you've gone
life has opened up for me in a way
I never imagined.
Now that you've gone
a light is shining through my window
and I've discovered a strange new passion
After you've gone..
After you've gone../

All I ever wanted to do
was make love to you until the cops came knockin...
like Maxwell said in his song.
but all you ever seemed to do
was drink until your head was rockin,
then have the nerve to tell me that everything I did was wrong../

but honey
now that you've gone
I've met somebody else
who makes me feel alive again..
and sugar
now that you've gone
I've got a woman on my arm
who's both a lover and a friend...
After you've gone
After you've gone
bye,bye aint so bad baby...
After you've gone..
I've found love
After you've gone
I've found peace of mind,after you've gone../

First Day

ART: "On My Mind" By Toni Taylor

Hey baby
is that you lookin so good?
I don't even know why I gotta ask
but I just thought that I would..
Say something
Say something nice...
no matter how obvious and true..
something to break the ice with you../

baby,baby please
don't walk away
you are still so fine...
and you must hear this
kind of talk everyday..
but listen,
can I just have a little bit..
just a minute of your time..
I sure miss you not being my girl
and I sure wish you were still mine../

Could we start all over again??
Could we bypass being friends?
It could be like the
First Day..
All over...
You didn't know me
I didn't know you
We hadn't hurt each other...
It could be like
The First Day
All over...
I didn't lie to you
and you didn't cheat on me..
and we were closer than a sister and a brother../

I miss the curve of your hips
I miss those kissable lips..
the white diamonds perfume you used to wear
and running my hands through your braided hair..
I miss the way we used to make that bed of yours sqeak...
and the soft way you used to speak...
after we had made love....../

I haven't been with anybody since I broke up with
you..
I heard you were seeing someone for a little while
but now you're alone too.
Don't you think of me sometimes?
because I know I miss the hell out of you...
Come on over to my place, let's make up for lost time
let's make love do what it do../

It can be like the First Day
all over
you didn't know me
I hadn't hurt you...
we hadn't lied to each other...
It could be like the First Day
all over ..
when we naively thought that we were meant to be..
we could get it right this time girl...
come back..
come back to me../

If You Don't Love Him

ART: "Passion" By Gerald Ivey

You spend uneventful nights in his arms..
then you cry to me about how he
is just so wrong..
you know that in my arms is where you belong
but still, you stay with him and sing the same
old song./

If you don't love him..
then why aren't you here with me?
you're just playing games with his emotions
knowing all along that you have other notions..
If you don't want him..then why can' you tell him?
you are missing out on what could be our love's splendor..
makes me wonder if you have another agenda../

I'm imagining your body..
you spending your nights naked with him in the dark..
I'm here with just the radio and nobody
yet you say that making love with him produces no spark.
I'm tired of sneaking around in hotels with you..
and you'd think that you would be tired of this double life too./

baby, if you don't love him
then why aren't you here next to me?
Why waste his time and your time too?
You know what you have to do..
If you don't
If you don't
If you don't
want him...
then why don't you tell him?
You could be enjoying a love that would last...
instead of being stuck in the past../

If you don't love him..
then
why don't you tell him?/

Watching The Watcher

One thing I learned when investigating crimes is that if you want to know who did something or who is behind something...think of who will benefit the most. It's not always a monetary thing..Sometimes it can just be revenge. One thing is always true...someone will benefit in someway from any crime committed.

They found Ron January's body, exactly where "Big Sin" said it would be..In a shallow grave in the park behind the Philadelphia Zoo. He was in a body bag. He had been beaten severly..but it wasn't the beating that killed him. His lungs collapsed and he went into cardiac arrest. His bloodstream was filled with citerene...The drug Samuel Hawkin's son had told me about the day before. I knew guys like "Big Sin"..They used their hands or guns or knives to bring about death, but they didn't drug people. Big Sin was no rocket scientist either...How would he or for that matter,Sadie Hawkins even know about that drug? Or where to get it?

I believe that he was tipped off about the photos and about Ron and he probably did break into Ron's house intent on getting those photos...To protect Sadie ,whom he loved from getting disgraced and divorced...and also to protect himself...a wanted man from showing up in any court photos. I believe that Ron resisted and he beat the crap out of him...but somebody administered that drug...Somebody else was in that house...witnessed the whole thing and administered enough of that drug to kill Ron... Big Sin probably thought that his beating had killed Ron and he disposed of the body. Neither he nor this other person found those photos.

Whoever this other person was , (and by now I was sure I knew who it was ), wanted those photos too . When we set up shop in Robert's office , they most certainly knew that Big Sin was going to try again.The mystery person set him up...Made sure he was out of the picture. They knew we could more than likely pin Ron January's murder on him...and that that would be it. This person had a lot of information and did good investigating work. Had they not been a manipulating murder, this person would have made a damn good investigator.

I made a call to a researcher I knew that worked in the hall of records and he gave me some information that didn't surprise me at all. Now all I had to do was set my trap. I picked up Robert Foxworth and we headed towards the Hospital.

"Did you make the phone calls to the necessary people?" I said.

"Yeah, I called Mrs. Hawkins and I called everybody else and told em that Samuel Hawkins has come out of his coma....and that I was going to talk to him and show him the pictures...but do you think I should do this ,this soon?" he said.

"Robert...He hasn't come out of his coma.....I just told you to say that....The real murderer is going to take this bait." I said.

'Real Murderer???...You got him didn't you?....That Big Sin fella." said Robert.

"He didn't do it...he thinks he did...but he didn't do it...After they found Ron's body....I knew exactly who was behind this." I said.

"What??? Who?" asked Robert?

"Trust me...Take these photos in there and play along?" I said.

"These aint the photos..These are some photos of your wife...and rather hot ones at that, if I don't say so myself.....Mannnnn you crazy, If I was married to her, damn if I'd be out here riskin my life." said Robert with a sly smile.

"Just focus on what we are about to do." I said.

Robert walked into the room where the still comatose Samuel Hawkins was lying. He pulled out his portfolio and almost immediately he heard a voice.

"You want to hand those photos over to me ?"
Robert spun around in surprise-

"Heyyy, what are you doing here?" he said.

Then he saw the gun and a needle...Robert's eyes opened up like saucers....It was the same guy who had told me he was Samuel Hawkin's son just days before.Just then, Cock Robbins came out of a nearby closet and put a hit on him that reminded him of his old football days...The smaller man flew across the room and slammed up against the wall, then slid to the ground..stunned, and I grabbed the gun and the needle from him before he could get his bearings...The wind and the fight was knocked out of him.

"Did you see that hit Kev? I used to do that back when I played football, catch the pass and do my own blocking....I told you I was a badddd mann back in the day." Laughed Cock.

Cock grabbed the slender man and sat him down in a chair. It was the "intern" The man who claimed to be Samuel Hawkins's son. Only thing is...My researcher friend told me that Samuel Hawkins's son from a previous marriage died in a car accident several years before and he didn't
have any other children.

"You knew didn't you?" he said.

" Not at first, but then I did some nosing around. You looked pretty good for a guy who's been dead for five years. You're not his son and you're not a doctor either..so who are you?"

"I'm his lover....I am in med school....he was paying for it. We've been seeing each other for several years." he said.

"So when you found out that he was seeking a divorce and that he had a private eye gathering up info on his wife....you sought to put a stop to that. But why?" I asked.

"His gold digging wife knew he was on the downlow for years...why do you think she slept with so many guys?? But she wanted to hold on to that money...."he said.

'So what's it to you?, if he divorced her, then you could be free to be out and open." I said.

"She's my sister....He didn't know that....and if he cut her off, she threatened to out me, out us. A man of Mr. Hawkins's prestige and reputation couldn't afford that kind of scandal, and I would have lost a man I'd loved for seven years...So even though I didn't want to..I had to manipulate things in order to protect my sister." he said.

"So you hid in that house and after Big Sin beat Ron...you drugged him....and it was YOU who called me from his phone, sounding as if you were drunk that night...to get me over there..You figured I'd get Big Sin and pin everything on him..thus protecting your sister, satisfying me and leaving you free to love Mr. Hawkins...Only you made one mistake" I said.

"Oh yeah, what?" he snarled...

"You didn't drug me enough you little shit...I came out of my coma days ago and I've already called the cops." said a rising Samuel Hawkins".
Cock, Robert and I were astounded.... but then ,when I thought I had put it all together,I got another surprise.

"Sammy, baby, lover..I didn't drug you, I swear...it wasn't me?" said the man.

"It wasn't...It was ME!" came another voice...a woman's voice. Once again, I heard a gun clicking. Now it was my turn to be surprised.

I smiled.....and now all the peices fit.

"Hello Sadie...I was wondering when you'd show up...You found your brother's stash , you figured out the whole thing didn't you ?And after you talked to Big Sin...you figured, your husband had to go...to make sure you got that money, whether the photos surfaced or not so you drugged him....You then figured that Big Sin or your brother would take the rap for everything right? He already thought he'd killed Ron ,he was your lovesick puppy and let's face it, not the brightest bulb on the tree....Wow, that was pure genius. And I thought you were a lightweight..Turns out, you're the real gangster..Now I figure you have a gun too and all of us are going to leave here and be killed right?" I smiled.

"That's about it Kevin....how do you figure this ends?"

"With you going to jail?" I said.

"I don't think so." she laughed.

"Put your hands up Sadie...you're under arrest" came a voice, Robert was very familiar with. It was his first wife,the very beautiful and sexy, Lt. Sissy Van Buren, Philly Homicide and several policemen.

"Sissy?" he said.

"Yeah...Thanks Kevin...Your friend Chess's people did a great job of wiring this room for sound..We got everything ,clear as can be on tape." she said -
Come on Sadie and you...what's your name?" asked Lt. Van Buren of Philadelphia Homicide.

"Irwin...Irwin T. Jones" said the man. The police handcuffed both of them and read them their rights and escorted them out of the Hospital. Samuel Hawkins sat up on the bed and looked at Robert, Cock and I-

"Well boys..thanks for clearing up that mess...You think you know someone..I'm not really gay, uh, ruh, I just experiment sexually from time to time..I will pay you handsomely for your silence in this matter...uh and for cracking this case."

Robert Looked at me and winked! I smiled broadly.

Epilouge-

Samuel Hawkins gave Robert and I a half of a million dollars a peice....Robert moved out of Chess's apartment complex and got himself a nice office of his own in a downtown Philadelphia Office Building. I banked mine and made plans to take Sepia on a nice vacation. Irwin got Life for murdering Ron January and his sister got nine years for attempted murder...Big Sin is still awaiting trial on numerous murder charges.

I sat in Josie's one afternoon with Gus and we were talking-

"You cracked another case huh Kev? " said Gus.

"Yeah.."

"You got a P.I.'s licensce....why don't you make it a business, look how well you got paid?" he said.

"But Gus, I'm a writer and a blogger at heart." I said.

"How long you been workin at that Magazine?" he asked.

"About seven years" I said.

"In Seven years combined, you aint made a half a mil have ya? It's somethin to think about."
said Gus.

Hmmm, indeed it was!


(For Soloman)

BIG SIN Don't Cry

ART: "Timeless II" By Laurie Cooper

Big Sin aimed his silencer at me and was getting ready to fire when I heard a commanding voice that I recognized...

"Drop that heater son, it's all over...you're under arrest!"

Big Sin wheeled around and saw , FBI Agent Frank Cotton with an even bigger gun aimed at his head and six more G-men with FBI windbreakers on and bullet proof vests holding huge guns too! He was no fool...He dropped his weapon.

"Well Mr. Kevin..We meet again huh? Do know how long I've been looking for this man? Thanks for calling me...but I must admit...that didn't sound like you at all on the phone..Were you drinking or something?" said Agent Cotton.

"Drinking? No...and I didn't call you..what are you talking about?" I said.

"What? You or somebody called me...gave us information on the Marcus Winslow hit .....told us where the gun was stashed....and gave us the name of two people who witnessed it. We have them in custody now....We found the gun...not only does it match, but it's got his fingerprints all over it." said another FBI Agent.

"Whoa, slow up...Who is Marcus Winslow....I don't know no Marcus Winslow and I never called you. I didn't know this guy was going to be here. Somebody broke into my friend, Mr. Foxworth's office and my friends and I feared that whoever did it was coming back...so we set a trap for whoever..we didn't know it would be him." I said.

"You really didn't know about this guy,huh?" asked Agent Cotton...

"Well, regardless of that....He's going to jail for a long long time..I wish I could nail him for all of the other murders I know he's committed, but can't prove...but it only takes one..Cuff him Danny...Let's go Big Sin...it's all over baby blue..Nice seeing you again Kevin." said Agent Cotton as the FBI dragged him off..

"Hold up Agent Cotton..Can I talk to him a minute?" I asked.

"Knock yourself out...He's got nothin but time." said Agent Cotton.

Clerow, Deacon and Cock Robbins all breathed a sigh of releif and headed outside with the other
FBI agents as Agent Cotton stood guard over the hand cuffed killer.

"Big Sin....you wanted those pictures in the computer didn't you? You couldn't find them in Ron's computer because he e-mailed them off and didn't save them..so you knew they had to be
here right?" I said.

This big muscular bald headed man, who had been the last face many a man had ever seen , a man who's very name struck terror in tough as nails gangsters began to cry ....cry like a baby....

"I loved her...I would've done anything for her....and nothing I ever did was good enough....she was so strung out on that teacher dude.....All he was doin was screwin her man.....I bought her things, expensive things..I drove her anywhere she needed to be driven..I treated her better than her damn husband..and she couldn't see that....I knew if her husband saw these photos he'd divorce her and she'd lose her money for sure...I was trying to protect her....But right now she's with that damn teacher..screwing his brains out." he said as he began to weep uncontrollably.

"Hey man...How did you even know that there were any photographs?" I asked...

"Somebody called me, told me about em and who was taking them... Your friend is dead...I killed him...beat him..You'll find what's left of him out near the Zoo..in the park behind the zoo, over by the cat house." He said...He began crying again.

"Wow Kevin..he just confessed to another murder...you're good..." laughed Agent Cotton as he hauled Big Sin out to a waiting Government car.

I stood there with Cock Robbins, Clerow and the Deacon, I finnally turned to them and said-

"Well boys..I found out who killed my friend and where his remains are."

"Well, I guess you cracked another one eh Kevin?" said Cock Robbins.

"Nah...still one more peice to this puzzle and I think I just figured out who's behind this entire
thing."

They all looked at one another, then me....then they smiled!


(Conclusion Next!)

Worth a Thousand Words

"I should tell you something." said Robert Foxworth to me as we drove towards Ron January's house.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A few days before I last saw Ron, somebody broke into my office...They were trying to get my computer...but they didn't know I was there...I was in the backroom in the bed...and they or who-ever it was ,heard us...uh, they uh, heard me fumbling around and they ran. "

"You think this was just some young punks robbing you?" I asked.

"At first I did...but now that I think about it...something was different..It looked like they had turned my computer on...Then in a hurry, they had decided to try and unhook it and take it. There was $100.00 in cash laying on my desk and that was untouched...It seemed like they were just after my computer." said Robert.

"Hmmm, you have something on there somebody would want?" I asked.

"Not really....Just case files...but you know what? Why don't we swing by my office and check it out. I haven't been in my e-mail in awhile..I've been so busy you know." said Robert.

Yeah, I could imagine....falling through roofs and all.. We swung the car around and headed back to Robert's office. Once inside..He went on his computer. He had close to 200 unread messages.
Mostly junk, people offering free viagra and cialis, ads and all....but then we hit the jackpot!!! It was an e-mail from a week ago from Ron January. It was sent earlier on the last day that I saw Ron.

It read-

"Hey Mr. Foxworth...looks like we hit the jackpot here...I got the goods...As soon as Mr. Hawkins begins his divorce precedings..We can get paid." See attachments!

Ron was an excellent investigator...I could only hope to one day be as thorough. He had taken photos...Lots of photos and had downloaded them and sent them to Robert in an e-mail. The photos were incredible.....

"I know that man..that man in these photos." exclaimed Sepia.

"You do? " I exclaimed...

There was a tall, dark muscular man with a handle bar mustache in several photos kissing Sadeonia Hawkins, with his hand in her blouse, and up her skirt , and her tongue practically down his throat in other pictures...There were explicit photos of her giving him a blow job in his
sports car, on the balcony of some condominium and in hotel room somewhere...

"That's Professor Rasulala..He was my English instructor at community.....You remember Kevin?, while you were in L.A. covering the Hip Hop awards..I was taking that class...He was my instructor...I told you about him." she said with more disgust than I thought she should have.

"Yeah, you told me" I said, now remembering. She told me how she had the hots for him and had several erotic dreams about him...and how he put the moves on her and she had been completely turned off by him..She said that she realized that he was just a player and that she had a good man in me...That's when, she said, she knew that she never wanted to be with anyone else but me. Funny thing is...I had never even suspected....but she said that she had felt so full of guilt she just had to tell me.

We kept looking and we found more photos of Mrs. Hawkins and yet ANOTHER man, a huge bald headed man with an earing...

"I've seen that man too Kevin!" shouted Sepia with more glee than I thought she should have.

"Don't tell me..let me guess, he's your trainer at the gym and you've had the hots for him too?" I said.

"No , silly , that's the guy that opened the door for Mrs. Hawkins and drove her away." said Sepia.

"Him? I know." said Robert Foxworth.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"They call him "Big Sin" -He used to be an enforcer for Fathead Newton. He was one of the most feared hitmen in Philly a few years back. They say he's got more body's attributed to him than you can find in a Chinese cemetary. If he was after you, you might as well shoot yourself because he'd find you sooner or later." said Robert.

The photos showed the big man kissing Sadeonia on the cheek, opening her blouse, removing her
bra and sucking on her breasts.. but unlike the photos with Rasulala..They showed him leaving a
bouquet of flowers by her door, on her car, at her job. They showed him driving her to the mall,
to get her nails done, to the market. One even showed him driving her to Rasulala's apartment!!

These photos were what somebody was trying to get...When they couldn't get them, they got rid of the person who took them. If what I suspected was right. Robert Foxworth...the only other person who might have seen these photos was the next target.

"We've got to get you out of here Robert...Whoever broke into your office is not through...They got to Ron and they are going to get you next. I've got an idea...but I've got to run it by Chess first..In the meanwhile,let's stop by Ron's place." I said.

I called Chess and talked to him about my plan...as I expected..he was cool with it. Robert,Sepia
and I then stopped by Ron's house..Not only was the door open, but someone had trashed the place.. His computer was gone!!!!!! I called Clerow. I asked him if he had a place we could stash
Robert for a few days. He said that he did. We went back to Robert's office, locked it up and then went to his apartment. He packed a few things and got his laptop and then I dropped him off at
one of the empty apartments that Clerow had. I next dropped Sepia off at home.

Then I collected Clerow, Cock Robbins and the Deacon and went back to Robert's office and waited in his back room. Sure enough...around midnight...the lock was being picked and a huge hulking figure slipped into the apartment...He nearly crapped his pants when we flicked the light
on and yelled surprise!!!!!

It was the infamous former hitman- BIG SIN!!!! Guys in his line of work didn't scare easy..He pulled out his pistol with his silencer and said softly like the soft voice of death-

"You niggas just made the biggest mistake of your lives....I'm gonna kill all four of you."


(TO BE CONTINUED...)

Pretty Poison

The next morning, I picked up Robert Foxworth in front of the apartment complex he lived in. I had Sepia with me..He took one look at my wife and his eyes nearly leaped out of his head...I had heard about his exploits with the ladies, so I decided to squash any thoughts he might have had right then and there.

"Well,Well,Well...What do we have here?" he said with a sly grin.

"This is my WIFE, Mrs. Sepia Cokely-Morris" I said proudly.

"Oh..Oh..Your wife...well pleased to meet you." he said, reverting back to his business mode.

"Hi Mr. Foxworth" Sepia said and then turned and gave me a knowing smile. She was used to this I'm sure..but it made me uneasy and I think she knew it.

"She's going with us." I said as Sepia got in the back seat. I motioned for him to get in the car and he did.

"Nice ride...Wow, you writers make better money than I thought" he said.

"Yeah, occassionally we do" I said. I know he probably didn't think I could afford a car like this and in reality I couldn't...but I felt no obligation to explain to him just how I got it. Especially since it was a "peace offering" from his ex-wife's lover for my silence in another case.

"You're heading towards the hospital Kevin..I thought we were going to find his wife?" Said Robert.

"We are. By now she's heard that he's in the hospital and I'm sure she's gone to see him." I said.

I was right! Sadonia "Sadie" Hawkins was nothing like what I expected! She was young, maybe 35, but not older and great looking...Nice shapely legs, well
built, well toned body and an ample bossom. The type of girl my pastor would've been drooling over. She had nice tastes too. Designer clothing, lots of jewelry, Movado Watch, the works. I parked behind her car in the parking lot.
A white 2010 custom made Mercedes. I couldn't see her giving all of that up.

'Wow Robert...I'm surprised you're not working for her" I laughed.

" The husband is the one with the loot, not her... She was the lucky girl he met at the strip club..She didn't have nothin...then she gave him a lap dance and he became enthralled with her. Married her when she was 29 and he was 65."
said Robert.

Sadie was putting on a show in the hospital,playing the role of the grieving wife,demanding that the hospital attend to her "poor husband". My guess was that she was the one who was responsible for him being in this state. It was more than a hunch. I just wasn't buying this sister's act. Neither was Sepia who said to me-

"She's faking.."

"How do you know?" I asked, even though I felt the same way.

"Because I'm a woman and women know women." said Sepia.

"Game recognizes Game" I said and Sepia smiled and nodded.

As soon as she saw Robert Foxworth , her mood became seriously frosty.

"Well, look who it is..the shylock jacklegged Lawyer who's trying to break up my marriage. Happy with yourself?? You done caused him to have a heart attack."
she snapped.

"You sure it was me?" snapped Robert.

"What?, why you son of -" she said as I interrupted..

"Hold on ..Hold on a minute..Look..I'm looking for a friend of mine. Ron January...I haven't seen him in a few days..You wouldn't happen to know where he is would you?" I asked.

"Never heard of him." she said. I was certain she was lying...but I couldn't prove it, so I backed off. she kissed her sleeping husband and said- "I'll be back tomorrow boo" and walked off into the morning.Sepia watched her as a tall bald head, muscular black man with a bald head opened the door of the Mercedes for her and she got in her car. He got on the drivers side and pulled off.

A Black intern pulled me to the side. I had never seen this man before, but he seemed to need to talk to me.

"Hey,hey brother...you two guys brought him in here last night right?" he said.

"Yeah, we found him on the floor."I said.

"Yeah, well WE found enough Citerene in him to kill an elephant..it's a wonder he's alive now." the guy said.

'Citerene??What is that?" I said.

"It's a muscle relaxer..too much will make your lungs collapse, then you go into cardiac arrest...This man had no business with that in his system. Somebody must've put it in his food or his drink..it's undetectable and once a person has been dead for awhile..it won't show up on any tox reports unless you're actually looking for it and know what to look for..Not too many people even know what to look for." he continued.

"Look man, who are you and why did you even tell me this?" I asked.

"I know who you are..You got that blog..I read it all the time . You solve stuff and help people.That dude in there in the bed...is MY FATHER... I'm a doctor,
and I'm not supposed to be talking to you about this..but I want you guys to find out who did this and make them pay...He and my moms split up a long time ago, but he always did right by me..He didn't deserve this." he said.

"No he doesn't" added Robert.

"I'll do what I can, but I was just here trying to find my friend...My friend was investigating your step-mom..Your dad thought she was cheating on him." I added.

"She aint my step nothin...She's just my dad's wife." he said , Not trying to hide his bitterness.

Sepia walked over to me and told me about Sadie getting in the car with the big bald headed man. Robert suggested we go back to Ron's house and see if he left anything behind..I thought that was a good idea.

I turned to address Mr. Hawkin's son...but he was gone!

(To Be Continued.....)

Nick Nacks and Patty Whacked

ART: "Winter" By Metu

A week went by and not a thing was heard from my Private investigator friend, Ron January. I went by his house everyday and there was no sign that he had been there. You know something is wrong when mail begins piling up, unclaimed. I dialed his phone. All I got was his voicemail. I called his cell phone and his Blackberry..Nothing! I decided to find this lawyer, Robert Foxworth and find out what was going on.

The Apartment building was to my surprise..Very nice looking and well kept. I wasn't surprised. I knew Chess in High school. He was always immaculately dressed and he always did things orderly and well. If he owned these buildings..They were kept up right. I had called Chess early that morning and he had told me that Robert Foxworth's office had moved to another floor, while they repaired the hole in the floor of his former back apartment.

"Hole in the floor?" I said.

"Kevin ,man, you don't even want to know" said Chess. I heard his buddy, Chris Thompson laughing his ass off in the background.

When I got to the apartment, I took the elevator to the fourth floor... I heard the sound of a smack, as though someone was being hit with a paddle...

"Ohhhh...Ohhhhhhhh, spank me daddy..owwwww....oh my gooddness...spank me.."

Whack!

"Who's yo daddy, Patty?"

Whack!!!

"Ohhhhh John....Johnnnn, it's youuuuuu...spank me."

Whack!

It seemed as though every apartment I went in...I was walking in on some hot sex...A man could
have a complex about this. Just then, the man I was looking for, Attorney Robert Foxworth came walking out of another apartment..Not the apartment the noise was coming from.

He was a good ten years older than me, tall, atheltic build..snappy dresser..The kind of man I'd imagine a woman like Sissy Van Buren would marry. He shook my hand when he saw me.

"You must be Kevin, Kevin Morris right?" I've been expecting you." he said.

WHACK!


"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...good gawddd! ,spank me pastor, spank me good."


Robert Foxworth seemed surprisingly embarrassed by the sounds coming from the apartment across from his ofice. Him? embarassed?? The man who was humping a woman so furiously his bed had gone through the floor?? I couldn't believe it. I struggled to hide my amusement.

"That damn racket has been going on all morning...I don't think that girl works... her name is Patty something or other and whoever that old man is..he must be on viagra ,cialis and red bull... All day and half of the evening with that." said Robert Foxworth. Again, I struggled to hide my amusement.

"I'm not bothered by that...in my line of work it's normal." I said, trying to sound more like a detective than what I was..a Writer and a Blogger.

"I suppose you're here looking for Ron January...well , I can't help you..I haven't heard from him in a week. I've been calling and calling and he hasn't been answering his phone at home or his Blackberry or the cell phone that I gave him. I went by his house..The door was open, but he wasn't in. Funny...His car was parked outside the house. Ron didn't walk to the corner store..he drove his car." said Robert Foxworth.

"Yeah, I know....I saw him in Josie's about a week ago. he said he had to go...Somebody called him. Then he called me at 3:00 in the morning, drunk!" I said.

"Drunk?" said Robert Foxworth. "Ron didn't drink...I've never seen him take a drink."

"You're right counselor..but he didn't sound coherent at all.. He told me that he'd gotten a call about the big case you two are working on. The Sam Hawkins divorce case." I said.

"A call? I don't know who could have called him. He was supposed to be shadowing Mrs. Hawkins...Mr. Hawkins believes that she was cheating on him. that's all..no cloak and dagger stuff like the kind of cases you handles." said Robert.

"Yeah...so where is he? I'm just concerned as a friend." I said.

"Yeah, well I'm concerned as a lawyer who needs some information on a case. I need to hear from him said Robert.

WHACK!

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuu....spank me one mo time..."

"Come on Patty..I done spanked you..now come on and give ole Rev some."

"I've had enough of all this racket" said Robert Foxworth who bammed his fists on the door hard
and yelled- "Quiet it down in there."

The door swung open and a very voluptious brown skinned girl in a pink baby doll that she was
trying to close yelled at him- I guess I could correctly assume that this was "Patty"

"Hey man, don't bam on mah door anymore." she said.

An older man came to the door.. He was nude except for his socks and said -

"Okay son, well keep it down."

I was incredulous upon seeing him!

"Pastor??? Reverend Struthers???" I said.

'Son, can I go nowhere, without running into you? My God.. I'm here trying to get the devil out of this here girl...I'm on a holy mission." he exclaimed.

I often wondered why his "missions" always included females. Young ,busty,pretty females!

"Son, as you can see ,I'm very busy..now if you don't mind..I hope to see you and that pretty wife of yours in church this Sunday." he said.

"You sure will Pastor" I said.

"That's your pastor?" asked Robert Foxworth

"Yeah" I said. Now it was his turn to conceal a laugh...

"Man, you don't even want to know" I said before he could say anything else.

Just then, his cell phone rang.

"Let me get this " he said.

"Mr. Hawkins?? Heyy, what's the matter? You alright?? We'll be over!" he said, looking like he'd
seen a ghost!

"What's up?" I asked.

"Come on, we'll take my car...Mr. Hawkins sounded like he was sick.." he said.

We got in his car, a 2009 BMW with a drop top...It drove smooth,almost as smooth as my ride. We sped over to Samuel Hawkins house... When we got there, the door was open.. I pulled my pistol and entered first.. We found Samuel Hawkins lying on the floor in the living room gasping for air.. and seemingly having convulsions..

'Robert, call 911...quick" I said.

I heard the back door close and heard a car pulling off.. I ran to the back just in time to see the dust blowing up as a car I could barely make out went flying down the back driveway...

The rescue guys got there in time to save Samuel Hawkin's life...They resecitated him twice and put him in an induced coma... Robert and I followed him to the hospital and we sat with outside his room.

"There goes my case..damn, I sure could've used that money." he said.

"Man, somebody tried to kill him...Is this case just about a wife cheating on her husband?"
I asked Robert.

"Yeah...well...uh, there is a lot of money involved...He owns a bunch of check cashing and fried
chicken joints...He's loaded....His wife stands to lose a lot of money if he divorces her..If he dies and they still married, well then..you know the deal." said Robert.

"Then let's go pay wifey a visit!" I said.

"Tonight?" he said.

"Nah..tomorrow...I doubt that she's going anywhere. Drop me off at my car and I'll see you in the
morning." I said.


(TO BE CONTINUED! )

The Mystery Of Ron January

Couples Night at Josie's was always a special night...One of the few times I could get Sepia to come out. We sat in a booth with Clerow and his wife ,Cora Beth and munched on Fried Chicken wings and french fries. Cock Robbins and his wife Vanessa sat at another booth chowing down on some shrimp...Paris and Blake were at the bar seemingly competing on who was going to take Honey Brown home..She was loving the attention. Gus the bartender and Skillet Johnson, an old man from West Philly who just started coming in were laughing and telling each other tall tales while Cora Beth's sister, Anita Jenkins and that semi-pro Basketball player, Carlton sat at still another booth. That boy Carlton could sure eat..He had two plates of Shrimp and Fried Chicken ,while Anita barely had a half plate of Fried Chicken wings herself.

My boy Sean Jackson and his lady, Sheila walked in...Behind him was a guy I hadn't seen in a long time, Ron January. Ron January was a real private investigator...He did what I only played at ,solved crimes and helped people out. From the corner of my eye, I saw Conrad and his wife,Jill coming in behind Sean,Sheila and Ron.

"88" was on the Piano with a new quintet playing up a storm, while his new girlfriend, Mabel Jenkins sat close to the stage watching him attentively. Ron sat at the bar by himself , yet he looked like his old happy go lucky self. He ordered a Coke. He didn't drink, but he liked hanging
around Josies to socialize...He would order a Soda just so it would appear that he was drinking
something.

Former Drug Kingpin...Chris Thompson and his half Black, Half Asian girlfriend entered the bar
and took a booth in the back, followed by his friend, Chess and his girlfriend, Rell. I had known Chess breifly in High school...a good dude, but mostly a loner, who like his namesake played Chess a lot.

Finnally Amongst the crowd...I saw Deacon Larry Weatherford and his wife Vanessa. The old deacon loved some good jazz..He loved Fried Chicken even more! I eyed the entire crowd, especially Ron since he was the only one here without a lady friend. Finnally, Ron saw me, raised
his glass towards me and walked toward our booth.

"What'cha know good Kevin?" he said..

"You tell me boy...workin on anything good?" I asked as we shook hands.

"I'm always workin on somethin good" said Ron, a tall honey brownskinned Black man who looked a lot younger than his 56 years betrayed.

"That's nice to hear." I said.

"I've been hearing about you Kevin...You've been dippin over into my line of work..just crackin all kinds of cases...Maybe I should set up a blog and dip into yours...hahahahahahaha." he chuckled.

"Imagine that!" I said as I returned his laughter.

"Check this out Kevin...I'm workin for this lawyer in West Philly name of Foxworth..Robert Foxworth." said Ron.

"I know him" added Clerow. 'Well,I know his ex-wife...She rents an apartment from me...ouuuu weeee, she's a fine litttle-"

Before he could continue, Cora Beth side eyed him....he smiled sheepishly-

"I'm just sayin ,I don't know how he messed that up.."


"I'll tell you how, He can't keep it in his pants...Did you know he was married to that Detective you was workin with Kev??, Sissy Van Buren...Cheated on her, messed that up." added Ron.

"Sissy was married? Wow, I never knew that." I said.

"Why did you need to?"added Sepia, pretending to be jealous. I just side eyed her and smirked.

Ron laughed and continued....

"Well anyhow...he is a brilliant lawyer..but he loves the ladies. His client, a guy named Samuel Hawkins thinks his wife is cheating on him and he is trying to use that as leverage in a huge divorce settlement. So Foxworth hired me to look into things. Hawkins has mad loot, if we do right..Me and lawyer Foxworth stand to make a fortune. He's gonna need it...he owes his landlord, Chess over there.. money to fix a hole he made in the damn ceiling in his building."

"The ceiling? " I asked.

"Yeah, he had a bed in his back office, got to screwing some big gal and they went through the ceiling into some poor guys kitchen." said Ron.

"WHAT????" I said as Sepia,Clerow and Cora beth broke out in gales of laughter... I was holding my sides myself... Ron was a great storyteller but I didn't know if I believed him.

"Look good peoples...this is couples night and as you can see, I aint got no lady friend...so to make it up for you folks allowing me to share a laugh with you...Tell Gus, your food and drinks is on me..matter of fact, I'll tell him as I leave." said Ron. His Blackberry had just went off.

"You leavin man? " I asked.

"Yeah, gotta run, somethin just came up involving my case." he said.

We all smiled and waved as Ron January got up and left. We all had a grand time at Josie's that
night..eating, drinking and just enjoying each other....

It was well after three o'clock when Sepia and I walked into our house. My cell phone vibrated in my pocket.

"Who is calling you at this time of night?" asked Sepia.

"Hmmm, who indeed? Oh..It's Ron." I said.

"Heyyy Ron, what's up?"

"ugghhhhh......ohhh, Kevin.....ugggggh.....say goodnight to the missus fer me and...and..kevin,
say good night to yourself..uggggghh...you were a good kid...uggggghhh.." said Ron.

Ron was obviously drunk...I would check on him in the morning.

"Is he alright?" asked Sepia.

'Yeah..he's drunk." I said.

As I lay in the bed that night , a thought crossed my mind. Ron doesn't drink....Ron never drinks! I've never seen Ron drunk in my life!!!!!!

The next morning,I got up good and early. I drove around to Ron's house with Sepia. Surprisingly..the door was ajar. We walked inside and the house looked very neat and immaculate. Nothing looked out of place. Yet, there was no sign of Ron at all. His car was parked out in front of the house. Yet, there was no keys, no wallet, no sign that Ron had even been here.
It was eerily quiet...Too quiet. What was Ron talking about last night and why was he drunk?
Or was he even drunk??

I had been down this road before....Something about this just wasn't right...I could feel it in my bones like never before.

(TO BE CONTINUED......)

The Squeaking Bed

"Ohhhhhhhh...Roberttttt...Ohhhhhhhhh...Oh my gawdddd..ouuuuu,it's soooo goood..." came Sissy's moans...Between her moans and the rather loud sqeaking of the bed..I was certain that if anyone was in the hallway outside of my office, they could hear it.. I must admit ,I was the one making Sissy moan like this...but I was keeping my moans to a whisper...Sissy was making a lot of noise.. Me? My name is Robert Foxworth..I'm an Attorney. Sissy is a Lieutenant in the Philadelphia Homicide Division..She's my ex-wife..We are friends with benefits.

Myy Landlord Chess and his friend Chris laughed, when I told them I wanted to put a bed in the extra room in the office I was renting from Chess. My Office was on the third floor of a six floor apartment complex.

"Why do you need a bed in the extra room of your office?"asked Chris Thompson.

"I take a lot of naps." I said.

They both howled with laughter when I said that..as they struggled to bring the
heavy bed up the backsteps and into the second room in my little office. The bed wouldn't fit in the tiny elevators in the complex. I'm pretty sure that neither Chess or Chris believed me. I didn't care.

Sissy usually visited me at my apartment once or twice a month for our little sexual romps...but once she found out that I had a bed in my office in the back..she began dropping by my office instead.

I had been begging her to take me back...I wanted to marry her again..but she refused...She said she had no plans to marry me or anyone else for that matter. She told me to be glad that she was speaking to me...in addition to sleeping with me from time to time. She always called..she never just dropped by. She said she didn't want to risk walking in on me and any of my "women"
Truth be told..There were no other women. I was working hard on several big cases. Mostly involving men...I worked long hours..I had to.. I needed the money.
The few times a month I saw her was the only sex I was getting.

This was of course until my other ex-wife Corrine started seeing me again. I ran into her in the supermarket one night and we began to talk. She had broken up with her young lover and she'd lost the house too. She too was living in an apartment, not too far from where we used to live when we were married. A man named Clerow owned the apartment complex she was living in and rented to her.

She stopped by my office one afternoon and we had a few drinks and the next thing you know..I hung the "OUT TO LUNCH" sign on the door and killed the lights and Corrine and I wound up in the bed in the backroom making sweet love. Well sweet aint the word I'd accurately use for what we were doing. Loud and downright raunchy was more like it.

Corrine was louder than Sissy and a much wilder lover...The bed made even more noise..and between the bed squeaking and the noise both Corrine and I were making..The neighbors heard it.

Skillet Jackson , who lived in the apartment below me was one such neighbor. He said to me one day...

"Boyyy, you be havin a time up in there...I hear you and those womens." he laughed.

"Everytime I go in my kitchen., I hear that bed sqeakin and them girls hollerin.
You be layin that pipe brother..I aint mad at ya." he added.

"I used to be married to both of them." I said.

"Yeah?? and they still come over and break you off?? Sheeeesh..you must be hung like a donkey.." he laughed. I just shook my head.

One night, Chris, Chess and Skillet were in my extra room having a couple of beers. Chess sat on my bed..Then he got up suddenly.

'Rob man...This bed...You'd better get someone to look at it..The legs are weak..
This thing could go any minute..I wouldn't sleep in this thing alone, let alone have a woman in here.." He said.

I looked at the bed...Chris sat in his chair and just laughed.. I told Chess that I would look into getting the legs on the bed fixed.

"Thas if he can keep them ladies out of it first." said Skillet. We all laughed at that remark.

I never got around to it... Sissy came by at least two more times after that and Corrine and I had a nice "visit" just hours after Sissy's last "visit" on another day.

One afternoon, I was talking to the rare female client I had.. a shapely, yet big
boned sister named Alice Pinkston..We talked and signed papers and it appeared she was getting ready to leave.. Then she looked at me and said kind of alluringly..

"Mr. Foxworth, do you have anything to drink?"

"I've got some scotch over there."

"Scotch? That's an old man's drink...I don't drink Scotch.." she said.

"Oh well,I guess I can't help you Ms. Pinkston.." I said.

"Well, actually...I'm not all that interested in drinking..I was thinking of another type of , let's say entertainment" she said..with a teasing look and a wink.
She was an exotic dancer , a big exotic dancer down at the "Sugar Shack" who was suing the owner for sexual harrassment. I had won a nice settlement in her favor without having to go to court.

My life is like one big porn movie....before I knew what was happeneing...we were in an embrace...Kissing and groping each other and stripping our clothes
off... We fell into the bed..and she rode me like a horse...She was a little thicker
than either Sissy or Corrine.. but not fat..she had a nice shape and a cute face..She was just a little bigger than the normal woman I went out with.We went at it hard..The legs on the bed collapsed.. We hardly noticed..we were still going at it hard, which was bad enough, but then the bed went through the floor and into the kitchen of Skillet Johnson who lived a floor below.. We landed
on top of his kitchen table..

He looked at me..and at Alice Pinkston..Neither of us had on any clothing..The bed had no legs on it..and there was a big hole in the ceiling....

Skillet shook his head....

"Lawd boy...Ah sho hope you makin some money in that law practice of yours..
cause you gotta pay fo that hole in the ceilin... Chess tole you to get that bed fixed."

My name is Robert Foxworth...I hate my life at times like this.

To Be Invisible

ART: "Uimbo" By Keith Mallett

To Be Invisible
whenever you're around
then you would never witnessing
the new love that you've found./

No one would have to witness my
public shame..
I wouldn't have to hear people
laying blame../

I was a fool to let you go
seeing you now
it's apparent that I know../

I don't want to go near it
I don't want to hear it..
I don't want to go there
it's just not fair../

To be invisible
so you'd never see me cry..
when you walk by
with that other guy../

To be alone
with my wounded pride
truly alone
without you by my side./

I was a fool to let you go
and every coming day
my conscience says 'I told you so'/

I don't want to hear it
I don't want to be near it
I don't want to go there
it's just not fair...
to be invisible..
to be invisible...
to be-
invisible./

Die Light

I wrapped my arms together just below her butt cheeks and lifted Rell up..I rubbed my face against her breasts..

"Ohhhh, Ohhh Chess....." she moaned...

She was wearing a black bra....She hadn't taken her skirt off yet..I took my left hand and ran it up her skirt from behind...curling my fingers against her already moist vagina..

"Ohhhh, ouuuu, close the door baby.." she said.

I didn't respond..

"Let's go in the bedroom." she said.

I lifted her up and walked her into the bedroom, I slowly slipped her panties off...and then next,
I slipped her skirt off...and I through her down on the bed...I kissed her and she rubbed my already massive erection.. I entered her and began to move slowly at first and then faster and harder...

"Ohhhhhh..ouuuuu Chess, not so fast...take your time baby...I aint goin nowhere...slow...slowwww...ouuuuuuu..."

I stood up, lifted her up in the air...She wrapped her legs around my waist and I entered Rell again... She loved it when I picked her up...and I thrusted again.. She let out a guttural sound that I had never heard before...

We made love standing up...up against the wall and finnally on the floor like that for close to two
hours... Finnally, the floor was just too hard...and we wound up in the bed.. She felt as if she had cum more than once....and when I finnally came..it was hard and intense...My entire body began to shake..and I felt as though I had passed out...

We lay there in each other's arms for what seemed like an hour and then my cell phone went off.
I rolled over and picked it up....it said "Unregistered number" This could only be trouble. I answered it anyway.

"Hello."

"I'll make this quick....The man who has been trying to kill you is staying at the
Alonquin Hotel in South Philly...He's been there for two weeks."

"Who is this?" I said.

Click!

"Chess ,who was that?" asked Rell.

"I don't know....Some guy, but I didn't catch the voice." I said.

I left the house that Rell and I shared and called Chris...It seemed that he had got the same phone call. We called Smooth and Fathead...They had got an indentical call.. Who had all of our numbers? Nobody we knew...so our logical conclusion was that this was Diamond Jack playing us , trying to lure us into a trap....Yet we had to check it out. He knew what Smooth, Fathead, myself and certainly Chris looked like...so we couldn't go...but someone he didn't know could go..
Someone he'd never expect.

Chris contacted Gus ,the bartender at Josie's and Honey Brown, who worked there. He gave them photos of Diamond Jack and he rented a car with tinted windows for Gus. A few days later, Honey Brown checked into the Alonquin Hotel. Gus drove through the neighborhood in a different rental car everyday. He loved it... Sure enough on their third day there they got a look at the man himself...Diamond Jack Quimby...He was indeed staying at this flea bag of a hotel .

He had been in Philadelphia the whole time, directing traffic. But was it a trap?? We'd soon find out. Smooth and I rented a car and began cruising the neighborhood. We saw two guys go into his room and then come out..They were probably new muscle, hired to kill Chris, me, Smooth and Fathead...

"I should take those clowns out right now.." said Smooth..

"Nah...let em go..Chris said to just observe..He said not to do anything." I said.

We watched....I turned on the radio...Marvin Gaye was singing -"Aint that Peculiar"..Diamond Jack walked out of the hotel and was about to get in his car when a man wearing a straw hat ,some khaki pants and a extra large white Sean Jean shirt walked up to him...said a few words, shook his hand and to our horror and surprise...shot Diamond Jack, six times....He then took a pack of playing cards out of his pocket and stuffed it in Jack's mouth. He was wearing rubber gloves...He dropped his gun near the car..and calmly walked down the street in the opposite direction. Minutes later as we watched..Somebody screamed!! and a crowd of people walked around and gawked at the fallen gangster with a deck of cards in his mouth and six bullet wounds in his chest and torso.

A few days later...I was talking to Chris...

"Man...what was up with that?" I said.

"Somebody ,somewhere gave us an anonymous tip...I don't know who it was or why...but it checked out and I didn't want to waste anymore time with Jack." he said.

"So you sent in muscle?" I said.

"Who me? ,I'm no gangster..Not anymore...I simply called Fathead ,told him what Gus,Honey Brown,You and Smooth had seen. Fathead felt the same way I did and he sent one of his guys around to the hotel to do the job."said Chris.

"What was with the deck of cards in his mouth?" I asked.

"Oh That? That was me...I told Fathead to tell his guy to do that..Nice touch wasn't it?" laughed
Chris.

"You're crazy man." I said.

True to his word...Chris sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers to Diamond Jack Quimby's funeral..
It was held in Atlantic City...Only 25 -30 people attended..He wasn't that well liked...but they all
raved about the flowers.

Epilouge- Philadelphia FBI Headquarters...

"Special Agent Cotton....I just heard on the news that somebody knocked off Diamond Jack
Quimby in South Philly this afternoon." said an FBI agent.

"Really? That's great news." said Agent Cotton.

"He was trying to make a move on Fathead Newton....trying to take over some card game."

"Yeah Quimby always was an extremist...He got a lot of people killed over nothin..." said Cotton.

"Thing is..I don't know how Newton's guys found him... WE couldn't even locate him...They were
all over Atlantic City looking for him." said the agent.

"Yeah, well, I know him...He likes to hide in plain sight" said Agent Cotton.

"Yeah..I know you know him...you have been trying to build a case against him almost as long as you were trying to get Eric Slaughter...Looks like you won't have to worry bout neither of those guys anymore." said the agent.

"Nope...." said Agent Cotton.

"I just wonder how Newton's guys found him...those gangsters are better at finding folk than we
are."

"Not all the time ....Sometimes, I imagine...even they need a little help." laughed Agent Cotton
ruefully as he continued to read his paper.. He knew more than anybody how much help they had indeed needed.